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<strong>Fall</strong> foliage continued from page 23<br />
light you’ll see a brown<br />
sign for the Pinal Mountain<br />
Recreation Area.<br />
Drive south down Russell<br />
Road; watch for a<br />
sharp right turn within a<br />
quarter mile, and stay on<br />
Russell Road. After 2-3<br />
miles Russell Road becomes<br />
Forest Road #55.<br />
Continue straight on FR55<br />
another few miles as it<br />
winds through Russell<br />
Gulch Canyon, then uphill<br />
to the intersection of<br />
Forest Road 651. At that<br />
intersection turn right at<br />
the sign which reads ‘Pinal<br />
Mountains 11 miles.’<br />
This beautiful, winding<br />
mountain road ascends<br />
through low desert canyon<br />
country up into chaparral<br />
and then ponderosa<br />
pine forests. You’ll pass<br />
the Sulfide del Rey campground,<br />
which has Forest<br />
Service toilets, campsites<br />
and fire rings. Another<br />
minute or two past Sulfide<br />
del Rey campground the<br />
road splits; bear left towards<br />
Signal Peak. From<br />
here FR651 winds south-<br />
easterly, around the south<br />
side of the mountain range<br />
- with dramatic, sweeping<br />
views across the Dripping<br />
Springs Valley below and<br />
rows of mountain ranges<br />
extending like a choppy<br />
sea as you gaze south.<br />
Look to the east when skies<br />
are clear; on that far horizon<br />
you can see the shadowy<br />
Catalina Mountains<br />
looming 100 miles away.<br />
It takes about 10 miles of<br />
graded dirt road after you<br />
turn onto FR651 before<br />
you reach the Ice House<br />
Canyon trailhead. Watch<br />
for this on your left, with<br />
a sign announcing trail<br />
Courtesy photo/Philip Lowe<br />
#198. Park nearby and<br />
hike down the first halfmile<br />
of the trail, then back<br />
up again. Ice House Canyon<br />
holds the largest stand<br />
of aspen trees in the Pinals,<br />
and the steep trail winds<br />
through the heart of this<br />
forest and down into the<br />
drainage below. As you<br />
drive towards the trailhead,<br />
that last quarter-mile<br />
of FR651 gives one particularly<br />
choice viewpoint<br />
where you’ll see golden<br />
aspen color cascading<br />
down into Ice House Canyon.<br />
Be aware that this is a<br />
steep trail; trekking poles<br />
and sturdy hiking boots<br />
are definitely advised.<br />
After hiking the Ice House<br />
Canyon Trail, drive another<br />
mile east along the<br />
Pinal ridgetop, watching<br />
for signs for Ferndell,<br />
followed by nearly<br />
a dozen private cabins,<br />
then signs for Signal Peak<br />
Continued on page 25<br />
24 Gateway to the Copper Corridor 2021
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