Cannon Ball Mountain Trail #55

Dogs Off-leash

Features Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Just up from the old McCrea cabin sits another old homestead that has not faired so well. This is where the trail starts, leaving the more slightly better traveled Frank Wurl Trail #61. Head down to Bridge Creek to get your last water. From there you start climbing up and over a small ridge and into Coconut Grove where there is no coconuts but there is a march after following a mostly dry creek.

Continue east to Cottonwood Creek that will likely offer only cottonmouth. Continue climbing and traversing only to find that the trail drops down a ridge for no apparent reason before traversing out to a point. You can turn and go up Sampson Spring Trail #65 to Mount Sampson and Cannon Ball Mountain beyond.

This trail then takes an aggressive route down into Blue Gulch. At the bottom, you may choose to climb out on Thorn Gulch Trail #76 for extra punishment or enjoy a mostly casual decent out and around the ridge to West Fork Rapid River Trail #113 just minutes from Rapid River Road.