Mt. Loafer Trail from Spanish Fork River Park

The sign doesn't lie. This is a tough, rugged and overgrown trail. Next time I'll cover my legs - I'm completely broken out in hives. My socks were so full of stickers that I just threw them away. Mile 7 is purely for your entertainment. Do not follow! Envision thick scrub oak on a steep hillside - the wrong side of the hill. 

 All that said, it was beautiful and I didn't want to turn around. Had I known I was that close to a road, I would have looped back for an easier run on a private dirt road.
The trail starts at the west end of the Spanish Fork River Park.

Cross the bridge and follow the dirt road 1/2 mile until you come to the trail.





The sign doesn't lie.  This truly is a "very difficult trail". From this point on, the trail is overgrown and can be hard to follow, although there are fence posts marking the way for the first three miles.



The trail cuts just below "Lone Rock Peak" (probably not an official name) and then cuts over the ridge toward Loafer Mountain (southwest). On the way back, this landmark saved me.  I got off the trail and ended up on the east side of the mountain in the distance. Luckily, I saw Lone Rock Peak and bushwacked my way back to the trail.



These pictures show how overgrown the trail is in many places.


This sign was reassuring after while of bushwacking through tall ferns and wondering if I was on the trail




I saw two wildlife feeding troughs

After pioneer trek and an Oregon vacation, my face had become a bit grizzly

The red is not sunburn, but rather a solid layer of hives. The hives spread to much of my upper body as well and lasted about 5 hours

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