Perfect alternative to the Westburg Trail on warmer days. Offers shade for about 1/3 of the hike. Starts out as a gravel access road from the parking area and meanders through a sandy and sage brush decorated valley. After about 3/4 mile from parking area, the pine trees start. A beautiful hike under shade but still some steep areas to get the blood pumping. I turned around at the junction with the Westburg trail in order to stay shaded and cooler. Total mileage from parking to junction and back was 4.16 miles according to my gps. Great morning hike close to town.

Ethan & I hiked up the Boy Scout Trail on this cool, cloudy, perfect-weather-for-hiking day.  There are no facilities at the trailhead, but there is a kiosk with a nice map of the trail system and descriptions of the trails.  Between a slow pace and photo & rest stops, it took us a little over 2.5 hours to reach the junction with the Westburg Trail.  We decided that we'd had enough climbing (1300') and made our way over to the shoulder of the ridge to a spot amongst a field of wildflowers with a magnificent view even though the Stuart Range was clouded in.  We probably stayed more than our usual hour or so before heading back down the way we had come up.  We had wildflowers virtually every step of the way.  The larkspur, arnica, and prairie star were especially profuse in the forest followed closely by showy phlox.  On top, the thyme-leaf desert buckwheat and antelope-bitterbrush were also profuse.  We heard lots of birds which Ethan was able to identify with Merlin app.  The most showy ones that he managed to see with his binoculars were a Yellow Breasted Chat, a Lazuli Bunting, and a Varied Thrush.  The only other wildlife we saw was a squirrel - no ticks and no snakes.  There were others on the trails, but it never seemed crowded.   

The wildflowers are at their peak right now on Manashtash Ridge, and the best way to see them is to take the Boy Scout Trail. The more popular Westberg Trail goes straight up in the sun, and the rocky, rutted path may cause ankle twisters. The Boy Scout Trail, while still steep, goes through a shaded ravine with a walkable pathway. At the top we saw bitterroot, arnica, fleabane, antelope brush, lupines, penstemon, phlox, balsamroot, green paintbrush, and so many more. Along the way there were larkspur, Indian paintbrush, phlox, and other flowers sprinkled in the woods.

If you go, note that the irrigation ditch has now been covered, so all that's left is a gravel road. As others have noted, there is no water along the trail, and no toilets at the trailhead.

Nobody in my group really wanted to hike today. The rain and fog has gotten us down. But we got out anyway and I’m so glad we did! We parked at 9:00 am at the trailhead on Cove Road, which was shrouded in dense fog. The trail is covered in snow, slush & ice from the start, but it is only a couple of inches deep and well packed. However there is pooled water and and slippery patches, so we put our microspikes on right away and then had no trouble combined with our waterproof shoes.

It was very warm hovering around 40 degrees and I was able to wear only my base layer throughout the whole hike. About 2/3 of the way up the trail we climbed above the inversion, and were greeted with warm sun and blue sky. It was stunning! The hills sparkled in the sunlight and the inversion turned the valley into a white ocean.

We passed about 6-8 parties over the three hour period we were out, many with dogs. Everyone was polite and observed trail etiquette. It took about 90 minutes to get to the top on Boy Scout. Longer than normal due to trail conditions. We spent about 30 minutes at the top and it took about an hour to get down on Boyscout again. Sometimes it is hard to motivate yourself to get out, but we are always glad when we do.

I met two friends at the Cove Road trailhead at 9:00 am, arriving to dense fog. The trail is covered in snow, ice & slush but it’s only a couple of inches deep. We put microspikes on at the start, which combined with waterproof shoes was adequate. Temps were in the high 30s and no rain, so it felt warm and we stayed in light layers the whole time.

We took the Boyscout Trail up and about 2/3 of the way we rose above the cloud inversion. It was beautiful: sun and blue sky! The valley below looked like a white ocean. The footing was a little soft so it took longer than normal to reach the top, about 90 minutes. We passed approximately six groups on the way up, many of whom had dogs. Everyone was polite and maintained good trail etiquette.

We were sad to descend into the fog on our way down, leaving the clear sky and warm sun behind. Passed a few other groups on the way down, taking Boyscout again. Arrived back to our cars at noon. Overall a wonderful time with conditions much better than expected.