Frog Mountain — Friday, Sep. 1, 2023

This was the first time on this trail for everyone in our party of five. This a very well-built trail with an even, steady gain without any big steps up or down on an excellent tread. There were a few minor rocks and roots but they were nearly unnoticeable compared to most mountain trails. We did not encounter the yellowjackets along the trail that others had mentioned but we saw what was probably their nest at about two miles in.

For the first 1.5 miles Bear Mountain was the predominant peak to the west. Farther up the Monte Cristo Range is in view and once at the summit Columbia and Kyes Peaks dominate to the northwest. Even though there was haze the mountains were impressive.

There is a lot of foliage coming into color now, particularly vine maple and blueberry. There are still some tasty blueberries to be found along the trail and especially at the summit.

You don't really need a map for the trail as there are no junctions. The only spurs we saw were at the summit but they are very short and don't lead to anywhere you could get lost at.

The access road, the Beckler River Road (FS-65) is in great condition, both the paved and the gravel sections. There were a few very minor potholes on the gravel but what did take us by surprise were a couple hard to discern short, deep dips on the pavement.