Spring Thaw! An annual seasonal event that generally occurs mid to late January and will last anywhere from a few days to a month. I’m not sure why the weather pattern changes this time of year, but I am grateful to a certain extent. As an avid skier, I’m okay with snowstorms and deep powder, but by the end of January, it is always nice to have a break.

It is sunny with a high expected to be in the mid-fifties as I head west on highway 56. This two-lane road connects Cedar City, UT, to points west and is currently acting as a detour for big rigs over ten feet in width. The highway system is currently performing road repair in “the gorge,” causing the big rigs to take this approximately 250-mile detour. One never can believe how many big trucks are on the highway system until they travel past your front door.

Last year, I had previously loaded a route into my GPS through the foothills of Iron Mountain. There is iron ore in “them thar hills,” and metal to create steel has been mined for over a century in the area giving rise to the iron in Iron County. I begin to spot the black surface rock as I turn off highway 56 and start my ascent toward Milner Hill. An unranked hill, Milner Hill is generally a drive to summit during the summer months and using an ATV. There are a large number of dirt roads cut through the Juniper trees used for mining purposes, and as I put my Fj into four-wheel drive, I note it is going to be muddy today.

Snow covered road on north facing hillside

The road base is rocky, and a small trickle of water is running down the left wheel track. It’s still early in the day, and as the snow continues to melt, the trickle will increase. Cutting across the ridgeline, I enter the north-facing hill, and the road is snow packed. I reach the point I am going to start my hike to the summit of Milner Hill and toy with the thought of leaving my Fj parked in the middle of the road. Prudence gets the better of me, and I back up to a wide spot in the byway and park. While I am getting my pack and hiking poles out of the back, another truck pulls up beside me. We visit and laugh about how neither expected to see another soul out here today.

I hike through the crunchy snow up to the ridgeline. I’m glad the ridge has seen enough sun to melt the snow and provide sound footing. It is an easy walk along the ridge to the summit. Milner Hill is an elongated summit with a massive iron ore cap on the south tip. Iron Mountain to the east has a similar peak, and if you drive to the top of Iron Mountain, you can see where the mining operation has chased the vein of ore under the cap down the mountainside.

Perhaps this hillside will be mined out in the future. I walk back along the summit ridge to the high point and mark the spot on my GPS. It is a beautiful morning with snow dotting the hillsides beneath a bluebird sky.

Milner Hill summit view of Iron Mountain. Milner Hill; Iron County; Silver Peak - UT, quad; Rise: 60’; Unranked.

I hike back along the ridgeline to the road and then follow the path around to my jeep. No additional tracks mark the snowbank, and I follow the fresh tracks of the truck. Water is flowing freely now, and although my vehicle is handling the current conditions of mud and snow, I know that individual sections of this area are clay and no amount of jeep power can get through a wet clay field.

Turning a corner, I find the truck parked in the middle of the road. I laugh. I guess the truck occupants didn’t expect me to continue behind them. There is barely enough room between a tree and the truck to pass on one side, so I keep on heading down the road. Thankfully, the steepest sections of the way are dry. I note where the final tracks end with the vehicle turning around near a partial clay hillside. It’s dryer now, but I still slip and slide to a broad spot marking the ridgeline I hope to follow to the summit of Red Hills.

This section of Red Hills is not red, but it holds the highest elevation in a curving series of hills made up of red and yellow rock. It doesn’t take me long to follow the ridgeline first west, then dropping through a small wash to pick up a ridgeline heading north. The view from the summit is breathtaking as the whole of the valley opens to view.

Red Hills summit view of valley. Red Hills; Iron County; Silver Peak - UT, quad; Rise: 260’; Unranked.

Red Hills summit has Juniper trees and snow as I work my way through the thick trees trying to find the right spot for a view. I brought a snack that I had planned to enjoy on the summit, but I am worried about the quickly deteriorating road conditions. As I view the road forward, I am aware that no tracks have broken ahead of me since the last storm, I also know of several spots on the return trip that was sketchy at best the first time I passed. I decide to wait until I returned to my jeep to settle the decision. My thought is if the truck I have been playing hopscotch with has passed and broken a new path, then I will follow. If not, I’ll stick with the devil I know and return the way I came. With my decision made, I enjoy the summit view and take a few more pictures.

As I arrive back at my Jeep, there are no new tracks. Either the truck occupants are still hiking or hunting, or they returned the way they came. I am hesitant to return. One section of the inbound road was steep, muddy, and contained a large wash dead center of the road. Driving downhill made it possible to maintain tires on both sides of the rut. An uphill trek in the mud, I’m not so sure. I look again at the north road and reason that although uncut, the way is at least snow packed. Being on the north-facing slope, I’ll spend most of my time in snow, and having studied the current road; I know it connects with a high-quality dirt road that connects Desert Mound with highway 56. I decided to take my chances and drive north.

Northbound proved to be the right choice as my Fj pushes through some deep drifts. Driving, I have sound traction in the snow, and as my descent to the main road is almost too easy for as much as I worried. Only one section of clay proved to be fun as I slipped, slided and watched my tires sling mud in every direction. The sliding lasted only a moment as I turn through a grove of trees and connect with the main road. I love this type of adventure!