Morgan "M" Trail

Hike Overview

Trailhead Directions

The Big “M” trailhead was a surprise to me if I’m honest.  To find the trailhead, go to the South Morgan Cemetery and follow the road to the very back of the cemetery.  Here you’ll find a signed gate that will provide access to the trail to the big “M” which is located on private property.

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Hike Details

Heading through the gate, follow the trail through a small drainage ditch, and continue walking on the path curving towards what appears to be a set of stairs.  The trail is steepest in this area and the stairs provide some help as you ascend the mountain although many of them are washed out.

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Continue hiking up the slope until you reach the first of 3 benches.  If you’re legs need a little break this is a great place to take a short rest and breathe in the spectacular view.

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Once you are ready, continue the climb up towards the “M”.  From this point the trail is still quite steep, but not nearly as bad as the first ~0.25 mile.  Around the 0.5 mile mark you’ll find another bench if you want to take another rest.

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From this point I think you get the best view of the “M”, but if you’ve come this far you’ll want to get a close up look at it!  There’s also a very short flat section here which we really welcomed to catch our breath before the next big up section.

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You’ll lose your view of the “M” as you ascend the next part of the trail, but you’re greeted with a peek of the corner of the “M” on the next flatter spot.

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Finally, you can ascend the last of the hill and take one of the short trail off shoots that ends directly on the corner of the “M”.  Much to my great surprise the view of the M is rather disappointing when you are so close to it.  I guess it’s perspective and size make it hard to actually see the whole thing.

The other surprise we had?  It’s made from what appears to be concrete, now I’m really wondering how they got all that up the mountain!  Amazing!

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You can finish out your hike by ascending the last hill to the summit where you’ll be greeted by a bench, a peek of the M, and sweeping views of Morgan and the valley below.  I think the views of the valley are really what make the summit amazing.

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There are several trails that lead from this point offering different views of the valley and canyons below.  If you’re up for some additional exploring these can be fun options to make the hike longer!

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Why is this trail moderate?

The start of the hike is really steep and while the incline gets less higher up, it’s still a good quad workout.  There are 3 benches on the trail that are great for taking breaks especially with kids.