Climbing Mount Trumbull (Peak #33)

Mount Trumbull as seen from the trailhead to Mount Logan.

To the residents of Bundyville it was known as Nixon Mountain, named after James W. Nixon, an early pioneer in the area. But officially it was known as Mount Trumbull, named in 1869 by John Wesley Powell after Illinois Senator, Lyman Trumbull.

I've always had a fascination with Mount Trumbull. There is nothing special with the makeup of the mountain, but I was more fascinated with its remoteness. To arrive at its flanks one had to drive seventy miles on a dirt or graveled road.

Mount Trumbull from a distance of five miles to the west.

From the highway, one can barely see it unless he knows what he's looking for. It's a low-prominence dome that can blend with other volcanic hills in the area. Its proximity to the Grand Canyon adds to the mystique.

I was also well aware that its tall stands of ponderosa pine were used for lumber in the building of the St. George Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This in itself was quite a feat.

Ponderosa Pine grows near Mount Trumbull. 

Work began in 1873. A road had to be built and sawmills were brought in. A loaded trip from the sawmill to St. George was backbreaking and tedious, which included a team of oxen traveling close to eighty miles for nearly a week. The lumber was eventually used for floors, walls and ornate stairways in the temple.

Over the next couple years, work from the sawmill was difficult. At one time it completely stopped when the snow fell so deep that the teams had no feed. The men got discouraged. Robert Gardner, one of the men in charge stated, “I would rather go to China than Trumbull.”

In 1875 the masonry work on the temple was completed. The work at the sawmill now had to be expedited. Gardner writes: “As soon as I could, I started back to Mount Trumbull with two cooks, men and provisions. Soon I had the mill running. I fitted it out with men and took six men with me into the woods; four with cross-cut saws and two with axes. I took my 'bill of lumber' for the Temple and my ax and measuring pole and selected and marked suitable trees for the choppers to cut. When they were cut down, I measured and marked them for the men with the cross-cut saws.”

Around this time James Nixon was called upon by the church to move with his family to Mount Trumbull. He was able to locate a spring and convey the water nearly a mile in a trough to the sawmill. Water was critical in running the steam-operated mill. Because of this they were more efficient in cutting board. This lumber was used not only for the temple, but many other buildings in early St. George. The water source still bears the name of Nixon Spring.

James William Nixon.

St. George Temple.

The trailhead to the top of Mount Trumbull is in the same area as the old sawmills. Nowadays there are kiosks that tell the history of the sawmills and native inhabitants, as well as a geological history of the mountain.

This area is higher in elevation than the Hurricane Valley to the west, Toroweap Valley to the east, and of course, the Grand Canyon to the south. Elevation is approximately 6500 feet. Mount Logan is directly to the south, and Mount Trumbull to the North. Between the two are green meadows and tall ponderosa pines in every direction.

Mount Trumbull is an ancient volcano whose first eruption happened approximately 3.6 million years ago. It is part of the Uinkaret Volcanic Field that stretches from the Grand Canyon all the way to the Utah state line. After this first eruption the lava cooled and turned into hard gray basalt. A second eruption at an unknown date spewed red cinder rock on top of the basalt. This rock is still visible on the trail.

There is a short trail in the vicinity of the old sawmills, but as far as I could tell, there's nothing left of the old structures. Trees are cleared out in a narrow line heading northward, which I assume leads in Nixon Spring. It was here that I met my first group of humans in two days, a trio of young Native adults who were hired by the forest service to fight invasive plants. One of them, I am sure, was Navajo.

A couple does near the old sawmill site.

The beginning of the trail with lots of little red cinder rock.

Part of the forest on top of Trumbull that was in a burn scar.

A flat Mount Logan as seen from the trail.

Looking southeast along the trail toward cinder cones, lava flows and Toroweap Valley.

The hike to the top of Trumbull was pleasant, but nothing extraordinary. The trail is steeper in the beginning, climbing the southern flank over small red cinder rocks. From time to time I would catch a glimpse of Mount Logan to the south, or other unnamed cinder cones to the southeast. Knowing what I was looking for, I spotted Toroweap Valley further afield.

Mount Trumbull is shaped like a low dome. Once I got on top of the dome the incline lessened. The density of the trees also lessened. I think there was a fire here several years ago, eliminating some of the stands.

The living and dead side by side.

Summit of Mount Trumbull, sans view.

Geological survey marker at the summit.

The trail wraps around the mountain until it comes to an end at the summit. Here there is a geological survey marker and a pile of rocks, but there is no view.

To obtain a vista I had to retreat down the trail 500 yards to a point that looked over the north face. Here the view was spectacular. I could see several cinder cones across the floor, all of which are part of the Uinkaret Volcanic Field.

In the distance, through the haze, I could see the Pine Valley Mountains by St. George. To my right was the upper Toroweap Valley.

Looking northwest from the north side of Trumbull.

Zoomed-in shot with Pine Valley Mountains in distance.

From the north side of Trumbull, looking northeast toward Toroweap Valley.

This was a pleasant little hike, although it started getting hot toward the end. I only passed one set of hikers, a man and women with their dog.

The scenery wasn't anything to brag about, but the history, isolation and geology of Mount Trumbull are all very fascinating. ♠

Mount Trumbull

Distance to peak: 2.6 miles

Net elevation gain:1,514 feet

Final elevation: 8,019 feet

Total roundtrip distance: 5.4 miles

View of Mount Trumbull from Toroweap Valley (east side).