Patsy's Mine and Flag Rock

The Trail
This moderate trail is about 1.6 miles long one way with a 1408 foot elevation change. Going just to Patsy's Mine is about 1 mile up. You will notice a few different trails on the maps below. There are actually a number of trails that split and go off different directions. Most of them connect and still reach the mine. Just don't take the white one as explain further below.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail can be started a couple ways. It used to head through a dirt and weed area near some houses just south of the corner where you can park. This way is not marked any more. It is shown in dark blue/yellow in the maps above. More recently, there was a subdivision sign was put in and a path starts next to that to go up, as shown below and as marked by the light blue in the maps above.

Trailhead

The trail soon turns east to steeply ascend the hill to the Firebreak Road (which is a dirt road) above. After reaching the road in about 0.2 mile from the trailhead, make note of where the trail is so you can find your way back down it when you come back. Then turn south and walk along the road for about 0.17 mile (as shown in dark blue/yellow on the maps above). A wooden sign here may mark trail here to Patsy's Mine and Flag Rock, but it also may be missing. The trail turns off from the road at this point and heads southeast as it switchbacks up the slope.

Sign marking turn-off from the dirt road

Turn off (unmarked) to head up the trail from Firebreak Rd.

Notice that the light blue path in the maps above also comes out right across from the trail continuing up to Patsy's Mine and Flag Rock. Also, there is another path that also seems to connect that goes up further south, which we ended up taking accidentally on our way back once. There are quite a few paths weaving in an out here, but I believe most of them connect. Just pay attention to where you are.

One exception we found that should be avoided comes at the split shown below. This is about 0.5 to 0.6 mile up the trail, depending on which way you take up. Do not go left here (shown in light gray in the maps above)! The trail continues up for a ways, but then starts to get very overgrown, rough, and faint. I don't know if you could continue to follow it up, but it is definitely not the path you want to take. Go straight/right here instead.

In 0.4 mile from Firebreak Road, hikers will arrive at a bench sitting at an intersection in the trail. Turning right to go south here will take you to Steed Creek, whereas turning left to the north will take you up to the mine and to Flag Rock. At this point there a number of interesting rocks are also visible jutting up from the mountainside.

Bench at the trail intersection

Not to far past the bench the trail runs across the bottom of a large rock field. It is worth paying attention to the rocks along this trail as there are an abundance of beautifully figured metamorphic specimens.

In another 0.3 mile, hikers will come to a turn off leading down to Patsy's Mine. This old mine runs back into the rock about 150 feet. It was created by a man named Patsy Morley in the early 1900s. He who was a former boxer who started by digging by hand, but switched to using steam power to dig it out. He dug unsuccessfully for about twenty years hoping to find some precious metals before he mysteriously disappeared one day.

Patsy's Mine

If you wish to explore the mine, be sure to bring a flashlight and be careful. The mine can be pretty wet inside, but you can go down a good ways if desired before hitting pools of water. Toward the end it branches off briefly in a few directions.

Inside Patsy's Mine

After leaving Patsy's Mine, those who still have time and energy can continue up the mountain another 0.6 mile to Flag Rock. Just before the top the trail intersects with the Centennial Trail.

Intersection with Centennial Trail

The views from Flag Rock are beautiful! There is also a bench here to rest on, if desired.

View from Flag Rock

Looking South from Flag Rock

This trail is open to pets, but please clean up after them. There are no restroom facilities at the trailhead or along the trail.

Directions
This trail is located in Davis County, Utah in Farmington. To get there from north of Farmington, take exit 325 off of I-15 and turn left onto Park Lane. Next, turn right onto Main Street and continue on this road as it curves around. When you reach 100 North, turn left and follow this road to where it curves left. There is a sort of cul-de-sac area here you can park. The trail starts north of this spot next to the subdivision sign.

If you are coming from the south, take exit 222 off of I-15 and continue along 200 West to State Street. Turn right onto State Street, and then turn left onto 100 East. From there, turn right onto 100 North and continue as outlined above. GPS Coordinates: N40 58.921 W111 52.769

Parrish Creek Pictographs

The Trail
This moderate trail is only a half mile long (one-way) with a 240 foot elevation change. Short sections of the trail are on the steep/slippery side and some climbing is necessary to reach the pictographs at the end, so it is not the best trail for young children. There are a couple waterfalls along the way to the pictographs at the end.

Topographical Map (Blue = Parrish Creek Pictographs, Green = Parrish
Canyon Trail, Red = Bonneville Shoreline Trail)

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail begins with a little climb and then it levels off once it reaches the main Bonneville Shoreline Trail. At this point there is a trail that continues up the hillside labeled "Parrish Trail." This is actually the Parrish Canyon Trail and will go to Skyline Drive and Centerville Peak (marked in green on the maps above), so do not go up this way to reach the pictographs. Instead, turn left and the trail with curve around to the canyon.

Trail marker for the "Parrish Canyon Trail" - Don't go this way
to reach the pictographs

Head left here to reach continue to the pictographs

The trail levels out and then descends slightly as it heads toward the canyon. Soon you will reach a red bridge. Cross the bridge and immediately turn right to head up the canyon. (If you go left you will continue along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, shown in red on the maps above.)

Looking back at the red bridge after crossing it

Not too long after crossing the bridge there is a waterfall. It is normally much much smaller than it appears here, but if you go in the spring of a high water year, it will probably look similar.

First Waterfall in Spring

Evening Primrose along the trail

The trail continues to follow the creek, sometimes with the creek right up to the trail.

In fact, I highly recommend you don't go to see the pictographs during the spring of a high water year, or at any other time when the water flow is high. Otherwise, you will find it very challenging to reach them. I believe you normally should be able to climb the rocks to the left of the main waterfall, but when we got there, the waterfall was flowing over everything.

Second Waterfall

Since that way was impassable, I tried climbing the large rock northwest of the waterfall and working my way around it to the pictographs. (My kids made it this far without trouble, but I definitely did not attempt to take them to the pictographs.) This also may have worked fine at other times, but there was water trickling down this rock too, making it quite slick and treacherous. It was a bit dicey getting over to the pictographs without falling, and I ended up climbing up over the rock, through the bunch of brush at the top, and down the steep section with plenty of footholds on the other side to get back. It really is too dangerous to be climbing when it is that wet; I don't recommend it. Go when the water is low and things are dry.

If you do get up past the waterfall, you can see the pictographs close up. They were drawn by Fremont Indians before pioneers arrived in Utah. A sign marks the pictographs and reminds visitors to not touch them, but unfortunately, not everyone has followed that instruction. Some very disrespectful people have scratched and rubbed out some of the pictographs.

Pictographs

Leashed dogs are permitted on the trail. Watch out for poison ivy growing along the way. There are no restrooms at the trailhead.

2020 Update:

This trail is definitely better to do later in the summer. We went again in August and the water levels were dramatically different.

Second waterfall in August

Creek in August

First waterfall in August

It is true that this trail goes up the left side of the last fall. When water isn't gushing down it, there is a small rock scramble to get up right here that is very doable. While water was along this section, there were plenty of stepping rock to completely avoid being in the water.

Perhaps also worth noting, the trailhead parking happened to be covered with piles of dirt this time we went. I am sure this is not a permanent situation, and there was still room to park. Just be aware that there is less room for the time being.

Parking Lot with Dirt Piles

Directions
This trail starts in Centerville, which is located in Davis County, UT. To get there, take I-15 to Parrish Ln in Centerville, getting off at Exit 319. Turn east toward the mountains and continue up 400 N. Turn left at the end of this road right as it curves around to become 700 E. At the end of this road you will find a large dirt parking area. The trail starts just north of this parking. GPS coordinates: N40 55.357 W111 51.981