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Brady Mountain

A switchback overlooking Blakely Mountain Dam near its Vista.

A switchback overlooking Blakely Mountain Dam near its Vista.

Description:

The Brady Mountain Section of the Trail is a 6.2-mile segment, connecting the Brady Mountain Road Trailhead to the Avery Recreation Area Trailhead. This rolling, mostly mountainous track climbs immediately from the Brady Mountain Road Trailhead to the peak of Blakely Mountain.

"Balance Rock" along the Brady Mountain to Avery trail section.

“Balance Rock” along the Brady Mountain to Avery trail section.

At the peak, the Trail traverses the northern slope of Blakely Mountain as it passes near the two “Brady Backbone” rock outcroppings. At the top of the first outcropping is “Balance Rock”, a large cone-shaped stone balanced at the top of the backbone ridge.

Traveling east from the peak, the Trail winds down through some switchbacks on the southeastern slope of the mountain until it crosses Spillway Road. There is no formal Trailhead at the road crossing, but parking is available nearby.

Again moving east from Spillway Road, the Trail climbs and crosses Rick’s Road, where there is a small trailhead parking area. From the Rick’s Road parking area, it is a downhill two-mile stretch of exciting trail to the eastern terminus of the LOViT at the Avery Recreation Area below Blakely Mountain Dam. This two-mile stretch includes a stop at the Blakely Mountain Dam Vista, then drops dramatically down the southern slope of the mountain through a series of sharp switchbacks, terminating at the Avery Trailhead parking area.

Note that Rick’s Road may not show on many maps or may be marked “Blakely Mountain Dam Road”.  Rick’s Road turns north off of Blakely Dam Road at 34.566067, -93.200196 (per Google Maps).

Surrounding Area:

The western end of this trail segment has a well-marked trailhead parking area just off Brady Mountain Road. At the east end is the Avery Recreation Area below Blakely Mountain Dam and just off Blakely Dam Road.

Length:

4.2-miles from Brady Mountain Road to the Rick’s Road crossing and parking area. 2.0-miles from Rick’s Road to the Avery Recreation Area Trailhead.

Difficulty:

Moderate to difficult from west to east. East to West very difficult to moderate.

Amenities:

The Avery Recreation Trailhead at the east end of this trail segment features flush-type restrooms, water, parking and a covered pavilion.

The western end of this trail segment is on Brady Mountain Road, not far south of Brady Mountain Resort.  The Brady Mountain One-Stop is on Hwy 270 at the corner of Brady Mountain Cutoff, which joins Brady Mountain Road.

Directions to Trailhead:

Turn north from US 270 onto Brady Mountain Road, and go 4.0 miles to the Brady Mountain Trailhead Parking Area on your right.

Accommodations:

There is a Corps of Engineers campground and Brady Mountain Resort four miles north of the Trailhead Parking Area on Brady Mountain Rd. Echo Canyon Resort and day use area a half of a mile north from where the trail crosses Spillway Rd.


Recent articles about the Brady Mountain LOViT Trail Segment: