Manzanita Spring Trail

Manzanita Spring Trail is a paved 0.5-mile out-and-back from Frijole Ranch through the Smith family's old orchard to a broad spring pool. Allow 20 to 30 minutes. It's a good short stop when you want an easy walk without taking on one of the park's longer climbs. The Smith Spring Trail continues beyond the pool on rougher ground; turn around at the spring for this route.

The spring is a wide pool edged by reeds. The vegetation can partly hide the water, so expect a modest spring rather than a clear open pond. The park calls it a good place to watch for wildlife: look for violet-green swallows and white-throated swifts overhead, or mule deer, elk, javelina and gray fox around the ranch country. Sightings are never guaranteed.

Before the Smith family settled here, a bog surrounded the water. Maps from the 1870s and 1880s called it Cienaga (Bog), Tule (Rush) and Escondido (Hidden) Spring. The Smiths dredged the pool and used its water to irrigate their garden and 15-acre orchard. They hauled their produce about 65 miles to Van Horn by wagon, a two-day trip. The spring is the reason this patch of dry mountain country could support a ranch.

Frijole Ranch parking is at the end of Frijole Ranch Road. Picnic tables under shade structures, drinking fountains and vault toilets are beside the lot. A park entry fee applies; no reservation is required. The route is identified as paved and accessible, though one older visitor report described damaged or missing pavement. Check the current surface if continuous accessible paving matters. Pets aren't allowed on trails; trained service animals are permitted.