You'll enjoy some of Alpine District's most outstanding vistas as you travel this relatively easy walk with its moderate gradient and pleasantly forested surroundings. The magnificent views are yours courtesy of the Mogollon Rim, a 1500 foot drop-off that forms the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau and provides the high perspective for the panorama. This prodigious escarpment towers over the forested canyons of the Eagle Creek, Rose Peak, Maple Mountain, and far in the distance, Mount Graham and the Pinaleno's. The Rose Spring Trail, also called the Rim Trail, follows a fence line along the southern boundary of the Bear Wallow Wilderness as it hugs the rim. About three miles from the trailhead, the Schell Canyon Trail branches off on a course that leads to the South Fork of Bear Wallow Creek and into the heart of the wilderness.

From the junction with Schell Trail, the Rose Spring Trail continues through another mile and a half of conifers and ponderosa to the boundary of the San Carlos Indian Reservation. That boundary is marked by a standard stock fence. At this point, a road from the reservation side of the fence crosses on to the Forest side and cuts back to Rose Springs, an intermittent water source.

Directions: From Alpine, Drive south on US 191 approximately 29 miles to Forest Road 54. Head west on Forest Road 54 approximately six miles to a fork in the road. Proceed through the gate along the right fork about 0.6 miles to the end of the road. The trail begins 50 yards below the parking area at a signed gate in the fence.

Elevation: 8,700 feet

Ending Elevation: 6,700 feet

Elevation Gain: 2,000 feet

Distance: 5.4 miles

Usage: Light

Difficulty: Moderate/Strenuous

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