Lots of useful and interesting information. I hiked up the SR trail once myself and had thought about doing the whole Amethyst-Specimen trip this past summer.
The elevation, though, is higher than you list. It's around 8800'. It's hard to say where Specimen Ridge ends and Amethyst begins, but if you look here-- http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=44.84734&lon=-110.28826&datum=nad83&zoom=2&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=l-- you'll see 8800'+ where the map labels it as Specimen Ridge.
Thanks for adding this page. It's a nice peak in a nice area; I did nearby Druid Peak and Mount Norris myself back in early July.
Thank you. I was looking through the list of peaks looking for one with significant prominence except there was none. Even Wikipedia contradicts itself by saying "Specimen Ridge, el. 8,574 feet (2,613 m) is an..." and then "Elevation 8,379 ft (2,554 m)?[1]" so it's all confusing. I consider the ridge to end on top of Amethyst Mountain and was thinking about putting the top at 9614' (top of Amethyst). The 7961' is the elevation of the peak right above the petrified forest which, further to the north, shows a massive drop.
Wikipedia (the second elevation) seems to have come from USGS. Should I use that, the current value, that of Amethyst or something in the 8800's?
I think I'd go with 8864', the highest I can find where the map is clearly marked as Specimen Ridge. Just to the right of "Ridge" is a 9003' point, but that's awfully close to Amethyst proper.
I wish I'd gone as far as you did and seen all those logs. Instead, I turned onto Agate Creek Trail to check out the views of the Grand Canyon. On Druid and Norris, there was a ton of wood, but no logs were anywhere close to as large as some of those your page shows.
Okay then, I moved it up to 8864. When I went up, I used the "Specimen Fossil Forest Trail" (name according to one of the sites I visited) due to a lack of time. (only had about 3 hours) I actually went up way beyond the fossil forest and found just broken shards wondering where everything was. And then on the way down, I noticed another trail branching off for a little while and discovered some of the huge logs. I think it's because I missed a switchback on the trail (and the forest was presumably on the other end) since there were no switchbacks before then. But at least there were some great ones not in the "big" forest.
Bob Sihler - Aug 27, 2010 8:32 pm - Voted 10/10
Good pageLots of useful and interesting information. I hiked up the SR trail once myself and had thought about doing the whole Amethyst-Specimen trip this past summer.
The elevation, though, is higher than you list. It's around 8800'. It's hard to say where Specimen Ridge ends and Amethyst begins, but if you look here-- http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=44.84734&lon=-110.28826&datum=nad83&zoom=2&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=l-- you'll see 8800'+ where the map labels it as Specimen Ridge.
Thanks for adding this page. It's a nice peak in a nice area; I did nearby Druid Peak and Mount Norris myself back in early July.
Cedar - Aug 27, 2010 8:55 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Good pageThank you. I was looking through the list of peaks looking for one with significant prominence except there was none. Even Wikipedia contradicts itself by saying "Specimen Ridge, el. 8,574 feet (2,613 m) is an..." and then "Elevation 8,379 ft (2,554 m)?[1]" so it's all confusing. I consider the ridge to end on top of Amethyst Mountain and was thinking about putting the top at 9614' (top of Amethyst). The 7961' is the elevation of the peak right above the petrified forest which, further to the north, shows a massive drop.
Wikipedia (the second elevation) seems to have come from USGS. Should I use that, the current value, that of Amethyst or something in the 8800's?
Bob Sihler - Aug 28, 2010 8:39 am - Voted 10/10
Re: Good pageI think I'd go with 8864', the highest I can find where the map is clearly marked as Specimen Ridge. Just to the right of "Ridge" is a 9003' point, but that's awfully close to Amethyst proper.
I wish I'd gone as far as you did and seen all those logs. Instead, I turned onto Agate Creek Trail to check out the views of the Grand Canyon. On Druid and Norris, there was a ton of wood, but no logs were anywhere close to as large as some of those your page shows.
Cedar - Aug 28, 2010 12:59 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Good pageOkay then, I moved it up to 8864. When I went up, I used the "Specimen Fossil Forest Trail" (name according to one of the sites I visited) due to a lack of time. (only had about 3 hours) I actually went up way beyond the fossil forest and found just broken shards wondering where everything was. And then on the way down, I noticed another trail branching off for a little while and discovered some of the huge logs. I think it's because I missed a switchback on the trail (and the forest was presumably on the other end) since there were no switchbacks before then. But at least there were some great ones not in the "big" forest.