The Flume Connector is one of two trails connecting the Timber Mesa Trail to the Panorama Trail. It is named for the irrigation pipe that crosses Porter Creek just above Scott Reservoir and carries water from Porter Creek to an irrigation ditch that waters pastures on both sides of Porter Mountain Road below Timber Mesa. 

One late October day I drove my truck and trailer to the Panorama Trailhead, parked it there and bicycled home. I groomed and saddle Cinnamon then rode her from home, through the forest and across the meadows, to Timber Mesa.

We went east along the Ice Cave Trail behind Porter Mountain stable, where Cinnamon and the stable’s geldings ogled each other. At the top of the rockpile down to Porter Creek Cinnamon stopped to stare at the cows grazing in the canyon. We clambered down the rocks and crossed the creek. When we approached the cows, Cinnamon tried scaring them by blowing loudly — they ignored her. But, when I rode her toward a cow and calf that were blocking the trail, they moved out of the way.

We’d gone only 50 feet upstream when Cinnamon spooked and did a violent 180-degree spin to the left. There were some cows in the trees. This is the area she’s been working in all her life and she’d seen cows there all summer, so I reprimanded her. I drove her firmly forward toward the cows and they moved out of the way.

Cinnamon pranced across the creek, then briskly climbed the trail up the west side of the canyon to the horse gate beside the cattle guard at the Scott Reservoir entrance road. At the gate, Cinnamon did a perfect job of helping me open it. We were in the process of closing it when I noticed she was missing one boot. We backtracked down the trail and found it only a few feet north of the last creek crossing where the cows were lurking in the trees. This time Cinnamon settled for staring at them. She forgot she was ground tied and tried to wander off. I corrected her for that, put her boot back on and mounted. We again briskly climbed the trail to Scott Reservoir Road.

Back at the gate Cinnamon again helped me open and close it as I rode her through. We crossed the road then crossed the field to the Osprey Connector Trail gates at Porter Mountain Road. Cinnamon watched the cows in the field as we went along.

There was a silver truck parked near the gate and the usual traffic on Porter Mountain Road. I dismounted and led Cinnamon through this gate, across Porter Mountain Road and through the gate on the other side where I mounted again. We were now on the Osprey Connector Trail. By this time Cinnamon had gotten over her silliness about the cows and was back to her usual, sensible trail horse self. We climbed up the Osprey Connector Trail to its junction with the Timber Mesa Trail.

When we arrived at the trail junction, we took the Timber Mesa trail north for a half mile or so as it wandered through the trees and crossed a couple of old road traces until we found the sign indicating distance to the Sawmill Connector Trail and the Timber Mesa Trailhead. We turned right onto the Flume Connector which wanders through the forest, atop Timber Mesa, following an old logging road. This portion is also a motorized trail for about a mile. The oak trees were in their fall glory of yellow, bronze, brown and the remaining green. There were red leaves on a few of the smallest trees. The trail was totally dry but still marred with the wheel ruts from vehicles driving on it when it was muddy.

After a while the motorized and non-motorized trails separate, following two, not quite parallel, routes. The Flume Connector continues along its roadway for only 100 yards, then crosses yet another old road where it turns into a single-track trail and climbs the lower south slope of Porter Mountain — a cinder cone volcano.

We were now on the most interesting part of the trail where it climbs and winds through the trees, past patches of yucca growing at the foot of Ponderosa Pine. After climbing the slope of Porter Mountain for approximately a quarter mile the trail curves around a large Yucca clump and descends the slope rather rapidly to its crossing of the access road up Porter Mountain.

We stopped at the edge of the road to be sure it was clear, then crossed and continued following the Flume Connector Trail east to the Panorama Trailhead. The last quarter mile of the trail wanders through more Ponderosa Pine and Gambel Oak forest in a gradual and easy descent to the roadway on the edge of the designated wildlife habitat area that the Panorama Trail goes through.

We were within sight of the parking lot and my truck when the Flume Trail lost itself in an oak thicket. The motorized trail went left along the road and the parking lot was to the right. Cinnamon and went left for about 50 yards looking for the Panorama Trail but didn’t go far enough to find it before turning around and taking the motorized trail to the parking lot.



I tied Cinnamon to my trailer and offered her a bucket of water, then unsaddled. While I was grooming her Cinnamon alerted to hikers coming from the Panorama Trail. They greeted me and the lady exclaimed what a pretty horse Cinnamon is. We had a brief conversation about the trail and the weather, and the best Mexican restaurant in town. The hikers were from Alaska, wintering in Arizona. After the hikers left, I loaded Cinnamon into the trailer and took her home.