Butterfly Spring Trail

Nine Skyliners hiked on Butterfly Spring Trail 536 on April 24, 2010. From Cottonwood we followed Hwy 89A through Jerome to the summit, turned on FR 104 and drove about nine-tenths of a mile to park alongside the road at the hairpin turn just below Butterfly Tank.

We had originally intended to hike on Trails 106, 105A and 105, making a loop by going down the side of Mingus on 106, across to 105 on 105A and back to the top on 105. Unfortunately, FR 104 was closed just beyond the turnoff to Cherry and we decided to hike on Butterfly Spring Trail instead.

The lower end of Trail 536 has recently been repaired and much of the trail has been rerouted. On previous hikes, we had climbed up the western wall of the canyon from Butterfly Spring to connect with an old road at the head of the canyon. This road runs generally southeast to end at the Forest Service Work Center near the north set of communications towers and the hang glider port on top of Mingus. The trail has now been rerouted to connect with another old road on the eastern canyon wall that runs south, parallel to FR 104, for about two-thirds of a mile before turning sharply to the northeast at a point just a few yards from FR 104.

Shown below is the concrete dam where Butterfly Spring Trail starts.

Butterfly Spring Trail 536 Trailhead

After hiking a short distance from where we parked we stopped for a group photograph in the still lingering snow:

Left to right: Gordon Bice, Jim Manning, Loren Pritzel, Miriam Sterling,     

 Lila Walker, Anita Jackson, Kwi Johnson and John McInerney

 (Photographer: Ellis Price)

The trail was easy to follow, having been recently repaired/rebuilt, until it reached the old road. After that it was just a matter of following the old road and being alert for trail signs at the occasional fork. There were patches of unmelted snow along the way and the ground was soggy in places. However the soggy places were relatively easy to avoid and we made good time, soon coming out on the Mingus Rim at the Forest Service Work Center near the north communications towers and the hang glider port. The distance was about 2.5 miles from where we parked.

We paused for the view from the glider port and then decided to hike along the rim to where Trail 105 starts its descent down the side of the mountain. From there we would hike across the top of the mountain and attempt to connect to the old road that runs above the head of the canyon in which Butterfly Spring is located. We intended to return to the parking area by way of the old Trail 536 route that we had hiked before.

On arriving at the Trail 105 descent point, we stopped to rest and enjoy the view before continuing. We tried to find a spot that would afford a view of the saddle below where Trails 105 and 105A intersect, but could find no such vantage point. But the view we did have shown in the below photographs was well worth the hike.

Looking north along the Mingus Rim from the top of Trail 105

Looking across Verde Valley to the peaks above Flagstaff

Continuing our hike, we wandered about a bit trying to find the old road we were looking for and then, after finally locating it, we missed our turnoff onto the old Trail 536 route. Altogether, we added about an extra mile to our hike, making what would have been a 5-mile hike into a 6-mile hike. But the day was pleasant, we had plenty of time, and the temperature was just right for hiking. Besides, as I always say, “If you can still see Mingus, you are not really lost.” And we were right on top of Mingus.

We noted several pincushion flowers along the old road on our way back. As evidence of the late spring this year, we saw the pincushions a month earlier when we hiked this trail in March 2008. This year the area was still completely covered with snow in March.

The following photograph (below) shows the best of the pincushions.

White Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa)

The total hiking distance for this hike was 6 miles, including the extra mile added by our wandering around. The total elevation change was just over 550 feet.

The included map (below) shows the GPS track for this hike.

Fossil Springs Trail

Eleven Skyliners (Daisy Williams, Donna Goodman, Gordon Bice, Anita Jackson, Miriam Sterling, Betty Wolters, Dolly Yapp, Ellis Price and three others) hiked on Fossil Springs Trail on April 17, 2010. From Cottonwood we followed Hwy 260 through Camp Verde and turned on Fossil Creek Road.

The trail descends rapidly to Fossil Springs. There are some areas where loose rock makes the going a bit tricky but, for the most part, the going was easy except for being a bit steep.

We moved right along on the way down to Fossil Creek, stopping occasionally to rest for a few minutes and once for a snack break. I again volunteered to be the tailgater and no one objected. Thus when one hiker forgot his walking stick and had to return for it, I had the luxury of a quick nap while waiting for him. Of course, there was no real reason to wait, as he was an experienced hiker and I knew where he was. But no one ever accused me of overlooking an excuse to take a nap.

Tailgater diligently carrying out his duties

There were not many flowers in bloom along the trail, so I amused myself by taking pictures of some of the more familiar features along Arizona trails. For instance Broom Snakeweed, a grass that grows all along back roads and trails in the area, dies down from the top in the winter and then sprouts out again from low on the stems in the spring. In the picture here (right), you can see both the old stems and the new growth.

I also noted a large clump of mistletoe (left), another common plant in the area, which had almost drained the life from its small host tree. That greedy fellow can’t have much longer to live.

Just about 3.3 miles, measured in Google Earth, from the trailhead we arrived at a fence with a walk-through pedestrian gate. We were still about two-tenths of a mile from where the trail crosses Fossil Creek and leads down the other side to the camping areas, Fossil Springs and the old dam site where the flume to a now decommissioned hydro plant originated.

Walk-through pedestrian gate about two-tenths of a mile from Fossil Creek

(3.3 miles from the trailhead) 

We made a couple of wrong turns after crossing the creek and starting down the opposite side and a couple of our hikers turned back to wait at the stream crossing. Soon enough, however, we did manage to select the correct trail and arrived at the old dam site just before lunchtime. The dam was recently demolished when the hydroelectric station it served was removed from service and the stream restored to its natural state. Left behind are a nice waterfall at the old site and a stand of irises that must have been planted originally by a caretaker.

Waterfall at the old dam site

Irises left behind at the old dam site on Fossil Creek

After we walked around looking for artifacts that might have been left behind when the dam was demolished and exploring the waterfall up close, we settled down for lunch. Most of the group decided to sit on rocks beside the stream and gaze at the water while eating. I, on the other hand, choose to retreat a bit up the trail to a nice shady spot in the grass, still close enough to enjoy the sound of the stream and asked that they alert me when they were ready to go.

After eating my sandwich and half a grapefruit and enjoying a cup of hot tea, I settled down for a nap, using my pack for a pillow. My jacket served as a cushion and my thermos and walking stick were at my side. To make sure that no one could play a prank on me by taking my thermos or walking stick while I was asleep, I carefully splayed my right arm across the thermos and placed my hand on the stick. Feeling quite safe, I drifted peacefully off into dreamland thinking of what a great job the caretaker must have had. Isolated as he would have been from his boss and with the flowing stream singing him a constant lullaby.

Sometime later, I awakened to the sensation of something tickling my right hand and thought: “I was right. One of my companions is trying to filch my stick to see whether I will remember it.” After all, it would be quite a prank to ask me about half a mile up the trail where my stick had gone. Thinking to catch the culprit in the act, I carefully opened one eye and glanced down only to see the yellow and black strips of a Bull Snake (body of snake shown, right) as it slithered gracefully across my hand. I thought, “This is not good.”

Then I carefully opened my other eye and saw the snake’s head sliding past my right ear (head of snake shown, left). Although uncomfortably close, he didn’t seem to be terribly interested in me, so I just lay quietly until his tail passed my line of vision before gabbing my camera to take a picture.

Not seeing any other snakes in the area, I figured my spot was still as good as any other, so I continued my nap. When the rest of the group stopped to roust me from sleep on the way out, I showed them my snake pictures and was reassured that it was indeed a Bull snake rather than a more dangerous variety. One hiker, always looking on the bright side, pointed out that Bull snakes love rodents and that since it had obviously examined me up close on the way by and turned me down, I definitely was not a rat … no matter what all my friends said.

Miriam and Betty, having tired of the false turns we had taken while making our way downstream to the old dam site before lunch, had turned back to eat at the crossing and wait for us there. As we traveled back upstream, we passed a clear spring bubbling out of the mountainside just below the trail and spilling into the creek below. Our leader stopped and refilled her water bottle there. I guess that if she makes the scheduled hike next Saturday, we can safely assume the water was safe to drink. As we continued on to meet Betty and Miriam at the crossing, I noted a few flowers that I had overlooked on the way in. Since flowers had proven to be rather sparse so far during this hike, I lingered behind and photographed them.

 

Purple mustard or crossflower                              Scarlet hedgehog  cactus

(Chorispora tenella)

 Golden linanthus                                                     Streambank springbeauty  

Rattlesnake Weed                                                     Purple milkvetch 

We crossed the creek, passed back through the walk-through personnel gate and started the arduous climb back to the trailhead. A quick look at my GPS file shows that elevation difference between the lowest and highest points on this hike was about 1380 feet. The total ascent was about 1780, meaning that we added another 400 feet in climbing up and down interim gradients along the way. You could have fooled me; it seemed to me that every step from the creek to the trailhead was uphill. Nevertheless, we just took our time and still got back to the trailhead before sundown. An additional benefit of going slow on the way back up the trail was that I had plenty of time to look around at the scenery and take additional photographs. Some of these are presented following:

Blackfoot Daisy                                                       Desert Hyacinth

Fernleaf biscuitroot                                              Palmer (Dunn) Oak 

The following photograph, taken at the end of the hike, shows the canyon we have just climbed out of.

A final shot back over Fossil Creek Canyon as the sun was setting

My best estimate is that our hike was about 8.5 miles, except for the hiker who forgot his walking stick and had to retrace his steps. As I noted previously, the elevation difference between the lowest and highest points of the hike was about 1380 feet and the total ascent was about 1780 feet. Our GPS track is shown on the included map (below).

NOTE: A better route to the trailhead, assuming the road between Strawberry and the Fossil Creek Trailhead is open, would be to continue on Hwy 260 to Strawberry and turn right on Strawberry Road and then immediately left on Fossil Creek Road. From Strawberry, it is only about 4.75 miles to the Fossil Springs Trailhead, partly on a paved road. We followed that route on the way home. From this hike.

Return to House Mountain – Indian Ruins and Cave

This was a return trip hike on Turkey Creek Trail to House Mountain and to Indian Ruins and a cave running through a butte. We drove to The Village of Oak Creek and turned off Hwy 179 onto Verde Valley School Road. We continued on Verde Valley School Road (and Red Rock Crossing Road - unpaved) for 4.0 miles to a rough dirt road leading off to the left. Parking is available at this point. However, we drove on the rough 4-wheel drive road for about 0.6 miles to reach the parking area at Trail 92 (Turkey Creek Trail).

Left to right: Gordon Bice, Dolly Yapp and Kwi Johnson (Photographer: Ellis Price)

We stopped at Turkey Creek Tank where we had previously found some Devil’s Claw plants because I wanted to see whether any new plants had come up this year.

Although no new plants were out yet, we did find a couple of well-preserved claws from last year’s crop. I took a photograph of two of these and have included that along with a picture of a blooming Devil’s Claw plant that I found on Flickr.

                   Devil’s Claws                                                                  Desert unicorn-plant (Devil’s Claw)

We continued on our way up the trail heading to House Mountain and shortly after passing the tank began to notice the sweet, faintly cloying, not quite lilac scent of Ceanothus. It never really left us for the remainder of the hike. After crossing two distinct washes, the trail starts switchbacking up House Mountain and the going becomes moderately difficult. About 1¼ miles along from Turkey Creek Tank, the trail makes a sharp turn to the right. A cairn alongside the trail followed a few yards further by a second cairn marks the spot.

Kwi and Dolly resting at the turn in the trail near the patch of Grama Grass Cactus

We ate our mid-morning snack and then turned of the main trail to follow a fainter track along the side of the mountain for about 45 yards to check on a patch of Grama Grass Cactus (paperspine fishhook cactus) we had found on a previous hike.

I have learned that this cactus blooms from April to June and we had hoped to see flowers. Alas, no blooms were in evidence; however, we did find that the plants were quite healthy. Perhaps another trip in early June would find them in bloom. The weather will undoubtedly be much warmer than it is now, but it is only a 6-mile round trip hike from the trailhead to this point and back. I took a few photographs of the plant, the best of which are shown here.

        Grama Grass Cactus (paperspine fish-               Grama Grass Cactus (paperspine fish-      

         hook cactus)                                                              hook cactus)

We returned to the main trail and proceeded on up the mountain, coming out on top in a saddle about 260 yards and one more switchback ahead.

We planned to turn off the main trail and climb up the east side of the saddle to the peak above John Lee Tank and then turn north and come out on top of the cliff where we had previously explored an overhang (cave) containing Indian ruins. We found that a faint trail, marked by cairns along the way, made finding our way relatively easy.

As we made our way up the mountain and then down the north slope we found a variety of plants and flowers, including Nevada Biscuitroot (white), Pancake Prickly Pear Cactus, Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus, Ceanothus, Biscuitroot (yellow), Indian Paintbrush, Thistle Cholla Cactus, Walking Stick (Cholla) Cactus, Creamcups, Desert Hyacinths, and several others not yet identified.

Photographs of the plants and flowers we saw while climbing to the peak and descending the north slope of the mountain above the Indian ruins are displayed on the following pages.

Nevada biscuitroot (Lomatium nevadense)                Pancake Prickly Pear Cactus

(Yellow flower) Lindley's silverpuffs            Desert Hyacinth (Dichelostemma

(Microseris lindleyi)                                         capitatum)

Lindley's silverpuffs                                         (Echinocereus coccineus)

   Desert Ceonothus (Ceanothus greggii)          Biscuit root (Lomatium foeniculaceu)

              Unidentified                                                  Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja                  

                                                                                       angusti- folia)

Thistle cholla (Cylindropuntia tunicata)          Walkingstick cactus (Cylindropuntia

Cactus                                                                      spinosior)

Creamcups (Platystemon californicus            Desert Gold (Leptosiphon aureus –

Benth)                                                                   Golden Linanthus)

From our position on the mountain above the Indian Ruins we had a clear view across Sedona and on to the San Francisco Peaks (barely visible just above the horizon in the center of the photograph).

Looking north across Sedona to the San Francisco Peaks from House Mountain above the Indian Ruins

We misjudged the location of the Indian Ruins and came out on top of the cliff about 100 yards north of the Ruins. We had to make our way back along the cliff edge until we came to the point that we had previously identified as the best place to descend to the ledge containing the ruins.

We spent a few minutes there and then headed on to the cave that runs through the butte for our lunch stop. To get there we traveled south then southwest along the ledge the ruins are located on until we came to a saddle that connects the butte that has a cave running through it to the cliff face of House Mountain. It is an easy 50 yards from there across the saddle to the butte. (NOTE: For more information and pictures of the Indian ruins and of the cave in the butte please refer to the report for our February 17, 2010 hike.)

After stopping at the cave in the butte for lunch and a nap, we bushwhacked out way directly down the mountain slope to a wash which we followed all the way down to rejoin Turkey Creek Trail.

Trail crosses wash below Indian ruins and Cave

Location: 34°47'24.36"N; 111°50'19.83"W

Elevation: 4095

The point where we rejoined the trail is is just over 2.25 miles from the trailhead. Below is a Mormon Tea bush in full bloom and several flowers that had bloomed since our passage over this section of the trail on the way in, some 6 hours earlier.

Mormon tea (Ephedra viridis)                             Unidentified

Blackfoot Daisy.                                                 Desert Gold (Leptosiphon 

                                                                              aureus – Golden Linanthus)

The total hiking distance for this hike was about 8 miles. My GPS batteries went out on near the top of the peak above John Lee Tank and I had to estimate our route from there to the Indian Ruins (See the yellow line on the GPS map.). From the Indian Ruins back to the main trail, I used the GPS track from our previous trip (February 17, 2010) to this location.

It appears that we total elevation change for the hike was about 1150 feet. Again, I can’t say for sure because I really don’t know that we had quite reached the high point before my batteries went out.

The GPS track for this hike is shown (with some interpolation) on the included map (below). Note that the green section of track is approximate, having been drawn by hand after my GPS batteries failed.

Chasm Creek Trail

On 3 April 2010, eleven members of the Skyliner's group (Marvin Alt, Miriam Sterling, Lila Wright, Gordon Bice, Daisy Williams, Donna Goodman, Betty Wolters and Dolly Yapp, Ellis Price and two others) hiked on Chasm Creek Trail. We took Salt Mine Road from Camp Verde to Forest Road 574 and followed it for about three miles before parking at the trailhead.

As we started our hike, we found a profusion of light blue and yellow flowers (stock and bladderpod from the mustard family) along the way and a fiddleneck among the other flowers.

Stock and Bladderpod Fiddleneck                               Stock and Bladderpod

The trail passed through a gate and descended into Chasm Creek Canyon and crossed the creek about one-tenth of a mile on. Along the way, the Barberry bushes were in full bloom.

Barberry bushes                                                           Descending to Chasm Creek

On reaching the creek, the trail follows it upstream for about a tenth of a mile, crossing several times before climbing up the east wall of the canyon. We paused near a small waterfall to take a picture before starting the climb.

Magnified view of waterfall on Chasm Creek

The climb from the creek is quite steep for a few hundred yards, after which it levels off and crosses a wash that drains into Chasm Creek Canyon. One can climb down the wash into the canyon below and follow the creek downstream to rejoin the trail at the waterfall where it starts the climb up the east canyon wall. We would choose to do that on our return. For now, we headed on up the trail with the goal of reaching the saddle at Table Mountain, about three miles from the trailhead, by lunchtime. From the wash the trail climbs up the mountain to the northwest for about two-tenths of a mile before making a sharp turn to the southwest and continuing to climb toward the saddle ahead. About 100 yards to the north (slightly east) of the turn in the trail, at the brow of the ridge formed by Chasm Creek Canyon to the north and the wash just behind us, are located some old Indian Ruins and an excellent overlook, with views down into the canyon, across Verde Valley and the Mogollon Rim to the San Francisco Peaks above Flagstaff. We deferred a visit to the overlook and ruins to the return trip and continued on up the trail, noting several flowers along the way.

Eastern Mojave buckwheat (?)                                          Spring Parsley

Anemone Mock Vervain                                                 Wild Geranium or Phlox

Upon reaching the saddle at Table Mountain, several of us turned off the trail in favor of climbing to a viewpoint, located northeast of our position in the saddle, and at the top of Table Mountain. Others stopped to eat in the saddle itself and a couple of this group traveled a short distance on along the trail to the southwest after eating. I chose to join the group climbing Table Mountain and, on reaching the top, we wandered around a bit searching for a view to the north. However, we soon determined that the flat top of the mountain (the table, as it were) was larger than we had anticipated and returned to eat lunch at a viewpoint overlooking the saddle where the rest of our group had stopped to eat.

The photograph included here (right) provides a view of the saddle from where we ate lunch.

The next photograph (left) shows Donna enjoying lunch on Table Mountain.

After lunch we started back down the trail at a good clip, becoming a bit spread out and traveling in three loose groups. This made our hike leader a bit cranky, although I thought we were relatively well behaved. The first group did, after all, stop to wait at the intended turnoff where we were to go down the wash; and when the second group left the trail, before reaching the wash, to explore the Indian Ruins and the Chasm Creek Canyon overlook, we did leave a sentinel at the trail to alert the leader.

In any case, all except the first group visited the overlook. From there we could see Chasm Creek flowing down the canyon several hundred feet below and we got a close up look at the ruins.

View down into Chasm Creek Canyon

Not much is left of the ruins; just the barest outline of stacked stones that must have compartmentalized what appear to have been living areas.

Indian Ruins

Leaving the overlook, we joined the rest of the group waiting for us at the wash we intended to use to descend into the canyon. Climbing down the wash and traveling along the bottom of the canyon proved to be relatively easy as rock hopping goes. The only really rough spot was getting around the waterfall that we had stopped to photograph on the way in. There was simply no way to travel safely along the bottom of the canyon past the fall and we just had to climb around that section. But that was a minor inconvenience and the nice views (see photographs below) along the way down the wash and the canyon certainly made the detour worthwhile

In Chasm Creek Canyon

Looking up Chasm Creek Canyon

Sycamore at the mouth of a side canyon just below the waterfall

After climbing around the waterfall, we reconnected with the trail, traveled down the stream, climbed out of the canyon and returned to our cars. Along the way, I found a couple of flowers that I had missed on the way in – a fiddleneck (below left) and fringed redmaids (below right).

Fiddleneck                                                              Fringed Redmaids

According to my GPS file, the total hiking distance was 6.6 miles and the elevation change, low point to high point, was 1630 feet.

Our GPS Track for this hike is shown on the included map (below)