Deception Gulch to Jerome Overlook

The original plan for this 15 March 2014 hike was to start at Deception Gulch just off Hwy 89A at the hairpin turn below Jerome, hike along Allen Spring Road to location 34°43'49.01"N/112° 7'1.93"W and follow a dirt road to an unidentified mine, climb up the mountain on a steep trail from the mine to another dirt road that leads up Mescal Gulch to Hwy 89A above Jerome, returning by the same path. However, the hikers decided to modify the hike by turning away from Mescal Gulch when they reached the dirt road above the unidentified mine. This brought them out on the rim of Hull Canyon above the old Verde Central Shaft Mine at a spot overlooking Jerome.

The hikers parked at a small City of Jerome building located on Lower Gulch Road about 50 yards from the hairpin turn in Hwy 89A. They then continued up Lower Gulch Road to connect with and follow Allen Spring Road for a short distance. However, they soon left the road, just after crossing a cattle guard, to follow a trail that runs across the old C & J Mine property and then reconnects with Allen Spring Road; this is one of my favorite shortcuts. Pausing amidst the remains of the old mine structures, one has an excellent view across Deception Gulch showing the road winding its way up the other side to Jerome

Hwy 89A winding its way up the north side of Deception Gulch to Jerome

( photograph by Lila Wright)

After passing the remains of the old mine, the trail continues through a patch of manzanitas, including the very healthy specimen shown here, referred to by one hiker as “the grandmother of them all.”

The author posing with the large manzanita at C & J Mine in October 2012

(photograph by Diana Price)

The tree shown above is located just above the mine at the side of an old road, followed by the trail, that starts at the mine and connects with Allen Spring Road a short distance ahead.

Continuing south on Allen Spring Road (FR 413) for 1.2 miles from this point brings one to a dirt road that forks off and leads sharply up the mountain to the northeast, rising about 100 feet in a quarter of a mile, to arrive at an old mine site for which I cannot find a name. A rock dropped into the vertical shaft took a few seconds to hit water. The open shaft is rather surprising because it was being filled in during a general mitigation effort of several mine sites in the area a few years ago. The following excerpt, taken from a June 2008 hike report, describes the work in process at that time:

At this point (Location: 34°43'54.48"N; 112° 7'0.56"W) we turned up an old mining road to the left and walked about 0.10 miles to a mine site that is presently being mitigated.

Immediately upon reaching the site of the old mine ..., a faint trail leads off to the left and continues steeply (387 ft in 0.28 miles) up the mountain to a dirt road that leads on to Mescal Gulch and Hwy 89A.

Looking ahead (before continuing up the steep trail) we saw several 55-gallon drums with labels indicating that they had contained a polyurethane compound (right).

Walking across the site to an old mine shaft on the other side, we found that the workers had fixed a plastic tube about 18" in diameter vertically in the center of the shaft and poured a polyurethane

based material around it (left). The poured material reached to about 10" from the top of the mineshaft. Apparently, the workers are waiting for the material to cure before filling the rest of the shaft (with dirt?).

Leaving the unidentified mine, the hikers climbed the steep path to the dirt road above. The beginning of the path can be difficult to locate. Just remember that it leads off (to the left) at the point where the road enters the old mine area. Once on the path, however, it is relatively easy to follow; one just keeps going straight up the mountain heading west-northwest until the path ends at a dirt road that connects with Forest Road 338 and on to Hwy 89A at Mescal Gulch.

After the arduous (almost 400 feet in less than three quarters of a mile) climb from the mine, our hikers stopped for a rest and snack break. They had a spectacular view across Verde Valley, seen through the mouth of Mescal Gulch, and on to the Mogollon Rim in the distance.

Looking out of the mouth of Mescal gulch from high on Mingus Mountain

When we reached this spot on a previous hike in February 2008 we turned left and followed the dirt road until it joined with FR 338 and then on to the junction with Hwy 89A. However, this time, the hikers chose to turn right and follow the road to its end at an overlook above Jerome.

Along the way Lila, the hike leader, posed the hikers for an impromptu picture (right) with the San Francisco Peaks in the background. The peaks are visible at the left; the hikers are identified in a later photograph.

The Jerome overlook is located on the south side of Hull Canyon at an elevation of over 5900 feet. Verde Central Shaft Mine is located about 0.2 miles away at bearing 286⁰ true, Jerome, lies about 0.9 miles away at bearing 7⁰ true and the C & J Shaft Mine is located about about 0.4 miles away at bearing 70⁰ degrees true. Meanwhile, to the northwest lies Woodchute Mountain, still bearing a faint trace of the route of the wooden chute once used to move logs from the top of the mountain. The below photograph, taken in 2006, displays a view of the highway above Jerome, crossing the red hill at left, with the main part of the town visible across the top of the red hill. The cement plant is visible just above the red roof of the old Jerome public school building and the San Francisco Peaks can be seen on the horizon.

Looking out across Jerome and the Verde Valley to the San Francisco Peaks

 on the horizon - (November 2006 photograph by the author)

Near the bottom and slightly right of center in the above photograph is located the hairpin turn in Hwy 89A in Deception Gulch below Jerome. The photograph shown here (left), taken by Lila, shows a magnified view of this area along with the hiker's parked vehicles, visible just beyond the red roofed building.

Allen Spring Road starts at Lower Gulch road in that area and C & J Shaft Mine is located in the lower right quadrant of the photograph on the previous page. Deception Gulch appears to be just the lower portion of Hull Canyon, the name changing just about where Allen Spring Road starts.

The following 2006 photograph, taken looking northwest, shows the scar left by the old wooden chute used to move logs from Woodchute Mountain.

Woodchute Mountain. Note the scar left from the old log chute

(November 2006 photograph by the author)

Somewhere along the way, Lila photographed a nice claret cup cactus (right) welcoming the spring.

The hikers found a medicine wheel, constructed since 2006, on top of the ridge and trooped around it in a counterclockwise circle. I am not sure just what sort of dance this was supposed to be, perhaps they were asking for more rain. Whatever the purpose, I think they need a better choreographer.

Skyliners dancing around the medicine wheel – photograph by Lila

The wind had come up and, but the hikers found a sheltered spot for lunch on the east side of the ridge with the panorama of the Verde Valley below them and George took a group photograph while they were there.

Left to right: Betty Wolters, Daisy Williams, Frank Lombardo, Ruth Frazier,

 Lila Wright and Akemi Tomioka – photograph by George Everman

The now brisk wind served to clear the skies and the hikers had good views all the way back to the parked vehicles.

The hike was 6 miles round trip, the starting elevation was 4536 feet and the highest elevation was 5996.

The GPS track is shown in red on the included map (next page). The blue track shows the route, not taken on this hike, along the old dirt road and FR 338 to connect with Hwy 89A in Mescal Gulch.