Iron King Mine to Deception Gulch

I was joined in my annual birthday hike by eight other hikers. We started this 12 June 2010 hike by driving on Mingus past the animal shelter and continuing on Forest Road 493 to park at a locked iron gate (bar) at the entrance to Iron King Mine, about half a mile from the junction with FR 413 (Allen Spring Road). That is the short version. What really happened is that George, Betty and I met at Deception gulch (the hairpin turn below Jerome) at 0630 and left two of our three vehicles parked there for transportation back after the hike. We then drove in my vehicle back to the Safeway Plaza in cottonwood to meet the other hikers before heading up to Iron King.

As we approached the parking area at Iron King, we began to notice a profusion of Palmer penstemon flowers. I don’t think I have ever seen so many blooming at once. We were traveling in two vehicles and one of them, not equipped with 4-wheel drive, started slipping in the gravel about a quarter-mile short of our intended parking area. As a result, those traveling in that vehicle had to do a little extra hiking. When they had arrived by foot, and before we started our hike, we paused for a group photograph courtesy of John McInerney.

Left to right: Donna Goodman, George Everman (on fence), Gordon Bice,

 Anna Lorenzelli (on fence), Betty Wolters, Perlina McCombs, Kwi Johnson, 

Ellis Price (Photographer: John McInerney

We hiked about half a mile along an old road, climbing just less than 300 feet, to reach Allen Spring Road (FR 413), which would take us to our intended destination in Deception Gulch, at Jerome.

As we left the parking area on the way to Allen Spring Road the penstemons, interspersed by prickly poppies, became ever more profuse.

Pink: Palmer's penstemon – White: Flatbud pricklypoppy

We joined Allen Spring Road at its junction with Trail 106, which leads up Mingus to the overlook. There is another road leading off to the east at the junction and ending several hundred yards ahead at what appears to be an old mine bore site. Some of the hikers were unfamiliar with that road and several of us took the opportunity to follow it and take a look at the bore site. The rest of the group waited at Allen Spring Road. The trip on the side road was just one-third of a mile to the end and back and it didn’t take very long.

After we returned from the old bore site and resumed our hike toward Jerome, we found that the penstemons, while still present, were no longer as prevalent as before. However we were graced with great views of Verde Valley below and we found a multitude of other flowers along the way. These included Colorado four o’clocks, evening primroses, desert globemallows, New Mexico thistles, narrowleaf four o’clocks, larkspurs, Arizona thistle and many others.

Colorado four o'clock

Hooker's evening primrose

Desert globemallow

New Mexico Thistle 

Greenstem paperflower

Narrowleaf four o'clock

Anderson's larkspur

Arizona thistle

Silver Leaf Nightshade

Roving sailor

Field bindweed

Sacred thorn-apple

Alpine aster

Golden columbine

Alkali buttercup

Rocky Mountain penstemon

Looking through my file, I found another couple of pictures taken by John that just beg for inclusion. One is of a badly damaged century plant that just won’t quit and the other is of Kwi and her friend Perlina.

Century Plant (agave)-photo by John McInerney

Kwi Johnson and Perlina McCombs-photo by John McInerney

We stopped at an unnamed Spring for lunch. The spring is located at a sharp bend in the road about four-tenths of a mile south of the concrete bridge in Mescal Gulch at what appears to be an old mine site. I have hiked this way all times of the year and never found the spring to be dry. In hot weather, I always try to time my arrival at the spring for lunch and a nap.

George and Anna eating lunch at Noname Spring, (Anna is visiting from 

Switzerland for a month)

There were fewer flowers to see after we left the spring and the hike on into Jerome was pretty uneventful.

All in all, this is a pretty straightforward hike. It is easy to access and except for the initial half-mile there is essentially no climbing required, as the road runs along the Jerome waterline, ending about 1000 feet lower at Deception Gulch than at our starting point. Allen Spring Road itself ends in Jerome at the intersection with Gulch Road. From there, one can turn up Gulch Road N to come out on 89A below the Methodist Church or down Gulch Road S to come out on 89A at the hairpin turn in Deception Gulch. We had parked our vehicles in the parking lot at the small city building near the intersection with Gulch Road S and 89A and so choose to return there.

The hiking distance, according to my GPS, was 9 miles, and the hike took about 6 hours and 20 minutes, including rest time. I am sure it would have been a lot faster had I not been dawdling and photographing flowers, but I am unrepentant. After all, this was my birthday hike.

When we arrived back at the Safeway Parking lot, John volunteered to take Gordon and Donna to retrieve their vehicles from Iron King Mine where they had driven us to start the hike. Some of us immediately left for home.

However, the day’s adventures were not yet over for some of the group. Anna and George wanted to get some ice cream at the local shop. Unfortunately, after most of had left, Perlina’s car failed to start for her intended return home to Sedona, and attempts to jump start it were unsuccessful, so Triple A was called. The response took 90 minutes, and the tow truck arrived with another car already in tow. The driver couldn’t get Perlina’s car started either and decided that he would have to deliver the one he already had in tow to the shop in Sedona and then return for hers. Perlina arranged to ride with the tow driver to the shop for the first delivery and the shop owner agreed to give her a ride on home. The tow driver would return for her car and deliver it to the shop.

George and Anna did finally get some ice cream and I am told that it was delicious.

It was a most enjoyable birthday hike for me, and I am sure that I speak for all when I say that I enjoyed meeting two new hikers (Perlina McCombs, Kwi's friend from from Sedona and Anna Lorenzelli, visiting from Switzerland).

The GPS track for this hike is shown on the included map (below).