Milk Ranch Point

Ten Skyliners (Daisy Williams, Betty Wolters, Miriam Sterling, Carol Burtt, Loren Pritzel, Marvin Alt, Lila Wright and Virginia Driscoll, Ellis Price and one other) hiked at Milk Ranch Point on 15 May 2010. From Cottonwood we took Hwy 260 through Camp Verde and turned left on Hwy 87. We continued for about 2.65 miles toward Winslow on Hwy 87 before turning right onto FR 300 (Rim Road). When FR 300 made a sharp turn to the left, just 200 yards from Hwy 87, we left it and continued straight on FR 218A. After following FR 218A for about 1.3 miles we turned right onto FR 218 (Milk Ranch Point Road) and followed it for 2 miles before parking at a beautiful meadow containing a clear, reflecting tank.

Reflecting tank located in the meadow where we parked

Hiking south on Milk Point Ranch Road for about 1.3 miles, we came to a faint trail, marked by a bare wooden post supported by rocks piled around the base, leading off to the left. About 50 yards along the trail and not visible from the road is posted a sign identifying it as West Webber Trail 228, leading to Turkey Spring Trail 217 (1.75 miles ahead) and Geronimo Trail 240 (2 miles ahead). A tank is located on the left (east) side of Milk Ranch Point Road about 50 yards beyond the West Webber Trailhead.

West Webber Trail sign

To this point, the hike was along a very well maintained dirt road, suitable for travel by passenger cars. From here it got a bit rougher and travel by passenger car would require care. A truck or other high-clearance vehicle would be advisable. With a high-clearance vehicle the road is passable all the way to the point.

During the hike, we saw several interesting plants and flowers. I photographed some of these and am including them here:

Common dandelion (Hypoxis hirsuta)

Pineland dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium vagin-atum)

Spring Beauty (California Rosea)

Common goldstar (Hypoxis hirsuta)

Unidentified

Prairie thermopsis (Thermopsis rhombifolia)

We continued on Milk Ranch Point Road for about another 2.1 miles before coming to the point. From our position on the Mogollon Rim, the forested, cloud-dappled country was spread out before us like undulating waves in a choppy seascape.

View from Milk Ranch Point on the Mogollon Rim

Leaving the road, we made our way along the rim for something less than two-tenths of a mile before stopping for lunch. I paused along the way to photograph a lonely tree (right) growing, in splendid isolation, on a rock spit jutting out from the rim. Following lunch, we continued along the rim for around another third of a mile before turning away to rejoin Milk Ranch Point Road about one-half mile ahead. We were never very far from the rim and stopped several times to allow various members of the group to travel to the rim for another view of the country below. We rejoined the road about 2.4 miles from where we had started our hike.

According to the file I downloaded from my GPS, we hiked 8.1 miles. The direct reading from the GPS instrument was only 7.85 miles when we finished the hike. I don’t know what causes the difference, but I have noticed it on other hikes. The Total ascent was recorded as 873 feet and the difference in elevation between the low point and the high point of the hike was a bit less than 400 feet.

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