Boynton Canyon - Mushroom

On 26 March 2011, sixteen Skyliners hiked to the mushroom formation in Boynton Canyon. From Cottonwood we drove north on Hwy 89A to Sedona and turned left onto Dry Creek

Road. From there we followed the signs, turning left on Boynton Pass Road and then right on Boynton Canyon Road, to the trailhead parking lot located on the right just before the road ends at the entrance to Enchantment resort.

The trail crosses a wash and leads up the canyon skirting the resort. About 1.7 miles from the trailhead we took an unmarked but fairly well defined trail to the right. An alligator juniper with two main trunks marks the turnoff, which is located just a few yards short of the tree.

Alligator juniper with two main trunks

The trail crosses a wash and leads, at first gently, up the slope of the canyon wall. Shortly, however, it starts to climb rather steeply. Before we reached our goal we had climbed around 800 feet from the bottom of the wash. Along the way, we encountered some really steep climbs (requiring the use of both hands and feet, sometimes knees) as we navigated our way up over three major ledges. The trail ascends to a ledge and then follows along it to reach an access point to climb to the next ledge. There were two of these climbs to higher ledges, each reached by a really steep climb, before we made our last steep climb to reach the ledge at which Mushroom is located. The Mushroom actually is separated from a larger ledge by a narrow crack that one can easily step across to stand on top of the formation.

On the way up we noted a unique formation that looks like a bear eating from a honey tree. Shown in the following photographs are shots of this “bear eating honey” formation, hikers emerging on top of the first of the three ledges, hikers ascending the second ledge and a view across Boynton Canyon from the second ledge.

Bear eating honey

Hikers ascending first of three ledges

Hikers ascending the second ledge

When we reached the top of the second ledge, we paused for a few minutes to catch our breath and enjoy the grand view out across Boynton Canyon.

Looking back across Boynton Canyon

But our goal was the mushroom formation, so we shortly pushed on, traveling about two-tenths of a mile along the ledge to the northeast before reaching a point from which we could climb to the top of the third ledge and the Mushroom.

As we approached the beginning of this third (and final) steep climb, we caught our first sight of Mushroom (below), framed by sky, trees and the cliff face. Encouraged by the sight of our goal, we wasted little time in starting the final push to the top.

Our first glimpse of Mushroom from the second ledge

The final climb to Mushroom

David Beach doing the victory dance on top of Mushroom. Note the bush 

growing out of a crack in the foreground. That crack separates Mushroom 

from the ledge from which this picture was taken.

On the way back down we noted a strange leaning rock formation that we had missed coming up. It seems almost to defy gravity and I wouldn’t want to be below it during an earthquake.

The gravity defying leaning rock

Left to right (standing): Lila Wright, Jim Manning, Name Withheld, 

Collene Maktenieks, Donna Goodman, Connie Woolard, Kwi Johnson, 

David Beach, Anita Jackson, Linda Tovar and John McInerney; 

Crouching: Betty Wolters, Daisy Williams - Photograph by the author

The round trip hike was about 6.4 miles. The elevation change was around 960 feet, 800 of that in the 1.3 mile climb from the wash to the top of Mushroom. Note that the total hike distance given here includes about 0.4 miles that I hiked along the ledge from Mushroom.

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

Rabbit Ears Loop with a Detour to Jacks Canyon Trailhead

The Skyliners hiked Rabbit Ears Loop on 19 March 2010. Rabbit Ears Loop is not a designated trail, but instead utilizes parts of Big Park Loop Trail and Courthouse Butte Loop Trail along with several social trails. As described, this hike starts at the Bell Rock Parking Area, and follows Bell Rock Path for about 0.4 miles, continues on Big Park Loop to Courthouse Butte Loop. Along the way, to the north, Courthouse Butte loomed starkly against a brilliant blue sky.

Courthouse Butte – Photograph taken 2 January 2010

We followed Courthouse Butte Loop Trail a little less that 0.1 before turning to the right at a wash marked by a tree to follow an ancient, unofficial trail (shown on some old maps as Rabbit Ears Loop) This social trail leads east along the south side of Munds Mountain to the Rabbit Ears formation. The trail then turns south and climbs to the backbone of a ridge where it intersects with another old trail once named Dairy Springs. In one direction, this old trail leads south to Jacks Canyon Trailhead. In the other direction leads west along the backbone of the ridge to the junction of Big Park Loop and Courthouse Butte Trails. We took the south fork to Jacks Canyon Trailhead. Then, after only a brief pause there, returned by the same path to the top of the ridge and followed the old Dairy Springs Trail west, completing the Rabbit Ears Loop.

The photograph below shows the tree that marks the turnoff from Courthouse Butte Loop Trail at the wash.

Tree marking turnoff from Courthouse Loop at a wash

The following photograph, also taken during a previous hike, shows George Everman standing in the wash and pointing out the social trail, which leaves the wash about twenty yards upstream from Courthouse Butte Loop, and leads up the left bank. This trail will eventually take us to the Rabbit Ears formation.

George pointing to the social trail

The trail is easy to follow, showing a few footprints and a lot of bicycle tracks. Continuing on the trail after leaving the wash for almost 0.25 miles, we came out on a smooth rock ledge from where we could see Rabbit Ears clearly in the distance.

Rabbit Ears formation in the distance

As noted, the trail, except for the bare rock surface across the ledge, was easy to follow. It seems to be heavily used by bikers and we just looked for the tire tracks and the occasional hiker's footprint in the dirt. About half a mile from where from where the trail started across the rock ledge we found an especially interesting old snag.

Old snag alongside the trail on the way to Rabbit Ears.

At a distance of about 0.3 miles from the Rabbit Ears (right), the trail veers a bit to the right (southeast and then south) and climbs to the top of a small ridge.

Shortly after topping the ridge, the trail forks; one branch leads off to the left (south) and the other goes straight ahead (west). (Note: On the old Arizona Topographic map that I use on my GPS, both branches are part of the Dairy Springs Trail.) Our return path to rejoin Big Park Loop Trail at the junction with Courthouse Butte Loop Trail lay straight ahead.

However, we knew that the left fork of the trail would take us down to the start of Jacks Canyon Trail, so as already noted, several of the group decided to hike down and back up before completing the Rabbit Ears Loop. The trail led steadily downhill, eventually passing thru a fence at an equestrian gate, continued down to cross the wash in Jacks Canyon and then through two more equestrian gates on either side of Jacks Canyon Road before reaching Jacks Canyon Trailhead (left), a short distance from the road.

Jacks Canyon Trail itself is accessed by passing through an equestrian gate just to the right of the sign. To access Rabbit Ears Loop Trail (unofficial name) one just turns left at the sign, rather than pass through the gate, follows a well-trodden path running parallel to the fence down to and across Jacks Canyon road and continues on the old Dairy Springs Trail to the top of the ridge. In other words, just retrace the way we had come.

The hike by, the route we took, to the Rabbit Ears formation is about 2.3 miles from the Bell Rock Parking Area. By contrast it is about 2.0 miles if one chose to hike in from Jacks Canyon Trailhead.

We did not get an acceptable group photograph for this hike. However the hikers included: Jan PreFontaine, the author, Betty Wolters, Donna Goodman, Miriam Sterling, Daisy Williams, Jim Manning, David Nelson, George Everman, Marvin Alt, Fran Lind, Lila Wright, Nancy Hawkins, Dolly Yapp, Akemi Tomioka, Harold Hawkins, Collene Maktenieks and one unnamed hiker.

The total distance for the hike as described in this report is about 8.0 miles including the trip to Jacks Canyon Trailhead. The highest elevation is 4705 feet and the total ascent is 1423 feet.

The GPS track for the hike is shown on the included map (below). The red track shows the route we took to the Rabbit Ears formation and on to Jacks Canyon Trailhead; the blue track shows the east-west section of the old Dairy Springs Trail that completes the Rabbit Ears Loop.

Long Canyon Indian Ruins

Sixteen Skyliners hiked to Indian ruins in Long Canyon on 5 March 2011. Meeting at the Safeway parking lot in Cottonwood we took Hwy 89A to Sedona and turned left onto Dry Creek Road. After about 1.5 miles on Dry Creek Road, we turned right onto Long Canyon Road (FR 152D) and traveled for around 0.6 miles to reach the trailhead. Parking at the trailhead, we followed Long Canyon Trail for about 2.1 miles before coming to a faint trail that leads off to the right, crosses a wash and then climbs steeply up the canyon wall to the Indian ruins. An almost buried rock (right) in the trail marks the turnoff.

From the turnoff it is a steep climb (600 feet in 0.7 miles) up the canyon wall to the ruins.

Climbing the canyon wall to the Indian ruins - Photograph by Jon Lloyd.

We struggled over two rather difficult ledges and up some steep slopes before reaching our goal, the path to which passed between an ice cream shaped rock formation to the left and three sentinel-like rock spires to the right. All the while, the scenery ahead was breathtaking, keeping us focused on our goal. The pictures below and on the following two page show our approach (between the Ice Cream Cone and the Three Sentinels), the ruins, paintings on the cliff wall and the surrounding scenery.

Ice cream cone to the left three sentinels in the right – picture by Jon Lloyd

The well-preserved ruins tucked under an overhang in the cliff wall were

well worth the climb

The below photograph shows just what a cozy place, tucked well under the cliff overhang, the occupants had chosen for their dwelling.

Photograph showing how well-protected from the elements the location was

Paintings on the cliff wall at the Indian Ruins – photo by Jon Lloyd

Looking back at the three sentinels from the ruins – photo by Jon Lloyd

All sixteen hikers (Donna Goodman, Jon Lloyd, Lila Wright, Marvin Alt, Jim Manning, Daisy Williams, David Beach, Linda Tovar, John McInerney, Miriam Sterling, Dolly Yapp, Jan PreFontaine, the author and three others) having made it up the steep slope, we rewarded ourselves with a good long break while we examined the ruins.

When we left the ruins it was nearing lunch time and we went in search of a nice spot to eat. Returning to Long Canyon Trail, we followed it on up the canyon for about another 0.7 miles before turning off to eat at a high, sunny spot that was also the approach to some caves that Jim had recently visited with another group.

The turnoff, located around 2.8 miles from the lower trailhead, is marked by what appears to be an old camping site. One turns off to the right, crosses the wash and climbs up the canyon wall along a side canyon.

After a moderately difficult climb we found ourselves high up on an open ledge between Long Canyon and the side canyon and stopped for lunch. As the others settled down on the ledge, I climbed to the top of the ridge behind it where I had a better view up and down Long Canyon could take a quick nap after eating.

After lunch the main party proceeded on up the side canyon, while David Beach, who had climbed up to awaken me, and I crossed down the other side of the ridge to join them. Jim led us to several caves that showed signs of human habitation…ranging from old cooking fires and barrel hoops left behind by moonshiners to currently stashed supplies in five-gallon buckets. We went first along the main side canyon to look at caves then retraced our steps and turned up a spur canyon that took us to a cave that, according to reports recently had semi-permanent residents that the Forest Service had to remove.

It was easy to see why this cave is so popular. Just outside lies a deep pool of fresh water and just across the stream below the pool is located a smaller cave that we decided was the guest cottage. Dolly and I thought of George and decided to take a picture of the smaller cave for his benefit.

Dolly posing in mouth of small cave

We returned to the main trail and headed back to our cars at the trailhead. This trip to visit the caves added about 2.4 miles to our hike.

The total hike, according to my GPS after I downloaded and cleaned up the file, was 7.7 miles, and the elevation change (low point to high point) was around 1000 feet.

A GPS track of this hike is shown on the included map (below).

Camp Verde Cliff Dwellings

We had trouble determining just what to call this hike. Some of us had done it before; the hike leader then had referred to it variously as Clear Creek Mesa or Clear Creek Caves. After some searching, I managed to find a map that lists the Indian Ruins we were to visit as “Camp Verde Cliff Dwellings” and decided to use that name for the report. Just be aware that you may find records of previous Skyliner hikes to the area that refer to it by other names.

Fifteen of us (Jim Manning, Debbie Dobson, Colleen Maktenieks, Kwi Johnson, Connie Woolard, Gordon Bice, Miriam Sterling, Bill Woolard, Daisy Williams, Marvin Alt, Jan PreFontaine, Donna Goodman, the author and two others) left Cottonwood, drove through Camp Verde on Hwy 260 and parked on the left side of the road at mile marker 225.4. The trail leaves the road through a small, permanently closed iron gate, constructed so as to permit easy access for hikers. There is ample parking for five or six cars.

Although well defined, the trail is apparently not official, and the attendant at the Ranger Station in Camp Verde had no information about it. From Hwy 260 the trail quickly starts a sharp 300-foot climb to the first of the Indian ruins, built into an overhang in the cliff, about 0.4 miles along the trail from Hwy 260.

Camp Verde Cliff Dwellings – 300 ft above Hwy 260 on the unnamed 

but well-defined trail.

Camp Verde Cliff Dwellings – 300 ft above Hwy 260 on the unnamed 

but well-defined trail.

The photograph below was taken while standing just in front of the cliff dwellings shown in the two preceding photographs. Note, in the above photographs, the still-solid stone and mortar walls constructed to enclose the area under the overhang for dwellings.

Hikers struggling up the slope just below the cliff dwellings shown above

From here making our way on up to the top of the mesa was just a matter of finding the most convenient way to ascend another 100 feet. When we did so we found ourselves at a narrow rock connector that separates the mesa above into two parts of unequal size. We turned to the southwest onto the smaller part of the mesa and immediately found ourselves surrounded by ancient ruins. This entire area is literally covered with ruins.

Old Indian Ruins above Camp Verde Cliff Dwellings 

Old Indian Ruins above Camp Verde Cliff Dwellings

A snack amidst the ruins – Miriam, Donna and Jim

Looking across the stone connecting bridge from the ruins to the 

larger section of the mesa

We spent some time wandering around amid the ruins, pausing for a snack and looking across the rock connector to the larger section of the mesa. In the photograph above right the connector is just out of sight to the right. This larger northeast part of the mesa visible here is about 70 feet higher than the smaller portion that contains all the Indian Ruins.

We decided to cross over to the other section of mesa and walk around its rim before climbing to the topmost point for lunch.

Meanwhile some among our party wondered how the Indians ever managed to get the water necessary to mix mortar for all the construction we had seen. Being a foolhardy person, I ventured the opinion that the answer was, “Squaw power.” One of our female hikers pointed out that there were loose rocks, just the right size for throwing, scattered all about. Not being a complete idiot, I quickly led the group across the connecting bridge to the larger section of the mesa, taking care to stay farther than a stone’s throw ahead.

Other than the spectacular 360-degree view, we didn’t find much to interest us on our exploration of this section of the mesa. I was a bit disappointed because I thought I remembered finding a nice cave just under the rim on the northwest side of the mesa. Although I climbed down to look at a couple of interesting spots this time, I was not able to find it again. In retrospect it must have been located just below the ruins we looked at on the smaller section of the mesa. In any case, I took a photograph from near the cave on that previous hike (November 2006) that I like very much. It is included below.

Photograph taken atop the mesa above Camp Verde Cliff Dwellings

– November 25, 2006

We ate lunch at the highest point on the mesa, about 3630 feet.

After lunch we made our way back down to the cars by two different routes. We all descended about 200 feet to the top of but about 300 yards northeast of, the cliff containing the dwellings shown on the first page of this report. A few of us then climbed down the steep cliff face to visit a couple of small peaks visible below while the rest of the group continued northeast along the top of the cliff in search of a less precipitate descent.

The photograph below shows the two small peaks visible from the mesa; one shows vegetation and one is completely bare. I saw no indication of anything, such as a rock layer, that would have caused the peaks to form naturally, and there was no sign of a road that might have been used by heavy equipment. I have no idea what produced them.

Taken from about half way back down on our return - this is a magnified 

view of two small, interesting peaks, one with vegetation, 

the other looking as though it had been scalped.

A somewhat closer look at the “scalped” peak is shown in the following photograph with Gordon, Connie and Donna posed on top.

Gordon, Connie and Donna posed on top of the scalped peak

By the time we had climbed and descended from the two small peaks on our way back, the rest of the party had appeared below. We all arrived back at the parking area at essentially the same time. The hike was only two miles long with a little less than a 700-foot elevation change. However, the initial climb was pretty steep and the trip back down, at least the way we returned, required some care to avoid falls.

The total hike distance was 1.9 miles, the maximum elevation was 3634 feet and the total ascent was 977 feet.

Referring to the map provided with this report (below), the part of the trail marked in red is pretty well defined. The part marked in green is not a trail at all, rather just the path I took while wandering around and descending.

Dry Beaver Creek Hike

Nineteen Skyliners (Lila Wright, Daisy Williams, John MacInerney, Linda Tovar, Miriam Sterling, Anita Jackson, Dolly Yapp, Kwi Johnson, Connie Woolard, Marvin Alt, George Everman, Bill Woolard, Colleen Maktenieks, Donna Goodman, Jim Manning, the author and three others) hiked near Dry Beaver Creek on 05 February 2011. Leaving the assembly area at the Cottonwood Safeway, we drove north on Hwy 89A, turned right on Cornville Road, proceeded through Cornville and turned left at the borrow pit just 2.3 miles past the Beaverhead Flat Road intersection. We had some discussion about the meaning of the term “borrow pit” and I looked it up:

A borrow pit, also known as a sand box, is a term used in construction and civil engineering. It describes an area where material (usually soil, gravel or sand) has been dug for use at another location. Borrow pits can be found close to many major construction projects. For example, soil might be excavated to fill an embankment for a highway, clay might be excavated for use in brick-making, gravel to be used for making concrete, etc.¹

Parking our car at the pit, we struck out on FR 9203T, a road that runs along Dry Beaver Creek. About eighty yards ahead we crossed a dry wash that appeared to also serve as a road. Looking at a map later, it appears that it indeed does serve as a road and that we could have turned up the wash and reconnected with the road we were following after about three tenths of a mile. After another two tenths of a mile (about a half mile from the parking area) we came to a fork in the road and continued straight ahead to cross Dry Beaver Creek and hike up the other side. Ignoring other possible turnoffs from the road we were on, we continued straight ahead and reached the dry creek bed after another two tenths of a mile (around seven tenths of a mile from our starting point).

Uncaring people have created a mini-dump alongside the creek where we were to cross over. We found several discarded monitors and other assorted trash that irresponsible persons had abandoned and then apparently used for target practice.

As we crossed the otherwise dry creek, we did see a shimmering pool of water several yards upstream, indicating that water had been flowing in the recent past. And then further upstream, we came to a larger pool of water near a bend in the streambed. Upstream from there, water was flowing; downstream the creek was dry.

Glimmering pool of water at a creek bend – below here the streambed is dry

We were now heading north on the east side of the creek, which at this point flows almost directly south, but soon turns so that we would be traveling upstream in an easterly direction. After traveling about three-tenths of a mile along the east bank of the mostly dry streambed we came to an almost ninety degree bend, so that the upstream direction was now to the east. From the bend as far as we went upstream there was water in the stream. We crossed over here to continue upstream along the north side of the generally west flowing stream.

As we continued in a generally east (slightly north) direction, the creek, now at times some two tenths of a mile to the south of our track, turned again so that it was now flowing from the north for a short distance, and we crossed it again about 1.1 miles from the bend where we had first crossed at the bend.

Below the bend – the streambed is dry

Water covers the bed upstream

After crossing the creek again we traveled generally north parallel to the creek and then climbed sharply to the top of a hill. From there we could see that Dry Beaver Creek curved back around the promontory we were standing on and once again was flowing from east to west. We followed the spine of the ridge diverging slightly from the path of the stream and climbed higher until we were almost two hundred feet above the point where we had last crossed the creek.

Our track from the borrow point to this point is shown on the attached map in red. Since we returned by a slightly different path, I have shown the return in yellow. The view from the ridge was quite good; we could see the Red Rock Country to the north, House Mountain to the northwest and Mingus Mountain almost directly west.

Looking toward Red Rock Country to the north

House Mountain to the northwest

Mingus Mountain in the distance to the west

On our way to the top of the ridge we had noted a trail snaking up the slope of the next hill south of us, and then saw a group of riders following it. This trail appeared to lead back toward our last crossing of the creek and we decided to take it back to there. It turned out to be an excellent trail, a much easier route back down to the creek. We stopped for lunch at the crossing before continuing our journey

After lunch we continued back down the creek, retracing the route we had followed on the way up until we arrived at the bend where the creek turned to flow directly south and where we had taken the group picture. From that point we followed a road paralleling the creek on the west side of the creek rather than crossing back over to go back down the east side.

Somewhere along the way Colleen had collected a piece of driftwood and stuck it in her pack for the trip home. Seeing a great opportunity one of the other hikers sneaked up behind her and suspended a beer can from her prize.

Colleen brought an extra ration of beer in case of extreme thirst 

- see it hanging on her left antler.

The total distance of the hike was 5.5 miles, according to my GPS track, and the difference in elevation was around 365 feet.

This was a most pleasant hike with very little climbing, good trails, great views and no bushwhacking; such as we experienced on our recent Mingus slope hike.

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

1 From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borrow_pit

Mingus Slope Loop Hike

On Saturday 22 January 2011 fourteen Skyliners hiked the Mingus Slope Loop. This is an eight and six-tenths mile hike and can be described as follows: Park at the intersection of FR 493 and an off-road vehicle trail (I call it Oak Wash Cutoff) two and eight-tenths miles up FR 493 from the junction of Hwy 89A and Mingus Ave. Just follow Mingus and it will turn into FR 493. From the parking area, follow the off-road vehicle trail southeast across Oak Wash. Shortly after crossing Oak Wash the off-road vehicle trail ends at a road that runs from FR 493 past Ox Bow Spring to Chuckwalla Road. Turn left on this road and follow it (going east) for about two-tenths of a mile to intersect with Chuckwalla Road.

The distance from FR 493 to Chuckwalla Road is about six-tenths of a mile. Turn right on Chuckwalla Road and follow it up the mountain for one half mile to where the road passes through a gate in a wire fence and then forks. The right fork, continuing on up the mountain, is Chuckwalla.

The left fork, actually straight ahead, is old FR 355 and it ends just past the green water tank visible ahead. We made a short side trip here to follow old FR 355 past the old green water tank to where the road ends at the edge of the ridge and looked down on the housing project at the present end of Quail Springs Ranch Road. Old FR 355 at one time continued on down the hill and apparently joined Quail Springs Ranch Road. However, the part of the old road running down the hill in that direction is now so badly rutted that it is not suitable even for four-wheel drive or off-road vehicles. I have hiked it in the past and found that it ended at a gate with a sign saying “No Trespassing - Private Property.”

Returning to Chuckwalla, we continued up the mountain for another one and four-tenths miles, to the second of two sharp left turns Here one slides under a barbed wire fence on the right, ending up on a faint, largely overgrown trail. Follow this trail for approximately one mile. It mostly follows an old aboveground waterline that was used to bring water down the mountain for stock and wildlife. I call it Waterline Trail.

Waterline Trail ends at an old mining site from which a road leads rather steeply uphill for about one-half mile to connect with another old road, referred to only as “Jeep Trail” on all the maps I have found. This road runs south of and parallel to Allen Spring Road. Turn right (north) on the road and follow it for one and four-tenths miles to connect with FR 493 on top of a ridge.

Note that before you reach FR 493, there are two roads leading to the right. Don’t take either of them. The first leads down the mountain to end at a stock watering area; the second ends at an old mine. The Jeep Trail itself ends at FR 493 near Copper Chief Mine. From there follow FR 493 back down the mountain, going between Copper Chief and Iron King Mines, for three and two-tenths miles to return to the junction of FR 493 and Oak Wash Cutoff where the hike began.

We had some discussion during the hike about Oak Wash and just where (and how many times) we crossed it, so I looked it up using the National Geographic Topographic Overlay in Google Earth. As it turns out we crossed Oak Wash on the first section of the hike (Oak Wash Cutoff) and did not cross it again until we were on the Jeep Trail. The wash we crossed on Waterline Trail that I thought was Oak Wash is just a side wash draining into Oak Wash. For clarification I have sketched Oak Wash on the accompanying map in yellow where it runs through our hike path. It originates near the top of Mingus just north of the Mingus Recreation Area.

I took a photograph of the sign at the old green water tank, which discloses the tank’s origin. The sign indicates that it was installed by “Quail Unlimited” and the Prescott National Forest.

The sign says: BLACK HILLS WATER SYSTEM. This water distribution system is

a cooperative project for the benefit of wildlife and livestock by the Quail 

Unlimited, Verde Valley Chapter, Laurel Leaf Branch, and the Prescott

National Forest. This is the only reliable source in the area.

At one point, as it makes its way up the mountain, Chuckwalla Road passes very close to the rim above the private housing development at Quail Spring. When we reached that point, we followed a social trail made by the residents from the road over to the rim for another view of the houses and building sites below. Finally, about one and nine-tenths miles from where we first entered Chuckwalla Road we came to the start of Waterline Trail and stopped for a snack and a short rest before beginning the next, the most arduous, section of the hike.

Waterline Trail at first follows a fairly open path along the old waterline, then leaves it at the bottom of a small wash only to reconnect with it again after leaving the wash. The trail then follows the pipeline up the ridge through some pretty nasty stands of Catclaw before leaving it to drop rather steeply down into another, larger, wash. I had always mistakenly thought this to be Oak Wash and so told the other hikers; however, I have since discovered that it is only a side wash that drains into Oak Wash below. Oak Wash itself runs on up the mountain roughly parallel and just to the north of our path along Waterline Trail.

On reaching the old mine site at the end of Waterline Trail, we stopped for lunch, a well-deserved rest and, for me, a short nap. We then continued on our way following the old road that led up the mountain from the mine, climbing about 400 feet in half a mile.

On reaching the Jeep Trail at the end of the old mine road we turned right, northeast at first then generally north, and followed it until it ended at FR 493 near Copper Chief Mine. The Jeep Trail runs parallel to and just down the slope from Allen Spring Road (FR 413). Along the way we passed a road that runs back down the mountain and ends at a stock watering area near Oak Wash. We paused at the fork for a group photograph.

Left to right (standing): Gordon Bice, Bill Woolard, Connie Woolard, Linda 

Tovar, Debbie Dobson, John MacInerney, Lila Wright, Miriam Sterling, 

Name Withheld, Colleen Maktenieks; Kneeling: Donna Goodman, 

Daisy Williams, Jan PreFontaine – Photograph by the author

Continuing along the Jeep Trail we passed Grand Island Mine. This is where the second road leads off from the Jeep Trail; it runs into this mining area described as “A former underground Cu-Au mine on 14 claims.”¹ Just about two tenths of a mile beyond this mine, the jeep Trail ended at FR 493. At this point, Copper Chief Mine was to our right and Iron King was visible straight ahead on the next slope. Our trail down the mountain on FR 493 would lead us down the gulch between these two mines.

When we arrived back at the starting point for our hike, my GPS disclosed that we had hiked nine and two-tenths miles and that the elevation gain had been almost 1800 feet. We had actually climbed 2030 feet counting miscellaneous ascents and descents along the way. My total recorded hiking distance was nine and two-tenths miles because of several side trips, which I snipped from the hike path shown in the accompanying map (below) so as to obtain a more accurate measurement for the trail. Old FR 355 still shows clearly.

The individual sections of this hike are displayed as follows:

1. Oak Wash Cutoff – Green
2. Chuckwalla Road – Blue
3. Waterline Trail – Dark Green
4. Old Mine Road – Dark Cyan
5. Jeep Trail – Red
6. FR 493 – Dark Blue

The Yellow track is Oak Wash and the short Black section is Old FR 355.

1 From: http://www.mindat.org/loc-48598.html