Dogie Trail – Sycamore Pass

Parking at Sycamore Pass

Location: 34°55'21.08"N; 111°59'41.80"W

Elevation: 4681

Thirteen Skyliners (Donna Goodman, Betty Wolters, Daisy Williams, Anita Jackson, Dolly Yapp, Miriam Sterling, Marvin Alt, Gordon Bice, Fran Lind, Lila Walker, Ellis Price and two others) hiked on Dogie Trail in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness on 10 April 2010. On 28 January 2017, Jim Manning led a second group of hikers (Karl Sink, Glenn Sperry, Jon Beach, Jim Manning, Chris Jensen, Jim Gibson, Dana Smith and Dave Beach). From Cottonwood, both groups took State Highway 89A to FR 525 just past mile marker 364. Then followed FR 525 for about 2.8 miles before turning left on FR 525C (Sycamore Pass Road) and continuing for about 9 miles to arrive at the Dogie Trailhead at Sycamore Pass.

Our hike leader for the 2010 hike, apparently still aggravated from our failure to remain closely grouped on a previous hike, lectured us severely about Skyliner Rules. Most importantly, we were told not to get ahead of the leader and to remain together so that she would know where everyone was at all times. She also said that we were supposed to be a social group and that we were to remain together and enjoy socializing as a group. Altogether, it reminded me of being chewed out by Chief Petty Officer Weir, my Company Commander during recruit training in 1951.

On the 2016 hike, one member, had a problem with his legs part-way into the hike and had to turn back; Dave Beach remained with him while the rest of the group continued on to Sycamore Creek. I had noted in 2010 that a couple of signs, with the trail name misspelled as “Doggie” instead of “Dogie,” were posted at the parking area and along the way to where the trail officially starts. No one mentioned the signs on this hike and I don't know whether they have been corrected. In any case hikers pass through a gate at the saddle about 200 yards from the parking area and enter the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness through a gate. Dogie Trail starts at this point.

After passing through the gate in April 2010 , I paused to take a couple of photographs looking ahead into the wilderness.

Looking into Sycamore Creek Wilderness from the saddle

Looking into Sycamore Creek wilderness from the saddle

On leaving the saddle the trail, at first, leads fairly steeply downhill. The following photograph shows the trail as it appeared in April 2010.

Heading down into the wilderness from the saddle on Dogie Trail  - 2010

For the current hike it was covered with ice, as shown in the below photograph, provided by Jim Manning.

Treacherous, ice-covered trail in February 2017

Probably the most distinctive rock formation along the trail is shown below. I thought it looked a bit like a giant coffee mug.

Rock formation resembling a giant coffee mug

We saw numerous flowers along the way in 2010.

Creamcups                                                    Dwarf mountain ragwort (?)

Purple milkvetch                                           Touristplant or Draba

Plains blackfoot/Blackfoot Daisy             Dock of some sort

Just under 1.75 miles from the parking lot we passed Sycamore Tank. The tank contained very little water in 2010. But, as we noted on the way back in on that hike, enough to attract a couple of migrating ducks. Sadly, my attempt to photograph the ducks resulted in nothing useful. However, Jim photographed the now-brimming tank, alas without ducks, during the current hike.

Sycamore Tank in January 2017

After traveling just over 5.5 miles from the parking lot we reached Sycamore Creek. From here the trail crosses the creek and continues upstream along the opposite side to connect with the Taylor Cabin Trail about one-half mile ahead. We stopped in 2010 and again in 2017 at the stream for lunch before turning back. In 2010, I ate rapidly, had a quick hot tea and settled in for a nap. I managed to find a nice spot several yards from the group and the quiet murmuring of the creek soon lulled me to sleep. I awakened about forty-five minutes later when the other hikers were up and ready to head back up the trail. I lingered a bit to take a photograph.

Looking up Sycamore Creek from the Dogie Trail Crossing in 2010

The hikers report that Sycamore Creek was running full, bank to bank, at the time of the 2017 hike.  Unfortunately, no one thought to take a photograph. 

The total hiking distance was 11.3 miles as shown by my GPS in 2010. This distance was recorded from the parking lot to Sycamore Creek and back. So far as I can determine, no GPS track was recorded for the current hike. The GPS profile for the hike shows a maximum elevation of 4881 feet and a minimum of 4194 feet. The elevation change on Dogie Trail between the parking area and Sycamore Creek is only 687 feet; however, the total in-and-out ascent, due to all the ridges and washes crossed along the way, was recorded as 2251 feet. It is not a difficult hike, but does require some stamina.

The map included as part of this report (below) shows the GPS track recorded in 2010 for this hike.

NOTE: On some maps, Dogie Trail is incorrectly listed as part of Taylor Cabin Trail.

Adobe Jack Loop Hike

On Saturday, 7 January 2017, Dave Beach led twelve Skyliners on the Adobe Jack Loop. He drove us northeast on State Route 89A to the trailhead between West Sedona and Uptown Sedona. The trailhead is on the north side of the highway just 0.3 miles beyond Airport Road and just before the Mariposa Restaurant.

The morning sun was still lurking just below the eastern horizon when we arrived in Sedona, but had already announced its presence by the glorious colors reflected from the low-lying clouds.

Sunrise in Sedona

There are several trails, collectively designated (right) as "Soldier Wash Trails", in this area. Three major trails run in the north-south direction up the wash. These are Adobe Jack (to the west), Javelina (to the east) and Grand Central located between these two. Several shorter trails serve to connect these three together.

Another sign posted at the Adobe Jack Trailhead provides the following information about HJ Meany, the individual for whom the trail was named:

"HJ Meany, also known as Adobe Jack, was born in Prescott, Arizona to a couple of European ancestry who met at Castle Hot Springs not far from there. They worked on the Crown King Railroad, were gold miners in the Congress Mine, and moved to California during the Great Depression. Jack came from a working class family who struggled through rough times. He served in WW11, graduated from USC School of Engineering, and ultimately climbed the corporate ladder. He always kept his love for the Old West in his heart and soul. He is dearly missed by his family and all who knew him." This sign is signed by George and Claudine.

Although our schedule had named only the Adobe Jack Trail, Dave would take us on a loop hike that would include some or all of the following trails: Crusty, Grand Central, Javelina, Jordan, a short loop around Ant Hill and Adobe Jack itself.

We left the parking area on Adobe Jack, crossed a wash (left), a side branch of Soldier Wash, and immediately turned right onto Crusty Trail. A small stream running down the wash formed an attractive waterfall. After 0.4 miles we came to the end of Crusty at Grand Central Trail. There we turned right and continued for another 0.2 miles to arrive at Javelina, the trail we would follow on our journey up the wash. We hiked the entire 1.2 mile length of Javelina Trail, ending up at Jordan Trail. Along the way we passed the upper Power Line Plunge Trailhead at a junction with Javelina. From here Power Line Junction runs southwest, crosses Grand Junction and ends at Adobe Jack just 0.9 miles north of the trailhead on Hwy 89A.

Just over a 100 yards beyond Power Line Plunge, Javelina Trail ends at Jordan Trail. This Trail, new in 1999, serves as a connector to other trails in the area and would lead us northwest to the upper end of Adobe Jack at the Devil's Kitchen.

About 0.5 miles from the Javelina/Jordan Trails junction we came to Ant Hill Loop Trail (right), a short trail that loops around a large mound named Ant Hill. We used it along with a short section of Grand Central, which intersects Ant Hill Loop, to hike around and to the top of Ant Hill.

As we traveled along Jordan Trail, and especially from Ant Hill itself, we had great views of the red rock country all around and on to distant mountains beyond. The following photograph shows snow-covered Mingus Mountain beyond the shoulder of Ant Hill.

Snow-covered Mingus Mountain in the distance

Our hike leader, Dave Beach, gathered us all together for a group photograph on top of Ant Hill.

Left to right: Dave Beach, Roxanne Wessel, Chris Jensen, Connie Woolard, Roger Fenske, Daisy Williams, Joanne Hennings, Anita Jackson, Ellen McGinnis, Loren Pritzel, Jim McGinnis, and Jim Gibson

Shortly after returning to Jordan Trail, we arrived at Devil's Kitchen sinkhole. This is a natural sinkhole located at the convergence of Soldier Pass, Cibola Pass, Jordan and Adobe Jack Trails.

At Devil's Kitchen there are signs reminding us to use extreme caution when walking near the sinkhole. Sedona geologist, Paul Lindberg, writing for the Arizona Geological Survey¹ notes that, “The Devils Kitchen sinkhole formed catastrophically and will continue to enlarge over geologic time”. He continues by saying, “Certain edges of the Devils Kitchen sinkhole are at greater risk of collapse while others are deemed less likely to collapse. It should be emphasized, however, that no degree of certainty exists at this site.”

A sign posted at the site provides diagrams and explanations detailing the sinkhole's creation along with pertinent measurements and dates. One wall of the sinkhole is shown in the photograph below.

Devils Kitchen Sinkhole

A short distance away from the sinkhole our return route on the Adobe Jack Trail began (left). In some spots the trail was muddy but not bad enough to cause mud to cake on our shoes.

We had a good view of the Fin (or Sail) and Steamboat Rock as we hiked along Adobe Jack Trail.

The Fin (or Sail) and Steamboat Rock

At about noon we found that we were more than half-way through our hike, so we decided to continue on without stopping for lunch. We had already eaten a snack while we were on Ant Hill.

On this first hike of the new year the sky was all gray and the weather was cold enough that most of us kept our warmest jackets on throughout the hike. The most significant wildlife we saw during the hike were two deer, a buck and a doe.

This hike was about 5.4 miles long and the elevation varied between 4385 feet and 4660 feet. Editor's note: These statistics are only estimates because no one provided a GPS track for the hike and some of the track data was hand-drawn by the editor.

The route to the Devil's Kitchen included a 100-yard section of Adobe Jack Trail, the entire 0.4 mile length of Crusty Trail, about 0.2 miles of Grand Central Trail, the entire 1.2 miles of Javelina Trail, about 1.6 miles of the Jordan Trail combined with a short, about 0.7-mile, loop trail to circle around Ant Hill and climb it for the view. The 2.0-mile return track, from Devil's Kitchen to the parking lot at Hwy 89A, was entirely by Adobe jack Trail. The included map (below) shows the entire hike in red.

Other trails shown within the loop we hiked include two segments of Grand Central (purple), Power Line Plunge (green) and Coyote (blue).

This report was written by Daisy Williams and assembled, edited and posted online by Ellis Price with help from Lila Wright.

1http://azgeology.azgs.az.gov/archived_issues/azgs.az.gov/arizona_geology/winter09/article_devilskitchen.html

Hike to Old Still in Fay Canyon

Eleven Skyliners hiked to the site of an old still in Fay Canyon on 10 December 2016. This report, based on that hike, also uses information from Ellis Price's report of a 3 February 2010 hike published in his book, "Hiking in and Around Verde Valley"¹. Two of today's hikers had also been on that earlier trip.

To travel to the old Fay Canyon still we actually followed Bear Mountain Trail for 0.6 miles from the Doe Mountain/Bear Mountain parking lot at the foot of Doe Mountain. We then turned north into Fay Canyon, following a sometimes tedious social trail located high on the canyon's west wall.

A more familiar, and easier, Fay Canyon hike is along Fay Canyon Trail, another hike described by Ellis Price in the same book.² Unfortunately, two of the hikers who gathered in Cottonwood for today's hike thought it was to be a repeat of the hike on Fay Canyon Trail. Upon learning that it would instead involve climbing part way up the talus slope of Bear Mountain and then hiking along the canyon wall, they decided not to go with us.

From the Doe Mountain/Bear Mountain parking lot, we crossed the paved Boynton Pass Road and stepped over a green pipe crossbar at the trailhead. That pipe was almost too high for me, just a bit higher and I would have had to crawl under. The base of Bear Mountain was some distance away and in between, across a flat-looking area, there were several moderately deep gulches which we had to cross before we began the steep climb up Bear Mountain Trail to the social trail turnoff into Fay Canyon. This turnoff could be missed by the less observant hiker but the GPS co-ordinates for it are included in the 2010 report.³ Additionally, within the angle made by the two trails, there stands a tall rectanglar-shaped pillar of red rock, shown below, with a small, vertical slit forming a window near the top on the right side of the pillar.

Red rock with a small vertical window near top right

This hike is difficult to follow in a few places and it is best to use a GPS device. The trail follows a shelf or wide ledge high on the west wall of the canyon. At places the shelf is wide and covered with a mixture of grass, cactus, juniper and manzanita. Gradually, however, it tapered to become a narrow rock ledge. As we traveled north along the shelf we had a high cliff wall (below left) on one side and a sheer drop down into Fay Canyon on the other. After traveling for about half an hour after leaving Bear Mountain Trail, we could look across the canyon to the top of Fay Canyon Arch (below right) on the far side. From this angle the arch is indistinguishable from a shallow cave.

                                          Sheer canyon walls to the west                Fay Canyon Arch

It was time for our snack break and we paused at a spot with a panoramic view looking back through the mouth of Fay Canyon toward Dry Creek Road, Capitol Butte and Chimney Rock.

Snack break – with a view out the mouth of Fay Canyon

The goal for this hike was a smoke-stained overhang, containing discarded coffee cans, an old galvanized tub, and some barrel hoops. Sheltered from view from above by the overhang itself and from the canyon floor below by a rock ledge, it is rumored to have been the site of a still during the prohibition era. The two hikers, George Everman and Jim Manning, who had been to the location before reported that they had looked for, but never found, a way to access the spot from the bottom of Fay Canyon. Thus the route we took along the canyon wall, well above the floor.

About 1.2 miles from the Bear Mountain Trail turnoff we came to a shelf of bare rock, completely devoid of vegetation save for the occasional scraggly plant struggling for survival in a crack. The overhang which houses the old still site is located just under the lip of the bare rock ledge upon which we stood. At first the edge of the rock shelf appears to present a straight descent into the canyon far below. A closer look reveals a narrow ledge just below and a way to climb down to it. Without further ado, we shed our packs and started the descent. As I made my way down, I thought about the return trip. Would I be able to make it on my own or would I need a boost?

Once on the ledge, we traveled in the down-canyon direction for about 100 yards, making our way around a few stunted trees, several large boulders and some cactus plants before reaching the remains of the old still. This descent and the route along the narrow ledge are shown in the map insert (right).

Ellis Price is shown below in a photograph taken during the 2010 hike. Everything remains essentially the same as at that visit.

Ellis Price at the old still ruins – 3 February 2010

Assuming the tales of moonshiners are true. we wondered how they might have brought in their raw materials and hauled out the finished product. It is a fairly tough route the way we came. They could, however, have used pack animals.

Along the ledge we found a variety of plants growing in patches (below left) where moisture seeps from the cliff. There were also numerous rocks of various sizes and shapes all piled together where they have fallen from the overhang (below right).

Plants growing in a seep Rocks fallen from overhang

Two hikers ventured even further along the ledge, beyond the overhang, until it became too narrow for safety.

Gary Jacobson and Dave Manning -on the narrow part of the ledge

The two photographs below, taken as we headed back to where we had descended to the ledge, show a downstream section of the cliff wall stained with dark mineral deposits from water running over the edge (below left) and an upstream view into the depths of the canyon (below right).

A view down the canyon A view up the canyon

Back on the rock shelf above the overhang, we stopped to eat lunch near an area of water-retaining depressions separated by weirdly-shaped rock surfaces (left). I wondered: Could the strange shapes of the rock between the depressions represent sand blown by wind and moved by waves in an ancient tidal zone?

The trail back led us along a narrow ledge at the head of a side canyon and there we were faced with a cliff wall adorned with bright yellow lichen (below left). Atop the cliff a small manzanita (below right) lifted its reddish brown branches, topped by dark green leaves, to the sky, struggling to survive in a sparse patch of soil.

Bright yellow lichen on the cliff wall A manzanita growing atop the cliff

Back at Bear Mountain Trail, we paused for a group photo before heading back down the mountain and across the gulches.

Left to right: George Everman, Karl Sink, Jim Manning, Joanne Hennings, Joyce Arregui with Dave Beach (standing), Lila Wright, Daisy Williams, Dave Manning, Betty Wolters, and Gary Jacobson.

This hike was 3.9 miles long, the highest elevation was 5137 feet and the total ascent was 1188 feet.

The GPS track for this hike is shown in red on the included map (below). For the sake of clarity, only the return route is shown. The hike in included a bit of exploring and was slightly longer.

This report was written by Daisy Williams and assembled, edited and posted online by Ellis Price with help from Lila Wright.

1Price, Ellis F. Hiking in and Around Verde Valley. USA: CreateSpace, n.d. Print. pp 43-50

2Ibid, pp 27-36

3Ibid, p 44

Watson Lake Loop Hike

On 3 December 2016 eight Skyliners hiked the Watson Lake Loop Trail in Prescott. This trail traverses the highly scenic Granite Dells region around Watson Lake. From Cottonwood we drove south on Hwy 89A through Jerome and across Mingus Mountain to connect with US 89. We continued 4.3 miles south on US 89, turned east on Prescott Lakes Parkway and drove 0.4 miles before turning north on Sundog Ranch Road and continuing for about another 0.1 miles to a dirt parking area near the Humane Society. There is a $3.00 parking fee. The original plan was to hike on Peavine Rail Trail, Iron King Trail and Lakeshore Trail in that order, repeating a 27 February 2010 hike.

We did in fact start out by hiking about 0.9 miles on Peavine Rail Trail. However, when we came to the junction with Lakeshore Trail, we decided to follow it along the shore of Watson Lake. Then, upon reaching the north end of the lake, we just continued on the trail along the shore, looping around the lake in a counterclockwise direction.

In the Dells, the giant granite boulders have weathered into delicately balanced forms and fanciful shapes. Some of these are pointed out in this report. Rock climbers like to tackle the challenging granite formations and Joanne Hennings supplied a photograph of one such climber rappelling down a sheer granite cliff (right).

We saw ducks along the way and, later in the hike, a flock of domestic geese (below left) and occasionally noted the brilliant green head of a wild male Mallard duck sparkling in the sunlight. I snapped a photograph of what I think was a heron (below right). It was some distance away, perched on a rock surrounded by striking reflections of the rust-colored cliff on the surface of the water. Contrasting with the reflections were a few lingering bright green leaves amidst the greenish-brown hue of overhanging vegetation.

Geese and ducks along the shore             A lone heron(?) among reflections

After awhile we stopped for a snack break and a group photo. This area had everything: columns of granite reaching for the sky, water, boulders, a deciduous tree and dark green evergreens.

Left to right: Lila Wright, Joanne Hennings, Donna Goodman (kneeling), Karl Sink, Joyce Arregui, Daisy Williams (kneeling), Chris Jensen and Betty Wolters.

Continuing the loop around Watson Lake we had a view of a section of the Granite Dells and the lake with the Granite Mountain Wilderness in the distance.

Looking across Watson Lake to Granite Mountain Wilderness

Next we came to an area of the Dells with fancifully-shaped rock formations, including a delicately balanced, seal-shaped protrusion (below left) and an attractive dead tree set against a background of granite (below right).

Seal-shaped formation Dead tree set against a granite cliff

At Granite Creek Dam we took a short spur trail to view the dam from below (below left). Near the dam were rock formations that resembled giant stone fish leaping upwards into the blue sky (below right). They looked very much like Roundtail Chub (Gila robusta), a native Arizona fish.

Granite Creek Dam from downstream    Leaping fish

We then climbed up to view the dam from the top. There are alternate routes and we found a sign with one arrow pointing to a “steep” trail and another pointing to a “steeper” trail. From the top we could see the San Francisco Peaks in the distance.

The San Francisco Peaks in the distance

From our vantage point high above the lake, we could look down on the dam itself (below left) and on a rather large island in the lake (below right).

Granite Creek Dam from above Island in Watson Lake

Along the opposite side of the lake from where we started we came to a shore that was lined with Domestic Geese near a boat dock. This area also included restrooms and benches.

Boat ramp on the west side of Watson Lake

After passing the boat ramp we were on Lower Granite Creek Discovery Trail which leads across Granite Creek at the south end of the lake and reconnects with Peavine Rail Trail very near where we were parked. This section of the loop, open to hikers, runners, horseback riders and bicyclists, is the easiest of trails with good trail surface and minimal elevation change. This section was welcomed after all the fun we had had following painted white dots up and over so many granite formations and climbing the steep section of trail to the dam overlook.

All the other hikers were moving along rather quickly since we would soon be back at the parking area, having nearly completed the loop around Watson Lake. While trying to keep up with them I did not pause to take any more photos. The trail meandered through a scenic riparian area before crossed over Granite Creek on a bridge. The area reminded me of the Riverfront and Jail Trails along the Verde River in Cottonwood.

Back at the parking lot we all said our goodbyes to Donna who lives in Prescott Valley and thus would not be going back to Cottonwood with us.

The hikers did not save a GPS Track for this hike so the track shown on the included map (below) may deviate slightly from the path actually hiked. The red track shows the actual loop while the blue track shows the short distance from the Sundog parking area to the start of the loop trail.

This loop hike itself as shown in red is 5.1 miles long, the highest elevation is 5249 feet and the total ascent is 656 feet. The short distance from the parking area to the loop is 0.4 miles with an elevation gain of about 20 feet. The total hike was about 5.9 miles.

This report was written by Daisy Williams and assembled, edited and posted online by Ellis Price with help from Lila Wright.

Cactus Canyon from Cornville Road to Oak Creek

It was a warm and pleasant winter day when six Skyliners hiked from Cornville Road to Oak Creek on 17 December 2016. We followed Cactus Road south from Cornville Road for about 0.3 miles to the point where the road crosses a wash on a rock ledge. There is an approximate ten-foot dropoff on the downstream side of the ledge and we left the road, climbed down to the bottom of the wash and followed it all the way to Oak Creek.

Today's hikers were: Dave Beach, Lila Wright, Jim Manning, Joanne Hennings, Daisy Williams, and a one hiker, Dana Smith, new to our group, who is planning to hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018 and was seeking advice on how to prepare for that adventure.

Although today's hike was routinely scheduled, this route is also a popular alternative for the Skyliners when other plans fall through. I have hiked it twice before, in 2006 and again in 2010, both times as an alternative to other hikes. A report of the 2010 hike is included in “Hiking in and Around Verde Valley”.¹

This is a loop hike in that we normally follow one route to Oak Creek and another one on the return trip. One route follows Cactus Road and the other follows a wash. Today we followed a GPS track made during the 2010 hike, although in the opposite direction. For that hike we had followed Cactus Road almost to its end at a gated community and then turned down a side wash (map at right) to join the main wash (the same wash that Cactus Road crosses on the ledge with a ten-foot drop near Cornville Road) about 0.6 miles from Oak Creek; today we would follow the wash downstream to the creek and would return by way of Cactus Road.

After leaving Cactus Road at the rock ledge, we climbed down a rocky bank to the dry streambed of the wash. The sides of the wash (or arroyo) varied in height and sloped from gentle to vertical as we made our way south toward Oak Creek. The wash we followed, located at the northwest end of an area called the White Hills is not named on any maps we found. We elected to call it Cactus Canyon after the Forest Service road that it parallels. It is surely deep enough and the sides close enough together to deserve the name canyon.

For much of the way we were walking in the shade of high canyon walls such as the large rock with patches of moss and a bush growing on top (below left) and the sheer water-cut cliff at right (below right).

Solid rock forming canyon wall                Sheer water-carved canyon wall

At one place in the canyon a high dropoff (sometimes called a dryfall or pour-off.) required us to climb up the canyon wall and then back down in order to detour around it and continue our journey. I was so busy climbing around the dryfall that I neglected to photograph it. The two following photographs, the lip of the dryfall in the canyon floor (below left) and one of the side wall of the canyon adjacent to the dryfall (below right) were taken in 2010.

Lip of the dryfall in Cactus Canyon          Canyon wall adjacent to the dryfall

About 1.8 miles from the point where we entered the wash, and still around 0.6 miles from Oak Creek, we passed a side wash flowing in from the west. That was the route we intended to take to reach Cactus Road for our return trip. Just a short distance below the side wash, we came to a teepee-like structure, located high atop the canyon wall, apparently used by one of the landowners in the gated community at the end of Cactus Road for an outbuilding.

Teepee atop the canyon wall near the junction of Cactus Canyon and Oak Creek

A little further along the canyon turned sharply to the west. Just beyond the bend we crossed under a fence and arrived at Oak Creek.

Oak Creek at the mouth of Cactus Canyon

We paused at a tree alongside the creek for a snack with the pleasant sound of the stream in our ears and a mesmerizing view of flowing water lulling our senses. Looking up we could see through the branches of our tree a windmill (left) standing like a sentinel outlined against the blue sky.

This was indeed a pleasant spot in which to linger and had Ellis been with us, he would surely have insisted on a nap. However, he wasn't and we soon donned our packs and resumed our hike, retracing our steps up the canyon to the side wash and climbing the hill to reconnect with Cactus Road.

On our way up the hill we passed a cluster of Soaptree Yuccas and then several Christmas Chollas (right).

Just a short distance along Cactus Road we turned onto Forest Road 9205J which leads out to a viewpoint high above Oak Creek. The below photograph, taken from the viewpoint, shows Lower Oak Creek Estates, just across the creek, Mingus Mountain (left of center) and Woodchute Mountain (right of center) in the Black Hills range. The round hump in the foreground just to the right of Woodchute is Sugarloaf.

Looking across Oak Creek and Verde Valley to the Black Hills Mountain range

Leaving the viewpoint we returned to Cactus Road and continued on to our vehicles, stopping along the way to eat lunch on a hill at a spot surrounded by crucifixion thorns.

This hike was 5.7 miles long, the highest elevation was 3504 feet and the total ascent was 494 feet.

The GPS track for this hike is shown in red on the included map (below). The yellow track at upper right is Cornville Road and the blue track at lower left shows Cactus Road as it continues to its end at a gated community overlooking Oak Creek.

This report was written by Daisy Williams and assembled, edited and posted online by Ellis Price with help from Lila Wright.

1Price, Ellis F. Hiking in and Around Verde Valley. USA: CreateSpace, n.d. Print. pp 53-58