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A piece of history by cabel  Not a mega hike at all but a great place to get away for a quick walk. It is easy to combine this with several hikes in the area. It is hard to believe that this piece of history has lasted with houses all around it. Here is a description from Ronald H. Smith's book on Prescott trails. "The 1880's were a period of intense placer and hard rock gold and silver mining activity in the Walker area. Durning the early 1880's, a smelter was built in the vicinity of Walker by John Howell.... A couple of entrepreneurs, Joe and Jake Carmichael, built a charcoal kiln from granite blocks and burned oak wood from the surrounding forest to produce the charcoal. They built the kiln from native granite and closely fit the stones without using mortar. The loose mortar you see today is from recent repair work and is probably what supplies with nutrients the plants that sprout miraculously from between these sterile stones. Although this 25 foot high kiln was one of the smallest in the region, it is the only one still standing." A stone lined path leads to the kiln. Since you don't see the kiln until almost at the site, it is almost startling to see this strangely misplaced landmark, almost as if it had sprung from the earth amongst a dense second hand growth of young pines and oaks. There is no sign today of what must have been a very busy enterprise - one that within two or three years stripped the forsest of all mature timber, thus ending this little business. If you are in the area this is a great little jewel to check out. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.
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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
Most recent Triplog Reviews
Charcoal Kiln Trail #303
from the hike description.
Mary Jo was insistent on seeing this before we left town. After a couple stabs at it and a chance encounter with a Walker resident, we finally found this little trail. We all enjoyed looking around, through, in and about this kiln. Very cool. Thx for being persistent Mary Jo.
https://youtu.be/zF ... EZH4
"Although this 25 foot high kiln was one of the smallest in the region, it is the only one still standing."
Mary Jo was insistent on seeing this before we left town. After a couple stabs at it and a chance encounter with a Walker resident, we finally found this little trail. We all enjoyed looking around, through, in and about this kiln. Very cool. Thx for being persistent Mary Jo.
https://youtu.be/zF ... EZH4
2016-08-28 tibber
Charcoal Kiln Trail #303
angela and i had something on the calendar for this weekend a month ago
kinda hard to plan during monsoon season
ended up deciding on a day hike and tibber came up with this mellow hike through the woods
wade and mary jo signed on and we hit the road and then the trail sunday morning
easy grade from white spar campground up to a ridge and then down to senator highway
on the way back, dropped down to goldwater lake for a snack and the views
entertainment was provided by a snake trying to catch some small fish
back on the trail in mid 70 temps with occasional cloud cover but nothing remotely threatening
nice to hike in such pleasant conditions on good trail
lots of ponderosa and oak providing plenty of shade
saw the little memorial to the granite mountain hotshots on the way back
a couple of trail runners, a few hikers and quite a few mountain bikers
think i could even bike this trail
good hiking with wade and mary jo again
thanks for late lunch and for driving
nice day, good company and new trails
in fact, i'm always amazed by what the prescott area has to offer
we stopped by the charcoal kiln down walker road on the way out of town
interesting bit of history, and got me to double digits for the day
kinda hard to plan during monsoon season
ended up deciding on a day hike and tibber came up with this mellow hike through the woods
wade and mary jo signed on and we hit the road and then the trail sunday morning
easy grade from white spar campground up to a ridge and then down to senator highway
on the way back, dropped down to goldwater lake for a snack and the views
entertainment was provided by a snake trying to catch some small fish
back on the trail in mid 70 temps with occasional cloud cover but nothing remotely threatening
nice to hike in such pleasant conditions on good trail
lots of ponderosa and oak providing plenty of shade
saw the little memorial to the granite mountain hotshots on the way back
a couple of trail runners, a few hikers and quite a few mountain bikers
think i could even bike this trail
good hiking with wade and mary jo again
thanks for late lunch and for driving
nice day, good company and new trails
in fact, i'm always amazed by what the prescott area has to offer
we stopped by the charcoal kiln down walker road on the way out of town
interesting bit of history, and got me to double digits for the day
2016-08-28 trekkin_gecko
Charcoal Kiln Trail #303
On the way back home from another hike in Payson, the Beav suggested we introduce Tibber and trekkin gecko to the historic charcoal kiln in Walker. "It's only 5 minutes out of the way and I know exactly how to get there." It wasn't and she didn't. But it is historic and we found it. I always like visiting these little pieces of local history.
2016-08-28 AZWanderingBear
Charcoal Kiln Trail #303
Headed over here after doing Trail #297 / Bald Mountain, so my wife could have a little hike as well. 
The drive from Walker Rd. up Big Bug Mesa Rd. to the intersection of Charcoal Kiln Rd. is .6 miles. Along the way, on the right, you will see a sign about the "Charcoal Kiln" (I did not get the exact wording.) That is not the trailhead. Keep going to the Charcoal Kiln Rd. intersection. Park there, at the small pull out, as there is no parking at the trailhead itself. Wander down the Charcoal Kiln Rd. for .25 miles to the trailhead proper. From there, it is less than 150 yards to the kiln, which you can see from the road.
The old wooden forest service sign ( http://hikearizona.com/photo=158762 ), has been replaced by an info stand. The kiln is impressively large. It is easy to see how they could have stoked some serious coals in there. There are large vents up top, but several smaller ones near the floor. It is cooler inside than outside, which shows the advantage of building a house with stone (which keeps you warmer in winter as well).
It's a neat little side trip, if you are in the area, but after a few minutes, you've seen it all.
Had planned to head on over the hill to Five Corners, do some road scouting, but got started 90 minutes late earlier in the morning, so headed home instead. I-17 -- by I-17 standards
-- was relatively low on traffic. Maybe because it was mid-week and not yet 5 p.m.?
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Video (1:39) : http://youtu.be/1nKvhGTEAd8
The drive from Walker Rd. up Big Bug Mesa Rd. to the intersection of Charcoal Kiln Rd. is .6 miles. Along the way, on the right, you will see a sign about the "Charcoal Kiln" (I did not get the exact wording.) That is not the trailhead. Keep going to the Charcoal Kiln Rd. intersection. Park there, at the small pull out, as there is no parking at the trailhead itself. Wander down the Charcoal Kiln Rd. for .25 miles to the trailhead proper. From there, it is less than 150 yards to the kiln, which you can see from the road.
The old wooden forest service sign ( http://hikearizona.com/photo=158762 ), has been replaced by an info stand. The kiln is impressively large. It is easy to see how they could have stoked some serious coals in there. There are large vents up top, but several smaller ones near the floor. It is cooler inside than outside, which shows the advantage of building a house with stone (which keeps you warmer in winter as well).
It's a neat little side trip, if you are in the area, but after a few minutes, you've seen it all.
Had planned to head on over the hill to Five Corners, do some road scouting, but got started 90 minutes late earlier in the morning, so headed home instead. I-17 -- by I-17 standards
-- was relatively low on traffic. Maybe because it was mid-week and not yet 5 p.m.?
-----
Video (1:39) : http://youtu.be/1nKvhGTEAd8
2014-10-22 kingsnake
