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More Cattle Than King Ranch by kingsnake The official Prescott National Forest page, says Toohey Trick Tank Trail #9440 is 5.4 miles long, beginning and ending on FR 9267E. It’s actually 7.2 miles. Also, the official route begins on FR 9270K at a private ranch ( 34.615075, -112.68206 ), and ends a 1/2 mile east ( 34.615172, -112.672905 ), across from Old Poley Ranch. Not desiring to intrude, or leave my vehicle vulnerable, I found a better trailhead on FR 9269A. From the trailhead, continue west, upslope on FR 9269A. The rocky jeep trail climbs 240 ft. in ⅔ mile to #9440. The loop is described clockwise.
In a ½ mile, #9440 crosses another foot trail. That is the Tonto Mountain summit trail. (A 1/4 mile, 360 ft., diversion.) The next ½ mile is confusing, particularly across the large boulders of Tract 43 (a Prescott National Forest inholding). Gates mark the entrance to, and exit from, Tract 43, so make sure you pass through both gates, or catclaw will chew you up. After 2⅓ miles of hiking, #9440 arrives at a saddle on Tonto Mountain’s southwest flank. The foot trail descends 200 ft. in the next mile, eventually becoming an old jeep trail. If you look into the canyon to your right, you will see a levee and, on the far side, a windmill. The official end of the trail is another ½ mile. Instead, aim for the windmill. The windmill had two storage tanks, plus an overflow box full of water. From the windmill, back to the trailhead on FR 9269A, #9440 is all jeep trail, sometimes smooth, often quite rough. The third gate the trail passes through marks 4 miles, even. A ¼ mile past the gate is Holden Spring. From there, the trail climbs 250 ft. in 1¼ miles. The mountain to your left (west) is Mount Josh. At the top of the climb, off to the left, is an unnamed tank. From there, #9440 never varies elevation much until the loop is complete. After 6½ miles of hiking, #9440 reaches Tonto Mountain Tank #1. The turn-off to the actual Toohey Trick Tank is just 200 yds. past Tonto Mountain Tank #1. Even if you are not into such things, it is well worth a visit. From Toohey Trick Tank, it is just over ¾ mile back to FR 9269A, then back down to the trailhead. Gate Policy: If a gate is closed upon arrival, leave it closed after you go through. If it is open, leave it open. Leaving a closed gate open may put cattle in danger. Closing an open gate may cut them off from water. Please be respectful, leave gates as found. The exception is signage on the gate directing you otherwise. Check out the Official Route and Triplog. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community. One-Way Notice This hike is listed as One-Way. When hiking several trails on a single "hike", log it with a generic name that describes the hike. Then link the trails traveled, check out the example. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
