Beaver Canyon - Mogollon Rim, AZ

Beaver Canyon extends 6.3 miles from Rim Rd. north to Turkey Creek. Compared to some other Mogollon Rim canyons, such as Crackerbox Canyon, it is a walk in the park. At 4.6 miles, FR 92 intersects Beaver Canyon at Turkey Crossing. Looping back to Rim Rd. on FR 92 is 5.2 miles. If you continue the extra 1.7 miles to Turkey Creek, you will either need to loop back via Turkey Creek or bushwhack up 300 steep feet to FR 92B. Also, you could always turn around, head straight back the way you came.


This hike is described counter-clockwise.Initially, Beaver Canyon is a little congested, and tangled, but not too bad. You will soon pick up a very distinct animal trail. Indeed, it looks more like a trail built by humans, it is so well defined.

After a ½ mile on the Beaver Canyon bottom, there is what looks like a corral with a broken gate. The animal trail goes around it. The corral is 350 ft. long. In less than 100 yds., there is a second corral, which seems to go on forever (roughly 1500 ft. long). I didn’t notice if there was water in the creek bed of the first two corrals, but Beaver Canyon was definitely dry everywhere else the first two miles.

At 1.7 miles from the trailhead, Beaver Canyon opens up into the half-mile-long prairie known as Beaver Park. Hiking across prairie is actually a bit difficult if you are not a pronghorn: Like walking on rocks in a creek bed, except tufts of grass. Beaver Park is crossed by very large, high, powerlines. The powerline right-of-way is cleared 100-yards wide, but I suspect Beaver Park would still be prairie without the clearance. In the middle of Beaver Park, near Rattlesnake Ridge, there is a third corral, about 1300 ft. long.

There is an anonymous jeep trail that enters Beaver Park at the third corral, which continues in Beaver Canyon for about another mile.

Down Beaver Canyon from of Rattlesnake Ridge, FR 92D winds along the edge of Turkey Beaver Ridge, about 150 ft. upslope. Just north of Rattlesnake Ridge, there is a final small prairie.

The next two miles to Turkey Crossing are typical mild Mogollon Rim canyon crawling: Frequent (dry) creek crossings to pick the easiest route through scattered deadfall, ferns, etc. No problemo.

NOTE
I did not continue to Turkey Creek, nor bushwhack up to FR 92B.

As it heads south along Turkey Beaver Ridge, FR 92 alternates between being obvious and nearly indistinguishable jeep trail. Multiple sections are overgrown with young pine trees, some as tall as six feet. Sometimes orange guidance ribbons were hanging from the adolescent pines, other times I determined FR 92’s location by aiming between the small berms that form a dirt road’s edges.

2019-07-22 kingsnake