Badger Trail - Cerbat Mnts, AZ

Overview
The Badger Trail is part of the Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area, a joint program with BLM and the City of Kingman. The trail is open to hikers, horses, and mountain bikes. It is relatively easy to miss the trailhead as traffic is going at least 65 on a beeline to Las Vegas. It is a nice break on the way to or from Las Vegas to unwind. The trail is a steady, moderate grade up to a saddle offering views in all directions. There is virtually no shade available on this hike. Plan accordingly. Spring offers the most perks as there are many flowering desert plants.


Hike
The well-defined trail starts among nice stands of ocotillo and yucca. It begins its climb immediately. On your first visit, if you are like me, you will scan the horizon to see if you can anticipate the trail's path. Usually, I'm pretty good at picking it up, but I misjudged this one. Even when it took an obvious turn away from where I thought it was headed, I still figured it would switchback, which it never did. It adds a little intrigue to the outing. Shortly after the start, you will come to a debris field of spectacular samples of very white quartz. To the left and high above the trail, you can see the remains of an old mine. I was also confident that the trail would go to the vicinity of that old mine, but I was wrong again. Plan on making the mine a side trip up a wash littered with quartz marking the way.Meanwhile, the trail swings south, following a contour around the mountain. Rural Golden Valley, Arizona, is off to your right, and highway 68 is headed to Laughlin. As the trail hit's the southern side of the mountain, there is a lovely vista with a bench. Once around the backside of the mountain, the trail takes on more of a wilderness experience. The trail serpentines back and forth among some lovely rock outcroppings and thru a small area of crucifixion thorn trees. Several false summits and several more switchbacks bring you to the saddle, which intersects with the Castle Peak Trail and Camp Beale Trail. There is a bench at this saddle also, and this is your turn-around spot for an out and back hike of 6.2 miles. Figure 3-4 hours roundtrip for the hike enjoying yourself.

2010-05-10 AZLOT69