Bull Pasture Trail - Wickiup Mesa, AZ

Overview
The Wickiup Mesa Trail System is a group of trails located on the southeast edge of the community of Rimrock. Its creation was through the efforts of the Beaver Creek Trail Coalition, the Forest Service, and Yavapai County. The trail system covers 700 acres and ties into the Wet Beaver Creek Wilderness. It currently only has 6.5 miles of trails composed of 7 different routes. Two trailheads and two access points allow entry to the trail system. At the end of Glenforest Dr., the main TH is an oddly shaped oval with room for about 10 cars. This is also an entry point for vehicles that want to use the forest service roads, so keep that in mind when parking. There are no bathrooms or water at the TH so come prepared. The TH does have a nice info board with a brief history of the area, wildlife, and foliage. All trails are well-signed and all junctures have trail maps that allow you to see how the trails interact.


Hike
The Bull Pasture Trail is an interior trail requiring additional hiking. To access the Bull Pasture Trail hike in on the Cedar Knoll Trail for 0.63 miles. The Bull Pasture Trail will be signed and takes off in a southeast direction. This is a solid single-track trail composed of compact dirt and is practically rock-free. There is almost no elevation change as the trail curves to the southeast heading towards a nearby hill. Not much to see on this trail. Nearby hills are rising to the east and distant hills layering to the south. To the west you can see Cedar Knoll and some Rimrock homes bordering Glenforest Rd. and to the north, you have the Sedona cliffs receding in the background. The surrounding landscape is open and sparse dominated by desert grass and barren mesquite trees. There are a couple of use trails that intersect with this trail but the BP Trail is obvious. The trail ends practically before it begins at 0.26 miles. There will be a gate, trail sign as well as a trail map at this intersection, where the trail connects to FS9202y. This can also be considered an access point if one wants to drive their vehicle along 9202y. This would be fairly easy with a high-clearance vehicle. That’s it!Synopsis
The Wickiup Mesa Trail System is a rather remote system of trails that has little drawing power compared to the picturesque trails of Sedona just down the road. Its 6.5 miles of trails can easily be done in a day and through the Elmore Wash Trail provides access to the Wet Beaver Creek Wilderness. It’s hard to justify this trail. At 0.26 miles, there is not a lot to it and it doesn’t add much to the trail system. If hiked, you can retrace your steps for a 2-mile hike. Or you can take FS9202y west, which will take you back to the TH. At this terminus, there is also a trail gate that allows access to the hills off to the east. There are some use-roads in this area, but no trails that I am aware of. This may, however, justify the Bull Pasture Trail and lead to some enjoyable exploring.

2024-04-03 mt98dew