Cedar Knoll 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. The main TH, at the end of Glenforest Dr., 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 Cedar Knoll Trail is an entry trail and is located just to the northeast of the parking area. There is a trail gate as well as a map and an info board at the beginning of the trail. The trail is a solid single track and is practically rock-free for the entire duration. It starts by heading north doing a few sweeping curves as it wraps around the small knoll directly in front. The trail gains a little elevation as it climbs 2/3 up the hill and then hugs the east side. At 0.21 miles there is a rickety bench that looks out to the northeast. This is the highest point on the trail and probably offers the best views of the surrounding area. From here, the trail continues north for about 0.2 miles before starting to veer to the east. This stretch is fairly straight and flat, though as it turns east it does start to gradually lose elevation. At 0.63 the trail intersects with the Bull Pasture and the Sunset Loop (north) Trails. The Cedar Knoll Trail continues for another 0.02 miles and ends when it junctures with the Mallard and Sunset Loop (south). At this point, possibilities abound. The Cedar Knoll Trail offers almost immediate connections to 4 of the 7 Mesa Wickiup trails, so extending the hike is an easy option. All connecting trails are well-signed and have trail maps showing how the trails interact.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. The Cedar Knoll Trail is the only trail that takes off from the main TH at Glenforest Rd. and is therefore the main artery to this trail system. This is a short, easy trail with minimal elevation that provides great access to most of the other trails in the system. The brevity of this and the surrounding trails almost demands a multi-trail outing.

2024-04-01 mt98dew