Chino Spring Road from North, AZ

Overview
Old FSR road until the last 100 yards. Really a pretty spot with flat rocks and water at the end.


Hike
Find a large open area before the gate where you can park. Hike through the gate, walk toward Elephant Head, and at about 10 or 15 minutes in, the road forks. Take the right fork (FR4073). Continue for a total of about 45 minutes, and you will see a large sign on the right side indicating that Chino Canyon is straight ahead and that Madera Canyon is to the left ( Madera Nature Trail #88 -- see notes for that hike). Elephant Head Mountain is now directly to your left front. This is the entrance to Chino Canyon. As you continue straight ahead on FR 4073, you will pass two roads off to your left side. These lead to dead-end campsites among oak tree clusters nestled up against Elephant Head. Either of these will make good lunch stops, but an even better one awaits farther up the trail.After a total of about 1 ¼ hours (2.5 miles), the road forks. FR 4073 continues off to the right down across a wash/creek and proceeds farther up Chino Canyon. Unless you plan on hiking deeper into Chino Canyon, take the left fork and continue for about 5 or 10 minutes toward a box canyon. The road becomes a trail paralleling the wash/creek that FR 4073 crosses. Keep the wash to your right and Elephant Head to your left, and then do some mild bushwhacking to the right to reach a small waterfall (during the rainy season) and an outcropping of flat rocks with pools of water among them. This is a good lunch spot directly under Elephant Head mountain. Then hike back out the way you came in. This hike is over a mildly inclining road that includes both rocky and sandy stretches. The rugged mountain views and rolling hillsides as you approach Elephant Head Mountain and then travel into the Canyon are fantastic. If you want to extend the hike either before or after your lunch-break, stay/turn south onto FR4073 and continue uphill for about 45 minutes (approximately 1 ¼ miles) to the ruins of an old mine mill site.

Water Sources
Almost always at pool

Camping
Yes

2022-02-16 freewilley