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Doe's little brother by pbaenzig 04/13/00 Summary 07/24/04 Summary Late in 2006, if I remember correctly, Boynton Pass Road was improved and paved because of a development called "The Aerie." When the road was improved, new trailheads were put in: Fay Canyon trailhead, Doe/Bear Mountain trailhead, and finally a new trailhead designed to access Cockscomb.
At the far end of the trailhead (already trashed, beer bottles everywhere)you can find faint markings of a new trail. A yet non-existent trail that the Forest Service will build when it gets around to it. In the meantime, the route is marked with red paint and fading yellow ribbons. Enough people have hiked the route so that the non-existing trail is relatively easy to follow. If you do lose the route, not a major problem. The route essentially leads south, following the terrain contours. Your goal, the north end of Cockscomb is always visible. To the left of you is initially the road leading to the Aerie, then the fence circling the property. As you get closer to the Cockscomb, the Forest Service route merges with existing distinct social trails leading to the start of the ascent. The climb up to the top of the mountain is unchanged and I don't know if the Forest Service ever will develop that part of the hike. If you hike from the new trailhead to the top of Cockscomb, it's about 3 miles RT and maybe 600 ft CEC. We extended the hike a bit by making a counterclockwise loop around Cockscomb before going up to the top. The little hill almost due SW from the trailhead gives you some great views. The seemingly flat grassland between you and the Cockscomb is anything but flat; it is crisscrossed with deep gullies. As you hike around the Cockscomb you'll come across many stretches of social trail, so the hiking is quite easy. Overall, a pleasant half-day hike even when looping around. Gate Policy: If a gate is closed upon arrival, leave it closed after you go through. If it is open, leave it open. Leaving a closed gate open may put cattle in danger. Closing an open gate may cut them off from water. Please be respectful, leave gates as found. The exception is signage on the gate directing you otherwise.
Coconino FS Details The Cockscomb Trail goes south from its trailhead along a jeep road for .3 miles, bends west for .2 miles, then goes southeast along a closed jeep road skirting the face of Doe Mountain. It intersects the Dawa Trail at 1 mile, turns to the southwest, and ends at 1.8 miles near the Cockscomb. From here, the Cockscomb Trail continues along the old road as the Rupp Trail. It bends to the east and there are nice views all around as it crosses a broad, open expanse before ending at 1.2 miles as it drops down into the Dry Creek drainage and meets the Girdner Trail. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community. One-Way Notice This hike is listed as One-Way. When hiking several trails on a single "hike", log it with a generic name that describes the hike. Then link the trails traveled, check out the example. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
