Guide | ♦ | 93 Triplogs | Mine 0 | 1 Topic |
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the hard way to Mingus by PrestonSands The North Mingus Trail #105 climbs the north slope of Mingus Mountain, in Arizona's Black Hills. Two stories exist concerning the naming of Mingus Mountain. One story claims the mountain was named for the Domingus brothers, who reportedly had a sawmill on top of the mountain. The other story reports that a man named William Mingus had a mine somewhere in the area. According to Will C. Barnes' Arizona Place Names, Mescal Gulch (which the hike follows for its first couple of miles) was the site of a bloody, two-day battle between the Hualapai and Yavapai tribes, sometime in the distant past. This hike describes Forest Road 338 and the North Mingus Trail. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle with high clearance and choose to drive to the end of forest road 338 (I wouldn't recommend it) instead of hiking it, you can cut 3.6 miles off of the round trip distance. Turn south onto the North Mingus Trail #105, and follow it up the slope through the thick oak brush. The summit of Mingus Mountain comes into view as the trail makes a gradual descent to a canyon bottom filled with tall ponderosa pines. The trail soon crosses another small, maple filled drainage before climbing up a brush-covered ridge. Woodchute Mountain comes into view here, as the trail switchbacks up the ridge. At 3.1 miles, the trail climbs around another steep drainage, directly below the summit of Mingus Mountain, before meeting up with trail 105A in a lofty saddle. The North Mingus Trail now heads south up the ridge and enters the forest on Mingus Mountain's north face. Outstanding views of Jerome, Sycamore Canyon, and the Sedona area exist here, as the trail switchbacks up the ridge. Aspens, bigtooth maples, and beautiful fir trees shade the trail along this stretch. The trail soon reaches the flat top of Mingus Mountain and heads south into the forest. About 0.2 miles after hitting the top, the trail arrives at a double rock cairn (34.70651 N, 112.11435 W), where the trail splits. Take the left fork to the east. The North Mingus Trail soon reaches the sheer eastern edge of Mingus Mountain, where the awesome views return. A couple of hang glider launch ramps are passed before the trail comes to an end at forest road 104. This location serves as the upper trailhead. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community. |