Ok, here's the information everybody has been looking for. Location!
We will be camping near the east trailhead to the Barbershop Trail, near Lower Buck Spring.
This will give us easy access to the east cabin loop, Barbershop, and U-Bar trails. Distance hikers (~17 mile loop) can include Houston Brothers (or drive/shuttle there if preferred). Also accessed from Barbershop and U-Bar are access to off-trail exploration in Dane Canyon, Barbershop Canyon, Bill McClintock Draw, and the heretofore unexplored Yeager Canyon (at least not on HAZ). Additionally there is the fantastic 3-6mile off-trail hike in Upper Buck Springs Canyon. Hike descriptions are linked at the top of this page.
The camping area is adjacent to a wide open meadow area, but we will minimize impact and camp in the shade of Ponderosa nearby. The meadow will provide a wide view of the sky for seeing the meteor shower in the event the weather cooperates. (Which it basically hasn't done a single night yet this monsoon season!)
This location is in the center of a triangle of access roads, so you can choose one of three options for getting there based on your preference. The written directions for all three are written here, and all are shown on the attached map.
http://hikearizona.com/map.php?QX=2018
East Access:
From Payson:
32 miles paved
25 miles graded-dirt
From Payson, drive east on Hwy 260 toward Show Low.
After about 29 miles, turn left onto FR300.
Follow FR300 for 23 miles (the first 3.25 miles are paved)
(Note: There is a stop sign at 9.3 miles. Turn left to stay on FR300.)
Turn right onto FR137 / Buck Springs Ridge.
Follow FR137 for 4.2 miles
Turn right onto FR161 and travel about .5 mile and look around till you see us!
(2nd Note: There is a "mogul" road that is not suitable for sedans at the 3.6 mile mark on FR137. Turning right here will shorten the trip by 1 mile. But this road does not appear to be on the new MVUM this year, so if you choose to use it, please do so at your own risk.)
West Access:
From Payson:
29 miles paved
25 miles graded dirt
From Payson, drive North on AZ-87 toward Winslow.
After about 29 miles, and immediately after milepost 281, turn right onto FR300. (Signs say Rim Road, and Knoll Lake).
Follow FR300 for 20 miles.
Turn left onto FR137 / Buck Springs Ridge.
Follow FR137 for 4.2 miles
Turn right onto FR161 and travel about .5 mile and look around till you see us!
(Note: There is a "mogul" road that is not suitable for sedans at the 3.6 mile mark on FR137. Turning right here will shorten the trip by 1 mile. But this road does not appear to be on the new MVUM this year, so if you choose to use it, please do so at your own risk.)
West Valley drivers: Take I-17 to Camp Verde. From Camp Verde, take AZ-260 east up onto the rim. At jct with AZ-87, turn left and drive about 2 miles to FR300. Follow directions above.
North Access:
From Clints Well (Jct AZ-87 and Lake Mary Road):
9.2 miles paved
17 miles graded dirt
Get to Clints Well:
From Payson drive North on AZ-87 for 38 miles
From Camp Verde drive east on AZ-260 to it's junction at AZ-87, and turn left about 12 miles.
From Flagstaff, drive south on Lake Mary Road until it ends at AZ-87. Turn left.
Drive 9.2 miles on AZ-87 toward Winslow.
Turn right onto FR95, shortly after passing the Blue Ridge Ranger station.
Drive 6.4 miles to bottom of East Clear Creek.
Turn left after the bridge onto FR96.
Drive 4.5 miles to the end of FR96.
Take the right fork that merges into FR137.
Drive 5.7 miles on FR137 and turn left onto FR161.
Drive about .5 mile on FR161 and look around till you see us!
In summary:
From the east valley or Tucson, the
East Access is likely the best.
From the west or north valley, or Prescott, the
West Access is likely best.
From Flagstaff
OR people who want the minimum amount of dirt road driving and don't mind a few extra paved miles to achieve it, the
North Access is best.
(FR300 is typically more washboarded, narrower, and more curvy than the FR95/96 access, so some drivers prefer this route despite the extra mileage to get there)
Please feel free to PM me or discuss in the thread if you have questions or concerns about the best route for you.
Route Editor
Route Scout
Depends on the paperwork.
Imagine that.... 
