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Very slight possibility that a business opportunity might present itself up in the Cottonwood area. Going up next week to kick the tires and check the business operations. I've only been up to Cottonwood a handful of times to go to Jerome and Tuzigoot. Any thoughts on easy access to hiking trails and running trails. I've been rather spoiled in Phoenix making sure that I always live within a 10 minute drive of one of the mountain parks.

I have stayed at Dead Horse State Park and used it as a basecamp. I have hiked and mtn. biked the Lime Kiln Trail but actually you have to travel to some trailheads. I was spoiled when I lived in Gold Canyon. I was thinking about moving to Cottonwood but opted for Payson instead. When I visit Cottonwood I like to eat in the old downtown area, short walk along the river from Dead Horse.

They have the Brian Mickelsen Memorial run in Cottonwood every year..a full, half 10K and fun run... they run through Dead Horse State park... there are some trails there but they also run out past Tuzigoot too...http://cottonwoodaz.gov/parksrec/bmm/course-info.php

So how far out of town do you need to go to hit some singletrack?

SpiderLegs wrote:how far out of town do you need to go to hit some singletrack?

Here they are (the ones listed on HAZ)--> http://hikearizona.com/map.php?QX=3564

Cottonwood is at the base of Mingus, close to Sycamore Canyon and 20 minutes from Sedona. You can't lose. Make Cottonwood yours!

A Cottonwood RV park and a Camp Verde organic farm/campground have been on my short list of possible places to spend the winter. I like the area because it offers hiking, kayaking and mountain biking very nearby, and is not a large city. The hiking and mountain biking are within a variety of elevations. There are mountainous areas in almost any direction, with lots of creeks. The kayaking can be flatwater or whitewater on the Verde, or at various lakes in the region. In general I like the towns around there (Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Camp Verde, Cornville, etc.), although I'm not fond of the newer sprawl around them.

This coming winter I'm spending on the lower Colorado River, however. Found an RV space right on the riverbank!

I'm excited to check the place out next week. A house might be included in the deal. Might be the thing that gets me out of the Phoenix area.

Remember, too that THAT Brewing Company has opened the new production facility and tasting room in Cottonwood.

And there are several wineries as well ...

kingsnake wrote:And there are several wineries as well ...

Meh. We have drive-thru liquor stores in Phoenix.

Which is a shocking concept ...

@kingsnake
I'm more puzzled by the braille on the drive-up ATMs.

I''ll chime in with what I have heard from people who didn't like it. I was told they couldn't open the Home Depot for a year when it was finished in 2005 or 6 or so, due to not enough drug free applicants, and I have been told it is a big drug town. There is an element there. It had a reduced snowbird population with the collapse, and it still has a snow bird population, so expect that. That is always more significant in a small town. It is a small town, too.

Cottonwood is cute, though, and even though I would always prefer and recommend living in or nearer to Sedona, for shopping at grocery stores and eating out if you do that, or whatever, you're still close. I looked at the HAZdex a while back, and I recall a lack of trails that are the cottonwood equivalent to Elden, or something else that starts near the base of Mingus, and goes to the top. I remember something about a rough 4x4 road, and going up a canyon. But I can be wrong. I like the road over the mountain, though, and you could probably cycle that a lot for excercise.

Jim_H wrote:I''ll chime in with what I have heard from people who didn't like it. I was told they couldn't open the Home Depot for a year when it was finished in 2005 or 6 or so, due to not enough drug free applicants, and I have been told it is a big drug town. There is an element there. It had a reduced snowbird population with the collapse, and it still has a snow bird population, so expect that. That is always more significant in a small town. It is a small town, too.

I had heard murmurings of the same thing but with all the new vineyards opening up that the tweaker element in town is not as significant as it was. Read an article about a new chief of police who cleaned up the town dramatically. So Cottonwood today is not the same town it was 10 years ago in 2005. Have a friend that runs a business in Cottonwood so he's been giving me the behind the scenes dirt that the Chamber of Commerce won't tell you.

kingsnake wrote:And there are several wineries as well ...

I've learned that wine and running/hiking don't mix very well. I love wine, but it doesn't love me back if I go running the next day.