| | -
| |  |
|
2 |
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
1 |
-
| |  |
|
1 |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 14.30 Miles |
2,890 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.30 Miles | 8 Hrs 21 Mns | | 2.41 mph |
| 2,890 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 25 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Of all the rich Mount Graham history, it's always been the stories & photos of the numerous old sawmills that have fascinated me the most. I have had this trail on my wish list for far too long and with this current nice weather and good cloud cover that has moved in the last couple of days, today was finally the day to hike this 117 year old wagon road up into Shingle Mill canyon and to look for the mill & aerial tramway ruins that brought the lumber down the mountain to Pima.
One of the things I love about the Pinaleno climbing trails is how they take you up through many life zones in a short amount of distance. This hike felt like 3 separate trails -
The first couple of miles took me across the desert floor through creosote, yucca & mesquite gradually climbing up to and across a big mesa full of prickly pear. This was the time of the year to hike this section as it would be a death march in summer with the complete lack of water & shade!
The next couple of miles passed through a very nice manzanita, oak grassland, pinyon-juniper woodland & boulder field area along side the steepening Shingle Mill canyon to the east. I was surprised to see that this canyon had a strong creek flow running down it with a big section of waterfalls deep below! I also encountered the first set of concrete tram tower remains here and many old rusted relics.
The last few miles was the steepest climb as it penetrated up into the mountains and soon the first pines appeared. After a short rest at a real nice creek crossing, I soon arrived at the Ash Creek trail/Hulda Gap corrals T and had to make a decision. I had planned on hiking the entire trail up to Ash Creek but by now the whole top of the mountains were in a cloud white-out, it was getting real cold and I was just under the snow line. I decided to play it safe and chose the short trail west to the Hulda Gap corrals which turned out to be a good choice. The corral area itself was a little disappointing, but the overlook views down into Blair Canyon just beyond the corrals ended up being a great place to end this hike! After a 1/2 hour nap to recharge, I returned back down to the desert floor arriving back at the TH just before sunset.
This was a good one and one I will do again! Another thing I've had on my to-do list for some time is to stop and photograph the Mormon temple along Hwy 70 at night which I did. I am not Mormon, but have always admired the architecture of their temples. I then ended my day with a stop at Little Caesars for a pie to replace (and then some) all the calories I lost on my hike! |
|
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
|
|
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
