| |
| Ranching Trail Loop - NW Sierra Ancha FR609, AZ | |
|
| | Ranching Trail Loop - NW Sierra Ancha FR609, AZ | | | |
|
|
Ranching Trail Loop - NW Sierra Ancha FR609, AZ
| | |
|
| Hiking | 4.40 Miles |
1,112 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.40 Miles | 5 Hrs 30 Mns | | 0.80 mph |
| 1,112 ft AEG | | 15 LBS Pack | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | This hike starts by following a trail that descends a ridge top from FR609 to Turkey Creek. The trail is visible on Google Earth which is how I found it but it is not shown on any maps. We had checked out the first part of the trail on our previous trip to this area in Nov 2018. At that time we called it a Mystery Trail because its purpose was unknown. After reaching the bottom of the canyon we would return up the side of the canyon on another trail also visible on GE then cross a steep sided drainage to reach FR609 which we would follow back to the car making it a loop. We discovered that the second trail followed a ranching fence and concluded that the purpose of the trail had been to provide access for fence building on this brush covered hillside. That finding plus another similar trail we found on another hike which was obviously for moving cattle led us to the conclusion that these mystery trails were actually ranching trails. Hiking on these cleared trails significantly reduced the energy required for such endeavors. So when we made our way back to FR609, GH was feeling so energetic that he suggested we add a side hike down FR609 to check out an unnamed tank on a nearby hilltop that I had found on GE.
The trail down to Turkey Creek had been cleared of brush to a width of 10 to 20 ft. The cuttings looked fairly old and there were piles of cut limbs and even whole trees thrown off to the west side of the trail. I checked historical GE images and it appears that this trail clearing occurred sometime between 2007 and 2011. However the trail may have been made much earlier, gotten overgrown, and then was cleared between 2007 and 2011. It seems odd that a trail that was cleared that long ago would not have gotten more over grown than we found it. Perhaps there have been periodic trail clearing over the years. Finding this trail was most beneficial to providing easy access to the bottom of the Turkey Creek drainage and we would make use of it 4 days later to explore downstream along Turkey Creek.
Turkey Creek had a modest amount of water flowing but is probably dry most of the year. This section of the creek was fairly easy to hike along, no large boulders or pour offs blocking the way. However we knew there was a section about 2 miles downstream that was blocked with significant pour offs and possibly more upstream from that point.
We found the trail going back up to FR609 using the gps location found on GE. It was a steeper narrower trail but almost a necessity because of the heavy brush on that hillside. It followed a fence of unknown vintage which had faded lime green steel posts and was obviously a replacement to a much older fence using wood posts, some of which remained. After some minor bushwhacking to cross a steep sided drainage to reach FR609 we walked east on that road to reach a short side road leading to the tank on a hilltop. The tank was of more modern construction being an open top cylindrical steel tank fed from a small collection basin lined with what appeared to be thick tar paper roofing material coated with tar. This tank does not appear on any of the maps available on HAZ.
It had been an interesting hike revealing a route which provides easy access to Turkey Creek for future exploration and also clearing up the mystery around the purpose of these trails. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
