Antelope Hill to Antelope Creek Rd - BCT Photoset • mt98dew • 2025-02-01 • HikeArizona.COM

Antelope Hill to Antelope Creek Rd - BCT, AZ

	2025-02-01
	23 by mt98dew

page 1 2

Antelope Hill to Antelope Creek Rd - BCT

Prescott, AZ

Antelope Hill to Antelope Creek Rd - BCT

Prescott, AZ

Hiking	10.20 Miles	1,067 AEG

Hiking	10.20 Miles	3 Hrs 15 Mns	3.14 mph
	1,067 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Early morning hike on the BCT. It’s been almost 10 years since I last visited this stretch. Started from FR 259 (there is parking for about 3 cars right where the trail crosses the road) and headed north along the dirt road. Got started around 6:30. Still dark out so I started with a headlamp. I must be getting jumpy in my old age. Yesterday, yipping coyotes startled me. Today, as my headlamp roamed the darkness, I came across two sets of eyes staring coldly at me from the darkness.

Who would have thought cows could have such a mean glare.

Since I had done this trail before, I hadn’t bothered about reading the trail write-up, and I had forgotten that it was a 2 mile road walk before getting to the trail. I was actually wondering if I had missed the turn off in the darkness when I reached the broken windmill and the beginning of the single track. Trails are so much nicer as a single track

For the next mile the trail is pretty rocky and gains elevation slowly as it comes to the lip of a valley. I’ll take it. The trail then does a gradual descent into the valley with one switchback and a long straightway. It takes about a mile and you lose all the elevation that you gained, (which really wasn’t that much). You ascend out of the valley on a single path, before joining a road that takes you to Antelope Creek Rd. There is plenty of parking at this road crossing so this will be my next stop and was my turn around for today.

Nice trail, though half of this 5 mile stretch is a road. The trail is pretty well marked and the single track is easy to follow. Would be nice if they had a few more signs on the road. On the way back I got buzzed by a single engine plane. Probably about 30 feet above me when it flew over. Great weather for the hike. Chilly, but no wind. Beautiful sunrise. Encountered 1 biker and 2 trail runners (twice). Wildlife included the requisite cows (on the way back I saw the bovines who had been eyeing me), a large squirrel(?)(this was another set of eyes with an indistinct shape) and 6 javelina (one was a baby, still feeding off of mom).

_____________________

username		X
password		X