View Point-North Mingus Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Mingus Inner Maze Loop

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joebartels

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Looking for a hike, I checked around the state for the best chance of staying dry. The rain point forecast for all the usual suspects with palatable temps showed a minimum of a 40% chance. I thought I'd try something different and consult AI. I asked for the section in AZ with the least chance for rain through early afternoon. The answer was Prescott. So, off to Mingus.

An ominous start, with rain, thunder, and lightning on the drive up. It stopped once we hit Mayer.

Mescal Trail #547
(8:30 a.m. start, 68 degrees, and a light rain)

North Mingus Trail #105
This trail is starting to close in in spots, but it's probably my favorite part of the hike. We climbed through pristine stands of pines, oaks, and maples to the saddle at the 105/105A intersection. The rain continued.

Mingus Trail #105A
Going clockwise, I'd forgotten how much downhill there was. We lost elevation that would need to be regained. We passed some pretty areas before getting to the 106 intersection. The rain continued, and the temperature was 65 degrees.

View Point Trail #106
This trail rollercoasters over to the steepish climb to the rim. The temperature dropped to 61 degrees, and the rain continued.

North Mingus Trail #105
Back on this for the trip across the top of Mingus. Part way down, the rain stopped, and we had some lunch. It was 68 degrees and chilly. I checked the radar, and it looked like the rain could be over. Twenty minutes later, the umbrellas were up again. The hardest rain of the day hit for about 10 minutes and then backed off to sprinkles.

Bug Hollow Trail #548
The 400-foot climb up to the use trail always gets the heart pumping. Where this ends, a use trail begins. The use trail terminates into the Bug Hollow Trail. This trends down, back to the Mescal Trail. (rain...uh yep)

Mescal Trail #547
This section is also a favorite and took me back to the car

The theme of the day was rain—mainly light, with only one hard downpour, but the umbrella was in hand most of the day. I'm not complaining, but bragging. The temperature never even hit 70 degrees all day. For August, that's pretty much unheard of.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Deers Ears

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Crepuscular rays

Autumn Foliage Observation None
Unexplained oak and maple leaves brown. Both off the trees and on the ground

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Oct 06 2024

mikemcg

Guides 2
Routes 127
Photos 1,478
Triplogs 129

male

Joined May 07 2019
Tempe, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Oct 06 2024
		mikemcg • Triplogs 129

Hiking	4.83 Miles	1,238 AEG

Hiking	4.83 Miles	2 Hrs 40 Mns	2.04 mph
	1,238 ft AEG	18 Mns Break

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linked

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none

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Nice, pleasant trail with great views and some early fall colors. Began at 1240. Went counterclockwise. The descent was slow due to all the loose rocks and the impressive views of Sedona as well as the San Francisco Peaks. It was warmer than expected, 85° and a lot of sun exposure during the first half of the trail. The bottom of the descent had more shade and a nice breeze. On the back half, we passed through several patches of fall colors (maple, aspen, and oak). The uphill portion passed by pretty quickly, although we stopped often to take in the scenery. Didn't see any other people on the trail. Very relaxing. Will visit again.

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage

Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Multiple patches of fall colors (maple, aspen, and oak) on the back half of the trail, including stretches from 20-70 meters long

6 archives

Jun 12 2024

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Mingus Oaks and Butterfly with Gaddes, AZ

Hiking		Jun 12 2024
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	18.69 Miles	3,302 AEG

Hiking	18.69 Miles	8 Hrs 37 Mns		2.61 mph
	3,302 ft AEG	1 Hour 27 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

10 linked trail guides

Butterfly Trail #536 - Mingus

Upper Mescal Trail #550

Middle Trail #537

Mingus Inner Maze Loop

Coleman Trail #108

Gaddes Canyon Two Trail #9037

Gaddes Canyon #110

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partners

joebartels

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Joe's week to pick and with the temps soaring, the choices were getting slimmer. Wally had a last-minute charging problem and bailed. After discounting Lion Peak, we settled on this loop that we've done many variations of over the years (usually in the fall for the colors). I like this figure 8 loop because the loops are divided almost in half. Parking the vehicle at the crossover spot allows you to carry half the water, leaving the remainder as well as your lunch in a cooler, with available picnic tables, restrooms, etc.

We opted to hit up the northern part of the loop first. Nice cool temps heading down the North Mingus Trail #105. The trail is loaded with oaks and maples which are beginning to encroach on the trail in many places. Good views to the north of Bill Williams, Sitgreaves, Kendrick, and the SF Peaks. To the west, the nearby Woodchute.

We've been using a steep 2-track, that turns into a pleasant non-official trail, short cutting to Bug Hollow #548. We wound our way over to our short road walk (now paved) to the Butterfly Trail. The water behind the dam was surprisingly full.

All this led to our vehicle, lunch, and a fluid refill.

The Trail #108 is my least favorite trail out here but necessary to complete the loop. It's rocky and hot, being exposed. It does afford some good views, but you must stop hiking to take them in. At this point, the JBM was in the yellow, fast approaching the red. I could hardly wait for the climb up Gaddes Canyon.

The Gaddes 2 and Gaddes Trails are pretty trails that climb 3.5 miles and 1300' back to our starting point. It's mostly under tree cover, helping with the heat approaching the mid-80s. The new problem this year seems to be the addition of quite a bit of PI. Not a moment too soon, we made it back to the car. Joe's meter had pegged and broken.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dam - Rock

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Butterfly Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Running and the water behind the dam was close to full

Mingus Lake

76-100% full

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Jul 01 2023

John10s

Guides 25
Routes 376
Photos 5,897
Triplogs 346

40 male

Joined Mar 01 2018
Chandler, AZ

Mingus Double Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jul 01 2023
		John10s • Triplogs 346

Hiking	13.68 Miles	3,057 AEG

Hiking	13.68 Miles	7 Hrs 49 Mns	2.04 mph
	3,057 ft AEG	1 Hour 6 Mns Break

Linked

[ checklist ] Benchmark Grave - Unidentified Informational/Interpretive Sign Paraglider Spring Box

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TboneKathy

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We headed north to higher elevations again to avoid the near-record 114° in the Valley. Traffic on I-17 slowed things down a little at times, but it could've been a lot worse with the holiday weekend. We parked in a large pullout along 89A near Mescal Tank (labeled "Mescal Trail #547 Parking" on Google Maps)--though it would've been possible to drive down the forest road and park there--and got started around 8:40AM.

We started clockwise on North Mingus Trail #105 and took the short detour off the trail to see the three unmarked graves at the small cemetery...it'd be interesting to know the history behind those. The real elevation gain starts around two and a half miles in, and we continued on #105 toward the top, with great views of Sedona and the San Francisco Peaks in the distance. As we approached the final switchbacks, we saw two parasailers.

On top, we paused briefly at the N. Mingus benchmark (labeled 7721, though the topo maps show 7739) and continued south, where we saw the first hikers of the day, then a bunch of people hanging out around the overlooks and the hang glider launch...but no hang gliders. From there, we followed the forest roads over to View Point Trail #106 and started descending around the SE side of the mountain. We took advantage of one of the few shady spots along #106 and paused for a snack break on the way down. The trail is a little overgrown in places, but the brush isn't sharp or thorny.

We closed the upper loop on 105A and backtracked along 105 to an unmarked road/unofficial trail that gained a little elevation and eventually connected with Bug Hollow Trail #548. Road noise picked up again along 89A, and we ate a late lunch with two miles to go, then it was smooth sailing from there--flat/downhill and mostly shady as we completed the lower loop on Mescal Trail #547.

Coincidentally, this was the second consecutive weekend we ended up following a recent Eagle/trekkin_gecko/LindaAnn/rayhuston route...both nice higher-elevation options, so thank you all for posting those

. This one had a little overlap with a Mingus route we hiked two years ago [ triplog ] but mostly consisted of new trails for us. We had good weather today--warm but not terribly hot--and other than the area near the hang glider launch, we only saw one other hiker all day. And traffic wasn't bad returning on I-17, so that was a nice bonus.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Horned Lizard

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mescal Spring San Francisco Mountains - Kachina Peaks Wilderness

Mescal Spring

Dry

	Red Seep Spring	Dry	Dry
	Dry spring box; didn't look closely at the spring itself.

May 31 2023

trekkin_gecko

Guides 10
Routes 673
Photos 7,281
Triplogs 4,660

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

Mingus Meander, AZ

Hiking		May 31 2023
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Hiking	13.46 Miles	3,107 AEG

Hiking	13.46 Miles	6 Hrs 27 Mns	2.41 mph
	3,107 ft AEG	52 Mns Break

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	LindaAnn	rayhuston
	The_Eagle

bruce arranged a hike on mingus mountain
after rescheduling a couple of times, it was on
we set out just before 1100
all of these trails were new to me
i've only done one other hike on mingus, on the other side of the mountain
nice uphill to the top, which created some moisture
we checked out the benchmark and the hang glider launch and had lunch in the picnic area
down a rocky stretch but soon enough back on pine needle covered trail
lots of maples, oaks and pines with plenty of shade, making for a whimsical experience
retraced part of the track, then another loop with a shorter uphill and a pleasant gradual downhill back to the start
nice to hike in the cool woods with good views of woodchute, verde valley, sedona and the peaks
more trails to explore, too
always good to hike with linda and bruce, and good to get out with ray again
thanks for doing the driving, ray
good times

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

hazhole

May 31 2023

LindaAnn

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Mingus Meander, AZ

Hiking		May 31 2023
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	13.37 Miles	2,938 AEG

Hiking	13.37 Miles	6 Hrs 28 Mns	2.42 mph
	2,938 ft AEG	57 Mns Break

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	rayhuston	The_Eagle
	trekkin_gecko

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Got the invitation to hike Mingus, and I was in. Bruce needed his beauty sleep, so we all got started a little before 1100. Headed up North Mingus Trail, which is a trail I’ve always liked. The sun shining thru the fresh maples and oaks shading the trail made for a whimsical journey. As we climbed higher, clear views opened up to the north. After the saddle, the trail steepened, and the whining increased a bit, but it’s still a pretty nice climb.

Once up top, we enjoyed the views to the north and east, sent a paper airplane off the hang glider launch, then found a picnic table for lunch. The cool breeze quickly dried my moist shirt from the ascent. We pondered the seating situation in the restroom (there was a plastic chair set in there, facing the toilet) then decided we didn’t really want to know.

After that, we walked across the top over to the top of View Point Trail and headed downhill off the east side of the mountain. The top half mile or so of that trail is not my favorite—steep, loose, and rocky—which is one of the reasons I brought a trekking pole. After that initial descent, the trail is nice, along with 105A which we took to complete the upper loop. Saw one deer along 105A.

After the saddle again, we headed back down North Mingus, then onto a use trail/old road Bruce assured us was legitimate. The short climb felt a little rough, but after that, the rest of the lower loop, along Bug Hollow and Mescal Trails was excellent. That lower loop might be a good option for my kids and dog in warmer weather.

We finished up late afternoon and headed back to the heat of the Valley. Great day, with a great mix of trails. Nice to see Bruce and Kelly again, and good to catch up with Ray since it’s been a minute since we’ve had a chance to hike together. Thanks to Kelly for supplying the vehicle, and thanks to Ray for driving!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

May 31 2023

rayhuston

Guides 1
Routes 447
Photos 4,407
Triplogs 938

68 male

Joined Mar 09 2012
Gilbert, AZ

Mingus Meander, AZ

Hiking		May 31 2023
		rayhuston • Triplogs 938

Hiking	13.73 Miles	2,949 AEG

Hiking	13.73 Miles	6 Hrs 26 Mns	2.37 mph
	2,949 ft AEG	38 Mns Break

no photosets

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	LindaAnn	The_Eagle
	trekkin_gecko

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I suggested a Mingus hike a few weeks ago. Perfect weather made it a go. Bruce invited Kelly and Linda along to provide extra targets for his whimsical shenanigans.

Bruce pulled together a nice sampler of trails. This being my first time hiking up here I was soaking it all in. Absolutely gorgeous. Even the chug up the Mingus trail switchbacks, though difficult, was delightful. How is it possible that I never hiked up here before?!

Due to a later start, it was past noon when we reached the summit. We stopped for lunch near the hang glider launch site. There was a nice breeze up top. After the ascent up Mingus, the breeze hit my moist shirt and gave me chills.

Our descent took us around the mountain to the other side where we had great views to the east. Once we closed the top loop, the trek back down was familiar and quite a bit easier. We passed the time with fun banter, catching up on goings on at HAZ, some gossip, until the next uphill section. Only a few hundred feet, but…ugh.

The remainder of the hike was a peaceful, shady, late afternoon jaunt on a gentle downhill slope. A soft landing after a wonderful hike. Thank you Bruce for putting this together. Outstanding. Kelly and Linda, it was great to see you both again. A most enjoyable day!

_____________________

4 archives

May 31 2023

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Mingus-Dingus, AZ

Hiking		May 31 2023
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	14.05 Miles	3,057 AEG

Hiking	14.05 Miles	6 Hrs 26 Mns		2.54 mph
	3,057 ft AEG	54 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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	LindaAnn	rayhuston
	trekkin_gecko

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I took a couple of Mingus virgins up to sample the terrain and perfect temps. We had a late start because of my GS duties and were hiking just shy of 11:00am. We parked just off of 89A in lieu of dropping down on the road to Mescal Tank. It is now a high clearance road with some washouts.

We began the 1500' climb to the top of Mingus. Even with the cools temps, I was moist with the climb up. The breezes dried that up almost immediately. The shade of the nubile oaks and maples on the way up was whimsical.

We stopped at the top at the picnic tables for a brisk lunch.

Now on the rocky descent on the Viewpoint 106 trail we continued our upper loop. The air was clear, which afforded us great views to red rock of Sedona and further to the still snowy peaks in Flag. We noticed 2 fires burning towards Williams and Flag, which Linda later determined were prescribed.

Back on the 105 trail again, we detoured up an old 2 track the ended at a use trail that Joe and I had used in the past and ultimately joined with the #548 Bug Hollow Trail. We completed the lower loop on the Mescal #547.

Always a good time hiking with the group. Good conversations and bantering.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Mescal Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Moist

Mescal Tank

Dry

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

1 archive

May 13 2023

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Mingus Mountain, AZ

Hiking		May 13 2023
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	11.67 Miles	2,732 AEG

Hiking	11.67 Miles	5 Hrs 21 Mns	2.48 mph
	2,732 ft AEG	39 Mns Break

Linked

[ checklist ] Cemetery Iris Claret Cup Cactus Cliff Fendlerbush Cliff fendlerbush New Mexico Raspberry Spreading Phlox Tufted Evening Primrose

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This was a CCW lollipop loop going up the north side of Mingus Mountain to the summit. I had not done this hike in 3 years, so I was overdue.

We parked along 89A in what google calls the "Mescal Trail #547 Parking Area". We started on the Mescal Trail for a short distance, then went on the Bug Hollow Trail for a bit, then followed a road, and finally got on North Mingus Trail #105 to the summit. On the descent, we took View Point Trail #106 and Mingus Trail #105A back to Trail #105, thus completing the loop. Then we went back to the TH the way that we came up.

This was a pretty nice hike actually -- nice vegetation, good views, and some flowers to look at along the way. The ascent was mostly shaded on our early morning ascent. We were in full sun most of the way down on the View Point Trail, but then clouds started to form, and we were in shade the last 4 miles or so. In fact, we heard some thunder and I thought that we might get rained on. Thankfully we stayed dry though.

The trails were in decent shape, although some vegetation is starting to encroach over the trails -- it is not too bad at this point though.

Synopsis
I enjoy this hike and should do it more often than every 3 years. I noticed lots of big tooth maples on the North Mingus Trail, so if you time it right this could be a good hike to do in the fall.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bumblebee

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cag Shot Intrepid Back Shot Post Hike Grub Stone Dwelling

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mingus Mountain San Francisco Mountains - Kachina Peaks Wilderness

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cumulonimbus

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

Sep 17 2022

GrangerGuy

Guides 34
Routes 138
Photos 931
Triplogs 111

68 male

Joined Dec 26 2018
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Sep 17 2022
		GrangerGuy • Triplogs 111

Hiking	4.25 Miles	1,322 AEG

Hiking	4.25 Miles	3 Hrs 48 Mns		1.29 mph
	1,322 ft AEG	30 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Ageratina Bridge penstemon Canada thistle Dakota mock vervain Fetid-Goosefoot Hairyseed bahia Indian Paintbrush Mt. Albert goldenrod Strawberry Hedgehog Tansyleaf Spine Aster

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Took a leisurely walk on the View Point - North Mingus Loop, going counterclockwise. Lots of wildflowers out, and the view was good, but a little hazy.

The road to the trailhead is easily driven in a normal car. Note that the parking area is a fee area, so we used my lifetime federal pass to park. There is a nice outhouse at the trailhead. On a beautiful Saturday, we only saw 3 other people on the trail.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
I have attempted to identify as many of my wildflower pictures as possible. If you think I got it wrong, don't hesitate to let me know. In addition to the pictures, I think I saw Birdbill Dayflower and Desert Globemallow

Jun 18 2022

cindyl

Routes 17
Photos 2,773
Triplogs 249

53 female

Joined May 15 2009
Phoenix and Tucs

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jun 18 2022
		cindyl • Triplogs 249

Hiking	4.58 Miles	1,234 AEG

Hiking	4.58 Miles	2 Hrs 32 Mns	2.01 mph
	1,234 ft AEG	15 Mns Break

no photosets

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linked

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i do like this hike, but would've done something different had i done any research into what i could do from the campsite. oh well. it was cooler and it almost rained. i saw a couple of drops on the rocks, but i figured it was my sweat. the flowers were even more parched than last week.

from the apple watch: 4.73 miles, 824 calories, 1,194 elevation gain, 121 avg. heart rate. 71 degrees, humidity 27 percent.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
a lonely blooming prickly pear cactus, and some parched penstemon.

_____________________

There are just two switchbacks left. And another half-mile to the destination...

Jun 11 2022

cindyl

Routes 17
Photos 2,773
Triplogs 249

53 female

Joined May 15 2009
Phoenix and Tucs

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jun 11 2022
		cindyl • Triplogs 249

Hiking	4.81 Miles	1,267 AEG

Hiking	4.81 Miles	2 Hrs 59 Mns	1.95 mph
	1,267 ft AEG	31 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

linked

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yes, it was a little hot (80 is usually my limit). i was determined to do this hike anyway though.
apple watch stats: 4.66 miles, 844 calories, elevation gain: 1,157 ft., avg. heart rate: 125 bpm, weather, 82 degrees, humidity 14 percent.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

There are just two switchbacks left. And another half-mile to the destination...

Sep 25 2021

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Mingus Butterfly, AZ

Hiking		Sep 25 2021
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	12.05 Miles	3,334 AEG

Hiking	12.05 Miles	5 Hrs 42 Mns	2.27 mph
	3,334 ft AEG	24 Mns Break

Linked

Gaddes Canyon #110

Gaddes Canyon Two Trail #9037

Coleman Trail #108

Partners

partners

John9L

slowandsteady

All these years in AZ and never hiked on Mingus. John made the suggestion so Kathy and I joined the hike. We started from the Viewpoint trailhead on top taking the south loop first down to Gaddes Canyon. Then up Gaddes which was the nicest part of that loop. Also went by the Tower but it was closed off due to covid restrictions so we bypassed. Skies showed potential for rain but nothing developed until we reached the top again.

At the top the rain started to come down but after checking radar decided that if was probably short lived. We checked out the viewpoint and then headed down on the north loop. Great views along this section even with some on and off rain. Eventually things cleared as we finished hiking around to the uphill section back to the top. Short break where the trail hits the rim and then hiked by the hang glider launch spot on the way back to the trailhead.

_____________________

1 archive

Jul 25 2021

AugustWest

Routes 174
Photos 471
Triplogs 184

51 male

Joined Mar 16 2019
Phoenix

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jul 25 2021
		AugustWest • Triplogs 184

Hiking	4.66 Miles	1,253 AEG

Hiking	4.66 Miles	2 Hrs 40 Mns	2.04 mph
	1,253 ft AEG	23 Mns Break

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Looking at the weather radar this morning was slightly discouraging as the plan was to visit Chiricahua NM. Nonetheless, things looked mighty wet down there so we headed north to where it looked clear.

The road to the Mingus Recreational Area day use area was very smooth. There was one truck that was parked and the passengers were looking at the view from the overlook which was quite misty. The temps were probably in the upper 60's to start the day.

We went CCW and the trail switchbacks down immediately. All of the tread today was cleared of deadfall and clean of brush. The views were obscured by fog and mist, but this added some mystery and beauty to the hike. The switchbacks are steep at first but very well constructed.

Rounding the mountain takes you back up through more firs and pines while the start has more oaks. Once at the top of the mountain, the ridgeline flattens out and the trail got a little mushy right up to the hang-glider ramp.

At the top of the mountain there is selective logging that is occurring. This is similar to what I have seen throughout the Prescott National Forest. The operations are well-run and rather unobtrusive. The thinning seems to be improving the health of the forest rather than diminishing it.

We got back to my truck just as thunder could be heard in the distance. We didn't see anyone all day and stayed perfectly dry. There were a few more cars at the trailhead, but it seems like it was people at the overlook.

We finished the day in Jerome and got some food at Haunted Burgers which was ok.

_____________________

Wildflower seed in the sand and wind
May the four winds blow you home again

Jun 19 2021

Nightstalker

Routes 189
Photos 7,236
Triplogs 1,740

57 male

Joined Apr 25 2011
Goodyear, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jun 19 2021
		Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,740

Hiking	4.80 Miles	1,204 AEG

Hiking	4.80 Miles	3 Hrs 53 Mns		2.00 mph
	1,204 ft AEG	1 Hour 29 Mns Break	13 LBS Pack

no routes

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none

no linked trail guides

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no partners

Took the harem, Christina, Yolanda, Jan, and Tricia up to Mingus Mountain to hike the View Point Loop. Hiked it counter-clockwise. Appears to have been a lot of recent trail work done to improve the tread and cutback vegetation. Stop to chat with a hand glider pilot who was waiting for his buddy to show up before launch. Fantastic loop. Beat the heat in the Phoenix valley.

_____________________

1 archive

Oct 17 2020

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

North Mingus Loop, AZ

Hiking		Oct 17 2020
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	12.21 Miles	2,550 AEG

Hiking	12.21 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	2.47 mph
	2,550 ft AEG	18 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

9 linked trail guides

Mingus Inner Maze Loop

Butterfly Trail #536 - Mingus

West Rim Trail #538

Middle Trail #537

Upper Mescal Trail #550

Gaddes Canyon #110

Partners

partners

John9L

I wasn't up for a full figure 8 and 9L had done the south loop before, so I opted for the north side. We parked at the pass and started on Upper Mescal before heading downhill through the oaks on Bug Hollow. North Mingus took us through a couple of patches of autumn glory before we opted to climb up the ridge in the shade rather than ascending on the exposed view point trail.

Nobody flying today, but I found an old singletrack that heads from the parking area toward the campground. It's a nice alternative to the road. Heading west across a meadow, I encountered another well-manicured trail that hooked up with Gaddes and that took me up to the lookout tower, where we had a nice break. Heading down from the tower, there are quality use trails that lead to the lake and after crossing the road we opted to do a quick cross country jaunt to find the dead end of the Middle Trail before descending on Butterfly. We encountered several old trails with different colored tree markings in the middle earth section of the mountain. It seems like there could be much better maps of all the routes up here.

Besides at the parking spots and lake, only saw two older folks out on the trails. Since it wasn't a super aggressive plan for the day, we got a little later start, and still got home before I-17 got shut down. #winning

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Memorial

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mingus Lake

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I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

1 archive

Oct 10 2020

Crzy4AZ

Guides 31
Routes 135
Photos 2,699
Triplogs 615

52 female

Joined Apr 02 2007
Scottsdale, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Oct 10 2020
		Crzy4AZ • Triplogs 615

Hiking	4.65 Miles	1,338 AEG

Hiking	4.65 Miles	2 Hrs 12 Mns	2.16 mph
	1,338 ft AEG	3 Mns Break

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no linked trail guides

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no partners

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Been wanting to do this hike for a while. Traffic was extra miserable on the way up after a wreck on 17. Checked out Mingus lake which is stocked with rainbow trout. Tiny but pretty lake. Too crowded for me. There was some insane / cool annual race going on using some of the loop trails I was on. It’s called “Man versus Horse”. Passed several very exhausted trail runners with numbers pinned to their shirts. Didn’t see any horses - either way ahead or way behind not sure. Fascinating concept.

The switchbacks on the west side hold the best Fall color right now. Zero people on that part of hike. The hang gliding launching concrete pad /run drop zone was cool. I’ve never seen one before.

Was alone today - which is actually nice sometimes - drove back home - was going to car camp but all the legal spots were full and there are too many rules up on Mingus. Thought I had perfect spot - then a sign that these are only for current members of AZ hang gliding club. Probably could have pushed it. But didn’t feel worth it with 90 minute no traffic drive home. #happyFallYall

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
West side switchbacks have awesome RED maples pre-peak

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1 archive

Sep 19 2020

ultrazona

Routes 8
Photos 2,243
Triplogs 204

38 male

Joined Mar 07 2009
Colorado Springs

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Sep 19 2020
		ultrazona • Triplogs 204

Hiking	4.62 Miles	1,307 AEG

Hiking	4.62 Miles	1 Hour 53 Mns	2.45 mph
	1,307 ft AEG

no photosets

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no linked trail guides

Partners

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no partners

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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Jun 27 2020

MtnGeek

Guides 9
Photos 134
Triplogs 75

48 male

Joined May 01 2002
Denver, CO

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jun 27 2020
		MtnGeek • Triplogs 75

Hiking	4.25 Miles	1,322 AEG

Hiking	4.25 Miles	2 Hrs 40 Mns	1.59 mph
	1,322 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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Hiked the loop Clockwise. Needed an earlier start, the sun was intense. Clockwise was the way to go as the section heading up was mostly in the shade.

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Mountains are there to be hiked!

May 24 2020

richvosko

Routes 26
Triplogs 282

39 male

Joined Apr 14 2019
Phoenix, AZ