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Recreation Trail #201 - 5 members in 12 triplogs have rated this an average 2.2 ( 1 to 5 best )
12 triplogs
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May 07 2022
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 Guides 12
 Routes 192
 Photos 863
 Triplogs 356

42 male
 Joined Nov 30 2015
 Phoenix, AZ
Horsethief loop, AZ 
Horsethief loop, AZ
 
Run/Jog avatar May 07 2022
ShatteredArmTriplogs 356
Run/Jog16.19 Miles 3,682 AEG
Run/Jog16.19 Miles   5 Hrs   19 Mns   3.05 mph
3,682 ft AEG
 
no photosets
Was looking for something slightly cool with the 100 degree forecast in town, so Horsethief area seemed to fit the bill. There were a couple of trails I wanted to check out. Started at the SW end of Algonquin and took that down into Horsethief Canyon. Wasn't too hard to follow, just missed one switchback, and catclaw wasn't really an issue until the last quarter mile.

Then a brief flat-ish stretch in the canyon, and the steep climb up. Once at the Recreation Trail junctions, I headed east towards Twin Peaks. The first part was nice, but the climb up through the manzanita was kinda meh. Once into the forest it was was more pleasant.

Once back to the roads, I headed over to Kentuck Spring, and up to Horsethief Lookout. This trail was in decent condition. Chilled at the top a couple minutes. I had considered checking out East Fort, but it looked like it was burned to a crisp so I ditched that idea. Headed down Coal Camp Spring "trail", the first couple hundred feet of which offered false promises. It looks like someone started mowing a path through the manzanita, but gave up. The part on the ridge wasn't terrible, but a couple hundred feet of the drop down towards the saddle was straight up bushwhacking through manzanita and other scratchy things. But it eventually started opening up and the last part wasn't too bad, I even managed to find a cairn at one point.

The rest was just on road, headed down to Horsethief Lake, then back up to Algonquin TH. Traffic on the road wasn't too bad until the last mile or so, think I hit the post-lunch rush from CK.

water 1 out of 5water less than maxwater less than maxwater less than max Horsethief Canyon Pools to trickle Pools to trickle
Lots of pools above the Algonquin junction, only found one stretch with a very slight trickle. Also a pool and a trickle where the Horsethief trail crosses a side drainage a half mile or so from the Recreation trail.
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Dec 23 2021
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 Guides 12
 Routes 192
 Photos 863
 Triplogs 356

42 male
 Joined Nov 30 2015
 Phoenix, AZ
Horsethief Canyon loop, AZ 
Horsethief Canyon loop, AZ
 
Run/Jog avatar Dec 23 2021
ShatteredArmTriplogs 356
Run/Jog14.61 Miles 3,001 AEG
Run/Jog14.61 Miles   4 Hrs   5 Mns   3.58 mph
3,001 ft AEG
 
no photosets
1st trip
Partners none no partners
Had the 23rd off in lieu of Christmas, so I decided to take advantage and check out the Castle Creek Wilderness trails. Started from Poland Viewpoint a little before 11:30am (probably too late to do anything too serious), the descent into Poland Creek was OK. Trail is in decent shape through here, very little catclaw until the lower reaches, where it's still not terribly aggressive...

Algonquin Mine area was a pretty stretch of the canyon.

Trail got a bit more overgrown by the time I got to Horsethief Canyon junction, but still reasonably easy to follow. Got to the steep climb out of the canyon and started questioning why I was doing this, but once gaining the ridge, the grade got somewhat more reasonable.

Eventually got to the junction with the Horsethief Recreation trail, where I had taken a wrong turn ~5 years ago while trying to check out the canyon. When I saw the sign, I understood how I had messed up the last time; it points straight ahead for Horsethief Canyon, but "straight ahead" from where there sign is oriented is the Recreation trail. Possibly they did a rewrite and never bothered fixing the sign?

Horsethief Recreation Trail was quite overgrown in stretches, with a few downed trees to negotiate. I'll bet this area was really nice before the fire. It was also quite chilly up here; there were still patches of snow on the ground, and it was a little windy.

Got to the southern end of Algonquin trail, which I was planning on taking back, but had just under three hours of daylight left. I figured it would most likely only take 2 hours to get back across, but without having seen the southern half of the trail, and being by myself, I decided to play it safe and run the road back.

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max Horsethief Canyon Light flow Light flow
Light flow in some stretches. Some just pools.

water 1 out of 5water less than maxwater less than maxwater less than max Poland Creek - Algonquin Trail Pools to trickle Pools to trickle
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Dec 21 2019
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 Guides 264
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55 male
 Joined Nov 20 1996
 
Algonquin - Horsethief - Recreation Loop, AZ 
Algonquin - Horsethief - Recreation Loop, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Dec 21 2019
joebartelsTriplogs 5,894
Hiking16.39 Miles 4,083 AEG
Hiking16.39 Miles   9 Hrs   33 Mns   1.88 mph
4,083 ft AEG      50 Mns Break18 LBS Pack
 
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The_Eagle
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
This is for those that prefer to skid in broadside and totally worn out.

Algonquin Trail #225 has three personalities. Heading straight down from FR 259 ( Crown King Road ) the tread is good with occasional naggy pokies. From Poland Creek where most turn to the Big Dipper it is obvious a trail crew put in serious work. 2-6 foot wide freeway almost to Horsethief Canyon Trail #30.

So nice in fact that Bruce started slipping from reality. He spotted Mount Rushmore and plastic flowers.

By extremely lucky chance, we headed up Horsethief Canyon Trail #30. It's steep and pants keep blood loss to a minimum. 6 hrs sleep in two days and the leg warmer attire had me anxious for a pre five mile break. The eagle granted and I was charged back up.

Horsethief Canyon Trail #30
We've had trouble finding the east terminus/origin before and today was no different. Bruce figured it out and vowed to update the Official Route for future hikers. A third of this trail is a brush whack.

FR 52 - Senator Highway
This loop is possible by utilizing the dirt hwy just over 2 miles. Only 1 vehicle on our beat and we lunched 1.5 mile in. Witnessed and picked up some nice mica.

Turn the Record Over
Our return was Algonquin Trail #225 in full. Welcome to the third personality. 3.75 mi / 2,160 ft drop to Horsethief Creek. Not maintained is sugar coating the situation. Disaster. Fear the trail maintenance crew took one look and ran away screaming hell no.

Return of Sanity
We enjoyed the semi maintained #225 for 0.6 mile to the cabin. The super maintained portion spans from the cabin to Poland Creek. 0.22 miles before Poland near Mount Rushmore(gasp) Bruce continued while I changed into shorts. Then enjoyed a run on the maintained trail catching up just before the Poland crossing. We both found the 1.5 mi / 1k ascent to be easier than anticipated.

Synopsis
Nobody loves the Bradshaws save me. This isn't helping. I look forward to the next hike. Hope the trail maintenance continues!
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  HAZ - Hike HAZard
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Poland Creek - Algonquin Trail
 Meteorology
 Meteorology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Sunrise
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Final hint at best
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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- joe
 
Dec 21 2019
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 Guides 41
 Routes 1,626
 Photos 14,983
 Triplogs 2,760

69 male
 Joined Jan 20 2009
 Far NE Phoenix,
Algonquin - Horsethief - Recreation loop, AZ 
Algonquin - Horsethief - Recreation loop, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Dec 21 2019
The_EagleTriplogs 2,760
Hiking16.03 Miles 4,096 AEG
Hiking16.03 Miles   9 Hrs   33 Mns   1.84 mph
4,096 ft AEG      50 Mns Break14 LBS Pack
 
Partners partners
joebartels
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
We've done this loop a few times.

Starting at the northern Algonquin 225 TH, The trail drops 1,100' to Poland Creek. This was the first time crossing here, where we had to look for a place to cross to stay dry. Quite a decent flow here. The trail from here to the collapsing cabin / mining shack, is my favorite section. It's now a super highway after recent maintenance.

Maintenance and/or flagging stops at the Horsethief Canyon Trail. It's still relatively easy to follow except for a section 4.7 miles from the start as you start the last climb to the Recreation Trail. The water was flowing the strongest I've seen, the entire length of this trail.

We've had trouble finding the NE Recreation Trail TH in he past. After bushwhacking to the trail, I followed it back to where it met the Horsethief, to be able to update the official track. The Recreation Trail is still there, just tight in spots.

Based on the maintenance to the northern part of of the Algonquin Trail, we had high hopes for the Southern section that starts at the Senator and drops back to Horsethief Creek. No such luck. This trail has such possibilities with the views. Some of my notes.

11.80 miles - 2:29 pm
This trail is bullschmidt

12.36 miles - 3:04 pm
A lot more dead fall than the last time we came down here.
We cleared a bunch, but barely scratched the surface.

Back down to the creek (and manicured trail), all that was left was a peaceful hike along the creek again and the climb to the TH.
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Poland Creek - Algonquin Trail
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Horsethief Canyon Medium flow Medium flow
_____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry 🦅
 
Mar 19 2016
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 Guides 41
 Routes 1,626
 Photos 14,983
 Triplogs 2,760

69 male
 Joined Jan 20 2009
 Far NE Phoenix,
Dipper - Horsethief - Recreation - Algonquin, AZ 
Dipper - Horsethief - Recreation - Algonquin, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Mar 19 2016
The_EagleTriplogs 2,760
Hiking16.39 Miles 4,521 AEG
Hiking16.39 Miles   10 Hrs      2.07 mph
4,521 ft AEG   2 Hrs   5 Mns Break
 
1st trip
Big Dipper
Finally hit the Big Dipper for the first time. Easy to get there with only minor rock hopping. Kept dry easily.
Such a pretty area. The mSD Card in my phone self destructed, so I have no pictures. Hopefully Joe got some.
I can see why this place is popular. We got there early enough in the day that noone was there.

Horsethief Canyon Trail #30
This is a favorite of mine in the area. The creek has been flowing every time I've been there. This trail in the past has seen very little traffic, but it seems to be getting a bit more now.

Recreation Trail #201
I'd remembered this one as being hard to follow. The last time all we had to follow was a trace from the TOPO maps Those are notoriously inaccurate. This trail actually is not all that bad to follow, when you are on it... The track that I posted is spot on for all but the first 100 yards on the east end. I adjusted out our "exploration" and used RM/Satellite predict where it actually starts on the east. It may in fact start a little farther South than I show it.

Senator Highway #52
We had a 2 mile road walk on this to get to the Algonquin Trailhead.
Kind of a busy day with 4x4's, ORV's, and Motorcycles.

Algonquin Trail #225
The start of this one is all but impossible to find without a track. I'm sure the fire took out the old TH sign. This one needs some love. There are numerous downfalls across the trail. Joe and I put a dent it it by clearing the ones we could and adding some appropriate Cairns. There are some real nice views from this one. I saw a red headed wood pecker on this trail.... without a body. :o

Back down by Horsthief Creek we were mostly in the shade w/ a light breeze. Perfect.
4 or 5 other groups had signed in after us, but we saw no one the whole day.

Another very enjoyable day in the Castle Creek Wilderness!
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Big Dipper - Crown King Quad Medium flow Medium flow
Plenty to go around

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Horsethief Canyon Medium flow Medium flow
Running water the full length
_____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry 🦅
  1 archive
Mar 19 2016
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 Guides 264
 Routes 2,797
 Photos 14,494
 Triplogs 5,894

55 male
 Joined Nov 20 1996
 
Dipper - Horsethief - Recreation - Algonquin, AZ 
Dipper - Horsethief - Recreation - Algonquin, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Mar 19 2016
joebartelsTriplogs 5,894
Hiking16.39 Miles 4,521 AEG
Hiking16.39 Miles   10 Hrs      1.89 mph
4,521 ft AEG   1 Hour   20 Mns Break14 LBS Pack
 no routes
1st trip
Check out Bruce's triplog loaded with details!

Still love this loop. We last hiked the exact loop five years ago.

Wore pants on a whim. It would have been brutal without. There is a little catsclaw, not really the issue. The killer brush is shin height, more of a low lying gauntlet of swords. It jabs right through thin pants that ward off catsclaw.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
_____________________
- joe
 
Sep 20 2014
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 Guides 264
 Routes 2,797
 Photos 14,494
 Triplogs 5,894

55 male
 Joined Nov 20 1996
 
Algonquin - Horsethief Cyn - Twin Peaks Loop, AZ 
Algonquin - Horsethief Cyn - Twin Peaks Loop, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Sep 20 2014
joebartelsTriplogs 5,894
Hiking16.10 Miles 4,075 AEG
Hiking16.10 Miles   10 Hrs   26 Mns   1.74 mph
4,075 ft AEG   1 Hour   10 Mns Break
 
We headed out with a pleasant 75° forecast into terrain known to be a winner. The drive in showed lush tall green grass blanketing the mountains.

6:55am trailhead
Despite many visits this trail would be difficult to find without the carsonite post hinting the way. Recent record rains have turned this transitional zone into a jungle. Three entries in the register offered a suggestion to wear pants. Bruce advertised the event as "17+ miles and some blood" so luckily I came armed with pants.

The first and last four miles of our lasso loop hike had some unpleasantries. In addition to random catclaw there was miracle grow grass nose high in areas. Three species seemed to dominate. The shorter variety was seeding out. Not itchy just made Italians envy your legs. The minor annoyance was one of the tall hay bundle wannabes. Seeds plumed out in passing. The worst of the worst was a half mile stretch through wet sugar type sticky vegetation.

75° was probably the low, perhaps the forecast should have read 75% humidity...

enough of the negative
The rewards out weighed all the above. Ivy is out of control. Wildflowers had me thinking it was spring. Vertical terrain is the star of the show. Each hike out on the Horsethief Canyon Trail #30, especially heading back, leaves me in awe. It's friggen awesome. I love it, I love it, I love it! Due to the trail condition most will despise this gem never looking up from their feet.

fear no evil
We finished off the western end of the Twin Peak Trail #240. Albeit 75% evil end to end there is a gift for the persistent hiker. The fire didn't plow the tall pines down. It reminded me of Ballantine above Rock Tank in the southern Mazzies.

Bruce showed me where Denny used to take dance lessons. We yodeled in his honor, square danced with butterflies and headed home.
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Box Elders in a pocket up near Turney are getting a two day jump start on Autumn.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Smaller white and purple daisy varieties are out in mass. Other ground cover and such varieties I'm clueless on identifying.
_____________________
- joe
 
Sep 20 2014
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 Guides 41
 Routes 1,626
 Photos 14,983
 Triplogs 2,760

69 male
 Joined Jan 20 2009
 Far NE Phoenix,
Algonquin - Horsethief Cyn - Twin Peaks Loop, AZ 
Algonquin - Horsethief Cyn - Twin Peaks Loop, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Sep 20 2014
The_EagleTriplogs 2,760
Hiking17.27 Miles 4,283 AEG
Hiking17.27 Miles   10 Hrs   29 Mns   2.02 mph
4,283 ft AEG   1 Hour   56 Mns Break16 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Joe and I are in a small group that are hooked on discovering what the Bradshaws have to offer.

We have a few more trails to discover out there. Today was to find out if the section of trail between the Horsethief Canyon Trail #30, going east, still existed.

For this hike, long pants and a GPS track is helpful. The route is cairned throughout, but gets sketchy at some of the many creek crossings. If you are hiking just the Algonquin to and through the Horsethief Canyon, you will have water opportunities the entire way. For the route we took, we were next to water probably 70% of the time.

Down the Algonquin #225 from the road to Crown King. All of the entries provided warnings to go back and get your long pants. The majority of the hike included knee high grasses/weeds interspersed with catclaw, locust and other things that liked to cling to you. With long pants on all you had too worry about, was the crap that clung to your socks.

You pass the old Algonquin Mine building along the way. This is quite an interesting area. Someone spent a lot of time shoring up the walls that created the road to the mine. Just past here, the Algonquin Trail veers off to the west and the Horsethief Canyon Trail #30, continues to the south. The Horsethief Canyon walls are steep and close to you, adding to the wow factor on this hike. The climb out of the canyon is a steep one. Just south of leaving the Wilderness area, you'll hit the western start of your next trail.

The Twin Peaks #240 Trail was flagged to be cleared by the forest Service, maybe 2 years ago. These flags made it possible to follow this trail. The brush was not too thick except for one section where we lost the flags. I hope they do come back to clear it. Along the way on this trail we found the burned remains of trail sign, indicating trails 800 and 801? (could not read the names) There were cairns going off to the Northeast. I've never heard of these, or seen them on any Topo maps. Sounds like another trip to this area.

On the way down from the Twin Peaks area, I finally checked out and named an unmarked pond, that's had my curiosity the last few times out there.

To round out the first time experience, we went in through the Turney Gulch CG area to pick up the southern end of the Horsefthief Canyon Trail #30. It follows an abandoned FR52F, past the old Rec Hall Ruins? and the old Sewage plant ruins, before finally turning into trail.

Another fun day in the Bradshaws!!

Video :next: http://youtu.be/6zdmkDkRxlA
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Teva
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  HAZ - Hike HAZard
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Some trees are starting to turn yellow
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water 4 out of 5 Eagle Pond - CC Wilderness 76-100% full 76-100% full
Plenty of filterable water

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water 3 out of 5water less than max Horsethief Canyon Medium flow Medium flow
Good flow the entire length
_____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry 🦅
 
Nov 26 2011
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 Guides 13
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 Photos 1,651
 Triplogs 577

60 male
 Joined Nov 15 2005
 Jackson, CA
Algonquin Trail #225Prescott, AZ
Prescott, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 26 2011
toddakTriplogs 577
Hiking15.00 Miles 4,300 AEG
Hiking15.00 Miles   9 Hrs      1.67 mph
4,300 ft AEG
 no routes
Partners none no partners
Did Joe and Bruce's lasso hike - pretty cool, especially if you like route finding challenges. Horsethief Canyon had isolated trickle flows between reasonably clean pools. If you want to visit this rugged stretch of the Bradshaws you should do it soon, as nature is hard at work erasing some of these little-used trails.
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May 14 2011
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 Guides 264
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 Triplogs 5,894

55 male
 Joined Nov 20 1996
 
Algonquin / Horsethief / 201 Loop, AZ 
Algonquin / Horsethief / 201 Loop, AZ
 
Hiking avatar May 14 2011
joebartelsTriplogs 5,894
Hiking15.25 Miles 4,300 AEG
Hiking15.25 Miles   9 Hrs   55 Mns   1.71 mph
4,300 ft AEG   1 Hour    Break14 LBS Pack
 
Partners partners
The_Eagle
Bruce threw together this loop and I was excited to see some new terrain in the Bradshaws. While at the same time expecting horrid catclaw based on our Twin Peaks loop last June, in addition to what others have reported.

This turned out to be a nice loop. The worst overgrowth is from Poland Creek for a mile or so to a tributary of Horsethief where #30 ascends out of the creek. To be honest it really isn't that bad. I didn't come home blood nor scratched up. Being the jewel views of the hike your attention is diverted anyhow.

The cabin area was cool. We looked around for the mine without success. Did find some mining equipment. While Bruce went for another look I realized sitting by the cabin it may be more of a workshop. The door on the end has a huge pipe making it a sliding door. The construction is metal too. Gotta check up on the history. Very cool that spring seeps out under the tree next to the structure.

I was surprised to see Horsethief Creek flowing mid May in this dryer than normal year. Such a cool area that nobody seems to checkout. Heading up on #30 we lucked out as it was flagged maybe a year ago for a good portion going up and cairned along the way. While the fire damage is sad, it still offers great views. This is a true rugged mountain loop with very apparent mountain grades. It must have been phenomenal before the fire. The trail is trenching in steep parts due to uncontrolled runoff, yet I've seen worse in the Phoenix Preserves.

With only one hour sleep due to some unknown site outage issue I was dragging big time once we hit trail #201. 201 is pretty much gone and would not have been possible without Bruce's GPS route. Our loop had a little road walk in the middle that I looked forward to relaxing. Of course it was all up hill...lol

Shortly onto the upper Algonquin Trail Bruce found a shady spot for lunch. I was beat and desperately needing the break and food. Refueled, finally heading down and the ibuprofen circulating I started feeling better. Once again the views are awesome. This trail wasn't a bad bushwhack either. It does head straight down without switchbacks on unsure footing. Sections have survived the fire giving you hints of yesteryears.

We finished this one up with some nice shady stretches. The dreaded climb out lacked the pain we feared most and this hike turned out much better than I anticipated. Thanks Bruce!

Wildflowers where moderate throughout with some substantial areas. Not large flowers that photograph well with point and shoot cameras. Beautiful to view in person.

Looking back it's been just over 10 years since I hiked from this Algonquin trailhead to the Big Dipper. Until I read over my notes just now I forgot all about a bad experience. The Big Dipper page is titled "Mean Fall". I didn't fully explain out of pride or something. On that trip I was jumping boulder to boulder and slipped backwards falling on my hip and hitting my head to unconsciousness. Not sure how long I was out. Seems like it was around a half hour. Then I woke up dazed and in an odd position partially submerged. Apparently luck was on my side that day!
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  False Indigo
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
_____________________
- joe
 
May 14 2011
avatar

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

69 male
 Joined Jan 20 2009
 Far NE Phoenix,
Algonquin / Horsethief / 201 Loop, AZ 
Algonquin / Horsethief / 201 Loop, AZ
 
Hiking avatar May 14 2011
The_EagleTriplogs 2,760
Hiking15.25 Miles 4,300 AEG
Hiking15.25 Miles   9 Hrs   55 Mns   1.71 mph
4,300 ft AEG   1 Hour    Break16 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Partners partners
joebartels
The Algonquin Trail #225 has been on my "To Do" list for quite some time now. I kept putting it off because I thought the entire trail looked like the Southern TH. I had nightmares of head high catclaw and climbing over 100's of burned fallen trees. Today was the day and decided to make it a loop and pull in a couple of other little traveled trails up there (Horse Thief Canyon #30 & Recreation Trail #201).

First of all, the road to Crown King was in the best shape I have ever seen it. This made the 25 miles of driving off of I-17 much more pleasant than in the past. We hit the TH at a smidge after 7am and were the first car there. I'd always read the stories of how painful the drop down the Algonquin Trail to Poland Creek was (More importantly, the trek back up). It was not as bad as expected. Poland creek was running nicely and surprisingly, Horse Thief creek was even nicer. There were a few spots on the way to the Horse Thief / Algonquin intersection, where the trail was thin, but following the trail and catclaw was not bad at all. The trip up Horse Thief as well was not bad, but finding the Recreation 201 trail would be near impossible with out GPS. If you are doing it with out GPS, hang a right up the hill at the Castle Creek wilderness sign and follow the fence line. That will get you close and you should cross the faint trail in spots. It's only a short 1.6 miles on this until you reach FR52.

From this point you have a 2.2 mile road slog. Something to cover your mouth would be handy on this section because of the smattering of car, quad, and motorcycle traffic. The road is quite dusty.

Now you turn on the Algonquin Trail again to start the hike back. This section is 6 miles and drops from 6,900' to 4,400' into Poland Creek. This part of the hike reminds me of the Wilderness of Rocks trail down in Tucson.

If you do this loop, it is suggested to do it Clockwise. The Algonquin Trail drops about 2,000' in 2 miles and is steep and loose in spots. I would not want to climb up this.

On the feared climb out of Poland Creek to the trailhead we saw a Black-tailed buzzworm sunning himself in the middle of the trail. We waited a bit and talked to another hiker that had just come back from the Big Dipper. The hike up was nothing like what I'd feared. It really was not bad at all.

I'm glad to have this one knocked off my list. The Creeks and the Cabin area were way cool, as well as the ruggedness of this little traveled area. This is a very nice hike, in temps 25 degrees cooler than the valley. Thanks to Joe for joining me on this one. Whine factor today was in full force.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Astragalus
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
_____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry 🦅
 
Sep 25 2010
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 Guides 2
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 Photos 3,436
 Triplogs 230

47 male
 Joined Dec 22 2007
 Mesa, AZ
Recreation Trail #201Prescott, AZ
Prescott, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 25 2010
skatchkinsTriplogs 230
Hiking1.47 Miles 308 AEG
Hiking1.47 Miles   1 Hour   10 Mns   1.26 mph
308 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Just don't.

I led my Jeep club through Turkey Creek from Bumblebee to Cleator Saturday and since I had a Big Dipper hike afternoon on Sunday with a few people, I figured why not stick around the area and hike down to them. I had my brother-in-law drive me up though CK and skipped Algonquin for the Recreation to Horsethief Canyon connection.
First thanks to Coanbru, for without the preprogrammed route it's just not doable.
I guess this trail could be considered for its views since all the trees are stubbed down to nothing. About 75% of it is a total burned loss but that section is at least easily navigable and flagged pretty correctly. No animals, no sounds or shade, just a bleak foreground for an ever expansive backdrop of landscape below. At one point, the inviting but sadly uncampable Horsethief Basin can be seen backed by its larger Pleasant desert brother much farther down the hill.
Coming around the last hill, the scorched earth finally ends and the choked brush begins as if it had huddled up here to escape the flame. At this point I almost longed for the clear barrenness behind me. The trail as before is unseen but now a tangled mess; it was tiring just trying to find a unobstacled path. I made it down to where the topo showed the trail connection to Horsethief, near an old fence and a cairn appeared stacked above the brush on a large rock, but no trail lay near. I headed the direction the route pointed and after gaining some visibility saw the glorious sight of a maintained dirt and marked path just below me...
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Horsethief Lake
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May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;
Armchair Crisis Design
 
average hiking speed 1.78 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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