Crown King - Back Road • 4x4 Trip • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

[ checklist ] Arizona Grape Pointleaf Manzanita Sugar Sumac Wright's thelypody

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The_Eagle

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

Senator Highway
From Crown King to the trailhead is in rough shape. Notably two stretches, the first is immediately leaving Crown King. Bruce has never been a shy driver and made it easy in his kick Subaru with a dope Monza muffler.

Lane Mountain Trail #233
The trail is well-maintained down to Lion Spring. Then it is a scratchy nuisance for the balance without a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Luckily we've bled enough to wise-up.

Views out over the west valley are short-lived but one of the main reasons I love this trail. That said, the fauna was primarily cow-mooing in the distance.

FR9286
Bruce created this smorgasbord loop of side attractions in 2012. I wrote up Trail #233 on 2013-09-30. The lower half of the trail was unclear then. We've always utilized FR9286 to bridge the gap to civilization. I just noticed a 2013-11-7 map by the Forest Service removed the forest road designation and declared it Trail 233.

The lower section has a 660 ft ascent that seems steeper than it really is in a lofty 0.75 miles. It is a measly 16.6% grade, Pie is 20.3% & Echo is 21.4% for reference.

The mining operation just underway in 2016 is much larger now. We thought the F'ers were blocking the final 50+ft down to the Back Road to Crown King. We crawled over a rock-separating grate and scrambled down. One of the workers hollered over asking where we were going. Bruce pointed continuing up the back road and we held stride.

Checking the private property boundaries, they do own that final 50+ft down to the road and a 0.5mi section of the road. There were two motorcycles trying to get across at the same time, later we were passed by two Jeeps or such heading up and I imagine hundreds cross thru on the weekends. They don't seem to be pulling the Gisela card but your encounter may vary.

Crown King - Back Road
After enjoying lunch under the shade of a tree at Jones Gulch, we headed on up. Bruce suggested I did not need long pants and boy howdy that made the 4mi ascent up FR192 to our turn-off remarkably cool and enjoyable.

We saw a lot of grape vines along the road but not until Castle Rock did we see grapes. The best I've ever sampled. Sweet and juicy, with no tartness on this round. Keep in mind there's little pulp substance to them and you spit out the huge seeds.

The Lost Mines
Rapid Transit Mine has not changed, still a folding chair and a hole in the wall that is too small for us to get into trouble.

New Savoy Mine has lost its golden sheen. The immediate area remains a perennial oasis of green from the excellent flow of water flowing out of the old mine.

We passed Savoy Mine without a gander and just realized we've never been over to New Jersey Mine.

Once again I didn't have my specs to translate signage on a post further up. We quietly and respectfully tiptoed the final furlong to the Senator Highway rubbing the foot of a dead rodent while praying to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We avoided further temptations along the 1.7-mile road walk delivering ourselves back to square one.

Synopsis
I suggested a reasonable hike. Plus this and another hike I doubted Bruce would have any desire rehiking. Shockingly he picked this one. There are a lot of undesirables about the loop and it's getting tougher cuz I ain't no spring chicken anymore. I still love it. A backpacker not seeking a well-trodden adventure could indulge in all the side trips available along the way that we bypassed this round.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Unidentified Geology

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Lake Pleasant New Savoy Mine Rapid Transit Mine Red Picacho Sierra Estrella South Mountains White Tank Mountains

Wildflowers Observation Light
Primarily goldenrod in moderate-sized patches. Evening Primrose was substantial along one segment of the drive.

	Lion Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	I would not drink the bile puddles if my life depended on it but it'd be fine for Bruce

_____________________

- joe

Sep 14 2023

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Lane Mountain 233 - Crown King Back Road, AZ

Hiking		Sep 14 2023
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	18.22 Miles	3,846 AEG

Hiking	18.22 Miles	9 Hrs 5 Mns		2.29 mph
	3,846 ft AEG	1 Hour 8 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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joebartels

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

Joe threw out a couple of suggestions for the week. My recent goal has been to choose the hike that I know Joe will like the least. This one was the longest, with the most elevation gain, and had the most prickly obstacles. To top it off, there were 32 miles of dirt road to the trailhead, making this the clear winner. (Actually, it had been a while since we'd been around Crown King, which is why I picked this one.)

Using the Bumble Bee exit, the road to downtown Crown King was in great shape once we passed Bumble Bee. Later, on the way back, we took the Crown King Cutoff to meet the I-17 at Bloody Basin. It's 7 miles longer, with 4 miles less dirt, and much smoother.

Once out of Crown King, progress was slow. The remaining 5 miles require high clearance, decent tires, and 4WD if it's wet.

It's been 11 years since I first planned this hike, and this was the third time we've done this loop. The last time was 7 years ago.

From the parking area, it's a 2-track road to the beginning (unmarked) of the Lane Mountain Trail. It's a great trail with beautiful views all the way to Sullivan Spring. From here, it gets a bit narrower, but still good until the next easy-to-miss turn.

We need to teach the cows to use and stay on the trail. In the sections they do use, the trail is in nice shape.

The climb out of Copper Basin is always challenging. It always feels steep and hot. When a breeze did kick in, we'd stop for a second to enjoy it.

In 2016, we noticed a mining operation in Humbug Creek. This has expanded into a huge operation with lots of heavy equipment. At the end of the Lane Mountain Trail, we had to hop over some of their equipment to get to the Back Road to Crown King. The guy operating the shovel shut off his machine and asked us where we were going. I pointed down the road and continued past the No Trespassing signs.

While eating lunch, we were passed by a couple of Jeeps. Three miles later, we passed the same Jeeps, as one was high-centered on a boulder trying to get off.

At the Oro Belle mine, the real challenge starts. Can you say catclaw? Thank goodness, in our old age, we've learned to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts. This made this section bearable.

We stopped at the cabin and Savoy Mine to check if the gold water was still there.
[ photo ]
The gold is gone and has been replaced with clear running water. Hmmm?

We completed the climb to the Senator Highway and the 1.7-mile hike back to the car.

Good times with an above-average amount of complaining.

On the way back, I noticed that the Cleator Yacht Club had available parking. We decided to bypass it this time.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Grape

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Praying Mantis

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Castle Rock Rapid Transit Mine Savoy Mine

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Lion Spring	Dripping	Dripping

_____________________

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

Dec 28 2021

Stoic

Routes 297
Photos 6,928
Triplogs 552

49 male

Joined Dec 30 2007
Avondale,Az

Pleasant to Prescott 4x4, AZ

4x4 Trip		Dec 28 2021
		Stoic • Triplogs 552

4x4 Trip	78.62 Miles	12,296 AEG

4x4 Trip	78.62 Miles	14 Hrs	9.83 mph
	12,296 ft AEG

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Senator Highway - Crown King to Prescott

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My buddy and I where looking for a semi-challenging 4x4 trail. With snow forecasted, we decided to start as early as possible. We took Walker Gulch to Crown King then the Old Senator Highway to Prescott.
12:05am- Got off work
12:30 Filled up on fuel and snacks
1:53 Saw, what looked like a stuffed animal, near Lake Pleasnt [ photo ]
2:10 Passed Lake Pleasant
3:50 Started to snow
5:30 Stopped for a 2 hour nap
9:45 Woke up from a 4 hour nap
10:30 Stopped in Crown King
3:30pm Back on pavement in Groom Creek

It was a great way to spend the day. Both trails seamed to have been graded since my last visit. There where no real challenging parts to them. You just had to watch out for ice around the turns.

_____________________

1 archive

Feb 18 2017

Stoic

Routes 297
Photos 6,928
Triplogs 552

49 male

Joined Dec 30 2007
Avondale,Az

Prescott, AZ

4x4 Trip		Feb 18 2017
		Stoic • Triplogs 552

4x4 Trip	15.60 Miles	4,100 AEG

4x4 Trip	15.60 Miles	9 Hrs	1.73 mph
	4,100 ft AEG

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I lead a couple friends up to Crown King in February. The road conditions where much worse than my trip a year ago. The constant rain and all the mud didn't help. A total of 4 trucks broke down and where left on the side of the road.

_____________________

1 archive

Sep 17 2016

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Lane Mountain 233 - Crown King Back Road Loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 17 2016
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	19.10 Miles	4,541 AEG

Hiking	19.10 Miles	10 Hrs 27 Mns		2.13 mph
	4,541 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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The_Eagle

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Bruce added in a little jaunt over Lane Mountain proper right off the bat. The views off Lane get me every time. Looking out through the pines to the ripples of the west valley is Disney perfect.

My 2014-06-28 report of #233 "Good shape" has changed to the first stages of gone by intrusion of vegetation. Like our last 3 loops on Lane we descended first leaving the grunt of the hike for the second half. By the time we reached the bottom it was too toasty for my feathered friend and we were both tired from the bushwhacking.

A new mining operation was interesting to see in action along FR711 between Burro John and Kentucks Grave. Between the equipment and land it must have cost a half million or more to startup. There is no running water so they just dug a hole in the creek until they hit agua about 20 feet down.

I've been thinking about this hike all summer for the peaches near Castle Rock aside an old cabin. Things have changed in the 3 years since our last visit. The locked cabin door is lying on the ground. The two peach trees have almost died along with a little joy in my heart.

The sour notes were weighing down on one of my favorite loops. While I'll likely return it was crystal clear I might be alone on that adventure... lol

A new cabin near Gazelle Mine helped lift the spirits. This Grizzly Adams approved cabin was filled with junk knick knacks, a funny sign, several classic vehicles from the 60-70s and a power shovel.

A long stretch of catclaw up the switchbacks after New Savoy had me on the rare lead. Temps cooled ascending as expected. The 1.7 mile walk on forest roads back to square one was enjoyable. Despite the woes I learned more on the area and enjoyed the hike overall. So without further adieu, who is up for a good 20+ mile day hike in the Southern Bradshaws =)

1 minute 36 seconds
https://youtube.com ... iFCY

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mountain Mahogany

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Striped Oak Apple Gall Wasp

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mica

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sullivan Spring

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
lots of goldenrod and turpentine bush

	Humbug	Dry	Dry
	bah!

	Lion Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	a very tiny puddle, possibly useful in a pinch otherwise fuhgettaboutit

	Tiger Creek	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	there was a small pool but it looked very silty

_____________________

- joe

Sep 17 2016

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Lane Mountain 233 - Crown King Back Road Loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 17 2016
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	19.25 Miles	4,432 AEG

Hiking	19.25 Miles	10 Hrs 25 Mns		2.16 mph
	4,432 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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joebartels

Fourth times a charm?

The Lane Mountain Trail #233 is always on our Radar. The upper reaches provide some excellent views in all directions. We've used this trail as the start of a couple of loop variations. History and Peaches make/made this loop memorable. The history is still there, the peaches.......

We started at a comfortable 61 degrees and climbed to a new area on the western side of Lane Mountain. There's a nice campsite there. 4 x 4 required. Back down and on the Lane Mountain trail. Without a track, you are never finding the beginning of this one. After you are on it, the track is obvious. To the saddle close to the 6600' contour is right up there with with it's views.

After the saddle, this trail is starting to "tighten up". GPS Track, Long Pants, long sleeves, gaiters, loppers, chainsaw recommended. It's a shame.

Where the trail hits Humbug Creek, the area is all ripped up with a brand new mining operation. Someone sunk a lot of money in to it.

Up the Back Road 711 to what we have been calling Peach Mine Ranch. We'd hit this area some years back, for some tasty peaches. A highlight of that trip and one of the main reasons we were on this route today. At the ranch, the door to the building had been kicked in and the place ransacked. What's wrong with people? ](*,)

To make things worse.... the peach trees died.

Gazelle Mine was an area I noticed in the Sat. view. Well worth the short side trip. The log cabin is the largest I've seen in the Bradshaw's. The exterior was in great shape. Once again, the door was kicked in. The inside was a hoarders playground. A sign on the outside of the cabin said everything had been stolen.
There were at least 5 vehicles left behind, as well as a bucket shovel rig. I would love to know the stories behind some of these old properties.

At this point we still has some climbing to do. The temps hit the low 90's and I was feeling it. More Catclaw greeted us on our way past the Rapid Transit and the Savoy Mines. The gold water is still in the Savoy mine.

Up on the Senator, the temps started feeling great again for the walk back to the truck

I have a new loop idea for next year.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Yellow-flowered Devil's Claw

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Castle Rock Lane Spring

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

	Humbug	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Creek flow has been interrupted by recent and current mining operation.

	Lane Spring	Dry	Dry
	Dry

	Lion Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Damp in the area. To get to the source is very thick

	Pipeline Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	scattered pools

Tiger Creek

Dry

_____________________

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

Oct 22 2015

Craigbhikin

Photos 356
Triplogs 44

62 male

Joined Apr 11 2011
Mesa, AZ

Prescott, AZ

4x4 Trip		Oct 22 2015
		Craigbhikin • Triplogs 44

4x4 Trip	15.60 Miles	4,100 AEG

4x4 Trip	15.60 Miles
	4,100 ft AEG

no routes

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A bunch of people that I work with were heading up on this trip, and I was invited along. I was juggling between the Bronco and the Jeep Cherokee, but the Jeep that I just recently bought I took the Bronco. This was a great trip, and I would do it again. We made a day of it stopping from time to time to take in the sights. We made it up to Crown King just before it started to rain. One person in front of me had some troubles on a hill in the loose gravel. For a second I thought he was going into the ditch, but luckily he did not. As I went up this same hill I stayed to the right to stay out of the loose gravel. I did tweak my rear bumper on a rock that I hit, but nothing bad.

_____________________

Craigbehikin

Feb 23 2015

Stoic

Routes 297
Photos 6,928
Triplogs 552

49 male

Joined Dec 30 2007
Avondale,Az

[ checklist ] Automobile Remains/Wreckage Grave - Identified Graveyard HAZ Decal HAZ Rides Hunting Blind Memorial

Prescott, AZ

4x4 Trip		Feb 23 2015
		Stoic • Triplogs 552

4x4 Trip	31.60 Miles	4,100 AEG

4x4 Trip	31.60 Miles	7 Hrs	4.51 mph
	4,100 ft AEG

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I met up with a friend at a QT around 5am. We talked for a bit and headed on our way. At this point, neither one of us checked the weather conditions for our trip. We arrived at the staging area, North of Lake Pleasant around 6am. On the drive to this area, we noticed a few lighting strikes in the general direction of the trip. We now decided to check the weather. 100% chance of rain in Crown King with the high in the high 40s. We decided to proceed with the possibility of having to turn around.

These distances are close to accurate but they are approximate. I didnt take out the walking around the sites, hiking, and some driving obstacles I did twice.
5 Miles: We stopped at a couple abandoned houses. One had a train track inside, another had a pool. There where slabs for RV parking. Someone had put a lot of time in some landscaping of this area.
12 Miles: We past the CK rock.
14 Miles: The rain started. The rain only stopped to let it snow, then of course more rain..

.
18 Miles: We stopped at Burro John. There was an old windmill here.
19 Miles: We stopped at Kentucks Cabin ruins. The topo map has a grave site in the area labeled "Kentucks Grave." We hiked up a small hill and found the grave site. The grave stone had a different name. "William Bell"
20 Miles: Fort Misery ruins.
21 Miles 4x4 flipped over on the side of the road
22 Miles I have it labeled possible Well. There was a cabin here. It was down and across the creek. We just snapped some pics from the road.
22.5 MilesCastle Rock Mine.
23 Miles Gazele mine. I dont think we ever saw the mine, just some ruins on both sides of the road.
24 Miles Mendoza Memorial. This guy owned an OffRoad shop close to my house.
24.5 Miles Oro Bella Mine area. This area has scattered buildings, water tanks, rock walls and a damn. A lot to see here.
25 Miles We have hail, and some sleet!!
26 Miles From here you can see the Tunnel and Tiger mines. I had originally planned to hike to some of these spots. I will have to save this for another trip.
27 Miles We stopped and hiked to the Bradshaw City Cemetery. We welcomed the snow.
28 Miles We drove to the Bradshaw City sign, and took a pic. I would like to explore this area on a future trip.
31 Miles Crown King. We stopped and had lunch.
On the way out of Crown King, we did get to see an awesome rainbow.
Over all this was a great trip. Im glad I always have extra socks and clothes in the truck. We where soaked!! I will be back to do this trip again. There is still a full days worth of hiking and stuff I want to see along this road.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bradshaw City Cemetery Bradshaw Mountains Burro John Castle Rock Kentuck Cabin Kentucks Grave Misery Spring Oro Belle Mine

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Rainbow Snow

_____________________

3 archives

Mar 29 2014

Randal_Schulhauser

Guides 71
Routes 98
Photos 9,967
Triplogs 1,009

65 male

Joined May 14 2003
Ahwatukee, AZ

Road to Crown King, AZ

Hiking		Mar 29 2014
		Randal_Schulhauser • Triplogs 1,009

Hiking	8.36 Miles	510 AEG

Hiking	8.36 Miles	8 Hrs	1.05 mph
	510 ft AEG

no routes

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Crown King Rd to Bumble Bee on BCT

Muldoon Gulch & Swastika / Peck Mines

Senator Highway - Crown King to Prescott

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Road to Crown King with Drew and Janice - March 2014
FitBit totals = 8.36 miles, 510 AEG (51 floors)

Road to Crown King map

https://www.crownkingaz.com/directions/
Impossible Railway history - Mayer to Crown King (Bradshaw Mountain Railroad)

https://www.crownkinghistoricalsociety.org and https://www.azoffroad.net/bradshaw-moun ... 4541828919

Senator Highway - Crown King to Prescott

https://www.experience-az.com/adventure ... orhwy.html
For Google Map, get directions for Crown King AZ to Bradshaw City AZ to Groom Creek AZ to Prescott AZ. Result is 39.0 miles, 2 hours 27 minute drive time.

HAZ description (Backroad to Crown King)

[ Crown King - Back Road ]
HAZ description (Old Senator Highway)

[ Senator Highway - Crown King to Prescott ]

My cousin Drew and his wife Janice came to visit Arizona from their home in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada. They spent the first part of the week at the Orchards Inn (check out

https://orchardsinn.com ) before staying a few nights at our Ahwatukee home. I booked off Friday to to take them on the Apache Trail Circle Route and offered up a Saturday trek to Crown King plus a possible continuance to Prescott via the Old Senator Highway (time permitting).

Bumblebee ghost town

https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/bumblebee.html
HAZ description

[ Crown King Rd to Bumble Bee on BCT ]

First planned stop was the Bumblebee General Store where I can recall viewing gold nuggets, gold dust, and other prospecting-for-gold paraphernalia. The General Store appears abandoned (or has become a little used residence). The Bumblebee Ranch seems to be the hub of local commerce

https://bumblebeeranch.com/aboutus.html

Our supposed set back in Bumblebee was soon muted by an obliging gopher snake that I could see crossing the Road to Crown King. We stopped for the photo op. A Jeep and ATV stopped to see what all the fuss was about. When I said "gopher snake", they said they just saw a "Gila Monster" back around the corner by the wash. Guess a gopher snake was uninteresting to them as they left in a cloud of dust. We doubled back to see if we could find a Gila Monster. After poking up and down the wash for what seemed to be half an hour, we gave up the hunt (for now)...

Cleator ghost town

https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/cleator.html

Stopped at the Cleator Bar for a beverage and chat with the locals and those just passing through. It was Jimmy's birthday and friends were gathering to celebrate and make some music with their "jam-band". Crock pot was slow cooking some rattlesnake chilli - Drew even posed with the snakeskin and rattle from the donating reptile. With our stomachs offering hints it was time to dip into that picnic lunch, we left colourful Cleator and looked for a suitable spot to set up lunch.

Muldoon Gulch & Swastika/Peck Mines

https://www.apcrp.org/ALEXANDRA/Peck_Vi ... 012311.htm
HAZ description

[ Muldoon Gulch & Swastika / Peck Mines ]

We set up our tailgate lunch near a gurgling stream - Muldoon Gulch. After lunch we boulder hop our way upstream climbing over a series of small waterfalls and crystal clear pools. Plenty of wildlife encounters with small frogs and garter snakes. Walked a little ways up FR89 towards Swastika Mine and Peck Mine ruins.

Eventually we packed up my F-150 and headed into the bustling community of Crown King. We felt out of place driving a pick-up truck that branded us as "out of towners". All the locals (or veteran visitors) arrived in ATV's. Checked out the local saloon sampling the local beverage from a mason jar.

With time approaching 4pm, we decided that traversing the Senator Highway in the dark wasn't our best option so we retraced our route back to Cleator, Bumblebee, and Black Canyon City.

Got home at sundown to once again sample a couple of choice wines and a couple of racks of pork ribs from the BBQ while watching UA getting bounced from the Elite 8 and the Yotes squandering another 3rd period lead...
Sent from my iPad

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black-necked Garter Snake Canyon Tree Frog Sonoran Gopher Snake

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Castle Creek Wilderness

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

Sep 28 2013

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Lane Mtn - Crown King Backroad Loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 28 2013
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	18.16 Miles	4,449 AEG

Hiking	18.16 Miles	9 Hrs 24 Mns		2.40 mph
	4,449 ft AEG	1 Hour 50 Mns Break	16 LBS Pack

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[ checklist ] Copper Basin Copper Creek Spring Lake Pleasant New Savoy Mine

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HAZ - Event

joebartels

Tough_Boots

A 4:30 meet at the Park and Ride and 1:30 later we started the day with clear skies and 38 degree temps. We made the turn on to Lane Mountain trail and were shortly greeted to the views that make this hike for me. Looking south, 18 miles to Lake Pleasant; 44 miles out U of P Stadium; 60 miles out, The Sierra Estrellas.

At the Sullivan Spring area there was a new addition to the trail. A 4' tall 2-1/2 diameter tank in the middle of the trail, with 2" poly pipe coming into and leaving. The pipe leaving ran on, across, through the trail, run haphazardly all the way down to the Copper Creek Spring area some 4.3 miles (22,700' away). The cheapest I saw this pipe for was $1.09 per foot. This appears to have been installed hastily. But really how can you install 22k feet of 2" pipe in areas few travel, quickly.

We visited one of the Ranch Mine areas for a lunch break and enjoyed the small peaches from a single tree by the building.

On the way back up the hill we checked out some of the remaining mines including the Oro Bell area and New Savoy Mine area. (The water was still gold).

The Bar was filled up in Crown King, so Joe decided not to stop in and visit his buddies.

On the way home, Joe taught 3 kids a lesson while the rear passengers soiled themselves.

Met Larry and Mike for the first time, and got to hike w/ Kyle again. Joe was able to turn Larry and Kyle against me.. (Larry Really.... us old dudes need to stick together). Mike was a trouper and did not succumb to the JB BS.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bat Mule Deer Striped Oak Apple Gall Wasp

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Automobile Remains/Wreckage Water Well

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

	Copper Creek Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Clear running water located slightly downstream of Topo location

Horsethief Lake

76-100% full

	Humbug	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Dry at lower elevations, some pooling up above.

	Lane Spring	Dry	Dry
	No obvoious moisture

	Lion Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	A small wet pool was noted

Tiger Creek

Dry

_____________________

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

Oct 10 2012

louie

Routes 4
Photos 134
Triplogs 19

54 male

Joined Jan 07 2004
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

4x4 Trip		Oct 10 2012
		louie • Triplogs 19

4x4 Trip	15.60 Miles	4,100 AEG

4x4 Trip	15.60 Miles
	4,100 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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Just did this drive two weeks ago. The road is in fairly good shape, but would not attempt this with a stock 4x4 as added ground clearance is imperative as is a shorter will base to keep yourself from getting high centered. Found Kentucks' grave and there are some old homesteads along the route worth checking out. Humbug creek also had a small flow which made for a nice creek-side environment to get out of the car and stretch the legs.

If you take the Oro-Belle route to Senator HWY and want to head to crown king be sure to go right when you hit Senator HWY. For some reason my garmim wanted me to go left and take some sort of circuitous route to get to town, but just go right and you will be in town within a few minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Tiger Creek

Light flow

_____________________

Not all who wander are lost...

Aug 30 2012

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Silver Creek Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 30 2012
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	19.20 Miles	4,396 AEG

Hiking	19.20 Miles	11 Hrs 10 Mns		2.29 mph
	4,396 ft AEG	2 Hrs 46 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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Minni Trail #9238

[ checklist ] Button Mine Castle Rock Gazelle Mine Humbug Creek New Savoy Mine Pacific Mine Silver Creek Silver Mountain Tiger Creek

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JuanJaimeiii

Pam started some smack talk that jj dethroned the crown jewel of torture with a wanna be soiled shirt. Little did I know at the time I'd put that to rest on the next jj hike. If only I was smart enough to wear pants :lol:

Bruce threw together a great loop in the southern Bradshaw range last weekend. I thought I could come close. After hours of map planning I sent jj my masterpiece. He bought it! Unfortunately...lol

Word from the jeepers was that the road to the Jurassic cottonwoods in Humbug was a 2wd / stock clearance type of road. Which it is if you are a non scared-e-cow driver. What should be added is it's rougher than what you'll find after the cottonwoods. After all the horror stories I've heard about the "Back Road to Crown King" me thinks some of these are those that think Tortilla TH is 4wd and WWC Cash Tank is 4wd too. Muddy agreed, dry no.

The hike started off good with a jaw dropping view down in Pacific Mine. Next up was an interesting building in a setting that rivals Reavis. Took a wrong turn and found a section marker? for Patrick. Back on route found a new outhouse and shower in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps for a hunter with too much play money?

Silver Creek looked "doable" on satellite, there's a dashed "9210" line on topo and off we went. Oh boy can I pick 'em. The next mile got worse with each step. At one point I thought jj was going to fire me, then realized I don't work for him. Finally we busted out on an old 4wd road to Chilean Mill. It hasn't seen nary an atv in eons. It sure was a relief from bushwhacking.

Next up was Minni Trail #9238. I had my concerns since google returned no results. I told jj if there wasn't a sign and/or it didn't look good this loop just wasn't happening. Well there is a sign depicting hiking, horseback and bike travel. It looked fair so I held my breath and up we went.

Minni quickly petered out to a ribbon hunt, to forget it. My sausage shins were too tender for any more abuse. JJ certainly had enough. It was pretty friggen hot too. So back we went to take 192 east for a shortened loop. Despite being a road it was a decent stretch passing a couple ravines with stunning Lake Pleasant views.

Back on the Back Road to Crown King jj wanted to sample some gold water at New Savoy Mine so we headed up. Albeit tired at this point I was excited to check out a mine with hard hats Bruce and I passed up due to rain. I should have known. Pretty much anything I suggested was doomed. At least here it wasn't painful, just nothing to see.

New Savoy Mine was a warm hike up but it all worked out. The gold sheen water Bruce saw has an interesting characteristic. Standing over or past it isn't yellow. The mine goes back some distance. I didn't have a head lamp, nor do those things intrigue me much so it was a quick visit.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Grape Colorado Four O'Clock

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Light

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- joe

Aug 30 2012

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Silver Creek Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 30 2012
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	20.10 Miles	4,496 AEG

Hiking	20.10 Miles	11 Hrs 10 Mns	2.39 mph
	4,496 ft AEG	2 Hrs 46 Mns Break

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Minni Trail #9238

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joebartels

H-E-DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS H-I-K-E! Actually it wasn't that bad except for the bushwhack part. Did I mention I don't like catclaw, Live Oak, Manzanita or anything that closely resembles any of that in the path of my travel.

If you took that part out of the hike I would say it was a great day and a really cool adventure. Old mines, and especially old cabins are super fun to check out and explore. This hike that Joe put together had no shortage of that. The drive in and the drive out was fun as well.

I'm trying to figure out how the back of my shirt got as dirty as the front? Even behind my pack was pure black. I just finished taking a 20 minute shower and when I got done and dried off the towel got dirty from all the dirt that was still on me.

Looking back it was a great day overall.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Grape

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Teva

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mine Shaft Mining Equipment Wooden Dwelling

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Button Mine

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

May 16 2012

Twalker

Triplogs 1

42 male

Joined Dec 06 2006
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

4x4 Trip		May 16 2012
		Twalker • Triplogs 1

4x4 Trip	15.60 Miles	4,100 AEG

4x4 Trip	15.60 Miles
	4,100 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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no linked trail guides

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Made the trip in a hummer H3. While the trail is not hard in most spots for a H3, lower profile vehicle should avoid this trip. There was only one obstacle that was very difficult and unavoidable. It was a step that is about 2 maybe 2 1/2 feet tall with a canyon wall on one side and a large cliff on the other. This road is constantly changing with erosion and traffic. Its a fun and somewhat challenging trip with the reward of crown king at the top!

_____________________

Grabbing trails by the boot straps!

Aug 19 2006

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

male

Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ