|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 14.66 Miles |
3,491 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.66 Miles | 8 Hrs 32 Mns | | 1.88 mph |
| 3,491 ft AEG | 43 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | We had other plans in the Camp Verde area that fell though, and this ended up as the backup plan almost by default since I happened to have the route downloaded and we were nearby. I'd read almost nothing about the trail, but it was my first time in the Cedar Bench Wilderness, so it would be a new area.
We parked just off FR 574, though the road was good enough that driving a few more tenths of a mile to the east Chasm Creek Trailhead would've been fine. The trail drops down to the creek quickly and passes some interesting narrows with a series of pools before starting a long, steady climb on a trail that had Y-Bar vibes with the rocky tread. I went in without any expectations, but I was surprised that the first few miles of trail were well-cairned and that it was hardly overgrown given the apparent lack of traffic, with one triplog from 8 years ago the only one since the first triplogs from Joe & The Eagle 11+ years ago.
We started to encounter a few patches of snow around 5,500' before the route topped out a little over 5,700', then the route became a little tougher to follow as it gradually lost elevation. We had to push through brush in a few places to get back on the trail, but the final stretch near Horner Mountain followed a 4x4 road that was easy to follow.
The Horner Cabin ruins looked a lot more like native ruins than a cabin. There was no foundation or any sign of modern building of any kind, just stacked rocks, so if that was modern, I wasn't sure what I was looking at. The topo map just says "Ruins", but that's a strange place for a native structure. I continued a little farther to the west trailhead to check that out before I turned around. Very little to see there--just a few posts with missing signs. If I'd had more time, I might've gone up to the top of Horner Mountain.
On the hike out, I went up to Table Mountain since it wasn't far off the trail. Generally, table-shaped mountains don't offer great views, and this was no exception  . With lots of trees and a flat top, views were limited, and I didn't see anything interesting up there. Expectations were low, though, since the "peak" is at least 600 feet lower than the high point on the trail.
I caught up to TboneKathy and we finished off the hike with a lot of downhill. The best views of the day were looking north toward Sedona and the snowy San Francisco Peaks, so that was a nice backdrop for most most of the return trip. This wasn't a trail I'd normally choose as a plan A, but it was a pleasant day with nice scenery and plenty of solitude--we didn't see anyone all day, just a pair of deer. On the drive home, we had the full weekend I-17 experience and got caught in a long delay because of an accident near Black Canyon City...1-for-1 so far this year on I-17. |
  |
Horner Cabin Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| | | Didn't see any obvious water at the source, but there's a metal basin ~0.1-mile east of the spring that's fed from a black pipe (presumably from the spring). The basin was overflowing with a steady trickle from the pipe. | | | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
