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| | | General Crook Trail V6-V16, AZ | | | |
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General Crook Trail V6-V16, AZ
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| Hiking | 11.99 Miles |
2,895 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.99 Miles | 5 Hrs 10 Mns | | 2.32 mph |
| 2,895 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | The climb from the campground to Sawlog Tank is 3,000 ft. in ten miles. After a flat first mile, the slope is pretty consistent, varying from 250-400 ft./mile. Not a lot, but steady. Enough overall, I split the segment over two weeks.
Week 1: Starting at AZ-260, I hiked through Clear Creek CG to the end of the dir road. I had a moment of confusion with the web of trails in the creek basin. I found a knee-deep way across the creek, picking up the first cairn atop the 10 ft. bank. The trail follows the old wagon road up a bluff, onto the mesa. Post V7 was just 100 ft. from the highway.
The trail follows the north side of the highway east for the next two miles, to post V9. (Oddly painted on its side, rather than its top.) Sometimes obviously singletrack, sometimes old graded road bed, the trail is never more than 250 ft. from the highway. If in doubt, stay closer to the fence. I was trying to follow the chevrons and cairns.
Just past the 3-mile mark, the old road bed crosses a cattle grate to the highway. Instead, split left through the wire loop gate to stay on the trail. The canyon to your left (north) is Black Mountain Canyon.
I may have wandered off course a bit past mileage post V9, where the trail is as much as 250 yds. from AZ-260, out of sight, on the north side of the spur it’s been ascending. At least part of the time, I was on another wagon road. Maybe not the Boy Scout route, but perhaps the original trail? In any case, at 5½ miles I arrived at FR 9243C, completing my day, having barely noticed the elevation gain.
Week 2: The trail starts off following FR 9243C, but splits right onto singletrack after 100 yds. Initially, I missed the turn. If you look on satellite view, you can see old road bed paralleling and crisscrossing the highway. I continued following the various trail markers. One cairn had a broken, unpainted, wood post — which may have been V12, as it was about three miles from V9, and cairns are otherwise not posted.
The trail climbs 100 ft. towards the butte, then dips towards the highway. That's where I crossed the mesh fence, squeezing between the top barbed strand and the mesh. As I was checking out V13, my shuttle driving wife drove up. Since she only enjoys my adventures via video, this was an easy one to show her in person.
The trail climbs 100 ft. out of the gully, to the base of the butte’s cliff. It’s not sketchy, but mind your footing along the cliff. The trail changes to graded roadbed. Not sure if it is is Crook’s original trail, or a Model T-era dirt successor built prior to AZ-260. 
The next mile and a half of road is the steepest part of this segment. But at least it is smooth sailing. Nice flower coverage too. Tons of cliff rose!
The road continued upwards, but at a mellower angle, past Sawlog Tank #2, the General Crook Trail turnoff, and Sawlog Tank #1 to my waiting wife at the intersection of FR 9243D and the highway.
Rumble: https://rumble.com/v4s4ffc-hiking-gener ... 6-v16.html
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/940478508 |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
X21: desert evening primrose, tufted evening primose, Gordon’s bladderpod, cerulen rickie, desert chicory, lesser yellowthroat gilia, winding mariposa lily, blue mustard, Lindley’s false silverpuff, owl clover, suncup, desert paintbrush, redstem stork’s bill, cliff rose, distant phacelia, desert globemallow, strawberry hedgehog, cliff fendlerbush, Gooding’s verbena, whitestem blazing star and ... *deep breath* ... ashen milkvetch. |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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