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Butte Creek Trail - City of Prescott - 4 members in 7 triplogs have rated this an average 2.5 ( 1 to 5 best )
7 triplogs
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Sep 14 2024
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 Guides 3
 Routes 161
 Photos 477
 Triplogs 147

70 male
 Joined Jan 02 2016
 Prescott, AZ
Past Thumb Butte, AZ 
Past Thumb Butte, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Sep 14 2024
Whiffer • Triplogs 147
Hiking7.37 Miles 1,131 AEG
Hiking7.37 Miles   3 Hrs   17 Mns   2.30 mph
1,131 ft AEG      5 Mns Break
 
no photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Thumb Butte Bypass Trail #326
Butte Connection Trail #323
Butte Creek Trail #321 - Prescott NF
Butte Creek Trail - City of Prescott
Partners none no partners
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
Starting from parking lot for Thumb Butte, take Thumb Butte Bypass #326 to Butte Connection Trail #323 to Butte Creek Trail #321 to the National Forest boundary and beyond on the City of Prescott's Butte Creek Trail which is 1.25 miles from Butte Connection Trail #323, not 1/4 miles, as indicated on the sign. On this hike I turned around before reaching the end of the City of Prescott's Butte Creek Trail, due to the increasingly steep decline of Butte Creek Trails on the way eastward and a decision to not hike back up all of the City of Prescott's Butte Creek Trail.
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Aug 30 2021
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 Guides 69
 Routes 37
 Photos 3,010
 Triplogs 2,387

55 male
 Joined Oct 24 2010
 Phoenix,Az
Butte Creek Trail - City of PrescottPrescott, AZ
Butte Creek Trail - City of Prescott
Prescott, AZ
Hiking avatar Aug 30 2021
mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387
Hiking5.00 Miles 345 AEG
Hiking5.00 Miles   1 Hour   35 Mns   3.16 mph
345 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Belated post. Since I had driven up to Prescott for the day I wanted to make the most of it by getting a second hike in. After Wolverton I wanted something short and sweet. This sounded like it would fit the build…..not necessarily the case. The problem is how this trail is designated and how it interacts with its “brother” across the Prescott National Forest Boundary. Butte Creek Trail 321 is the same trail and has the same designation on both sides of the Prescott city/PNF boundary which I found to be quite confusing since they are designated as different trails by both HAZ and the Prescott National Forest website. I was expecting to hit the boundary and come to the end of the Butte Creek trail 321 and the start of a new trail. Not the case, 321 just continued on. To compound the issue the mileage on the trail sign at the boundary was inaccurate/confusing for how much further 321 continued on into the PNF. Not what I was expecting for my short, sweet hike.

Got to the TH around 10am. Parked along the shoulder of Sherwood St. The street is wide (and I don’t think this is a destination hiking spot) so I don’t think parking is ever a problem. Today I had the trail to myself. The trail starts off in Strickland Park, but doesn’t stay there for long. It crosses Butte Creek via a metal bridge, passes a fenced archeological site just north of the trail and then crosses a road into a gated, high-end community all within a few hundred yards. For the next mile the trail interacts lovingly with nature, million dollar homes and green fairways…..Kum Ba Yah. Not quite. There are numerous “No Trespassing” signs posted by owners who were/are probably very annoyed by a trail that weaves through their backyard close enough where I could phone conversations as I walked by. Also there were a couple of warning signs to be on the lookout for hapless golfers and wayward golf balls. Not your typical views you expect to see while hiking, even on a city trail. That being said it was a unique hike.

The trail actually does a remarkable job of negotiating homes, golf courses and nature. It plays with Butte creek occasionally as it passes between homes and along side fairways. While within the city limits it crosses Butte Creek 2 more times, once via a wooden bridge and the other by stone hopping. Very doable at its current level. (Though the size of the bridges and how they are anchored, makes me think that the flow level can change dramatically depending on weather events). The trail rises steadily, at times a bit more aggressively than I would have anticipated. For a brief stretch the trail drops into a narrow valley where you can - for a short time - feel that you are not surrounded by homes. Fleeting feeling. Immediately after that, you literally have to walk along the edge of the golf course to pick up the trail on the other side. The views are very limited early on…..unless you are a home architect. This trail is for you. The homes are amazing! As you climb though the views do begin to open up. Looking past the homes, Thumb Butte is visible as well as the surrounding hills/mountains that draw nearer as you continue to climb along the trail. The trail leaves its last mansion behind and shortly comes to the fenced boundary separating Prescott City from PNF. This officially where the city version of trail 321 ends. However, the PNF version of 321 continues on. There is a trail sign posted stating that 321 continues on for .25 miles. Someone has “updated” the sign by etching a 1 in front of the .25 (reading 1.25). I continued along PNF 321, climbing gradually and crossing what I think is a tributary to Butte Creek until I reached a juncture with another trail. Since my new Garmin had cut out on me ](*,) I am unable to verify the mileage to this juncture. However, 321 continued west past this juncture. I decided to make this juncture my turn around point. I had wanted a short “throw in hike” and instead gotten a trail that seemed to have no ending. When I got back home I checked out the PNF site. It states that 321 is only 1.5 miles in length. If that is the case, the trail could not have continued much further past this junction before ending. Sounds like a return visit is in order. Overall an OK hike. Definitely different from the norm. Also a little frustrating…it’s on me for not doing research and not having a clear understanding on how this trail is divided up.
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Dec 17 2015
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 Routes 4
 Photos 33
 Triplogs 11

42 male
 Joined Aug 04 2012
 Prescott, AZ
Butte Creek Trail - City of PrescottPrescott, AZ
Butte Creek Trail - City of Prescott
Prescott, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 17 2015
gregrev • Triplogs 11
Hiking2.60 Miles 345 AEG
Hiking2.60 Miles
345 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
This is my almost daily run. Very cool terrain with a pretty steep and rocky start from the park through the golf course. You will eventually hit trail 321 which will take you to the Thumb Butte trail system and the Prescott Circle Trail.
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May 23 2014
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 Guides 116
 Routes 337
 Photos 11,399
 Triplogs 894

63 male
 Joined Dec 20 2010
 Sunnyslope, PHX
Thumb Butte Trail #33Prescott, AZ
Thumb Butte Trail #33
Prescott, AZ
Hiking avatar May 23 2014
kingsnake • Triplogs 894
Hiking9.20 Miles 1,570 AEG
Hiking9.20 Miles   3 Hrs   26 Mns   2.68 mph
1,570 ft AEG
 
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Butte Creek Trail - City of Prescott
Thumb Butte Bypass Trail #326
Thumb Butte South Area Loop
Butte Creek Trail #321 - Prescott NF
Partners partners
Prescottstyle
There's like five Thumb Butte hike descriptions on Haz, most of which describe various connector trails. Despite that, there are even more trails -- numbered and otherwise -- out there than are listed here. I am not entirely sure what numbers we were on. Even after I post my route, it won't reveal numbers as MyTopo is mostly dashed line free.

Anyway, prescottstyle and I started off from somewhere west of the Prescott Shopping Center on Gurley St. We took a trail past several holes of the abadoned Troon golf course. And prescottstyle -- who knows an amazing amount of Prescott gossip -- filled me on who owned it, how they went broke, etc. He also knows plane models, minerals, trees, animals. Blows my mind! :)

So, we wandered up to Thumb Butte itself, but the summit is closed until July 15 due to peregrine falcon nesting. (Which, if I was Hindu, would be what I would choose to reincarenate as.) No big deal, great views of the Prescott area were had, including several peaks I plan on hiking this summer: Tritle, Maverick, Union, Davis, etc. We may even do Little and big Granite, as the anniversary of that fire is only about three weeks away. Lots of beetle damage could be seen west of town.

Prescottsyle had some beer which he shared, and at 6.0% I could actually feel the effect for about 10 minutes. :?

First four miles flew by, which is rare, and we eventually ended up finishing exactly at noon. AEG was barely noticeable.

Lots of cars heading north on 17, and *lots* of cops along 69 and 17 as well. Just on the south bound lanes, I saw five DPS between Cordes Junction and Deer Valley Rd. Guess they are getting an early start on this weekend's quota of drunks ...

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Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/1OLO6DjSCy ... autoplay=1
 Flora
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[ checklist ]  Granite Mountain  Little Granite Mountain  Thumb Butte
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
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http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored.
 
Mar 16 2013
avatar

 Guides 1
 Photos 79
 Triplogs 10

57 male
 Joined Jul 24 2010
 Prescott Valley,
Butte Creek Trail - City of PrescottPrescott, AZ
Butte Creek Trail - City of Prescott
Prescott, AZ
Hiking avatar Mar 16 2013
ZCore13 • Triplogs 10
Hiking2.60 Miles 345 AEG
Hiking2.60 Miles
345 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Pretty easy hike. Not exactly sure if I ended at the PNF boundry or not. I hiked to a triple waterfall. Waterfall was flowing nicely and creek had a few inches of flowing water all the way. To get to the waterfalls there was some boulder climbing and a couple of times where you will have to get a good hand and foot hold to pull yourself up a small drop off.

All in all a relaxing hike to start the season.
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Oct 26 2008
avatar

 Guides 16
 Routes 11
 Photos 1,006
 Triplogs 410

39 male
 Joined Mar 22 2006
 Phoenix, AZ
Butte Creek Trail - City of PrescottPrescott, AZ
Butte Creek Trail - City of Prescott
Prescott, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 26 2008
JoelHazelton • Triplogs 410
Hiking2.60 Miles 345 AEG
Hiking2.60 Miles
345 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Leg stretcher with mom, sister and girlfriend before heading home from Prescott on Sunday. My parents have a townhouse about a block away from the trailhead so it's an easy walk down Thumb Butte Rd to get there. Quite interesting to wind through the residential areas and golf course. There was some stagnant water in the creek at spots. Not many people playing golf. Passed another pair of hikers near the beginning of the trail.

Apparently a bad frost earlier in October ruined the chances of good fall colors in the lower elevations near Prescott. Last year around this time all the trees lining Big Bug Creek along highway 69 were brilliant. This is not the case in 2008.
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
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"Arizona is the land of contrast... You can go from Minnesota to California in a matter of minutes, then have Mexican food that night." -Jack Dykinga

http://www.joelhazelton.com
 
Sep 05 2008
avatar

 Routes 35
 Photos 136
 Triplogs 70

61 male
 Joined Aug 28 2008
 Prescott, AZ
Butte Creek Trail - City of PrescottPrescott, AZ
Butte Creek Trail - City of Prescott
Prescott, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 05 2008
TwoWeims • Triplogs 70
Hiking2.60 Miles 345 AEG
Hiking2.60 Miles   2 Hrs      1.30 mph
345 ft AEG
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
We tried to get all the way to thumb butte but ran out of time and had to turn back at the PNF boundary.
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average hiking speed 2.09 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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