Oaks and Willows Trail #3 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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	joebartels	LindaAnn
	The_Eagle

When Bruce asks you if you want to hike, just say yes. You can work out the details later. Life insurance and a will are minimum requirements. The drive to the trailhead was long. The Subaru would have caught air a few times but the weight of four passages kept the tires on the road. The start of the hike was warm but after a few miles some clouds moved in and it was pleasant for a while. The hike up the mesa was an even grade and we made good time on the first ten miles. We stopped for lunch and before continuing up. The trail was still good and if you turn back at eleven miles the hike back would be easy. The trail on the mesa was there until it wasn't. We followed the fence line, cairns and the cliff line. The pine and juniper trees are a nice touch. Not much fauna along the way but there were some squirrels. The group moved along pretty well keeping insults to a maximum and whining to a minimum.
I wasn't in shape for a twenty mile hike but strangely felt good the entire way. The warm hiking in the sun wasn't awful but I should have brought another quart/liter of hydration. It was nice get on the trail with Bruce, Joe and Linda to see what I was missing. You know what curiosity did to the cat.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

3 archives

Aug 29 2024

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Juniper Mesa Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 29 2024
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	21.77 Miles	2,768 AEG

Hiking	21.77 Miles	8 Hrs 59 Mns		2.80 mph
	2,768 ft AEG	1 Hour 12 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

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	joebartels	LindaAnn
	wallyfrack

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It'd been 9 years since the last time I was up in this area. I hadn't hiked out of the Juniper Springs TH before. I drew up some options for the motley crew, and once we were all in agreement with what we were going to hike, we were off like a herd of @tortise_Hiker s (Side note: Denny was in until he learned the proper use of decimal points).

Old Military Trail #1
We opted for the CCW loop, taking us around the back of the Mesa and gently climbing 1900' in 11ish miles. The first 4 miles were less than cool, in full sunlight and no breeze. Once in the junipers and then the pines, it actually was quite comfortable. We checked out the skeleton of an old wagon and some other artifacts. The Pine Springs area had troughs full of water and what appeared to be a covered well.

Oaks and Willows Trail #3
At the end of FR#7, we started the Trail. The wilderness actually started a bit after the large wilderness sign. We climbed through the oaks and conifers, desperately searching for the namesake willows. None were seen on this hike. After 11 miles before noon, we opted for lunch next to the trail. The last bit to the rim from here was the steepest we'd encountered so far on the day.

Juniper Mesa Trail #20
Making the turn onto the Juniper Mesa Trail, we were rewarded with some flat-ish ground for a while. The trail was in decent shape until we passed the intersection with the Bull Spring Trail. After that, the trail could use some maintenance. Thin trail and downed trees kept us searching for the track. All well worth the views a short distance off the trail from the top of the mesa rim. We could see the storms around us that we would have enjoyed getting a bit closer to. It seemed the cloud cover was never above but was all around us.

Juniper Springs Trail #2
We took a break at Juniper Spring, and I went down to check it out. Dry as a bone. We continued downhill, which actually was uphill for 1/2 mile. At this point, we had some nice storms to the east and to the north, and we benefited from the outflow breezes from them. There were a few really nice sections of trail here with sporadic pockets of the only catclaw encountered on the day.

Good times with a fun group of hikers. If this area were not so far away, I'd be up here more often.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pine Springs

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

Juniper Spring

Dry

	Pine Springs	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Not sure of the flow, but the 2 troughs were full

Windshield Tank

Dry

_____________________

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

Aug 29 2024

LindaAnn

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Juniper Mesa Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 29 2024
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	21.06 Miles	2,784 AEG

Hiking	21.06 Miles	8 Hrs 59 Mns	2.61 mph
	2,784 ft AEG	55 Mns Break

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	joebartels	The_Eagle
	wallyfrack

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At one point earlier this week, it was claimed this hike would have a high around 80 degrees at the top. Another claimed it would be low-key miles. I fell for it. So did Wally.

Bruce piloted the Subaru at record dirt road speeds and got us to the trailhead before 0830. Warmish, and not a cloud in the sky. I tried to keep my crying to a minimum. The first few miles on Old Military trail, once we got unlost, were easy but dull. We seemed to hike every direction EXCEPT towards Juniper Mesa.

Scenery improved as we finally turned west and gradually climbed uphill. Occasional shade from scattered clouds lifted the spirits. Easy hiking, and as the vegetation greened up and the trees got taller, it was quite pleasant. Oaks and Willows trail had plenty of oak trees, but no willows. Miles 4 thru 10.5 were the best section of the hike, and we made great time. We heard a few distant rumbles of thunder while eating lunch, but nothing of concern.

After lunch, the trail got steeper and rockier. We topped out at the turn onto Juniper Mesa trail. Easy hiking at first, occasional nice views, but not as pretty as the previous miles. The trail was vague at times, but the fenceline kept us going in the right direction. Some of the roller coaster as we headed east was a drag. The trail gradually deteriorated. Plenty of fallen trees to detour around. At times, the trail followed near the edge of the mesa, affording some dramatic views. I liked the geology of the mesa—all limestone—and spotted some fossils along the way. A leisurely day exploring the rocks up there would probably yield some rewarding finds.

Descending off the mesa was tedious. Steep, loose, rocky trail, with catclaw in places. Hot. Storms lingered to the east of us, but provided no relief. Took another break in the shade at the top of Juniper Springs. Divided up my remaining water with Joe, it was unfiltered tap water, but nobody was going to turn it down at that point. Some louder rumbles of thunder during the final 3.5 miles, more of a breeze, but no rain to cool things down. As soon as we arrived at the car, there was one loud clap of thunder, and the rain started. Temps dropped from 82 to 60 within minutes. Could have used that a couple of hours prior.

All new territory for me today, which was nice. Fun day, with good company. Thank you, Bruce, for driving.

	Pine Springs	Dripping	Dripping
	Seemed like there were two Pine Springs in this area. This one was right next to the road. There was a well and a large trough. The trough was full, but was rather murky. I guess it would keep you alive if you were really thirsty.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

Aug 29 2024

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
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Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Juniper Mesa Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 29 2024
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	21.56 Miles	2,764 AEG

Hiking	21.56 Miles	8 Hrs 58 Mns	2.67 mph
	2,764 ft AEG	53 Mns Break

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	LindaAnn	The_Eagle
	wallyfrack

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The character of the drive up along Williamson Valley intrigues me. One ranch yard pasture featured a grazing zebra. A go-home California bumper sticker resonated a local vibe. Bruce squashed 2 woodchucks on the drive-in. Kidding on the last but he almost nailed several low-flying birds on more than one occasion.

Bruce threw out a few options. Linda and I picked this trail-throughout option. I was excited to go for an easier 20+ mile hike after a hiatus.

Starting we wrapped around the back side on Old Military Trail #1, it was blah pinions scrub for a mile or so. #7 featured large healthy pines, a few oaks, and one old wagon frame.

The original agreed-upon hike wavered heavily to a horrible off-trail nightmare until after 7.5 mi. It was unspokenly agreed upon that if I shut up we would do the 21-miler, yeah right whatever let's go. We rolled off 10 easy miles at 3.1 mph, which is typically out of my range.

The ascent up Oaks and Willows Trail #3 to the mesa was gradual and mostly shaded... depending on who you asked. We enjoyed lunch just before the steep finale to the top.

All seemed to enjoy the first few miles over on Juniper Mesa Trail #20. There are limited areas that get near the edge so you need to go off-trail just a little to pick up expected/desired views.

After ~3 miles the trail fades away in areas but you're always near the fence line and cairns help. The west end is a roller coaster sans shade and brought out the best in all of us... Lol

Juniper Springs Trail #2 is steep and loose for good stretches but bridges the gap. Distant sweeping views are abundant so it holds a 3 of 5 rating for myself.

Synopsis
This wilderness and the drive to it won't fit for most but I think it's a worthy option on occasion. My shoulder seemed fine after a July 26th fall. Yesterday, I almost canceled after getting a 1-inch callus crack on my right foot. Duct tapped, it was fine. With 7 miles to go, intense hammie cramps surfaced. Took more electrolytes than usual and they never returned. Used all 4 quarts I brought and Linda shared near the end. It was great to see everybody!

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pine Springs

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

- joe

Apr 16 2022

GrangerGuy

Guides 34
Routes 138
Photos 931
Triplogs 111

68 male

Joined Dec 26 2018
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Apr 16 2022
		GrangerGuy • Triplogs 111

Hiking	12.30 Miles	2,350 AEG

Hiking	12.30 Miles	8 Hrs 30 Mns		2.14 mph
	2,350 ft AEG	2 Hrs 45 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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[ checklist ] Ashen milkvetch Astragalus Common Dandelion Mexican Vervain Oregon - grape Pointleaf Manzanita Utah Juniper Wholeleaf Indian paintbrush

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I visited Juniper Mesa Wilderness on the back end of a visit to the nearby Apache Creek Wilderness. Juniper Mesa is much more accessible than Apache Creek, with drivable roads almost up to the wilderness boundary. I planned a loop starting from the Oaks and Willows George Wood Canyon trailhead, up Bull Springs Trail #100, a short jaunt on Juniper Mesa Trail #20 back to Trail #3, then north on #3 to the trailhead, and then back all the way on Oaks and Willows Trail #3 to my car. I planned to make water reports on Bull Springs, Pine Springs, and see what was up with a huge catchment just off Trail #3 at the wilderness boundary.

Bull Springs Trail #100. The climb up to Bull Springs was pretty in the early morning light. Found a few flowers. Photographed a few landscapes. Someone had done some recent maintenance; a volunteer crew is my guess based on the log entry at the trailhead. Thanks so much! My planning for this trip went a little awry when I got to the vicinity of Bull Springs. The topo map, and the “HAZ Area Water” show Bull Springs well inside the actual large eastern switchback of the trail. I mucked around there way too long, bushwhacking into that area to try to find the spring. I plan these hikes in great detail, but I missed two important details about the location of the spring. First, there are two waypoints on HAZ for the location of the spring. One on the official route and one in the “HAZ Area Water”. I did not take with me the one on the official route. Second, the trail on the topo map is very different from the official route, and it is clearly conceptual, sketched in by a hurried geographer, I think, and the location of Bull Springs on the map suffered from the same error. I might have found the spring if I just looked on the other side of the trail once. So, sadly, no meaningful water report, just a warning. The climb down from Juniper Mesa to Bull Springs has been the subject of many complaints, regarding rocks and steepness. All true. The climb up really is no problem.

Juniper Mesa Trail #20. I only hiked a short distance west along Trail #20, just to Trail #3. At one point, as the wind whistled over my head, I realized I was just a few feet from the ridgeline, and If I went up there, I might get some views. Indeed, there are some great views in this section out over the valley.

Oaks and Willows Trail #3. I turned right at the intersection, and began heading steeply down along an ancient road, along an unmaintained fence. In a short distance, the road turned left and began to follow a sweet, relaxing ravine. My mission was to visit the Pine Spring at the trailhead, but clearly the point of this trail was the journey along this ravine. It is beautiful with stands of Ponderosa Pine leaning over the trail, grasslands, and lovely smells. This was by far the most beautiful hike of my week. I checked out the troughs at the spring. Both were full and a small trickle overflowed from the lower one. I could not divine how the upper tank filled, but it must be through the muck at the bottom. I pulled the “animal escape ramp” out of the muck and put it back where it would do some good.

Having had some lunch, I headed the 5.5 miles back along Trail #3 to my car at the other end. Once up on the mesa, the landscape is flat in all directions. It would be great dry camping. Then the trail heads over the south side of the mesa and down getting progressively steeper and rockier. I think it is no better than the top section of Trail #100 in the steepness and rockiness department, so pick your poison going down from the mesa. I visited the catchment just outside the wilderness boundary. It is a huge installation, but the water collected goes into a 2” pipe and disappears underground. I can only surmise it supports water use lower down at the O RO Ranch, west of the trail.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pine Springs

Wildflowers Observation Light
I photographed a few flowers, but it is not overwhelming. Astragalus, verbena/vervain, wholeleaf paint brush, dandelion, and creeping oregon grape.

	Bull Spring	Dry	Dry
	Actually, the spring might not be dry, but it is not at the coordinates indicated in the top of the water report, nor at the coordinates shown on the USGS map. It MIGHT be at the coordinates shown with a waypoint on the official route, N34.94603 W-112.92937, but I did not have that point with me. There is nothing but dense brush at N34.94724 W-112.93046. Perhaps someone could verify.

	Pine Springs	Dripping	Dripping
	Both stock tanks full. The lower one was dripping a little.

1 archive

Apr 08 2022

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,485
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,375

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Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Jennifer Juniper, AZ

Hiking		Apr 08 2022
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,375

Hiking	10.89 Miles	1,958 AEG

Hiking	10.89 Miles
	1,958 ft AEG

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Connell Mountains 6412 - Prescott NF

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Jennifer Juniper lives upon the hill
Jennifer Juniper, sitting very still
Is she sleeping? I don't think so
Is she breathing? Yes, very low

With apologies to the Hurdy Gurdy Man, I decided to hike up to Juniper Mesa and bag the Juniper Mountains highpoint. On the way back to the VOS, I made a detour to also hit the Connell Mountains highpoint.

Juniper Mountains HP
The Jumper Mountains are about 45 miles NW of Prescott. They are partly on the O RO Ranch(more on that in a minute) and partly in the Prescott National Forest and the Juniper Mountains Wilderness. The range highpoint is on Juniper Mesa. There are actually two competing highpoints: one at a spot elevation of 7,081 feet(just off of Juniper Mesa Trail #20) and the other at an unmarked elevation about 1,000 feet from the junction of the of Juniper Mesa Trail and the Bull Spring Trail. My GPS indicated that the unmarked elevation was at about 7,095 feet, so I'll call it the highpoint. Other hikers and peakbaggers have drawn the same conclusion as to which of the competing highpoints is the highest.

I started the hike to Juniper Mesa at the Oaks and Willows TH and did a CW loop, with sidetrips to the 2 competing highpoints. I made the climb up to the mesa, and it was an enjoyable hike walking on top of the mesa, although views were limited since I was mostly in the middle of the mesa.

After the hike I drove a little less than 1/2 mile down the road to where it ends at the locked gate at the eastern end of the mysterious, secretive, and reclusive O RO Ranch. The O RO ranch property was established in 1856 as the Luis Maria Baca Float #5 Spanish Land Grant. The ranch today encompasses 257,000 acres. It is a working ranch -- cattle are branded "O RO" and the horses "RO". There are no power lines or telephone poles on the ranch. Visitors are not allowed for any reason. Nobody legally goes there unless they have official business. Armed horseback riders regularly patrol the ranch property. I have read that the property has never been surveyed as part of the United States Public Lands Survey System; I looked at a map and this appears to be the case. Most, if not all, of the perimeter of the ranch is fenced. Then there is the black helicopter stuff: https://www.unknowncountry.com/insight/ ... ry-signal/

I thought it unwise to go into the property to do some exploring. However, I did stick my arm across the fence so I could say that I have been in the O RO ranch!

Connell Mountains HP
On the way back to the VOS I drove about 22 miles on dirt roads to the base of the Connell Mountains highpoint. There was nothing elegant about this hike: just bust uphill through trees, brush, and grass to the highpoint, and then turn around and go back. There were lanes through most of the brush, so bushwhacking was minimal. Views at the summit were really nice!

Synopsis
These 2 hikes won't make the Hiking Hall of Fame, but am glad that I did them. The hike to Juniper Mesa was a nice one -- I enjoyed hiking on the mesa even if the views were limited. The Connell Mountains HP gets good marks for the view at the summit.

Distance and elevation gain for the 2 hikes is below. Stats above are the sum of the two.

Juniper Mesa: 9.45 miles with 1,411 feet of elevation gain
Connell Mountains HP: 1.44 miles with 547 feet of elevation gain

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Alligator Juniper

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Airway Beacon

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Brushy Mountain Camp Wood Mountain Connell Mountains Hyde Creek Mountain Juniper Mesa Juniper Mesa Wilderness Little Granite Mountain Martin Mountain Mount Hope O RO Ranch Sheridan Mountain Towers Mountain Two Rock Mountain Weaver Peak

Wildflowers Observation None
There were hardly any wildflowers to be seen, but it is a bit early yet for wildflowers in this area.

_____________________

Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

1 archive

Sep 19 2020

rayhuston

Guides 1
Routes 447
Photos 4,407
Triplogs 938

68 male

Joined Mar 09 2012
Gilbert, AZ

Oaks and Willows - Juniper Mesa - Bull Spring, AZ

Hiking		Sep 19 2020
		rayhuston • Triplogs 938

Hiking	14.90 Miles	2,267 AEG

Hiking	14.90 Miles	7 Hrs 26 Mns	2.26 mph
	2,267 ft AEG	51 Mns Break

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joebartels

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Up early to head north so that we could get an early start on the trail. This is my first time hiking in the Juniper Mesa Wilderness north of Prescott. Once clear of Prescott, the drive to the trailhead was very enjoyable. Beautiful scenery that keeps getting better the closer you get to Juniper Mesa. A long stretch of dirt road, but it's good road where you can maintain good speed during most of that stretch.

We started out heading north on the Oaks and Willow trail. The first third of a mile or so to the junction with the Bull Spring trail is very nice, with a moderate grade under a canopy of oak, pine and juniper. Joe pointed out some of the varieties of trees in the area, including white oak, which I don't recall seeing before, as well as the different forms of the abundant junipers on this aptly named mesa. I didn't see any willow trees anywhere along this trail.

Once at the junction with the Bull Spring trail, the grade steepens and the nice trail we were on gives way to softball sized rocks. Watch your step. After a quarter mile, the grade levels out again as you traverse through an open meadow with nice views of the mesa to your east. 3/4 of a mile later, the grade steepens again as you ascend to the top of the mesa. This section was also rocky, but not as bad as the first steep section. Just steeper.

The trail levels out at the 2 mile mark and then it's smooth sailing. Joe and I were having a lively conversation about cars and mechanics and walked right past our junction with the Juniper Mesa trail. We both had the volume too low on RS and missed the call out along with the "off trail" warnings until we had hiked 0.2 miles down a connector trail with a forest road down below. Back up we went until we saw the signed junction, which we also missed, with the Juniper Mesa trail. Back to smooth sailing.

The Juniper Mesa trail is mostly flat with a few dips along the way. The trail doesn't see much use, so it's faint in spots. Cairns along the way keep you from straying. More boots on the ground would help. While very dry up there right now, the dirt underfoot was soft, as though it had rained recently. Must be something in the soil composition that keeps it soft.

The trail parallels a barbed wire fence most of the way. Not much in the way of views, but I was happy to be in a forest in relatively cool temps. When you come to what appears to be a gate in the fence, take a walk south over to the ridge for some great views. This was the highlight of the hike for me. If I were to hike this trail again, I would probably turn back here.

We hiked another 1.5 miles before stopping for lunch. The track we followed during that stretch was iffy in a couple of sections. The obvious trail took us away from the track a couple of times. We backtracked once to attempt to find and follow the pinned track, but it looked like a bushwhack ahead. We followed a path of least resistance until we found the trail again. The second time this happened, we chose to stay on the obvious trail, which took us north around a hill while the route we were following suggested a southerly track. We didn't see a route south so we stayed on the obvious trail this time.

We stopped for lunch a little later than we should have. We were both famished. We took our time, cooled our feet and enjoyed the break. We had another mile and a half to go on the route we chose, but I did some math and figured we would be driving home in the dark and probably wouldn't get home until very late. I suggested that this might be a good spot to turn back. Thankfully Joe agreed

.

We headed back at a good pace, taking the obvious trails on our return. If you use this Juniper Mesa Trail #20 track I'm posting, I recommend you take our return route. When we reached the three trail junction, we turned south on Bull Spring Trail #100. The first tenth of a mile on this trail is steep and loose with the softball sized rocks again, but it offers expansive views to the south. After that the grade softens and the trail improves the farther along you go. At one point I mentioned that we might be looking at a soft landing, but then the trail down steepened once again. At one point the trail began to climb again. Nothing steep but I hate ascending when you're trending down.

When we reached the junction with trail #3, my feet were happy again. We had the nice stretch of easy trail under a canopy of trees I mentioned earlier. This time it truly was a soft landing! Back at the trailhead, we saw a few vehicles heading north on the road. Just before the trailhead on the way in, we passed a sign that says "Gate Closed Ahead. Turn around at the trailhead." None of these vehicles turned around. Joe surmised that there must be something going on back there and dubbed it the "Gate Closed Bar," open only to the locals

It was a long day from start to finish, but thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks for picking this one, Joe. Good times!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Alligator Juniper Cliff-Rose One-seed Juniper

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Juniper Mesa

_____________________

2 archives

Sep 19 2020

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Oaks and Willows - Juniper Mesa - Bull Spring, AZ

Hiking		Sep 19 2020
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	15.06 Miles	2,327 AEG

Hiking	15.06 Miles	7 Hrs 26 Mns		2.28 mph
	2,327 ft AEG	50 Mns Break	18 LBS Pack

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rayhuston

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The scenery on the drive in still intrigues. The hard-packed road continues to be well maintained for quick travel in any vehicle.

Oaks and Willows Trail #3
Small ankle buster rocks will have the Y-Bar-Haters ranting. A half-mile up, it's wide open, no shade, and dotted with Junipers. Occasional cairns grace the route, in case you can't find the obvious trail. Pretty blue skies to the Northwest brought an ounce of joy to the wildfire-pandemic world. Ray noted several bear scat piles in the first mile and figured they feast on the abundant juniper berries when ripe. Google confirmed black bears do indeed consume juniper berries, learned something new!

1.25 miles up, the big daddy pines put cozy back in play. The refreshing morning weather included hints of cool. Several log pole waterbars still flaunt the green sealant. For your safety, I checked the FS Maintenance Manual. All seemed kosher and to spec. Logs used for waterbars need to be peeled (or treated with preservative), extended at least 12 inches into the bank, staked or anchored, and mostly buried. ✓

Juniper Mesa Trail #20
Unexpectedly stumbled upon the origin of Autumn. The trail is a smidgin faint in areas. Not a single downed tree to negotiate all day. Views off the rim are several miles in, but you can sneak a peak with little effort at a few points. 7.35-miles into our hike we had route finding issues. In hindsight probably more waited-too-long for a break... lol

Bull Spring Trail #100
Heading down the Bull Spring Trail is an eye-opener. It's steep and loaded with ankle buster grapefruit-size rocks galore. They thinned out after a tenth of a mile down. A half-mile down, it gets better. It transitions from rocky, to a slide, to a decent steep trail, to relaxing moderate. Ray said it best... Bull Spring Trail comes in for a soft landing!

Synopsis
Today I enjoyed ascending Oaks and Willows Trail. The most anticipated Juniper Mesa Trail was okay heading out. After a break and returning with the occasional cloud cover, it was better. Descending Bull Spring brought back more memories of the trail and the best continuous distant views.

If you're looking for a short hike, the first quarter-mile up #3 packs a get-outta-phoenix forest rejuvenation. In the slim chance in hell I review old notes, consider an eastern loop with the other trails.

Great hike, every time.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Glorious Scarab Beetle

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
between light and moderate, unexpectedly moderate if in a few thickets

_____________________

- joe

May 21 2016

Hansenaz

Guides 4
Routes 205
Photos 9,282
Triplogs 526

72 male

Joined Apr 06 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Juniper Fort, AZ

Hiking		May 21 2016
		Hansenaz • Triplogs 526

Hiking	5.00 Miles	1,000 AEG

Hiking	5.00 Miles	3 Hrs 15 Mns	1.54 mph
	1,000 ft AEG

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I planned to visit two hilltop forts I could see in satellite pictures. Unfortunately, when I got near the start (about half way between Prescott and Seligman) I found out I'd forgotten my GPS.

I knew enough about one of them that I figured I could wing it, so I found the trailhead and started up the Oaks and Willow Trail. Nice walking on a cool windy day and when I got to the edge of Juniper Mesa I left the trail and started through the trees and bushes. It wasn't too thick and my sense of direction was good enough to get me to the ridge I needed to follow to it's end.

The ridge itself was pleasant with a lot of sharp but walkable limestone and I did find the fort, as expected, right at the end: a good overlook location. The walls are thick but not too high. I didn't see any other artifacts there (pottery, glyphs etc.) but that's typical for these forts/outlooks which weren't used for habitation.

I bushwacked back to the car with a short road walk.

The other fort was a no go....too many hilltops for me to be sure which was the right one. Looking at the map now I think my top two guesses (I briefly considered taking a chance on) were wrong. Oh well, I may go back another time...

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Juniper Mesa Mount Hope O RO Ranch

_____________________

Jun 06 2015

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

The Juniper Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 06 2015
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	23.73 Miles	3,325 AEG

Hiking	23.73 Miles	10 Hrs 16 Mns	2.56 mph
	3,325 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

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	Dave1	joebartels
	The_Eagle

First time on Juniper Mesa...good hiking crew to explore this area. Joe and Bruce put the loop together with some route finding and off trail sections but not too bad without trail. Typical juniper country with some Ponderosa's mixed in. Highlight was definitely the rim off the south and southeast side of Juniper Mesa. We didn't see anyone all day just some cows, elk, and what we think was javalina. Definitely more to explore out in this seemingly little used area.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Happy Camp Tank

_____________________

Jun 06 2015

Dave1

Routes 29
Photos 1,548
Triplogs 1,802

49 male

Joined Jan 25 2009
Phoenix, AZ

Juniper - Happy Camp - Miltary Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 06 2015
		Dave1 • Triplogs 1,802

Hiking	23.83 Miles	3,283 AEG

Hiking	23.83 Miles	10 Hrs 17 Mns	2.61 mph
	3,283 ft AEG	1 Hour 10 Mns Break

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	BiFrost	joebartels
	The_Eagle

Started out as a pretty nice hike. Turned into a slog as we search for the military trail and the temps rose. Spotted a javelina along the way and some massive mountain lion scat. The ride home sucked as a rabbit decided to commit suicide by 4Runner and I was the driver. These guys seemed to get some kind of sick enjoyment out of it though. I felt pooey for the rest of the day. Williamson is a pretty nice area. If I was rich :-k

... Thanks for driving, Karl.

DD still rockin: https://youtube.com ... 9c7M

_____________________

1 archive

Jun 06 2015

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Juniper - Happy Camp - Miltary Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 06 2015
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	23.83 Miles	3,283 AEG

Hiking	23.83 Miles	10 Hrs 17 Mns		2.61 mph
	3,283 ft AEG	1 Hour 10 Mns Break	16 LBS Pack

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	BiFrost	Dave1
	joebartels

Out to the Juniper Mesa Wilderness again to check out some new areas.

We attacked this in a CCW direction this time.

Bull Spring #100 is in great shape. This trail's views get better the higher you climb. Juniper Mesa #20 yields some spectacular views if you make your way out to the edge. I really want to complete the eastern portion of this trail, over to Juniper Spring. This is really the jewel of this hike.

Joe took us down the off trail portion instead of up like we did last time. Much easier in this direction meeting up with Trail #9124.

Next we planned to hit the Old Military Trail #1 about in the middle and hike it North to it's northern terminus at Happy Camp. This trail's been on my "To Do" list for awhile now. We were unable to find where the trail anywhere near where the Topo maps show it off of FR7. After heading in the general direction of Happy Camp, we stumbled across the trail, fairly well worn, cairned and blazed. I need to get back there and see how far off the TOPO trace it is from the actual trail going to the south.

At the Happy Camp area, we ate out lunch and relaxed for a bit. We had a bit of a road walk to hit our next "Trail" Happy Camp Trail #9853 I'm sure is there, but with recent and current bovine activity, there's trails everywhere. We pretty much stuck to the Topo trace on the map to get us back.

Oaks and Willows Trail #3 was a bit steep and loose dropping off the ridge, but leveled out to a nice grade and became tree covered further on down.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Windmill

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Deer Tank Happy Camp Tank Happy Camp Well

	Deer Tank	1-25% full	1-25% full
	plenty of cows around this muddy mess.

	Happy Camp Tank	1-25% full	1-25% full
	Two tanks, both with water. Plenty of animal activity would keep me from filtering here unless absolutely needed.

	Happy Camp Well	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Metal trough appeared full.

Pine Flat Tank

Dry

_____________________

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

Jun 06 2015

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

The Juniper Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 06 2015
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	23.73 Miles	3,325 AEG

Hiking	23.73 Miles	10 Hrs 16 Mns		2.56 mph
	3,325 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	14 LBS Pack

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	BiFrost	Dave1
	The_Eagle

Bull Spring Trail #100
Looked recently maintained two years ago. Still has that same high pro glow now. A decent trail with nice trees and views.

Juniper Mesa Trail #20
Highlight of the wilderness. Majestic ponderosas with occasional rim view options. Jump the fence a time or two for the good life. This isn't a well maintained trail for princesses out strolling for knights.

Trail #9124 - Prescott NF
Bruce and I have hit this road/trail twice with his southern off-trail canyon option. This time we accessed descending which made it fairly easy. Off-trail was gentle brushy, only one scratch wearing shorts.

Old Military Trail #1
We hiked 50%. The west end. Trouble finding it for 0.8mi from FS7. In review I can make out a bit more but not all on satellite. Hope to do the eastern end someday to complete the trail. Mainly junipers with some nice alligator junipers on occasion. Little shade on trail, available often for breaks. Typical bone dry juniper land feeling.

Missed the last western mile of #1 I had drawn up from FS Topo. The missed segment is an old 4wd road, it can be traced.

Trail #9853 - Prescott NF
Kinna like rolling the dice in wheat germ. Trail barely exists. Cairns on occasion. Pasture... moo

Oaks and Willows Trail #3
Descended this time. A bit steep in the upper end. Several of us slid a time or two catching ourselves without falling.

27 sec video

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Alligator Juniper

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Happy Camp Tank

Wildflowers Observation None
nothing stood out

_____________________

- joe

Jan 11 2014

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

O&W3-Juniper20-Bull100 Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jan 11 2014
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	6.46 Miles	1,938 AEG

Hiking	6.46 Miles	4 Hrs 1 Min	2.60 mph
	1,938 ft AEG	1 Hour 32 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Bull Spring Granite Mountain Juniper Mesa Juniper Mesa Wilderness Mingus Mountain

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Jonnybackpack

Fulfilling my duties as a paid adventure guide for Team Buford™, this weekend's assignment was to gather juniper cones for use in an upcoming Black IPA at the brewery. These trips are always miserable. I never know why I agree to them. :roll:

We found a spectacular spot to set up camp, about 200 feet above the valley floor. That was key since it kept the overnight low temperature to only 31, about 10 degrees warmer than anticipated. Bonus!

With Geoffrey and Aimee along for the adventure, I decided on a 6.5 mile loop up George Wood Canyon, across a short section of the mesa and back down to the TH via the Bull Spring trail. This was ideal at this time of year, with temperatures in the 50s. I'd like to see it when the oaks have leaves, and possibly even in the fall if the timing is right. But summer might be too much here, even with shade. Except for the traverse across the mesa, both the ascent and descent are on south-facing slopes, and while there is some shade, there is also plenty of sun, and I would imagine that summer would be quite hot if you didn't get out very early in the day.

We took our time, stopping on several occasions to harvest some juniper, and once encountering 15-20 hounds on a lion hunt with a couple of horsemen. We heard them barking hours later, but never did hear the expected rifle shot, so who knows if they were successful in their hunt. AZGFD indicates that they issue more lion tags here than anywhere else in the state, and the hunters report a very high success rate.

Despite her obviously tender meat, relative lack of quickness, and the fact we let her wander away from camp, Daisy returned home with us totally undevoured. So that was a plus. I will definitely return to this part of the state!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Juniper

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Signs and Markings

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

	Bull Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	The pipe was only dripping, but a large spring box was full of cold, clear water.

	George Wood Canyon	Dry	Dry
	No flow in the canyon in January. It's been a dry winter though with just patches of snow above 6800 feet.

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

May 25 2013

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Oak Willow-Juniper Mesa-Bull Spring Loop, AZ

Hiking		May 25 2013
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	16.37 Miles	2,775 AEG

Hiking	16.37 Miles	8 Hrs 32 Mns		2.37 mph
	2,775 ft AEG	1 Hour 38 Mns Break	16 LBS Pack

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joebartels

This area just happened to be on both of our lists. Based on past "Less than Gleaming" triplogs and the 2-1/2 hour drive, it just kept getting pushed.

Joe mentioned he wanted to do it, so I threw together a couple of options.

It's always a good time when you get to see new areas of AZ. The last 24 miles of the drive to this hike was on a dirt road. This was more like a dirt highway, smooth and wide. So any vehicle will make it to this Trailhead.

Driving in we saw what appeared to be a Golden Eagle feeding on a dead Fox....

We parked at the well groomed George Wood Canyon TH and started our trek.

Oaks and Willow #3 - A pleasant hike up, next to, and across George Wood Canyon. The trail was in great shape with signs of some usage. We expected this to be mainly exposed, but there was tree cover a-plenty, Oaks galore (No Willows were seen). Good views as you gained elevation. Oaks ans Willows #3 on the north end stops at the Wilderness border and the Pine TH.

We used FS Road #7 for 2 miles to get to the next portion of our loop, Tr#9124. Along this portion of the hike, not paying attention to where I was walking because I was intently focused on something poignant Joe was verbalizing, I came close to stepping on an Arizona Black Rattlesnake. Joe tried to warn me, but was unable to speak before I started doing special little dance while chanting something that sounded Aboriginal.

Trail #9124 heads due south off FS Road #7. We passed what appeared to be an abandoned camp with a couple of quads. This trail is an old 2 track forest road, until it reaches the Wilderness boundary. From this point it's not a single track until it ends aprox 1.8 miles from FS road #7. We bushwhacked up the raviine and hill until we intersected the next portion of our loop.

Juniper Mesa Trail #20 - The views were worth the trip. There were numerous outcroppings that you were able to crawl out on to take in the sprawling views. I'd really like to see the remainder of the 2 miles of the trail to the East.

Bull Springs Trail #100 - One steep loose bugger up top, turning into a recently rerouted smooth trail all the way back to the beginning. You get some sweet views of the Mesa from down below on this trail.

Clockwise is the correct way to hike this loop. Good times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40cFml_ATuI

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Black Rattlesnake

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bull Spring Pine Springs

	Bull Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Tank was full of filterable water

	Pine Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	There are 2 Pine springs indicated on the TOPO .25-.5 miles apart. Both are just off the Forest Road. - This is the NE of the two. There is a large trough filled with Filterablr water.

	Pine Springs	Dripping	Dripping
	There are 2 Pine springs indicated on the TOPO .25-.5 miles apart. Both are just off the Forest Road. - This is the SE of the two. There is a 4' square rock water box with a metal cover, aprox 20' deep. Stagnant water that I would not touch at the bottom. No water was noticed but area was damp. Walk to the other Pine Spring

_____________________

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

May 25 2013

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Oak Willow-Juniper Mesa-Bull Spring Loop, AZ

Hiking		May 25 2013
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	16.37 Miles	2,587 AEG

Hiking	16.37 Miles	8 Hrs 34 Mns		1.91 mph
	2,587 ft AEG		12 LBS Pack

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The_Eagle

I have been interested in this area for over a decade. Inspired enough that I found an old map I threw together back when I was practically a kid. HAZ legend Abe shares a nice trio of descriptions for the area. I have read all many times.

Due to my ankle Bruce agreed to a reasonable "Hansenaz" approved size loop. I wrote to him

this isn't super exciting but it's been on my wish list for a decade (and very in-season)

My expectations were rock bottom. I was expecting pleasant temps with a lot of junipers and low chaparral.

The drive to the trailhead was interesting in itself. I knew the only thing that keeps Prescott from being a suburb to Phx is the Bradshaw range. I didn't realize it went halfway to Nevada. So this is where all the Californians have decided to call their new home...lol Moderately nice homes dot hill after hill further than most probably imagine.

Oaks and Willows Trail #3
The trailhead greeted us with some nice fancy trees. I assured Bruce this wouldn't last. Boy was I wrong. While it isn't a desert fairytale hike under a tree canopy there are trees galore. Only a handful of the pines are huge with the red bark. George Wood Canyon is probably the sweet spot for most.

#3 drops down into Pine Creek via what may be an old road through thick medium sized pines. There is an abundance of oaks throughout. Many of which grow in those circle boquete patches with the outer ones arching out. I'm not gonna call the guy that named the trail a liar but we didn't find the willows referred to in the name. I imagine it was near one of the springs. Since they all seem to be piped and contained these days the ol' willows are probably long gone.

Further down Bruce was babbling his head off as usual. I looked over and saw another hiker next to him. My mind processed real quick that it was a rattlesnake. In a funny twist I couldn't verbalise it correctly to Bruce. Which led to him getting extra close followed by the funniest rising kachina dance I've ever seen.

Trail #9124 - Prescott NF
This trail may see a hunter every other year at most but it worked out well for our reasonable sized loop. When it ended we followed a route Bruce created. We got semi lucky as there is a hint of a game trail. We lunched at 10.7mi into our loop at the 6,650 ft contour. The rim was only 400 feet away but we needed to eat and thoughts of lack of shade sealed the deal.

After a pleasant lunch Bruce aborted the ravine and picked a clearer route.

Juniper Mesa Trail #20
We stumbled into #20 and were immediately taken by the rim views. We proceeded west and up for 5-10 minutes then checked out multiple outcroppings. Albeit windy as heck we agreed this was one of the finer parts of this hike.

The western end of #20 was a little more of what I expected. Yet the junipers were more exciting being 4 seed alligator vs 2 seed Utah or 1 seed I'd envisioned.

Bull Spring Trail #100
This one heads STRAIGHT down like a screaming 2 year old. Luckily it eases up quick. After Bull Spring it rides a bench west then contours some ravines before it meets up with #3.

Synopsis
#20 & #3 are most enjoyable. Just not enough for me to slap on a 4 of 5 rating. #100 is best traveled down if you despise sweating profusely. Trailhead registers suggests very few enter the area. I think it's a local hush. Our average high temp for the day was around 75. Typically breezy it felt nice. When the breeze died and the shade let up it felt like the hottest 75 on earth...lol There are better hikes closer to valley but this was nice enough for me. I think it would make an excellent backpack if you are into that type of torture.

Thanks to Bruce for getting up several official routes for the area, driving and reminding me how to claim food by licking it!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Black Rattlesnake

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bull Spring Pine Springs

	Bull Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Half full trough, I didn't see any flow.

_____________________

- joe

Sep 23 2011

Lthornton

Routes 16
Photos 53
Triplogs 6

61 male

Joined Sep 21 2011
kingman, az

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Sep 23 2011
		Lthornton • Triplogs 6

Hiking	11.05 Miles	1,987 AEG

Hiking	11.05 Miles	6 Hrs 13 Mns		2.12 mph
	1,987 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	10 LBS Pack

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Decided to Hike this trail because it was featured in the latest issue of the Arizona Magazine.

The directions were confusing to get here because only the Forest Service Road numbers were used, yet there were no (I was unable to see any) FS Signs. Also, We came in from the Seligman to the North and the directions were from the South. The directions said to go North 38 miles yet the turn off was at the 36 mile marker.

So, to clarify the directions, from the South, drive out Williamson Valley Road. At milepost 35 you will pass a ranch on the right hand side. Right after the ranch you will pass over a creek bed on an old railroad trestle style bridge. Once you cross the bridge there will be a sign for a left turn onto Walnut Creek Road. This is also known as Yavapai County Road #125.

A little down the road you will pass the Walnut Creek Center, Keep going. Shortly after that you will see a sign saying Locked gate 7 Miles ahead. This is your destination! When you arrive at the trailhead there is a parking lot with pull-thru parking.

From here you will start off on the Oaks & Willows #3 Trail. Intersecting with this trail is the Bull Springs Trail, the Happy Camp Trail #9853 and the Pine Springs Trail.

The trail starts out in a nice wooded area and follows along for a couple hundred yards until it turns left, crosses a wash and you suddenly enter high desert with grasses, prickly pear cactus and juniper trees. Not much shade until the 1 mile mark. At about 1 mile you will enter the Juniper Mesa Wilderness and follow a nice trail through the woods for about 1/2 mile. At 1/2 mile into the wilderness you will start the switchbacks that are very steep and rocky. Careful for your knees and ankles.

Climb up and up and up for the next 1/2 mile to the top of the Mesa. Along the top of the Mesa is a nice gentle walk for about 1 1/2 miles. You will pass junction for the the Happy Camp Trail #20 (takes off to the left) and shortly after you will come to the Juniper Mesa #20 trailhead (takes off to the right) At this point the trail begins a steady but gentle descent for about 700 feet. follow the trail to the end and you will come to the end of the trail where the trail meets FS Road #7. Total distance to this point is 5.5 miles. Round trip is 11 miles.

Note: I didn't have a map and later found out that if at the top of the hill had we taken Juniper Mesa Trail #20 it would have intersected with Bull Springs Trail #100 which takes you back to near the beginning of the trail.

All in all it was nice to get a hike in, but this trail was so rocky, that it made it hard to travel at a decent pace. Also hard on the knees, ankles and feet. My opinion this is a fair trail, no spectacular views or scenery. Not a lot of shade.

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

Oct 17 2008

TwoWeims

Routes 35
Photos 136
Triplogs 70

61 male

Joined Aug 28 2008
Prescott, AZ

Oaks and Willows - Bull Spring Loop, AZ

Hiking		Oct 17 2008
		TwoWeims • Triplogs 70

Hiking	6.50 Miles

Hiking	6.50 Miles	5 Hrs 44 Mns	1.13 mph

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This hike was actually two of the hikes on the 2008 Prescott hiking spree. The views are spectacular and you won't see another soul. The portion from trail 20 down to Bull Spring is quite treacherous. No tennis shoes or flip-flops on this one!

Autumn Foliage Observation Light

_____________________

May 28 2008

baggieboy

Routes 1
Photos 15
Triplogs 1

75 male

Joined Jul 27 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		May 28 2008
		baggieboy • Triplogs 1

Hiking	8.00 Miles	1,000 AEG

Hiking	8.00 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	1.45 mph
	1,000 ft AEG

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Oaks and Willows Trail #3 to Juniper Mesa Trail #20.
Wed. 5/28/08
Camped Tuesday (after Hyde Mt.) & Wed. night at trail head.
Hike started at 9:55am, with 1 hr lunch, turnaround at 1:20pm; at car at 3:30pm.
After sign-in box, follow a very faint old 4WD road about 1/4 mile to a
series of stop erosion steps. Up the steps a way you will cross a new path
that is under construction. To the west this leads to a new campground that
is staked out on the west side of N. Fork of Walnut Creek. It also goes east.
A little further you will pass an old sign post, with the signs gone. At 30 min in
you hit the Juniper Mesa Wilderness Sign. At 2.8m (1hr, 40min) you hit a sign for
Happy Camp; FR 9853; leading North, the trail looks faint. At 3.15m you hit the junction
of Trail 3 and Trail 20. Here we followed Trail 20 for .6m to the overlook and ate lunch
on the top, watching hawks fly below us on the up drafts. We continued looking for a
peak marker on the topo, but the trail turned slightly away from the bluff, so we turned around at
a marker at 3.95m.
We hiked with 2 dogs and still managed to see 4 deer and some rabbits on the mesa.

_____________________

2 archives

Jul 05 2003

Abe

Guides 17
Photos 296
Triplogs 59

66 male

Joined Jun 09 2002
Prescott, AZ