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| Hiking | 8.09 Miles |
214 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.09 Miles | 2 Hrs 31 Mns | | 3.21 mph |
| 214 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | The punishment for violating a forest closure is a Class B misdemeanor which carries a $5,000 fine and up to six months in Federal Pound Me in the  Prison. In my younger days, I was a guard. I like going home at night and eating baloney that is not rainbow-colored. 
Because Prescott Valley is a metastasizing suburb of metastasizing Prescott, it is gradually encroaching even upon Iron King Trail: The first mile is now a sidewalk, and only three trailish miles remain. I started hiking at 7:15 a.m. from the traffic circle at Santa Fe Loop Rd. and Jasper Pkwy., which is actually “no parking”. (I jumped out, and my wife drove off.) 
A popular trailhead is catty corner from the Granville Dog Park, on the northeast corner of Granville Fairway and Santa Fe Loop Rd. I saw a bunch of non-construction vehicles there, but it does not strike me as the sort of place that will remain legal once the community is built out. If you don’t mind cement walking, park back at Santa Fe Station Park on the southwest corner of Santa Fe Loop Rd. and Glassford Hill Rd.
It was only 65℉ when I started hiking, but quite humid due to Prescott Valley getting a ½” of rain the day before. It was a toasty 87℉ when I finished only three hours later. 
The first half mile of actual rail trail (as opposed to sidewalk), is adjacent to hundreds of houses in various stages of construction. The next half mile, to the first rail car, is site preparation for even more construction. That first mile west of the Jasper Pkwy. traffic circle is where all the flowers are located.
I'd heard that the rail cars marked every mile of Iron King Trail, but that is no longer quite the case: Yes, there are rail cars at milepost 2 and 3, but none at milepost 1 by the traffic circle, and there is a third one at milepost 3.4 (perhaps moved from milepst 1?). It looks like the rail cars were used to move maybe a half dozen people, or pull light loads between stations. The one I looked at closely had a 12 volt battery and what appeared to be a truck engine. 
The first 2¾ miles from Santa Fe Station Park, or 1¾ from the Jasper Pkwy. traffic circle, are totally exposed. No shade. It is only when the Iron King Trail begins entering the Granite Dells its final 1¼ miles that there is occasional spot shade. Conversely, the last hour of your hike will be in the blazing sun.
The Iron King Trail ends at the old Entro siding on the Peavine Trail. (Of which nothing remains.) There’s a portapotty, a picnic table and several historical signs — which I took time to read as I was for once far ahead of schedule.
“No trespassing” signed barbwire fences parallel both sides of the Iron King Trail from the Jasper Pkwy. traffic circle all the way to Entro, then again north along Peavine Trail. I’d been hoping to do some exploring northeast of Entro, around Hill 5630, and checkout the Boblett Cemetery, so that was a bummer. Hopefully the land eventually transfers to park land, not destroyed by developers. 
I barely stopped on my way back along the Iron King Trail, making the four miles to Santa Fe Station Park in only 75 minutes.My average moving speed for the day was 3.2 mph. On the way back down I-17 towards Phoenix, the Tiger Fire ( https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7595 ) west of I-17 had grown considerably, but thankfully not enough to close the freeway. I love being home before noon!
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/570677294 |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
Light in first mile west of the traffic circle. Nothing the next two miles to Peavine Trail. Plenty of silverleaf nightshade. Fair number of southwestern prickly poppy. Some obviously planted species. Scattering of other wildflowers, including globemallow. |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
s on “e-bikes”. 
The second mile involved a dirt strip that may or may not be there years from now. Currently, it is skirting the development that is in progress. There are young trees planted, so this may turn into a nice, urban trail. It wasn't until I was over 2 miles that I felt I was on the trail that Abe was describing. And it was as described: fairly flat, straight and wide. Even though trail was uninteresting, the Granite Dells were a nice feature to focus on. And about 2.5 miles in, I was far enough into the Dells that the surrounding views were engaging enough to make at least this part of the run enjoyable. There were suppose to be 4 rail cars and I think with the rerouting they are down to 3. I didn't examine them too closely, but they do add some character to the trail. 
