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| Hiking | 1.25 Miles |
1,200 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.25 Miles | 1 Hour 15 Mns | | 1.00 mph |
| 1,200 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I did a little investigating when I got home last night and found out that the Forest Service does not have this trail in it's inventory anymore. It appears on some older maps, but not the newer ones, and the FS hike Description of the Thomas Point Trail states that it is the furthest south trail to ascend the east side of Oak Creek Canyon. What does this mean? Well, back in 2004 when they stopped rebuilding the trail they evidentially decided not only to close the trail until they finished rebuilding, but also to never finish rebuilding and close it permanently. This is a ashamed as it has a lot of potential and if a HAZ group or other group of trail builders set out to reconstruct this trail, I would put in some serious time.
Part of me wonders if there was a little pressure from the Junipine to close this trail, since it starts across from their restaurant and they have no parking signs everywhere in front of it. The Orange and yellow fire hydrant is still there, and the trail begins at what looks like a fire shed. There is no standard rusty trail sign, or any indication of a trail having been there at one time. The FS's trail closed barrier is there, but moved off to the side, and the first part of the trail is very hard to see. Shortly after you leave the bottom the trail opens up, but it becomes very clear that people are not using the trail. Elk and Mule Deer are though, and how! The trail is open for the lower 3/4, but in very rough shape from the hoof traffic. If you think it's from horses, well how are the riders getting by since the over hanging branches had me ducking at times. As the trail narrows and gets harder to find it becomes braided and you might take a section of "trail" that isn't trail, but animal path. These become very steep, and are more of a bushwhack. Sadly, some go uphill right past a now grown over section of clearly visible old trail.
I made the rim summit and decided to head for a descending trail I could see to the north. I didn't want to hike down the loose mess that the Purtymun had become and I figured I could see another Oak Creek trail that way. I ended up hiking to the Thomas Point #142 trail and then back down 89A. |
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