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| Hiking | 16.91 Miles |
4,297 AEG |
| | Hiking | 16.91 Miles | 9 Hrs 56 Mns | | 2.04 mph |
| 4,297 ft AEG | 1 Hour 38 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Drive/Parking
Quick note that the driving directions in the [ Del Shay Trail #41 ] guide may be a little misleading if you just give them a quick glance or rely only on GPS. Using the "Drive" function in Route Scout, Google Maps will provide directions to start from 76 Ranch property. With the owners' permission, that may be a legal option (see Grasshopper's 2011 triplog and [ photo ] , but I don't know if the owners have that same policy 14 years later. (As recently as 2021, it appears that may still be the case [ photo ] .) It's also worth mentioning that the driving directions are written approaching from the north, coming from Gisela...most driving up the valley will probably approach from the south via 188/Jake's Corner, so the directions (rights vs. lefts and the sequencing) will be reversed.
Hike
We started from the parking area near the corral off FR 1446 around 7AM and followed the powerlines SE toward Tonto Creek, crossing a little south of the 76 Ranch. Low water levels made for an easy, dry crossing on the rocks, and we picked up the "trail" on the far side--more of a faint, rocky road that followed a fence line as we gained elevation and had improving views of the Mazatzals on the western horizon. From there, the route flattens out through Alkali Canyon as the trail becomes more faint and follows a dry creek bed, then takes a right turn for another long climb before the descent to Gun Creek.
Scenery-wise, Gun Creek was the highlight of the hike, with sheer cliffs, some nice pools, greenery, and pleasant shade. That was one of the few sections on the hike with cairns and a more defined trail, but it didn't last long. Switchbacks climb up through a notch on the east side of the creek, then the trail drops down the other side and fades again through another stretch with steady elevation gain.
Gun Creek: [ youtube video ]
At our current pace, we weren't going to reach Del Shay Cabin by our turnaround time, and the faint trail started to become almost non-existent ~ six miles in. TBK cut me loose at that point and told me to go for the cabin (still ~2.8 miles away), while she waited. It was ~11:30AM; I told her I'd see how far I could get and turn around by 12:30PM, then it was off to the races. There was virtually no trail to follow, so I was checking Route Scout every 30-60 seconds and dodging brush while I tried to stay in the general vicinity of the route. There was finally some semblance of occasional trail closer to the east end, and I reached the cabin a few minutes after 12:30PM.
There are two large corrals nearby, and it's a pleasant area with plenty of trees and shade near the spring. The roof is missing on half the cabin and much of it is in rough shape, but it did have a small solar panel and strand of modern lights on the outside, along with an assortment of items (some bearing the 76 Ranch logo) and a bale of hay inside. The ancient refrigerator I'd seen in pictures from 10+ years ago was still there.
Del Shay Cabin: [ youtube video ]
After a few minutes at the cabin, I headed back into the brush to rejoin TBK at her waiting spot and moved faster, making up some time one the way out. I made it back at 1:25PM, thinking I was five minutes ahead of schedule. But we'd misunderstood each other when I left--TBK thought I said I'd be back at 12:30PM, not turning around at that time, so I was an hour later than she was expecting. She'd really started to wonder if something happened and was about to start searching for me...oops. But the hike out was uneventful, and we stopped for a late lunch in the shade near Gun Creek on the way back. We had clear skies and a high around 80° in the afternoon, so it was a comfortable day throughout, and we didn't see anyone all day. With no recent triplogs for Del Shay, I wasn't sure how overgrown the route would be, and I carried loppers all day but didn't do much lopping--the brush was rarely too dense and was usually avoidable.
Summary
Del Shay is a longer hike than the guide and official route suggest. From our parking spot, we had ~0.75 miles of hiking to reach the western "trailhead" where the official route starts. And that route is just a Route Editor trace of the dashed #41 trail line on the HAZ topo, not a recorded track. It's fine for a rough guideline, but the actual trail, when there is one, often diverges from the GPS track, and the little zigs and zags add quite a bit of distance to the official route.
Based on a quick search, I could only find one other [ triplog ] (from @ssk44 in March 2008) where someone hiked the full length of Del Shay from the west side to the cabin as an out-and-back, and that one didn't have a route attached. Mine may be the only track currently posted on HAZ that covers the full length of the trail on foot, so if anyone decides to hike this (and I expect very few will  ), I'd recommend using this route as a more accurate alternative to the official route on the guide page. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
Hopefully with my now posted GPS Driving Track w/info notes, GPS Hiking Track w/info notes, and geocoded picset with info captions and tagged notes, your first time drive and hiking trip to this area will now be much less confusing starting off and on trail than it was for us. 
