Aspen Creek Do-Over

Weather:  79º, dry, sunny, windy

About this Hike:  Last August I tried exploring Mt. Francis via Aspen Creek Trailhead.  The only reason I was hiking in August was thanks to an active monsoon, the temperature was tolerable.  Unfortunately, that active monsoon blew in a huge storm not so long after I began my hike.  It ended with me scrambling to get back to the trailhead.  I tried waiting it out, but the storm was unrelenting.  I finally gave up and headed to one of the many breweries in Prescott. 

So today was a do-over.  The weather was perfect and it's not monsoon season yet.  In fact, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but there was a strong breeze which made for pleasant natural air conditioning.  While not an intense hike with any major elevation gain, it was still warm in the sun.  

I hiked up and around Mt. Francis wandering down many of the side trails and often following old roads.  It's a good idea to have a GPS and maps.  I use the All Trails Pro app on my phone.  The network of trails and side trails extensive and confusing in here.  If you forget to download your map ahead of time, you'll likely have service as several major cell phone towers are on top of Mt. Francis. 

After exploring Francis it was too early to head out.  I opted to hike up Cold Spring Trail 393 for a ways, eventually veering onto a side trail.  All of this takes you through beautiful ponderosa pine forest.  I saw plenty of deer and a massive Sonoran gopher snake sunning itself on the trail.  On the way back down, I found a freshly severed deer leg on the trail, meaning there's mountain lions in the vicinity.  I'm guessing the lion wouldn't be too interested in me, having just eaten a deer for lunch.  

There are miles and miles of trails to explore in this part of Prescott.  In my opinion, this is the better part of Prescott with dense ponderosa forest.  I look forward to escaping the heat of Phoenix and coming back here soon.