FR-371 to Agate Mountain

Weather:  63º, sunny

About this Hike:  My home in Payson faces the Granite Dells which is known for Boulder Loop and Cypress Trail hiking areas.  Having a view of these mountains from my front yard, I was curious what lies on the other side of this pink granite range. 

Studying the maps, it looked like FR-371 would offer some views of the back side of the dells and possibly some views into an area I've been exploring all winter—Hellsgate Wilderness.  The access point was easy, just a few miles down the road in neighboring Star Valley.  The plan was to use FR-974 as a connector to FR-371 and follow this to a feature called Agate Mountain. 

The map indicated I would have to drive through neighborhoods to access FR-974. However, it also showed that the federal land boundary began immediately east of the neighborhood road. With a couple local businesses in the area, I believed the road to be a public right-of-way for residential and commercial use. 

I parked my truck in a large clearing near FR-974. A fence marked the beginning of 974 which was just a rough ATV road. The fence spanned the narrow roadway, but was otherwise accessible to walk around as a hiker. Interestingly, FR-974 exists only on the All Trails map...

After a brief riparian area near Houston Creek, FR-974 takes a steep climb. It ends at a junction with FR-371. While 371 has the Forest Service's brown stakes marking it, 974 has no such markers.

We followed 371 for a few miles, passing by some cow tanks and having a ubiquitous view of buzzy, high-tension utility lines above. In fact, the little butte known as Agate Mountain serves as an anchor point for a couple of those big, steel utility towers. 

The views on this hike were spectacular. From Agate we had 360º views of the Mogollon Rim, the backside of the Granite Dells, the Mazatzals, and into Hellsgate Wilderness. The dells have more prominence on this side due to being a few hundred feet lower than they are in Payson. The pink walls of the Houston Creek canyon also loomed close by. While there were some drop offs on the backside of Agate, these were more 'stepped' rock shelves covered in vegetation. In other words, no views into Houston Creek, although I could hear the water running. 

A beautiful afternoon hike ended up tainted a bit upon returning to the truck. An unhappy land owner let me know that I had trespassed on his land, despite what I thought was plenty of due diligence in mapping this out respective of private land boundaries.  He admitted his No Trespassing sign was sun-faded while an elk had plowed down the fence that used to mark the federal land boundary... I found it odd that neither the Forest Service nor this land owner bothered to mark the property boundary. In other areas where I've hiked adjacent to private land, boundaries are well-marked by both entities. I'm left to wonder if FR-974 is even an official road or an inaccuracy on All Trails. It exists on no other maps, nor does Tonto NF mention it on their website. 

The correct way to have done this hike would have been to drive in via FR-371, similar to how I accessed The Buttes area last month. I can't vouch for the condition of this section of 371, but I suspect it degrades quite a bit past the Star Valley brush pit. I'm just grateful I didn't get shot or have my truck towed...  

King Ridge - FR-1625

Weather:  70º, sunny

About this Hike:  I created a GSP track for today's hike after studying a topographical map. It looked like there was potential for this to lead to a good Hellsgate Wilderness viewpoint. 

I've done a lot of exploring of Hellsgate in the past few months. Most of my previous hikes had limited viewpoints and overlooks due to the topography (tapered drops / rock shelves versus sheer drops) and the vegetation. Today that changed.

I began my hike at the Hellsgate Trail 37 parking area. I followed what is actually FR-893 for a brief time, turning  a hard left at the junction with FR-1625. A cattle gate blocks 1625, but after a little fumbling with the barbed wire hook, I walked on thru, being sure to close the gate behind me. 

What I was hiking on was the backbone of King Ridge. I explored a side path that led down to aptly named King Ridge Tank. For the first half of the hike there hadn't been many cow pies. This began to change on the second half of the hike. 

The terrain also changed a bit on the second half. Typical of the Hellsgate Wilderness, the actual trails are ATV roads. The first half was mostly packed dirt, but the second half became more of a rollercoaster. The trail would take a steep descent on large, slippery scree. Then it would level out in a flat area. The flat would have a big old juniper tree providing shade, and the soil would be a turgid mixture of hoof prints and cow pies. Then the cycle would repeat as the trail would climb steeply. The final portion of the hike was almost all descent. 

FR-1625 ends on the narrowing backbone of King Ridge. It is here that I got some of the best views yet into Hellsgate Wilderness. It was a breathtaking 360º panorama. The Mogollon Rim and Promontory Butte were visible to the north. The distant mountains and ridges within Hellsgate were visible to the south. The point of the peninsula is formed by the convergence of Salt Lick Canyon and Tonto Creek. And speaking of Tonto Creek—there is an excellent viewpoint. It is something of a horseshoe bend in the creek, although the crux of it is hidden both by topography and a big pinon pine. Regardless, the turquoise waters of Tonto were flowing strong. In the calm and stillness atop King Ridge, I could even hear the roar of the creek. My binoculars revealed deep pools, being drained by small waterfalls. 

I ate lunch and spent considerable time enjoying the views at the end of FR-1625. While a knocked over post marked the end of the road, a footpath continued on. I left my pack on a rocky knob that had been my lunch spot, grabbed my binoculars, and opted to explore. I hiked another 12-15 minutes along old cattle paths, dodging cow pies everywhere. My goal was to get to the very end of the peninsula to see if there were any other interesting viewpoints. There weren't. In fact, it looks like the peninsula drops down steeply into a green meadow. It was steeper than I was willing to explore. Someone's been there though, as the map shows Ripper Tank being in that meadow. 

Across the narrow canyon formed by Tonto Creek, other flat, pale green meadows were visible. I believe these are accessible via Big Ridge Trail 177, although this is an area I've yet to explore. Through my binoculars I could also see a large white square of infrastructure on one of the meadows. I studied satellite imagery and believe this to be some sort of water catchment. It makes sense with all the cow tanks and cattle ranching in the area. 

It was now past 2:30pm and I had a 5.5 mile hike back to the truck. I anticipated the scree would slow me down as it did on the inbound hike. Shortly after departing the overlook, I began to hear loud moos. I soon encountered a bull that was making his way down the path. I stepped off the path and down a hill. A cattle path seemed to parallel the main road, so I followed it until mister bull was long past me. I then hiked back up to FR-1625. 

While more tiring on the body, hiking up the scree hills wasn't nearly as bad. The rocks hurt my feet some, but at least it wasn't as slippery as the hike down was. I arrived back to the truck around 4:30pm. 

The views of the wilderness area and of Tonto Creek were exactly the Hellsgate experience I've been wanting to have these past few months. 

Jack's Canyon, Hot Loop, & Horse Mesa

Weather:  69º, sunny

About this Hike:  I am intrigued by Munds Mountain near Sedona. However, hiking Munds appears to involve many miles of hiking to the trail via Jack's Canyon, or a drive over some challenging forest roads that likely aren't suitable for my truck. 

I opted to explore Jack's Canyon / Hot Loop to Horse Mesa instead, thinking this might be a similar alternative. 

The trail starts in typical Sedona red rock. It offers some interesting canyon views while the drainages along the trail still had some standing water. This year is an interesting conundrum in that Sedona is downright hot for January, yet there is still a lot of mud and standing water as we come off a very wet holiday season. Last year at this time Sedona was cooler, but drier too. 

Eventually red rocks give way to the black rocks that define the tops of many of the mesas around Sedona. The foliage changed to high desert. By the time we were on top of Horse Mesa there was a lot of juniper, yucca, and scrubby pinon pines. The soil on the mesa was dry, yet was muddy and stuck to our boots at the same time. 

We visited an overlook and got some views of the immediate area around Horse Mesa. Bell Rock, Cockscomb, and other Sedona landmarks were in full view. Otherwise, local neighborhoods were all that loomed below. 

This was just over the two-mile point. I originally intended to go about four miles, but the map indicated the trail would move to the center of the mesa and away from any viewpoints. It was boring desert scenery, so we opted to turn around and return the way we came. 

Someday with some further research I may check out Munds Mountain. I gather the scenery is better up there, and if there's one thing I've learned, you never run out of new things to explore in Sedona.  

Secret Canyon

Weather:  61º, sunny

About this Hike:  The mystique of Secret Canyon and Secret Mountain Wilderness continues to allure me. Coming off a rainy spell, I decided to hike to Secret Canyon today to see if the waterfall was flowing. I hiked in via Chuckwagon, having parked along the side of the paved Long Canyon Road. Even if FR-152 were open (barricades are up), I would never attempt this in my truck. The mud, the ruts—152 is hardly a road anymore. It's a shame too, because it limits how much of this area one can explore in a day, with at least five extra miles hiking by using Chuckwagon as an access point. 

The Secret Canyon waterfall had decent flow to it today. Being as I reached it by noon, I opted to press on. Every other time I've done this trail circumstances have never allowed me to go much beyond the waterfall. Today that changed. I pressed into Secret Canyon.

There were plenty of creek crossings, although always with solid rock bridges. The creek was flowing enough to be pretty, but not enough to impede crossings. The canyon was cold in spots, with some snow remaining while icicles hung off the red canyon walls. At one point the creek narrowed into a little slot canyon. 

The trail crossed the creek, climbed up above it, and then dropped down to cross again.  This cycle repeated often. Beyond the red canyon walls, this secret area is filled with ponderosa pine and some firs. It is beautiful. However, it does feel very remote, and I had a foreboding sense today. No worries though, the only wildlife I saw was a deer. My footing was always solid. And remote as it feels, Edge of the World sits just above Secret Canyon on the rim top. 

I opted to turn around about halfway into Secret Canyon per the All Trails GPS track. The trail was getting more overgrown and harder to follow. I figured it would just get more treacherous the deeper I went. While old-growth pine and red rocks are beautiful, the scenery was getting to be a little underwhelming. 

The hike out felt endless. I was tired and a little sore. If only the Secret Canyon parking area is where this hike ended with my truck waiting to carry me out on a graded gravel road! There was still close to three miles back along FR-152 and then Chuckwagon. 

With a properly equipped ATV I imagine one can explore a lot more of Secret Mountain Wilderness. Maps indicate miles of forest roads on the rim top near Edge of the World. There are some intriguing trails up there, although I get the impression most of those exist only on maps and in memories these days. I'll be honest—the mystique is wearing off. I'm beginning to think I've seen the best of what I can access in Secret Canyon. 

Hellsgate FR 1270

Weather:  55º, mostly cloudy

About this Hike:  A few weeks ago when we explored Hellsgate Trail 37 I noted a vast canyon. Across the canyon I saw a peninsula-type outcropping with a clear ATV road / trail on it. Studying the map, I thought this to be FR-1270. 

We drove in via FR-371, and parked near a shooting area and old corral. The 1270 road is very rough and narrow—at best it'll accommodate ATVs only. 

The hike starts off in interesting pinon pine and juniper forest. It drops down to Green Valley Creek which had a good flow to it. The canyon around Green Valley Creek contains sycamores in addition to thick pinon pine. The humidity was noticeably higher down in here, and there was a clean, earthy smell to the air. The rock formations are a pale pink color, reminiscent of the nearby Granite Dells / Stewart Pocket area.

A long, steep climb up eventually led away from Green Valley Creek. We slogged it out a few more miles, the views into Hellsgate Wilderness becoming increasingly better. As we neared the end of the hike just past an area called The Buttes (I didn't note any impressive buttes, but whatever), Payson came into view. 

I was not expecting Payson to be visible from here. Not only was the town visible, but I noted several landmarks including one in my own neighborhood. While I could see the neighborhood thru my binoculars, I was unable to find my house, likely because it's a one-story and hidden by trees. Also visible were the Granite Dells and Stewart Peak—both very visible from my front yard. With similar rock formations and vegetation, today was a reminder that boundaries are drawn by man. Granite Dells is part of the same ecosystem that largely forms Hellsgate Wilderness. 

The hike ended at Butte Tank. Supposedly there's an old cabin in the area called Neal Cabin, although I did not look for it. While I didn't get the rugged canyon views I anticipated today, I still enjoyed the views into Hellsgate and of Payson. It's funny to me how close I was to home as the crow flies, yet so far away in a remote wilderness area.

Hellsgate Trail 37

Weather:  55º, sun 

About this Hike:  Hellsgate Wilderness area has been our latest area of interest. Today we explored the 'main street' of this wilderness area, Hellsgate Trail 37. I was surprised at how much water was in the creeks and standing on the trails. We originally thought about returning to Bear Flat today, but I'm glad we didn't. There are several unbridged water crossings on the road in. 

We had no intentions of hiking down to the trail's end in Tonto Creek. While I'm certain this would be an amazing experience, it involves ~1,600 feet of elevation drop on what I've read is a steep, rough, scree-filled trail. We don't enjoy treacherous trails like this, as they have led to falls and injuries on several occasions. 

We opted to hike to the Hellsgate Wilderness boundary and just take in the views of the surrounding hills and canyons. The views certainly did not disappoint. 

For as remote as it feels, Hellsgate is still fairly developed. Rooftops of cabins and ranch buildings dot the distant hills. Most of the so-called hiking trails are ATV roads, and while their condition is atrocious in places, fresh tire tracks indicate ATV drivers frequent these paths. When the winds were just right, I could hear the faint sound of traffic on AZ-260. 

The only wildlife we saw today was cattle (along with trying to sidestep all their 'evidence'). In particular was a cow and her yearling calf. She seemed to realize humans were no threat, but her calf was scared and hid behind her. It was kind of cute. Regardless, we gave plenty of space.

We'll be back as there's still so much to explore in Hellsgate. 

Hellsgate - Big Ridge via Haigler Creek

Weather:  60º, sun 

About this Hike:  After an introductory hike to Hellsgate Wilderness a few weeks ago, I've mapped out a number of other hikes in the area. 

Checking out the Big Ridge Trail from near Haigler Creek seemed like a perfect post-Thanksgiving hike to burn off some turkey. 

I anticipated FR-200 to Haigler Creek would be a decent road considering there are neighborhoods and even a lodge down in the valley near the creek. I was mostly correct about this, albeit for one sketchy spot. The spot in question comes right after a signed pull-off for an overlook high above Haigler Creek. A stretch of the road is a one-lane shelf with no guardrails and sweeping views into the valley below. It was a bit nerve wracking, but the road quickly returns to a more safe feel. 

We parked and began our hike from a large pull-off where FR-200 meets an ATV trail. I believe this is  FR-1355. This ATV trail crosses Gordon Creek and becomes FR-178. The path was very muddy in spots, with puddles of standing water. It was also very steep and rutted in other spots. This didn't stop several ATVs that went buzzing by. A few miles in, we even found a parked 4Runner. It was an older model with plenty of forest pinstriping. Regardless, I was shocked that a street vehicle made it thru some of the narrow, steep, and rutted sections. 

Eventually we junctioned with Big Ridge FR-177. I was hoping to hike out to a feature called Horse Mountain, which would be about 13 miles round trip. With about two hours left of daylight, we determined it was best to turn back after a short jaunt up FR-177, having not reached Horse Mountain.

For being below 6,000 feet, this area has impressively thick forest. There's ponderosas and occasional firs, all happily co-existing with junipers, pinons, agaves, and other high-desert vegetation. Enjoying thick forest and occasional water features was the real reward of this hike. 

Hellsgate has obviously been ranchland for many decades. The trails are just ATV roads punctuated by cattle tanks and decayed ranching infrastructure (spring heads, troughs, fences, etc.). I had hoped for some viewpoints and vistas today. While there were a few breaks in the dense vegetation where I brought out my binoculars, there seldom were any good viewpoints in the wilderness area.

Regardless, I look forward to exploring more of Hellsgtate including a return to Bear Flat. In fact Horse Mountain may be reachable from there via a hike similar in length to today's hike. An earlier start would certainly help make this goal attainable.