Weather: 65°, partly cloudy, windy
About this Hike: This past week or so I became intrigued by Crown King, AZ. Crown King sits atop the Bradshaw Mountains and straddles the line between greater Phoenix and Prescott. Besides the neat little mountain town, I began researching trails in the area.
I decided to give Algonquin Trail a try, as it's two miles off the main dirt road before reaching town. It seemed like a good hiking stop. The trail is easy enough to follow, but it's rough and overgrown with catclaw. The descent into Poland creek is sharp (and you have to climb back up this too!).
Once at the creekbed, fall color was prevalent and I'd say just about at peak. We opted to take a side trail to The Big Dipper which is a waterfall and swimming hole. This side excursion follows the creek. The creek was dry, so I knew the falls wouldn't be flowing, but I still thought it would be neat to see. This route requires a lot of bouldering and scrambling, and it just didn't feel right. We opted to turn back without getting anywhere near the half-mile it takes to get near the falls.
We explored the main Algonquin Canyon trail up to an old mining structure. The wood and tin building is surprisingly still intact, even as it appears to be sinking into the hillside. This became our turnaround point. The map showed no more than a half-mile to the trail's end, but I have read you can continue on this trail for a total of five miles to Horsethief Basin.
I didn't go into this hike with a lot of expectations. I simply wanted to see and explore the area around Crown King. Now I've started mapping out possible hikes around Horsethief Basin for a future return trip.
I always say that when I go to explore an area, it never leaves me completely satisfied. Instead, I come up with plenty more trails, places, and hikes I want to explore.
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