Mingus Mountain

Weather: 75º, sunny, breezy

About this Hike:  Earlier in September I blogged about my experiences in the Mt. Union Fire Lookout.  While the U.S. Forest Service Ranger in the tower rambled about his libertarian views (I mentioned he was quiet a character), I heard 'Mingus Mountain reporting' crackle over the two-way radio.  'What's Mingus Mountain?' I wondered.  Upon returning home I did some research.  Another Prescott trip was inspired.

Mingus lies between Prescott Valley and Jerome.  It's an easy drive up from Phoenix on paved, two-lane highway nearly the entire trip.  As you approach Mingus you traverse some ugly golden grassland that I can imagine one careless cigarette-butt-out-the-car-window may set ablaze.  As you wind your way up the Mingus Mountain Scenic Byway grassland rapidly gives way to ponderosa pine forest.  And on a side note, the mountain passes were a blast, pushing the handling prowress of my recently acquired Mazda CX-3.  But I'll digress...this blog is for reviewing my hikes, not cars.

Mingus Mountain is a well-defined recreation area.  At the base is what's known as the picnic area,  with a vast paved surface lot, two picnic tables, and a latrine... A well-graded dirt and gravel road leads to the top of Mingus.  We opted to park on pavement and hike up the road.  Note if you choose to do this:  bring a bandana to cover your nose and mouth with.  The road can be dusty whenever a vehicle passes by, so use caution. 

While driving to the top is an option, you'll miss some beautiful scenery doing so.  There was ridge of firey fall color (and pretty much the only fall color we got on this hike).  You pass through several meadows and then by Mingus Lake (basically a fishing pond).  At Mingus Lake there was a meadow full of cattle grazing.  Only they were bulls.  And there was no fence/pen.  I nervously walked to the other side of the road.  Up the embankment was a wire (not razor nor electric) fence.  I seriously considered getting on the other side.  How is it legal to allow bulls to graze without a pen?! Regardless, there were people fishing in the lake, including some children that were running around.  The bulls seemed far more interested in the grassy meadow...

We reached the Mingus Fire Lookout only to discover it was closed for the season.  I've been up enough of these now that it wasn't a total crusher that this was closed.  Mingus is a very tall, narrow fire tower with a ladder up to the hatch.  My fear of heights would've kept me in check.

There are a number of side trails to explore from the Mingus Summit.  There's also a scenic vista and hang glider launch ramp.  The vista affords fantastic views of Sedona and the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff.  Cathedral Rock and a few other Sedona landmarks are visible to the naked eye.  It's time for me to get new binoculars.

A few additional things about this hike:

• Parking at the summit is $5. It's free at the base
• With radio warning signs everywhere, plenty of communications towers greet you at the summit.  I had great cell service, although it was spotty on the side trails
• Maps on U.S. Forest Service's website are OK, but I noted a few confusing points

Free-range bulls...literally

Sedona in the distance

Mt. Union & Fire Lookout Tower

Weather:  82º, sunny

About this Hike:  We've conquered another summit with a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout on top. This one was Mt. Union, just south of Prescott, AZ.

The hike up Mt. Union is not difficult. In fact, the 'trail' is actually a 4WD dirt road, and chances are you'll encounter ATVs and the like.  There's no designated parking area.  You drive in along one of two routes—Walker Rd. or Senator Highway, both of which eventually turn to packed dirt.  From the limited information I found online, it seemed both routes were the same in length and reported road conditions.  I can tell you this after going in one way and out the other—Senator Highway is in much better condition than Walker Rd.  Of course we didn't really have the right vehicle for this drive, but the old Honda Accord managed to make it over the bumpy dirt with just a few creaks and groans of dissatisfaction.

One other thing that was NOT mentioned anywhere online during my research.... I had carefully printed maps of the spaghetti-like mess of U.S. Forest Service fire roads that entangle this part of Prescott National Forest.  I never expected to have cell service and/or GPS out there.  On top of Mt. Union are multiple communications towers, and my Verizon phone had five bars and LTE service nearly the entire time.

We encountered a friendly Forest Ranger on the drive in, and he suggested parking just past a cattle guard at the confluence of Senator Highway and Poland Junction Rd. (Route 261). In this area there were barricades, signs, and police line tape reminiscent of this summer's Goodwin Fire closure area. However, the Mt. Union lookout tower has since re-opened.  The hike to the tower is an uphill, but not overly steep, 2.5 miles or so along Route 261.  This hike will take you through beautiful AZ High Country forestland.  

Speaking of the Goodwin Fire, from the lookout tower the fire scar is plainly visible.  At nearly 8000 feet, the Prescott Valley, Sedona, and even the San Francisco Peaks are also visible on a clear day.

We've visited a number of lookout towers throughout AZ, and each one is a unique and memorable experience. The U.S. Forest Rangers that man these towers are often interesting characters. The gentleman at the Mt. Union tower certainly did not disappoint....

Finally, there are alternate ways to access Mt. Union beyond the Senator Highway / Walker Rd. access points.  The Yankee Doodle trail will take you up and over Mt. Union, along with passing through the rest of the surrounding area.  To do Yankee Doodle in it's entirety you may want to plan on backpacking and camping for a night.

Blue spruce

Mt. Union's neighboring peak, Mt. Davis

Groom Creek, Spruce Mountain, & a Fire Tower—Prescott Adventure

Weather:  88°, sunny, thunderstorm

About this hike:  Check Prescott off the bucket list of places I want to see in AZ.  Groom Creek Trail to Spruce Mountain Summit was a fabulous choice.  It's an easy drive from downtown Prescott.  I had read that a fire lookout tower adorns the top of Spruce Mountain.  Twice I have attempted to get to the fire lookout on top of Bill Williams Mountain and twice I have been defeated (a freak May snowstorm and then family drama).

The skies over most of the state were clear and AZ sunshine was pouring down.  Except over the Groom Creek Trail where a small thundercell had formed.  Determined not to be defeated again, we pressed on.  A power line runs parallel to the trail for a while.  So power lines, tall pines, and hiking during a thunderstorm—kids don't try this at home.

The lightning appeared to be mostly cloud-to-cloud, and eventually we reached the summit where I finally got my fire tower fix!

As I approached the tower, a Forest Service Ranger shouted down to us to come on up.  From her perch she pointed out Bill Williams Mountain (ironic), the San Francisco Peaks (Flagstaff), and smoke from a distant fire that she believed was a controlled burn.  Oh, and not to mention all the beautiful green ponderosa pine forest that makes up the Prescott Valley.  We chatted with the friendly Forest Ranger for a while, looked at her charts and maps, and were amused by the flock of hummingbirds at feeders hanging from the sides of the tower.  I couldn't have asked for a better experience.  Maybe someday I'll get to see the tower atop Bill Williams Mountain...

An interesting observation—usually I put my phone in airplane mode on these hikes.  The signal fades out and it just kills the battery while the phone searches in vain for service.  However, atop Spruce Mountain I had all 5 bars + 4G-LTE.  Communications towers also adorn the top of Spruce Mountain.

So how do workers get up to these towers on Spruce Mountain you ask?  Well there's a dirt road.  And as we came down from the tower, a minivan full of screaming kids arrived and unloaded.  I'm still glad we took the harder way up via the Groom Creek Trail...