Black Canyon National Recreation Trail: Emery Henderson Segment

BLACK CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL: EMERY HENDERSON SEGMENT

New River Mountains seen from Black Canyon Trail

The Emery Henderson trailhead on New River Road is one of the most convenient points of access to the Black Canyon National Recreation Trail from the Phoenix area. 

Looking north on the Black Canyon Trail

The 100+-mile historic route runs north from Carefree Highway to the Verde Valley roughly parallelling Interstate 17 along its rugged course.  

Saguaros are a key attraction on the hike

The second leg in the trail, the Emery Henderson segment

straddles desert flats and floodplains between the freeway and the Agua Fria River that spills into Lake Pleasant in the northwest Valley. 

The Emery Henderson trailhead

Its 4-mile length wanders through the last vestiges of neon and industry before ducking into mountainous backcountry, but not before delivering one of the best trips through saguaro cactus country anywhere. 

Some old trail posts are still standing along the route

But, before it gets to the good stuff, hikers must trudge through a half mile of bland terrain, cross the North El Paso Gasline Road and listen to  firearms noise from a nearby shooting range. Sucking up these minor annoyances pays off quickly, though.

An impressive specimen in the Agua Fria floodplain

Following a rocky two-track the trail soon departs the “Sahara of the Suburbs” and tucks into shadeless plains of cholla and creosote surrounded by mountain ranges.  The distinctive mound of 2,980-foot Gavilan Peak dominates the eastern horizon while band of mesas including 2,857-foor Wild Burro Mesa bolster the western skyline. Where the route begins an easy descent into the floodplains of the Agua Fria River, desert flora, led by majestic saguaros, clutters runoff channels and crumbling foothills. 

New River Mountains to the northeast

Dead saguaros are havens for wildlife

Gigantic saguaros sprout from an earthen stew of white quartz chunks, basalt blobs, assorted metamorphic stones and sediments. This complex show of  geology belies the area’s rich mining history.

But it’s the saguaros that are the segment's signature feature.  They huddle in masses around gullies, stand as lone sentinels over pebbly flats and show up as contorted,zoomorphic forms begging to be named. Even the dead ones live on as havens for wildlife and subjects for detail-driven photographers. A smattering of ironwoods and Palo Verde trees sink roots deep into the major drainages that the trail crosses, providing what little shade the trail has to offer.

Desert icons on the Black Canyon Trail

Name that saguaro

The segment ends where the 3.2-mile Boy Scout Loop takes off.  Hikers may turn back here for a moderate 7.6-mile trek or loop around for a long 10-miler. Either way, Arizona’s most iconic cacti are constant trailside companions.

LENGTH:

7.6 miles roundtrip to the loop and back

10.4 miles roundtrip with loop

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 1,858  1,989

1,850-1,974 feet to the loop

1,850- 2,315 feet with loop

GETTING THERE:

Emery Henderson Trailhead:

From Phoenix, take I-17 north to exit 232 (New River Road). Turn left and follow New River Road for 3 miles and look for the Emery Henderson Trailhead turn off on the right. The roads are paved all the way to the trailhead where there are restrooms (out of order at this writing), hitching posts, covered picnic areas and plenty of parking and an occasional site host.

INFO & MAPS:

https://bctaz.org/

 

 

Happy New Year

A belated Happy New Year, hikers!  

I've been enjoying "dry January" by taking a break from real hiking (walking between pubs, shops and  restaurants does not count) to cart around visitors from out of state (my sisters from Connecticut pictured here in Sedona), get some house/yard work done, host tables at events and keep up with my day job.  I'm itching to get back on the trails! Stay tuned. 

Walker Basin Trail

WALKER BASIN TRAIL #81

Wide-ranging vistas on the Walker Basin Trail

See this story on AZCentral: https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/hiking/2025/01/03/walker-basin-trail-hike/77178067007/

From the high point of the Walker Basin Trail, echoes of the area’s ranching history linger in bits of barbed wire, stock tanks and weedy livestock tracks.

Mesas, buttes and ravines define the trail

  Creative minds might conjure images of cattle trains or sheep drovers, only to be jolted back to the 21^st century by the appearance of contemporary cattle or sheep. 

Forest Road 9201C leads to the upper trailhead

It’s not unusual for domestic livestock grazing among junipers and cacti to deliver jump scares to distracted trail users in this corrugated back country.

Red rock outcrop over Walker Creek

Situated between the Wet Beaver Creek and West Clear Creek Wilderness areas, Walker Basin Trail No. 81 winds through a riffled terrain of high desert plateaus and water-carved canyons. 

Limestone ledges overlooking the Verde Valley

The former livestock trail in Coconino National Forest located roughly 40 miles south of Flagstaff and 20 miles southeast of Sedona offers up spectacular glimpses of both the mountain ranges  of central and northern Arizona and Red Rock Country’s iconic geologic formations. 

Moderate but difficult to follow in spots, the entire trail is just over 8 miles long. 

The upper trail parallels a barbed wire fence

However, the best scenic ogling opportunities happen in the first 2.5 miles from the north terminus along Forest Road 618 near the community of Lake Montezuma.  

View from the trail's high point

One of the perks of this under-the-radar trail is that it’s largely ignored, no doubt because it has some serious competition with the nearby Bell Trail that leads to the iconic swimming hole known as The Crack on Wet Beaver Creek. The pleasantly uncluttered route may be hiked as an out-and-back or car shuttle, but for a moderately demanding day hike, a 5-mile up-and-back trek starting at the north trailhead makes for a satisfying outing in the wilds.

The north trailhead proper is located 0.8-mile east of Forest Road 618 (Beaver Creek Road) at the end of FR 9201C, which is open to motorized travel and requires at least a high-clearance vehicle.

Sacred Mountain (center)

 Those with less robust cars may opt to park in the dirt turnouts and walk the road to the trailhead, veering left at the 0.4-mile point to stay on the main road.  

The north trailhead on FR618

The trail is barely visible here

The upper trailhead is marked only by a post-and-wire gate. 

Primitive cairn (left) on the limestone ledges

A crumbling forest service logo sticker and unintelligible letters cling to a post giving no indication that it marks the beginning of the Walker Basin Trail.  Beyond the gate (close it behind you) the route becomes a dusty single track. 

Basket cairns mark part of the lower trail

It’s easy to follow for about the first mile.  Basket cairns (native stones wired into barrel-shaped posts) placed at random intervals help with navigation, but some have toppled over and after a while, they disappear completely.  Sometimes, hand-made rock piles serve as guides where the trail passes through sandy washes and limestone scree. 

The upper trailhead on FR9201C

Where the route begins its uphill crawl, it turns feral, dodging among junipers, cacti and cow pies. At places, the trail is completely obliterated by scrub and loose rock, but hikers can stay on track by tracing a barbed wire fence that roughly parallels the path.  All the way, massive views of Sedona, the Black Hills, Mogollon Rim and Sacred Mountain rise above seamless stretches of high desert rangeland. 

An old juniper frames high desert views

At the 2.2-mile point, the route encounters a series of limestone ledges near the trail’s highpoint that lead to a rocky bench overlooking the Verde Valley.  Beyond the ledges, route-finding becomes more challenging, making the scenic overlook a good turnaround point for a day hike.

LENGTH:

Full trail: 8 miles one way

Up to the ledges: 2.4 miles one way

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:

Full trail: 3,851 – 5,972 feet

Up to the ledges: 3,851 – 4,368 feet

GETTING THERE:

NORTH TRAILHEAD (as described here):

From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the Sedona/Oak Creek State Route 179 exit 298 and veer right (east)  onto Forest Road 618.  Continue 4.5 miles on FR618 (Beaver Creek Road)  to the signed Walker Basin Trail sign at Forest Road 9201C. This is directly across from the Wickiup Mesa Trail System Elmore Wash trailhead.  Low clearance vehicles should park here.  The trailhead proper is located 0.8-mile east at the end of FR9201C.

Roads up to the trailhead are maintained dirt suitable for most vehicles.

SOUTH TRAILHEAD:

From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the Sedona/Oak Creek State Route 179 exit 298 and veer right (east)  onto Forest Road 618. Continue 9 miles on FR618 and turn left (east) onto FR214 (Cedar Flat Road) and go 7.3 miles to the trailhead on FR214B.  A high clearance vehicle is required.

INFO:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55426

Happy Holidays 2024

                       Happy Holidays Arizona Hikers!

Twisted Sister-Big Sister Loop

TWISTED SISTER-BIG SISTER LOOP

View of Red Mountain from Big Sister Trail

See this story on AZCentral: https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/hiking/2024/12/13/hawes-trail-system-twisted-sister-trail/76888922007/

With its big bends, sharp declines, tight edges and hairpin turns, the Twisted Sister Trail embraces its bike-borne heritage.

Salt River Valley seen from Twisted Sister Trail

The rollercoaster-like trail is part of the Sonoran Desert (Hawes) Trail System in Tonto National Forest.  Located between the Salt River and Usery Mountains in Mesa, the system has several access points along Usery Pass Road and Bush Highway.

The Big Sister Trail is all about rocks.

 

Four Peaks viewed from the Twisted Sister Trail

The collection of looped singletrack paths began its evolution from from old livestock and mining trails with the development of the (unofficial) Hawes Trail in 1989. 

Vintage aircraft sometimes fly over the area

In 2005, the trail and several formerly unsanctioned connected routes were adopted into the Tonto National Forest system.   With the combined efforts of the forest service and the  Hawes Trail Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to the system’s maintenance, sustainability and future expansion of  the popular recreation hub now has over 60 miles of shared-use routes.

Red Mountain stands over the Salt River

When used as part of a loop hike, the Twisted Sister Trail makes for a moderate-rated hike with outstanding mountain vistas and peeks at the leafy corridor of the Salt River. 

Hawes Trails are well signed

The trek begins with a short walk on the Bush Lite West trail to connect with the Wild Horse Trail that’s part of the Valley-circling Maricopa Trail. 

The green corridor of the Salt River from Wild Horse Trail

At the 0.2-mile point, Twisted Sister spins off to the right and begins its undulating run through saguaro-studded desert in the foothills below the Usery Mountains.  Once through a couple of slippery downhills and wash crossings the route trudges uphill, revealing grander views at each turn.  The massive form of 2,832-foot Red Mountain (also known as S-wegi Do’ag in O’odham, Wi:kawatha in Yavapai and Mount McDowell, Fire Rock and Gunsight Butte) is a constant presence on the west side of the river on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community at the confluence with the Verde River.  To the north, iconic Four Peaks hover over the mountains of Tonto National Forest and on the distant west horizon, Camelback Mountain rises above city haze. After just under a mile of steady but not-to-tough climbing, the trail meets a three-way junction.

Saguaros and boulders on Big Sister Trail

Mountains of Tonto National Forest on horizon

For a short loop hike, veer left onto the Big Sister Trail.  Whereas Twisted Sister was all about views, Big Sister is all about rocks.  Clinging to boulder-strewn slopes, the slim path weaves through impressive globs of granite, boulder ridges and natural stone sculptures.  Midway through the 1-mile return leg, the trail gives up the widest-angle views of the Salt River Valley and on lucky days, grazing wild horses and vintage aircraft from The Commemorative Air Force Aviation Museum can be spotted flying overhead. 

LENGTH: 3.6 miles

RATING: moderate for hiking, difficult for bikes

ELEVATION:  1,387 – 1,793 feet

GETTING THERE:

From U.S. 60 in Mesa, take the Power Road exit 188 and continue north (Power Road turns into Bush Highway) to the Wild Horse trailhead on the right between mile posts 23 and 24.

INFO:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/tonto

https://hawestrailalliance.com/

Brown's Ranch Interpretive Trail

BROWN’S RANCH INTERPRETIVE TRAIL

Sign on Brown's Ranch Interpretive Trail

Hikers walking the Corral Trail in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve have for years  wondered about the scattershot of crumbling concrete and contorted metal strewn about the site of the old Brown’s Ranch. The mysteries have been solved.

The new Brown’s Ranch Interpretive Trail reveals the details in the detritus.

Cistern at the Brown's Ranch site

Opened in October 2024, the easy 0.3-mile loop trail features 20 educational displays that identify the rusty parts, and faint remains of a working cattle operation that operated from 1916 though the 1970s.  

Also tells the story of the ranch founders—the Brown family--- as well as the native peoples, evolving technologies, military presence, and the personalities that colored and shaped the area from prehistory through the “Old West” an into the present.

Technology in the "Old West" explained

 

An old grain hopper rests among mesquite trees

Prior to the opening of the interpretive trail, the site of the Northern headquarters of the 40,000-acre cattle ranch operation was little more than a few acres of nameless bullet-riddled stuff wrapped in a tangle of barbed wire.  Now the history has been resurrected and artifacts named.

Entrance to the Brown's Ranch Interpretive Trail

For instance, what my hiking pals and I called “an airplane engine fallen from the sky” is a gain hopper. And a deep concrete pit we thought was a water trough is really the base of a cattle weigh station.  Who knew.

Signs on Brown's Ranch Road point the way

 

The site is reached by hiking 1.4 mile north on Brown’s Ranch Road from the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead. 

Barbed wire surrounds the ranch site

The trail sweeps around the mesquite-and-grass choked artifacts rolling out in chapters over its double loop layout.

The new trail is located off Brown's Ranch Road

Beautifully illustrated signs along the route address topics like how ranchers found water, what life was like as a hired hand and inventive construction and manufacturing methods used in the area.

First timers and regular preserve visitors alike will appreciate how the embellished trail enriches the hiking experience.

LENGTH: 3.1 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 2,647 – 2,759 feet

GETTING THERE:

Brown’s Ranch Trailhead: 30301 N. Alma School Pkwy., Scottsdale.

From Loop 101 in Scottsdale, take the Pima/Princess exit 36 and go 6.5 miles north on Pima to Dynamite Road.  Turn right and continue 2.7 miles to Alma School Pkwy., turn left and drive 1 mile to the trailhead.

HOURS: The preserve is open sunrise to sunset daily.

FACILITIES: restrooms, water, maps. No fees.

INFO:

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve

 

 

 

Blowout Butte

BLOWOUT BUTTE

Blowout Butte viewed from Campus Trail

Situated at the core of the Blowout Wash Recreation Area in Cottonwood, Blowout Butte cuts an impressive silhouette on the Verde Valley skyline of Central Arizona.  

Limestone flanks the Blowout Butte Trail

The conical mound of crumbling limestone in Prescott National Forest puts a shine on the 15+miles of non-motorized trails that swirl about its base. 

Mingus Mountain towers over Blowout Wash Area

The particular slice of forest is a pocket of water-scoured high desert hills and ravines bolstered by a ridgeline of pine-covered highlands that include 7,818-foot Mingus Mountain and Woodchute Wilderness. 

Limestone outcroppings on the Limestone Trail

The singletrack trails take advantage of the area’s undulating space between mountains and valleys with long, edgy traverses interspersed with wash crossings and canyon crawls.

Summit of Blowout Butte

While the site is largely shadeless, a smattering of junipers and rock outcroppings cast just enough shade for comfortable hiking almost year-round.

Crucifixion-thorn shrubs dominate the terrain

 

The best perks of the 15+-mile system are its connectivity and excellent signage. This makes getting around and customizing hikes a cinch.   

For first time visitors and regulars alike, climbing Blowout Butte is a must-do trek.  Getting to the prominent peak involves a short, effortless walk with barely over 100 feet of base-to-summit elevation gain. 

Campus Trail crosses Blowout Wash

From the Blowout Wash main trailhead, the route starts out with a short hike on the Campus Trail 559.  At the half-mile point the route veers right onto the Blowout Butte Trail 556. 

Fenceline Trail at the edge of Prescott NF

The half-mile trail begins with a level swing around the butte before taking on a couple of easy switchbacks that lead to a loop path that circles the high point.  The tiny summit, fringed with Crucifixion-thorn shrubs and cacti, is unremarkable except as a platform for viewing 360-degree vistas.  Views of Sedona’s red rocks, the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, the Mogollon Rim and the vineyards and riparian corridors of the Verde Valley roll out around the pyramid-shaped mound. For the return trip, the trail descends to meet the Limestone Trail 554. After a few yards, the Fenceline Trail makes a 0.3-mile loop detour tracing the post-and-wire boundary of the national forest before reconnecting with Campus Trail.

Verde Valley vistas on Blowout Butte Trail

Here, hikers may head left to get back to the trailhead or consult the maps that are posted at every junction to design longer or more challenging treks.

Map signs at junctions guide the way

LENGTH: 2.5 miles as described here

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 3,713 – 3,932 feet

GETTING THERE: From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the Cornville Road/County Road 30 exit 293. Continue 17.7 miles west on Cornville Road, which will turn into Mingus Avenue and then Forest Road 493, to the Blowout Wash Recreation Area trailhead on the right. For reference, the trailhead is 1.5 miles south of the Cottonwood airport. Roads are paved except for a short section of rough dirt that’s suitable for all vehicles. There are no fees or facilities at the trailhead.

INFO: Prescott National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/prescott/recreation/recarea/?recid=84363&actid=50