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Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Ryal Canyon Trail

RYAL CANYON: Prescott National Forest
High desert vegetation lines the Ryal Canyon Trail 
Up until last year, gaining access to one of the most challenging hikes in the Camp Verde area was an iffy venture. Although the Ryal Canyon Trail 521 terminus is located right off Salt Mine Road just a few miles southeast of town, hikers had to cross private property to get to it.  The landowner was pretty chill about allowing people to walk the few yards between the road and the Prescott National Forest boundary where the trail begins, but the town of Camp Verde decided to do the right thing and make access to the popular multi-use trail legal.
Fractured earth and white cliffs on Ryal Canyon Trail
With a grant provided by Arizona State Parks and Trails and the Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Fund, the city purchased a 4.4 acre buffer zone from the privately-owned Salt Mine Cattle Company. 
The hike begins at the boundary of Prescott National Forest
The purchase and subsequent development of a real trailhead are part of a larger effort to expand trail access and stoke interest in hiking in the Camp Verde area.
The roomy new trailhead has plenty of parking and provides worry-free access to trail 521. At this writing, the trailhead is open but still under construction. Trail signs and other planned amenities including a restroom and picnic ramadas have yet to be installed.  But the drive-up convenience doesn’t mean the rugged trail that’s known for its fierce workout value has been tamed. To find the route, just pass through the forest boundary gate and start hiking on the dirt two track that parallels a deeply rutted drainage area where hardy mesquite trees teeter over gaping cracks in the flat terrain.
The trail skirts the crest of Ryal Canyon
It takes about 10 minutes of walking to discover that this hike is not for the faint of heart.
Steep and rocky, the 2.5-mile path also has some sections that cling uncomfortably close to the precipitous edges.  The trail swings south, hugging the crest of Ryal Canyon via a series of aggressive vertical clambers with intermittent level sections. 
Ryal Canyon trailhead is still under construction
On the way up, the queasy track exposes views of the Verde Valley, Sedona, Flagstaff and the green course of the Verde River which get bigger and better with every few feet of elevation gained.
Mesquite trees thrive in the drainages around the trail
Throughout the hike, the landscape is dominated by sheer cliffs colorfully layered with clay, salt and gypsum. These sediments are the signatures of an ancient lake that ebbed and flowed between 10 and 2 million years ago. Long since eroded into a maze of crumbling embankments and chiseled mesas, the mineral-rich lake sediments have been mined for centuries. For a closer look at the history of these natural resources, visit the nearby Camp Verde Salt Mine which archeologists say may have been mined for over 2,000 years. It was abandoned in the 1930s and is currently being developed as an interpretive site.
Evidence of the area's salt deposits are visible on the hike
This hike also emphasizes the frustration of false summits.  Just when you think “I got this,” another brutally vertical hill tests your resolve. Relentless in its 1,650-foot upward haul and lack of climb-mitigating switchbacks, the hike is a wild workout your quads won’t soon forget.
San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff seen in distance
Steep inclines on the trail make for a great workout.
Verde Valley views stand out throughout the hike
The trail ends at the junction with the Box T Trail 511. By referencing a forest service map, the east leg the 10.4-mile route may be used to create a loop hike. Otherwise, head back down on the Ryal Canyon trail where slippery inclines and vertical drops will have you wondering if the uphill slog was the easy part.
LENGTH: 5 miles round trip
RATING: moderate-difficult
ELEVATION: 3,110 – 4,760 feet
GETTING THERE:
From Interstate 17 in Camp Verde, take the State Route 260 exit 287.  Go 1.6 miles east on SR 260 (toward Payson) to Oasis Road, where there’s a sign for Copper Canyon Trailhead. Turn right and follow Oasis Road PAST the Copper Canyon Trailhead (Forest Road 136) to a stop sign. Turn right onto Salt Mine Road (not signed) and continue 2 miles to the large trailhead on the right. Hike begins at the national forest boundary gate. Access roads are 100% paved.
INFO: Prescott National Forest
Camp Verde Salt Mine
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