BLACK CANYON TRAIL: BUMBLE BEE SEGMENT

BLACK CANYON TRAIL: BUMBLE BEE SEGMENT

Old gate with Sunset Point on canyon edge--far right.

Look down from the viewing deck at Sunset Point rest area on Interstate 17 south of Cordes Junction and the rugged terrain of what the Black Canyon Trail Coalition calls “Arizona’s Outback” rolls out 600 feet below.  The land down under the lookout is appropriately named Sheep Gulch. Whether this is happenstance or a nod to the Australian sheep stations (Aussie speak for ranches) that this gorge resembles, it’s an awe-inspiring sight to behold. Although it’s tough to see from the rest area, the middle section of the 80-mile Black Canyon Trail cuts through this beautiful abyss that’s cradled in a geological upheaval of pre-Cambrian granites, and scaly schists with sprinklings of orange-tinged quartz tossed about like confetti.

Saguaros frame Bradshaw Mountains vistas.

 The non-motorized-use route that stretches from the Carefree Highway in Phoenix to near the town of Mayer off State Route 69, has been designated a National Recreational Trail for its historic significance.

Hikers traverse a section burned by 2017 wildfires.

The trail has been in use since pre-historic times serving as a Native American pathway, a track for herding sheep and other livestock and a travel corridor for traders.  Surrounded by the rough-cut, mineral-rich peaks of the Bradshaw Mountains and the stream-chiseled gullies of Black Canyon, this moderately difficult, easy-to-follow section of trail clings to the canyon walls as it moves northward in smooth swoops and hairpin turns. 

Mountain views are the highlight of the hike.

Beginning at the Gloriana Mine trailhead, the hike heads 4.6 miles north to where it meets the American Gulch Segment near the town of Bumble Bee—a former Phoenix-to-Prescott stage stop established in the mid nineteenth century.

Ocotillo near the Gloriana Mine trailhead. 

 Although this area was impacted by the July 2017 lightning-caused Brooklyn, Bull, and Cedar fires, the scenic value of the hike was only marginally diminished. The trail is clear and the epic mountain vistas for which this segment is famous are still as crisp and inspiring as ever.  The trail mostly follows the 2800-foot elevation contour before it dips into the gulch below Sunset Point. Here, the faint rumble and whir of the freeway above caps a contrasting pastoral scene of ranches, cacti-studded grasslands, creekside willows and the comings and goings of ATVs, hikers and the seasonal parades of sheep that still graze around the sleepy ghost town and its defunct gold mine prospects.

The land down under Sunset Point.

LENGTH: 4.6 miles one-way

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 2520' - 2840'

A hairpin turn through a gully.

GETTING THERE:

Gloriana Mine Trailhead: From Interstate 17, take the Bumble Bee/Crown King exit 248 and go 1.2-miles west on Bumble Bee Road (FR 59) to the trailhead on the left. Segment begins across the road from the parking area.  Roads are 100% paved.

 INFO & MAPS: Black Canyon Trail Coalition

http://www.bctaz.com/

BLACK CANYON TRAIL: Gloriana Segment

BLACK CANYON TRAIL: Gloriana Segment

Near Bumble Bee

View of Bradshaw Mountains from BCT

Sandwiched between the spot where Interstate 17 splits to begin its climb up to the mesas and gorges of Agua Fria National Monument and a gaping valley below the Bradshaw Mountains, the Gloriana Segment of the Black Canyon Trail is the middle road between a freeway and  dusty dirt double tracks. The 80-mile route flows from Carefree Highway in Phoenix to just outside of Prescott following centuries-old Native American trails, defunct livestock paths, dirt roads and sections of new construction.

A battered saguaro stands above Maggie Mine Road

The trail is divided into segments with trailheads located along its entire length. The 3.4-mile-long Gloriana Segment is smack dab in the middle and wanders along slopes above the scoured courses of Sycamore, Poison, Arrastre and Rock Creeks.  Geology buffs will find a plenty to explore. Within a few hundred feet of the trailhead, the path bumps into an outcropping of metamorphic rock tilted vertical and resembling fossilized Stegosaurus fins weathering from the earth. A couple of hairpin turns through a gully of giant saguaros and a short walk through a Palo Verde forest deposits hikers on a breezy edge splattered with chunks of milky white quartz overlooking Maggie Mine Road.

"Stegosaurus" rock slabs

Take a moment to spy the various mine prospects that dot the hillsides. Continuing south, the trail wanders through sunny rangeland accompanied by morphing mountain vistas in what the Black Canyon Trail Coalition calls “Arizona’s Outback”.  The segment can be tackled as an out-and-back day hike, multi-day backpack or a one-way car shuttle using maps available on the coalition’s website.

Juvenile saguaros on the Gloriana Segment of BCT

LENGTH: 6.8 miles out-and-back

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 2520’ – 2720’

GETTING THERE: Gloriana Trailhead.

From Phoenix, go north on Interstate 17 to the Bumble Bee/ Crown King exit 248. Follow Bumble Bee Road 1.1 miles to the trailhead on the left. There are no facilities. The hike begins at the south side of the lot near the big sign. Roads are 100% paved. (The sign across the road marks the start of the Bumble Bee Segment.)

INFO:  http://www.bctaz.com/