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SEVEN MILE GULCH TRAIL
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| It's a steep climb up Seven Mile Gulch trail |
It’s a scare hikers don’t soon forget. Low growling, rustling sounds coming from trailside shrubs that hint at something ominous or predatory abruptly morph into the dull pounding cadence of a roused beast before the makers burst from their cover. This is what it sounds like when doves fly.
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| Beautiful scrubland on the trail's exposed ridges |
While the startling wildlife encounter is a familiar one in Arizona’s brushlands, it never loses its fright factor.
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| Feathery seeds of Alderleaf mountain mahogany |
Still, the experience dovetails nicely with hikes that challenge physical stamina as well as mental fortitude.
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| A "rest spot" on the trail showcases great views |
Hikers can test their mettle, and maybe rouse some doves, on Prescott’s Seven Mile Gulch Trail No. 9854.
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| A monsoon storm brews over Seven Mile Gulch |
Located in the Lynx Lake Recreation Area in Prescott National Forest just a couple miles south of State Route 69, the shared-use route offers a strenuous climb, diverse eco-zones, wildlife viewing opportunities and sweet mountain vistas.
The trail knocks off its nearly 1,300-foot ascent in a series of insanely vertical hauls with short breather segments and dips into woodsy enclaves.
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| The hike begins in pine woodlands |
The hike starts out as an easy, half-mile stroll
through pine woodlands before exiting the tree cover and heading uphill on the first of many sheer inclines.
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| Brilliant scarlet creeper blooms May - October |
Where the route begins its direct assault on the ridgelines and hills west of Lynx Lake the trail is surrounded by scrub oaks, manzanita shrubs, random juniper trees and acres of grasslands.
Open to hikers, equestrians, bikes and small motorized vehicles, the trail follows a wide road of scaley, torn up metamorphic stone shelves and loose rocks. It’s difficult to imagine getting a bike, horse or ATV up this puppy. If a dove jolt didn’t wake you up, this will.
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| Lush forest near Seven Mile Tank |
At the 1.3-mile point, the trail begins a drop back into pine forests, where it bottoms out at Seven Mile Tank, a shallow water catchment where canyon grape vines and moisture-loving plants and wildflowers thrive in a sun-dappled pocket of greenery.
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| Trail moves between scrublands and pine woodlands |
The shaded hollow attracts deer, swarms of pollinators and the domestic cattle that roam in this historic livestock grazing area.
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| Slimleaf lima bean blooms May - October |
The brief respite from exposed ridges soon ends and the climbing resumes with more slippery, vertical segments that reveal ever-expanding views of Prescott Valley, Spruce Mountain, the granite dells near Watson Lake, the vivid green course of Lynx Creek and Flagstaff’s San Francisco peaks on the distant horizon.
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| Orange globemallow mingles with western yarrow |
From sunny landings on the way up, acres of alderleaf mountain mahogany bushes that sprout long, feathery seeds in summer thru early fall blanket the surrounding slopes like winter frost.
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| Birchleaf buckthorn berries ripen in fall |
After 2.3 miles of unrelenting up, the route meets Ranch Trail No. 62 before gradually ducking back into pine forests for the final walk to where the trail ends at the junction with Watershed Trail No. 299 in the shadow of 7,631-foot Bigelow Peak.
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| Beware of rogue wildlife bursting from scrub |
There aren’t any good loop options using the connecting routes, unless roads are used, which is why most hikers make the junction their turnaround point.
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| Prairie clover attracts pollinators |
LENGTH: 6.2 miles up-and-back
RATING: difficult
ELEVATION: 5,506 – 6,767 feet
GETTING THERE:
From State Route 69 in Prescott, go 2 miles south on Walker Road to the trailhead on the right just past the Highlands Center.
INFO: Prescott National Forest
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/prescott/recreation/recarea/?recid=67659&actid=50
