DINOSAUR WASH

DINOSAUR WASH

A slot canyon in Dinosaur Wash

If you stay alert on this hike, it’s easy to spot the Stegosaurus.  But you’ll have to navigate a convoluted trail system to get to it; and that’s not so easy.

The  Stegosaurus-shaped rock outcropping looms above Dinosaur Wash with its head twisted back over a scaled spine frozen in a posture that looks like the losing side of a Jurassic joust.  This signature basaltic formation is the only “dinosaur” you’ll see while trudging through the eponymous wash that’s a part of the Sophie’s Flat Trail system north of Wickenburg.  What you will see though, is a mix of spectacular desert vistas, hardscrabble gullies, volcanic peaks and a matrix of sandy washes.  

Dinosaur Wash

Although it’s just a few miles north of town, the trail system has a pure wild west, middle-of-nowhere feel. The looped trails are blandly named A,B,C,D and E, but they’re anything but boring.  The core A Trail begins at the Sophie’s Flat trailhead where there’s ample parking, a horse staging area and restrooms.

View from the pass

A map kiosk shows the trail layout that belies a confusing start, missing signs and several tricky turns.  The trek to Dinosaur Wash involves linking the A, B, C and D trails for a 9.5-mile out-and-back hike. 

The most difficult route-finding happens near the start where after descending to a sprawling arroyo, the A Trail gets swallowed up in shifting sands.  Although there are signs in the wash, they are tough to find. However, once at the point where the A Trail begins its first uphill ascent, signage becomes clearer.  From beginning to end, it’s a challenging hike with continual dips, climbs and calf-burning slogs through beachy washes.  

It's a tough hike with lots of ups and downs,

The dinosaur rock

After 3 miles, the best views of the hike come at a mountain pass between Creighton Peak and Red Top where the serpentine course of the Hassayampa River and tendril drainages whittle through a desert of ragged peaks and chiseled canyons.  From the pass, the route dives down toward the destination. Watch carefully for another befuddling junction where the trail meets two A Trail sign posts near a giant boulder. Look for an unsigned path that heads north between the two signs. This is the D Trail that leads to the wash. As you trudge downhill among ocotillos and hedgehog cacti, keep an eye out for the stegosaurus rock formation looming out from the cliffs. Some argue that it looks more like a bear, lizard, hawk or a boa constrictor. Regardless of what one might see in the lithic form, it’s an entertaining point of contention and a great photo opp.  

Geological stew in Dinosaur Wash

Hang a left where the path dead ends at the wash.

You might want to tie a bandana here (take it with you when you return) because beyond this point, there are no trail signs and this junction is easy to miss on the way back.  The next mile of hiking is the icing on the cake for those who have managed to get through the maze.  Dinosaur Wash expands and contracts as it wiggles through sections of a broad dry river course, stony corridors and box canyons built of churned and jostled lava flows, sculpted sediments and fossil stream beds.

Uninspiring names for inspiring trails

Look for chunks of blue basalt tossed with red sandstones, an old mining claim and rock pockets dripping with pack rat middens.

Hikers on the A Trail

Other than the pain of hiking through sand and a few minor down climbs, reasonably fit hikers should be able to get to the 4.97-mile point where a slick rock drop off would require more serious scrambling to continue another mile to the Hassayampa River, Mistake Mine Ruins and the Box Canyon. The drop off makes for a good spot to take a break and discuss (or argue) over whether the dino rock is a bird, reptile or mammal before heading back the way you came.

On the B Trail

HIKE DIRECTIONS:

From the trailhead, follow A Trail 1.1-mile to B Trail. Follow B Trail to the 1.88-mile point, veer right and follow C Trail to the 2.39-mile point and turn left on the A Trail. Follow A Trail to the 2.91-mile point and connect with D Trail.  Follow D Trail less than a mile, drop into the obvious course of Dinosaur Wash and head northwest (left).  Hike to the 4.97-mile point and turn around at a slick rock drop off.

LENGTH: 9.5 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 2337’- 2789’ (1100’ cumulative gain)

Overlooking the Hassayampa River basin

FACILITIES: restroom, map kiosk

GETTING THERE: Sophie's Flat Trailhead:

From Phoenix go north on Interstate 17 to Carefree Hwy/State Route 74 (exit 223). Go 30 miles west on SR 74 toward Wickenburg, turn right at US60 and continue to just before the Hassayampa River Bridge traffic circle in Wickenburg.  Turn right on El Recreo, go 0.25 mile and veer right onto Constellation Road. Continue 2.7 miles, turn left onto Blue Tank Road and drive 1.3 miles to the trailhead on the right. The last 4 miles are on undulating dirt roads suitable for sedans.

INFO:

https://www.blm.gov/visit/sophies-flat-trail

DINOSAUR WASH

A-B-C, D-INOSAUR

Wickenburg

A tight section of Dinosaur Wash

Despite its tantalizing name, there's nary a Cretaceous fossil to be found in Dinosaur Wash. Instead, hikers are treated to a cactus-studded paradise of high desert peaks and beach-like washes flanked by a mix of deeply carved sedentary and igneous rocks. From the trailhead, a trio of grand mountains stands out---the elongated profile of Precious Peak (3191'), soaring Creighton Peak (3666') and the prominent russet-capped pyramid of Red Top Peak (3190').  This stony triumvirate guides the trek, which winds around their jumbled flanks

Dinosaur Wash

and breezy passes.

Here, a middle-of-nowhere character presides over a wilderness where eons of harsh winds and raging waters have sandblasted sediments and lava flows into bizarre sculptures and shallow caves.  One such sculpture looming above Dinosaur Wash resembles a yawning Brontosaurus.

After a pleasant stroll through this outdoor art gallery scented with the resinous fragrance of creosote, the trail squeezes through the peaks to emerge at Dinosaur Wash.  From here, free-form exploration is the way to go.  Head northwest (left) through a corridor of sand and stone that vacillates accordion-style between wide alleys and tight passages.  There are a few spots where minor down climbs and boulder hops are required to get through, but most hikers in reasonable shape should be able to plow through to the 4.97-mile point where a 10-foot, slick rock drop off mandating a tricky move serves as a good turnaround spot.

HIKE DIRECTIONS: Although the traditional start point for this hike is off Scenic Loop Road, we decided to tackle it from Sophie's Flat, using the A-B-C-D trail system.  Here's the plan:

From the trailhead, follow A Trail 1.1-mile to B Trail. Follow B Trail to the 1.88-mile point, veer right and follow C Trail to the 2.39-mile point and turn left on the A Trail. Follow A Trail to the 2.91-mile point and connect with D Trail.  Follow D Trail less than a mile, drop into the obvious course of Dinosaur Wash and head northwest (left).  We hiked to the 4.97-mile point and turned around at a slick rock drop off, although with some scrambling it’s possible to continue another mile to the Hassayampa River, Mistake Mine Ruins and the Box Canyon. River water levels vary with rainfall, so bring wading gear if you're intent on hiking through the box. Trails are well-signed up to the wash.

Red Top Peak

LENGTH: 9.5 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 2337’- 2789’ (1100’ cumm gain)

FACILITIES: restroom, map kiosk

GETTING THERE: Sophie's Flat Trailhead:

From Phoenix go north on I-17 to Carefree Hwy/SR74 (exit 223) and go 30 miles west toward Wickenburg on SR74, turn right at US60 and continue to just before the Hassayampa River Bridge traffic circle in Wickenburg.  Turn right on El Recreo, go 0.25 mile and veer right onto Constellation Road. Continue 2.7 miles, turn left onto Blue Tank Road and drive 1.3 miles to the trailhead on the right. The last 4 miles are on sedan-friendly dirt roads.

Pass between Creighton & Red Top Peaks

INFO:

http://www.wickenburgtrails.org/Riding___Hiking_Trails.html

MORE PHOTOS:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200250897633852.1073741906.1795269672&type=1&l=1b59564176

Take the “A” trail, out Wickenburg way.

SOPHIE'S FLAT "A" LOOP

Wickenburg

Sophie Burden made wicked good beer biscuits---an accidental concoction she created when camping companions guzzled the milk she was saving for the recipe. Not one to be so easily disarmed, she rustled up some good 'ol fashioned western ingenuity, tossed a can of brew into the batter instead and viola, a Wickenburg icon was born. Dubbed the "First Lady of Arizona Inn keeping" by former governor Paul Fannin (1959-1965), Sophie ran popular Wickenburg dude retreat Remuda Ranch (where her biscuits were legend) frequently taking guests on cookouts to the flats, hills and trails surrounding the property. The ranch was sold in 1968 and is now a high-end treatment facility for eating disorders, where they likely do not serve ale-addled quick breads.  The ranch site is private, but the peripheral stomping grounds remain open to recreational hikers and equestrians.  A roomy, rustic trailhead with separate parking areas for cars and horse trailers anchors the site’s 7.1-mile main “A” loop trail. The hiking here is a leisurely amble through a hilly landscape shaped by mining, ranching and harsh desert conditions.  This area northeast of Wickenburg consists of 9.4 miles of non-motorized trails laid out in wagon-wheel-style, looping among shared motorized use dirt roads.  A maze of washes, Jeep roads and unnamed trails intersect the route, so be sure to follow the “A” signs to stay on course.

LENGTH: 7.1-mile loop

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 2400'- 2740'

FACILITIES: restroom, map kiosk

GETTING THERE:

From Phoenix, travel north on I17 to Carefree Highway/SR74 (exit 223) and go west toward Wickenburg. Drive 30 miles on SR74, turn right at US60 and continue to just before  the Hassayampa River bridge traffic circle in Wickenburg and turn right on El Recreo.  Go 0.25 mile, veer right onto Constellation Road and continue 2.7 miles to Blue Tank Road on the left.  Follow Blue Tank Road 1.3 miles to the trailhead. The last 4 miles are on sedan-friendly dirt roads. 

INFO: Bureau of Land Management

http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/info/nepa/environmental_library/rec_mgmt_plans/sophies.html

MORE PHOTOS:

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