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

 

 

VIDEO: Sun Corridor and Maricopa Trail updates.

 

ARIZONA LONG-DISTANCE TRAILS UPDATES 

The Sun Corridor and Maricopa Trails are two epic long-distance routes undergoing improvements, connectivity and new builds. Check out this video to see the progress and learn about ways to help.

https://maricopatrail.wistia.com/medias/bj5n0ihgee

Sandrock Canyon

SANDROCK CANYON

An Arizona Sister alights on Gambel oak

Arizona Sisters are hard to ignore.  Adorned with distinctive white markings and orange wing tips the eye-catching butterflies are familiar sights in oak woodlands. 

FR9361A crosses Sandrock Canyon

Native to Central America and the American Southwest, Adelpha eulalia are easy to spot flitting among oak canopies from late spring through fall.

Fossil Springs overlook at end of FR9361A

Unlike many other butterflies, this colorful species with a wingspan of 3 to 5 inches does not normally feed on flowers.  

Sandstone ledges over Fossil Springs Wilderness

Oak trees are their host plants and primary food source, but they can also be observed perching around mud puddles and water holes. 

Arizona Sisters stand out in oak forests

The pine-oak woodlands and riparian canyons of Arizona’s Mogollon Rim provides ideal habitat.  They have a knack for finding beautiful places to live and produce three or more broods per year between March and December.  Hikers can take a step into their terrain by seeking out quiet trails and backroads located between 4,000 and 8,000 feet in elevation where several species of native oaks thrive.  

Amazing views from above Fossil Springs

Forest Road 9361A in Coconino National Forest departs from a who-knew trailhead 27 miles east of Camp Verde on State Route 260.

Agaves grow on the rim over Fossil Springs

 The dirt two-track leads into prime butterfly territory with a jaw-dropping beautiful payoff at the end.

From the trailhead, the FR9361A heads through a barbed wire gate and a concrete tunnel under SR260. 

Sandrock Draw Tank on FR9361A

There are three wire gates along the route. Be sure to close each gate behind you. At the 0.3-mile point, the road is signed as FR9361D, but maps show it as FR9361A, either way, it goes to the same destination.  

Sandrock Draw Tank is a wildlife magnet

A short walk past the sign, pine-shaded Sandrock Draw Tank, a created waterhole, attracts a host of wildlife. 

Water hole near the FR9361Q junction

Birds, dragonflies and Arizona Sisters twitching along its muddy fringe are common sightings.  Sandrock Draw gradually widens becoming a canyon that feeds into Fossil Springs Wilderness.

Tunnel under SR260 at the trailhead

Just beyond the tank, the route heads left at a fork and continues to the 0.9-mile point where the route veers right at the FR9361H junction to stay on FR9361A.  Here, the road traces the Sandrock Canyon dipping and climbing through juniper meadows and Ponderosa pines with occasional mountain vistas peeking through dense tree cover.  

FR9361A ends just yards from the overlook

A major road fork at the 1.6-mile point is marked by a small water hole and the junction with FR9361Q.  The route heads right to again stay on FR9361A.  The final 0.8-mile leg of the hike passes through an enchanting green tunnel--bound to turn gold in autumn-- of Gambel oaks replete with Arizona Sister activity.  The lightly travelled dirt road narrows as it makes a moderate descent to its terminus at a non-descript circular campsite that belies the spectacle located just a few yards beyond. 

Mountain vistas from a sunny meadow

Faint game paths wind through a maze of agave, cacti and ancient Alligator junipers landing hikers at an overlook above Fossil Springs Wilderness.  Sandstone ledges protrude over a gorge that plunges 1,000 feet to the wilderness floor that’s home to Fossil Creek, one of Arizona’s most popular water-centric recreation areas. 

There are 3 gates on the hike. Close them behind you!

Broken agaves at the overlook

Free of the (permit-required) traffic and visitors splashing in the waterfalls, the view from above gives a seldom seen overview of the scope and magnitude of the 11,550-acre wilderness below.

Ponderosa pines shade the route

 

LENGTH:  4.8 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION:  6,375 – 6,149 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 in Camp Verde, go 27 miles east (toward Payson) on State Route 260 to Forest Road 142 located past milepost 245 on the left.  Immediately past the cattle guard, turn left into a dirt parking area.  A high clearance vehicle is recommended.

The dirt parking area also serves as an access point for the General Crook Trail No. 130.

Tonteel Trail

TONTEEL TRAIL

Schultz Tank views from Tonteel Trail

Schultz Tank has long been a popular stopping off point for trail users in Flagstaff’s Mount Elden Dry Lake Hills (MEDL) area.  The created water hole is located between the low-slung volcanic mounds collectively known as the Dry Lake Hills and San Francisco Mountain, the dormant stratovolcano that hosts Arizona’s highest hiking destination: Humphreys Peak trail.

Tonteel Trail cross a dam at Schultz Tank

Schultz Tank is contained by two constructed earthen dams, and while it’s a year-round reliable water source, its size vacillates according to season and precipitation. Tonteel is a Dine (Navajo) word for “ocean” or ”water that is wide”.

Pines shade parts of the Tonteel Trail

Whether overflowing as it’s known to do in spring, or wanning as autumn approaches, there’s always enough water to attract wildlife and support a burgeoning fringe of vegetation. 

A flotilla of ducks on Schultz Tank

Ducks are ubiquitous and large game like elk and deer appear mostly around dawn and dusk.

Situated at 8,000 feet, the glassy pool is also a hub for hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers. Recent trail development in the area has extended hike options far beyond the old standard routes like Sunset, Brookbank and the Arizona National Scenic Trail. 

The short, scenic loop is family-friendly

The new Tonteel Trail anchors the hub both literally and figuratively.  The half-mile, family-friendly path circles the tank forming a sort of wagon wheel loop from which other forest trails spin off like spokes.

Schultz Tank serves as a trail hub

Mountain breezes ruffle Schultz Tank waters

 

The trail is a simple, easy trip around the water ducking in and out of pines and over the dams where blooming shrubs attract swarms of butterflies, bees and dragonflies.  Mountain vistas reflect into the often wind-ruffled pool beloved as a grounding point for day hikes, picnics, wildlife watching or filtering water before backpacking into the surrounding mountain wilderness.

New Mexican vervain blooms June - September

 

LENGTH: 0.5-mile loop

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 7,961 – 8,029 feet

GETTING THERE:

Schultz Tank Trailhead:

From Flagstaff, travel north on U.S. 180 (Fort Valley Road) to milepost 218.6 and turn right on Schultz Pass Road (FR420).  Continue 0.5-mile on FR420 to a fork, veer left to stay on FR420 and continue 4.8 miles to the Schultz Tank trailhead on the right. Schultz Pass Rd is maintained dirt suitable for all vehicles.

Day use only. No camping.

FACILITIES: restroom

INFO & MAPS:

Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/recreation/?cid=FSEPRD1169467#schultztank

 

Broadside Trail

BROADSIDE TRAIL

Mixed conifer forest on Broadside Trail

Moody Blue.  Don’t look for it on the color wheel, fashion catwalks or in the prog rock song book.  It’s a color buried so deep in the visible light spectrum it defies description.

A tree shaded meadow on the Broadside Trail

It shows up in nature in the underside of storm clouds, inside a faded lupine bloom, imbedded in fir needles and within the fine grains of volcanic rock.
It’s an icy color with a bitter sting.  It smells of pine sap and mint---not the sweet culinary kind---but the rude, wild stuff that grows around forest water holes. Rather than a one-note visual, Moody Blue is a whole-body experience.  On cloudy summer days, it’s abundant on the Broadside Trail. One of the newer additions to Flagstaff’s Mount Elden-Dry Lake Hills (MEDL) Trail System, the Broadside Trail flows through cool woodlands in a pocket of foothills between the San Francisco Peaks and Mount Elden.  The 3.4-mile fresh cut route joins old standards Sunset and Brookbank trails for a shady trek in Coconino National Forest.

Moody blue in the clouds

The close-to-town MEDL system has been popular with non-motorized trail users since its debut in 1987. In addition to its ever-expanding menu of new stacked loop trails, the area also shares space with the Arizona National Scenic Trail and the Flagstaff Loop Trail.

The Broadside Trail opened in 2023, but until August 16, 2024, when Schultz Pass Road and Elden Springs Road were reopened following post-fire restorations, getting to it required hiking on long connecting trails.  With drive up options to the Sunset and Schultz Tank trailheads restored, hikers now have direct access. 

New MEDL trails are well signed

The MEDL area has survived numerous disasters.  Scorched by the 1977 Radio Fire, 2010 Schultz Fire, 2019 Museum Fire and most recently by the 2022 Pipeline Fire, the corrugated landscape is being rehabilitated with forest clearings, flood control projects, new sustainable trail alignments and the elimination and/or adoption of social trails for better overall environmental health and public safety.  

Contributors to the trail planning, design and constructions are U.S. Forest Service Flagstaff Ranger District, American Conservation Experience, Arizona Conservation Corps, Flagline Trails, and many volunteer hours and funding efforts from Flagstaff Biking Organization.

Slash piles from forest restoration work

 

Richardson's geranium blooms April - October

The results are breathtaking.  New signage mitigates the formerly confusing and disruptive maze of unauthorized paths.  Beautiful singletracks follow the natural contours of the land as they meander through diverse eco zones that rise from pinion-juniper woodlands where tiny cacti huddle among boulders to aspen glens and high elevation fir-spruce forests. 

Sunny meadow on the Broadside Trail

All in just a few miles of switchback-mitigated climbing.

The Broadside Trail starts high in the hills around Schultz Tank. 

Clouds build over the San Francisco Peaks

At the Sunset Trailhead, snap a photo of the trail map to use for your return route options. Broadside immediately enters fragrant pine-shaded foothills, staying flat and easy for its first mile.  

Broadside begins at the Sunset trailhead

The trail ascends to its high point on long switchbacks that ease the climb and maximize scenic views.  Glimpses of fire-singed foothills and the San Francisco Peaks are visible where thick tree cover is disrupted by alpine meadows rife with colorful lupine, wild geranium and thistles.  

Purple locoweed blooms June - September

During summer monsoon season, clouds gathering over the peaks is a near daily occurrence. Near the top of Broadside Trail, where it meets connecting routes Full Sail and Sunset, look for Moody Blue in the sky and underfoot. 

Trailhead map kiosk shows loop options

How will you know when you’ve spotted it? Well, when attempting to describe color in the natural world, words are often inadequate. Ridiculous, really. 

Words do not suffice...

Paint might do better. Moody Blue is a made-up name for the mutable shade that might include a mix of ultramarine, cobalt, burnt umber, vermillion and gold all grayed down with a dab of titanium white.  Who knows?  Writing dances around the visible outer crust. Painting exposes the soul.  This trail and its signature blue needs some paint.

Lupine bloom June - October

LENGTH: 3.24 miles one way or 5.1-mile loop using Sunset Trail or 6.6-mile loop using Full Sail.

RATING:  moderate

ELEVATION: 8,108 – 8,800 feet

GETTING THERE:

Sunset Trailhead

In Flagstaff, go north on U.S. 180 to Schultz Pass Road, turn right and continue 5.4 miles to the Sunset trailhead on the right.  Schultz Pass Road is maintained gravel/dirt suitable for most vehicles. Schultz Pass Road reopened August 16, 2024, following repair work needed after  the 2022 Pipeline Fire.  No facilities.

INFO:

Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/recarea/?recid=84557&actid=50