Railroad Spring

RAILROAD SPRING

Swale at Railroad Spring

During Arizona’s late 19th-to-mid-20th century logging heyday, railroads ran through thick Ponderosa pine forests hauling woody loads to mills in Flagstaff and other Northern Arizona towns.

Gate near Fulton Canyon Tank

Some of the old railroad grades have been decommissioned and either turned onto popular Rails-to-Trails paths like the Peavine Trail in Prescott and Railroad Grade in the White Mountains. 

The old railroad grade

Others have been incorporated into hiking routes like the Arizona National Scenic Trail.

Leftovers from a logging railway

Still others were unceremoniously disassembled and left to decompose adjacent to backwoods roads and rangeland.

Rocky Mountain Irises bloom May - Sept

While the remains of many old railroad grades are little more than scattered cinder beds, rock walls and rotting railroad ties, some retain remnants of life on old timey logging trails.

Start of the railroad grade segment

A few miles south of Mormon Lake, an unassuming dirt road leads to a fading stretch of scrapped railroad and a spring site. 

Fulton Canyon Tank

The short hike to Railroad Spring begins on Forest Road 9488K, moving easily into the pine woodlands of Coconino National Forest.

Spring box at Railroad Spring

The first 0.8-mile of the rough road is open to motorized vehicles, but where the route meets the shallow pocket of Fulton Canyon, a gate bars entry to all but foot and horse travel to protect sensitive soil, prevent the spread of invasive plants and preserve wildlife habitats. 

Railroad Spring

Beyond the gate, Fulton Canyon Tank, a glassy created water catchment, sits off to the left. 

Spring water flows over the railroad grade

The road gets much more rocky as it heads downhill to where it meets a fork at the 1-mile point. Take the left fork and then an immediate right at a bright yellow sign in front of boulders barring motorized travel. This is the entrance to the old railroad grade. 

Swale at Railroad Spring

Strewn with cables, ties and rusty nails, the disintegrating track parallels a green swale. (Leave all artifacts as you found them!). A few yards in, a slick curtain of tricking water spills over the track. 

Western Dog Violet bloom May - July

The spring water issues from a culvert-like structure built into a slope. Just across the track, a huge spring box made of concrete and native stone sits above the swale, metal pipes barely dripping moisture into the grassy channel.  Nearby, a pair of concrete water troughs hint at former livestock runs in the area.  Both were bone dry. 

Troughs at Railroad Spring

Even with the spring’s meager issue, the swale is a lively, lush natural drainage rife with irises, violets and swarms of butterflies. Tiny ponds and rivulets ramble through the mini wetland. It’s a beautiful place as well as an important resource for wildlife and native vegetation.  Beyond the troughs, a faint road heads uphill to the left.  A short walk through fragrant pines and wildflower meadows leads to a log fence and the junction with the Mormon Lake Passage 29 of the Arizona National Scenic Trail.

Arizona Trail Passage 29

The junction makes for a good turn around spot, otherwise, for a much longer hike, consult the Arizona Trail website (https://aztrail.org/) for how to continue on to Mormon Lake Village (north) or Happy Jack (south). 

trailhead

LENGTH: 4 miles round trip

RATING: easy, with uneven footing

ELEVATION: 7,208 - 7,479 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 just before entering Flagstaff, take the Lake Mary Road/ Mormon Lake Exit 339 and go right at the bottom of the offramp. Continue 28 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Forest Road 9488K on the right just past milepost 315. There’s parking behind the gate. There are no facilities. Roads are paved up to the trailhead gate. 

Beaverhead Flat Trails

 BEAVERHEAD FLAT TRAILS

View from Beaverhead Flat outer trail

The trails of Beaverhead Flat aren’t the easiest to follow. 

Typical scene on Beaverhead Flat

Encroaching creosote, sandy substrates, random cattle  tracks and drainages that scour the level landscape make picking out the maze of paths a challenge in places.

Lizard-Tail bloom April - October

Located a few miles south of Sedona in a pocket of high desert flatlands in Yavapai County near Cornville, the Beaverhead Flat trailhead is a bare bones entry point to a series of old roads that have been repurposed into non-motorized routes open to hikers, bikers and horses.

Sedona landforms to the north

The sparsely signed, sketchy paths circle an oblong ridge rolling out a carousel of unobscured mountain vistas. 

Trails are mostly unsigned and sketchy

When compared to the 15-mile Limestone Trail that passes to the north, linking Red Rock and Dead Horse Ranch State Parks and the White Hills Single Track mountain bike system across the way, the trails in this desolate parcel are primitive. 

Yucca on FR9205D

But that’s part of the site’s character, which oozes with old ranch flavor and open range braided cattle tracks.

FR9205D

The trail system is made up of a 3-mile outer loop—sometimes called the Beaverhead Loop and a 0.57-mile crosscut also referred to as Juniper Ridge. 

Crucifixion thorn on outer loop

Based on faded road signs placed at junctions, the outer loop follows Forest Road 9205B and the crosscut is Forest Road 9205D. 

Blue gilia bloom May - November

A third road, FR9205C is a short spur out-and-back to a scenic overlook —-at least from what I could see.

Mountain vistas on the outer loop

The lack of directional signs, cairns or consistent tread is a refreshing diversion from over manicured trails that remove any need for thinking. It’s undiluted rangeland road walking at its best. 

A few feet past the trailhead gate, the (unsigned) outer loop splits.

Trails circle this ridge

I took the right leg which headed out through acres of creosote, crucifixion thorn and a smattering of junipers that grow just high enough to tickle-frame hazy views of Coconino National Forest mountain peaks to the east and Sedona’s iconic landforms to the north.

Silverleaf nightshade bloom May - October

Unapologetically shadeless, the sun bleached plains peppered with cacti and scrub bursting from a limestone foundation would loose its mojo under cover of trees.  The open-to-the-sky ambience is its currency. 

One of the few signed junctions 

Along this leg, the trail vacillates among narrow single-tracks, rutted two-tracks and confusingly arbitrary game trails. At the 0.9-mile point, the trail meets a metal water tank where the route seems to vanish. 

Fractured flats

I took the dirt road heading left from the tank and followed it to the 1.3-mile point where a sign for FR 9025D wrapped in creosote indicates a vague trail heading left. 

Water tank on the route

This short segment makes an easy uphill through fractured drainages and a tiny juniper forest. 

Spreading Four O'Clock bloom Apr - Sept

Topping out on a crest with some of the best views of the fringes of Sedona, the trail heads back downhill passing prickly pear cacti, ratany shrubs and magnificent yuccas that frame views of the Bradshaw Mountains.

Engelmann's Prickly Pear blooms April-June

Trails start behind the gate

The trail meets the junction with FR 9205C at the 1.8 mile point, then descends lazily back to the trailhead. 

Trialhead entry

LENGTH:

Circuit described here: 2.2 mile loop

Outer (Beaverhead) Loop: 3 miles

Crossover Path (Juniper Pass): 0.57 mile

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 

As described here: 3,744 - 3,603 feet

Outer Loop: 3,847 - 3,603 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the McGuireville/Montezuma Well exit 293.  At the end of the offramp, go left and continue 5 miles on Cornville Road (County Road 30) to Beaverhead Flat Road on the right. Turn right and go a few yards to the trailhead on the left.  The dirt lot is huge with room for horse trailers. There are no fees or facilities at this trailhead.  Roads are paved all the way to the trailhead. 

Longshot-Turkey Creek Loop

LONGSHOT-TURKEY CREEK CIRCUIT

Slick rock segment on the Longshot Trail

Like many intriguing adventure stories, this one begins on a familiar launch pad then dives into things unknown with shiny new temptations and unexpected turns.

Longshot Trail

The legendary  Turkey Creek trailhead along Verde Valley School Road in the Village of Oak Creek has evolved from a somewhat remote, lightly used access point for its eponymous trail into a gateway to a growing stable of new hiking routes.

Longshot Trail 

The acres of hill-acious high desert west of the super popular trails orbiting Cathedral Rock are being developed with a 21-mile maze of loopy routes that diverge from the legacy Turkey Creek Trail. 

Ocotillos on the Longshot Trail

Over the past year, several of the planned routes of the Turkey Creek Trail System in Coconino National Forest  have debuted—-Del Sol, Third Rock, Rodeo, Lion King, Pony Up, Hyena and Giddy Up, to name a few.

Desert Four O'Clock bloom Mar-Sept

And, just when it seemed the system couldn’t get any better—it did. 

New trail ready for permanent signage 

Enter the Longshot Trail.  This one, which makes a U-shaped loop off the Turkey Creek Trail one mile from the trailhead, officially opened this spring. There’s never a dull moment on this fresh-cut, mile long single track. Every yard is a joy to hike. 

Big vistas on Turkey Creek Trail

From the first junction, the route hits a slick rock passage hugging the base of high, red sandstone cliffs. The edgy segment is packed with ocotillo-framed vistas and moderate drop-offs that overlook grasslands below the House Mountain volcano. 

Strawberry hedgehog cactus bloom Mar-Apr

The rocky section then dips into shaded juniper-pine-fir woodlands, passing the Pony Up junction at the 1.4 mile point. From here, the trail jogs over drainages that feed wildflower meadows rife with primroses, Miniature Wool Star, penstemons, Blackfoot daisies, and brilliant magenta Desert Four O’Clock.

Fragrant cliff-rose bloom Apr-Sept

 

View from Longshot Trail

A fringe of blooming cacti and shrubs add continuous splashes of color springing from the sandy soils.  The west end of the loop rejoins Turkey Creek at the 2.3-mile point.  For a 4-miler, head right and follow the basket cairns back to the trailhead.

Longshot trail junction

 

Kudos must go to the forest service and volunteer teams that constructed these trails.

Littleleaf Ratany blooms Apr -Sept

Clearly, they are experts in sustainable builds that deliver what trail users want—variety, customizable lengths, eye candy and enough challenge to get the heart pounding. 

Miniature Wool Star bloom Mar - Jun

The “new trail shine” on these recent additions to the Sedona area hike menu won’t be rubbing off anytime soon. 

Drainage crossing on Longshot Trail

LENGTH:  4.2 miles

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 3,901 - 4,022 feet

GETTING THERE:

Turkey Creek Trailhead

From State Route 179 in the Village of Oak Creek, go 4 miles west on Verde Valley School Road to Forest Road 216B on the left. Park in the dirt lot at the large forest service sign a few yards in. Follow the “trail” signs to  access the route.  There is another optional trailhead a mile down FR216B for those with high-clearance vehicles. There are no facilities or fees at this trailhead.

Roads are paved up to the last half mile which is maintained dirt suitable for all vehicles. 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/coconino

Calloway Tank

CALLOWAY TANK

Calloway Tank

My hiking pal had to pee.  Prostate, or something. While destination Winslow could wait, Nature’s call demanded an immediate pull off from State Route 260.

Forest Road 9364R

Shaded by Ponderosa pines and lots of thick scrub, the turnout at Forest Road 9405D on the Mogollon Rim seemed as good a place as any for an urgent pit stop. 

Gate on FR 9405D

While my pal heeded the call of the wild, I casually pursued the hike possibilities of our impromptu rest stop. Armed with forest service maps and an urgent need (though not quite up to my pal’s) to hit the dirt, I quickly determined that the area offered much more than adequate cover for tending to ones bodily functions.

Barestem Larkspur

  The woodsy backroads south of West Clear Creek Wilderness where we pulled over are a tight-knit maze of exploratory hiking options. 

Calloway Tank

The main arteries show up on forest maps, but many others, too short to plot, intersect the primary routes without fanfare. Sitting on the Mogollon Rim in Coconino National Forest, Forest Road 9364R makes for an easy-to-access walk in pine-oak woodlands. 

Spring snow cover Gambel oak leafs, Apr. 14, 2026

From our pull over site, the hike starts on Forest Road 9405D with a short walk of a few yards on blacktop to a gate.

Calloway Tank

Beyond the barbed wire gate (close it behind you) the road meets the junction with FR 9364 at the 0.2-mile point, where the route bends left. 

Small-leaf pussytoes

The road condition is deeply rutted and rocky but it’s signed where those unmapped spur routes spin off.  Just follow the 9364R signs to stay on track. A few of the spurs appear to lead to nowhere, but offer mini side trips where wildflowers color the understory of shrubs and prior season’s deadfall.

Pink Woodhouse's phlox

Calloway Tank

At the 1.3-mile point, first glimpses of Calloway Tank peek through pines on the right. 

Snow-capped logs at Calloway Tank

One of many human-created water catchments built in Arizona forests to hydrate wildlife and domestic livestock, the tank is a critical, life-sustaining resource.

Forest Road 9364R

The glassy surface of Calloway Tank reflects sky, clouds  and the ring of stately ponderosa pines that ring its banks. Springtime brings a blast of wildflower sprouts including Barestem Larkspur, Desert paintbrush, Small-leaf pussytoes, Woodhouse’s phlox and groundsel. 

Forest Road 9364R

Desert paintbrush

Fallen tree trunks camouflaged by a canopy of Gamble oaks near the water make convenient viewing benches for spotting blue jays, hawks, towhees, mountain bluebirds and ravens that dive for insects. 

Forest Road 9364R

By this point, my pal needed to find yet another privy place.  Important to note: when nature calls, always select a place at least 200 feet from any water source, if you must use toilet paper--do without if you can or use leaves instead or carry a plastic bag with a little baking soda in it and carry the tissue out with you.. at the very least, bury it 6 inches deep and conceal it with leaves or rocks. Leave no trace!

A pine meadow along the route

The tank is a good turnaround point, but dozens of primitive backroads can add miles to this quick and easy walk in the forest. 

Trailhead at Forest Road 9405D

LENGTH:  3 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 6,760 - 6,954 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 in Camp Verde, go 29 miles east (toward payson) on State Route 260 to Forest Road 9405D on the left, just past milepost 248. Park in the turnouts along the access road.