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 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.  

Lion King-Hyena Circuit

LION KING-HYENA CIRCUIT

Hyena-Lion King Trail junction 

The new Turkey Creek Area trail system is a no-brainer candidate for your next hiking obsession. 

Blackfoot daisies on Turkey Creek Trail

The pocket of high desert in Coconino National Forest south of Red Rock State Park and Oak Creek has been consistently rolling out new non-motorized trails on its way to a 21-mile menu due to be completed in 2028. 

View from Hyena Trail

This March, two new routes debuted off the legacy Turkey Creek Trail.

Forested section of Lion King Trail

Purpose built for mountain bikers to test their mettle, the Lion King and Hyena trails are rife with technical elements, swooping flats and tight bends—features that are fun for hikers as well. 

Featherplume

View near hike high point

From the first Turkey Creek parking area on Forest Road 216B, (a second trailhead is a half-mile farther down the 4x4 road) the hike heads west on the Turkey Creek Trail.

Napoleon's Tomb (left) and Cathedral Rock (right)

This easy 0.7-mile segment moves through fir-juniper woodlands with an understory of scrub oak, cliff-rose and a riot of wildflower color. 

Cliff-rose

Fuzzy featherplume bushes add pops of purple while Blackfoot daisies and banana yuccas sprout brilliant cream-colored blooms throughout the hike.

Overlooking Oak Creek

At the signed Lion King junction, the route bends southeast and starts a gradual climb on alternating red dirt and slick rock staircases. 

The trail engineering here is amazing. Not only are the trails laid out for maximum visual impact, they also take advantage of the natural contours of the landscape with hand-built walls, steps and stabilizing structures that blend seamlessly with the terrain. 

Technical section on Lion King

After a couple of steep techie climbs, big views of Sedona area landmarks stretch out all around from the route’s high point at the Hyena trail junction at 0.9-mile. 

Texas Storkbill 

Overlooking the green corridor of Oak Creek, the pinnacle serves up vistas of Cathedral Rock, Capitol Butte and the House Mountain Volcano. 

Banana yucca buds

Hyena trail then twists slightly downhill. Milder than Lion King but still packed with some challenges, the 0.67-mile path rounds a prominent rock formation before reconnecting with Lion King. 

Turkey Creek Trail

For a 3-mile loop hike, head right at the junction and follow Lion King’s track back up to the pinnacle and retrace your steps.  Never intended to be boring, both new trails have just enough challenge and exposure to register somewhere between exhilarating and stupid—in other words, fun.

Lion King and Hyena opened March 2026

Besides, the day you let the distinction muddle your sense of adventure is the day you should stop hiking. 

LENGTH: 3 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 3,922 - 4,280 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 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. 

Big Spring Overlook

BIG SPRING OVERLOOK

Overlooking West Clear Creek Wilderness

Forest Road 142H trades on its erratic appeal. A hike on the dirt two track in Coconino National Forest is calming and invigorating in equal measure.

Cabin Tank

Packed with lots of things to see, the road distills a mix of semi-desert grasslands, ranch relics and epic vistas into an approachable, earthy cocktail.

Corral ruins

The hike takes off from an unmarked trailhead off State Route 260 east of Camp Verde where the landscape drolls on in a blanket of wildflower-embellished pastures and pinion-juniper woodlands. Over its first mile, primitive dispersed campsites offer secluded space for well-prepared travelers. 

Mud Tanks Draw

Cattle converge around a string of fluctuating water holes in road-adjacent Mud Tanks Draw and dusky-blue scrub jays might swoop and screech to protect their nesting territory.  The road itself is in relatively decent condition—rocky but with no major obstacles or route-finding challenges, which adds to the pleasure of walking its curvaceous track.

West Clear Creek overlook

West Clear Creek Wilderness overlook

Sporadically placed white metal chevrons can be spotted tacked to a fence line that parallels the road. These indicate that sections of the road are part of the historic General Crook Trail #130. 

Yellow evening primrose

A mile in, FR142H bends right and passes through a wood-and-wire gate.  Here, rounded hills, gumdrop-shaped junipers and a smattering of massive, ancient alligator junipers front views of distant ridges and mountain peaks. 

FR142H passes through this gate

At the 1.6-mile point, the route meets a junction with Forest Road 13. 

Corral ruins

Head left to stay on FR 142H as it begins its gradual ascent to a rustic corral complex at the 2.2-mile point. 

General Crook Trail chevron

Wrapped in rusty barbed wire and rough-hewn posts, the corral circles a small waterhole known as Corral Tank.

Corral gate

A sign for Forest Road 9243M sits in front of the corral entry gate. For a quick, but rewarding detour, pass the gate (please close all gates behind you) and walk the  0.1-mile fading road to the tank, watching for cow pies along the way before doubling back.  Beyond the corral gate, another site of mangled wood-and-wire fencing lives out its waning days among encroaching cacti and shrubs. 

Juniper meadow

Be mindful of the tangles of wire that mimic snakes in the grass. 

Wooly paintbrush

A few yards past the corral, the road starts a steeper but not-to-tough climb to the hike’s high point.  Much more degraded than the previous miles, FR142H slowly enters a more arid landscape of yucca, pinion and scrub oak.

Cabin Tank approach

Verde Valley vista

The slight elevation gain reveals some great views of the Verde Valley before the road flattens out and ends near a giant alligator juniper and fire pit at the edge of West Clear Creek Wilderness. 

Woodhouse's phlox

The volcanic rock ledges overlook the Big Spring area of the wilderness where the West Clear Creek Trail traces the canyon floor 1,000 feet below. Ragged cliffs, colorful rock outcrops and views that stretch all the way to Flagstaff overwhelm the senses at the end of the unassuming road that vaults from pastoral to primordial in just over 3 miles. 

trailhead

LENGTH: 6.2 miles roundtrip (out-and-back hike)

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 5,819 - 5,971 feet (540 feet of total elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 in Camp Verde take the State Route 260 exit 287 and continue 22 miles east (toward Payson) to Forest Road 142H on the left just past milepost 241. FR142H is not signed but there’s a stop sign and cattle guard/gate a few yards in.  For reference, Apron Tank, a shallow pool that sits on both sides of the road, is at FR142H.  There’s parking in a dirt lot past the gate.