CONSTELLATION TRAILS
Prescott
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| Lost Wall trail |
Some people believe that good luck will ensue if you can
hold your breath while traveling through a tunnel. There's an opportunity to
test this theory at the gateway to Prescott's Constellation Trails. Take a deep
breath of clean prairie air and--if you're taller than 5'4"---duck down,
head through the AZ89 underpass and exhale birth-like in a weathered world of
ancient granite dells at the trailhead on the other side.
The crystal-infused granite dells are a wonder and this web
of loop paths takes hikers through a beautifully varied terrain in just under 3
miles.
"You-are-here-style" maps are posted at the trailhead and at every junction throughout the system, making navigation super simple. The most challenging legs are North 40
and Lost Wall---both of which traverse the area's highest, rockiest places.
From the bare-rock high points, views of bucolic Williamson Valley frame the
distant peaks of Flagstaff and Williams at the edge of the Northern Arizona's
Colorado Plateau. The trails move
among juniper- shaded glens and exposed slickrock where white paint dots mark
the way. A couple of fun squeezes through stone corridors get hikers up close
and personal with bizarre patterns infused within igneous rock. Back at the
trailhead, there's a commemorative plaque paying tribute to the Navy crewmen of
the Air Force Lockheed C-121G USS Constellation, which crashed here in
1959. A small pile of
wreckage sits nearby.
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| passage in the dells |
LENGTH: 2.74 miles collective
RATING: easy-moderate
ELEVATION:
5016' - 5229'
FEES: none
DOGS: leashed dogs are allowed
GETTING THERE:
From Phoenix, go north on I17 to the Cordes Junction AZ69
interchange. Head west toward
Prescott on AZ69 and continue through town to the AZ89 junction. Go north on AZ89--past Watson Lake--to
just beyond milepost 318 and turn right at the entrance for Phippen
Museum. Look for the
"trailhead parking" area---do not use the museum lot. Trail begins at
the gate near AZ89.
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| View of Williamson Valley from the trails |
INFO & MAP:
City of Prescott
MORE PHOTOS:
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