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BLACK CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL
Big Bug Segment
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| Bradshaw Mountain views on the Big Bug Segment of BCT |
You'd be hard pressed to
find another Arizona route imbued with as much history as the Black
Canyon Trail. Records of its many centuries of use are preserved in
rock art, public documents and the dens of wily desert critters. Since
its origins as a Native American footpath, it has morphed into a
cattle driveway and wagon road before settling into its current role
as a recreational trail for hikers, bikers, equestrians and (in a few
places) ATVs. Running for roughly 78 miles in a twisting, north-south thread between the Carefree
Highway north of Phoenix to the town of Mayer outside of Prescott,
the route traces the foothills and valleys of the Bradshaw Mountains.
The trail is organized into convenient segments---each with its own
set of defining characteristics. Depending on where you are on the
trail, you'll see smatterings of the ruins, petroglyphs, ranches,
mining operations and windmills that document the trail's diverse
heritage. Augmenting the artifacts is a continually changing mix of
ecosystems ranging from canyon-bound, moist riparian strips to dry
scrubby savannah.
The northernmost Big Bug
Segment falls squarely on the "scrubby" end of the scale.
It's a wind-in-your-face kind of hike though exposed rangelands with
mountain views all around. The first mile runs through a bucolic
territory of homesteads and horses along Highway 69. After rounding
a bend, the route ducks into a quiet habitat where every thump of a
hiking boot has the potential to rouse rabbits and scrub jays from
their juniper tree sanctuaries. Just beyond the 2.5-mile point, the
trail crosses Antelope Creek Road then follows a Jeep track 0.6-mile
to connect with the Drinking Snake segment. Along the way, keep an
eye out for packrat middens. They look like scrap piles but further
inspection reveals tiny entrances covered with everything from roots
and twigs to cow dung and bones that are occasionally topped off with
stray parts (belt buckles, lens caps, socks) left behind by (or
pilfered from) travelers. These rodent abodes are built upon over
many generations and some are tens of thousands of years old. The
tiny time capsules can contain treasure troves of mummified and
fossil plant, animal and human relics. What is garbage to the
untrained eye is gold to the scientists who study the middens to
understand biotic and climate change over time. So, through their
unsavory housekeeping habits, the rat's have become "accidental
archivists" and important contributors to the history of a
classic Western trail.
LENGTH: 6.2 miles out-an-back (as
described here)
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 3,950' - 4,140'
FACILITIES: vault toilet
GETTING THERE:
Big Bug Trailhead:
From Interstate 17 in Cordes Junction
take exit 262 for State Route 69 heading north toward Prescott.
Set your odometer and drive 4.2 miles
to a point 0.7-mile past mile marker 266, (N 34 21.823 W 112 10.556)
turn left onto an unmarked drive and continue 0.1 mile to the
trailhead. To find the trail, pass the gate near the restroom and
stay to the right of the fences and corral. (There was a large carin
here on our visit). Follow the trail though a drainage, and veer right
at the top of a rise where the trail splits. Follow the trail to the
right of a fence line and you'll soon see a BCT sign. From here, the
trail is easy to follow.
INFO & MAPS:
Black Canyon Trail Coalition
Black Canyon Trail Coalition
MORE PHOTOS:
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