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Near Bumble Bee
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| View of Bradshaw Mountains from BCT |
Sandwiched between the spot
where Interstate 17 splits to begin its climb up to the mesas and gorges of
Agua Fria National Monument and a gaping valley below the Bradshaw Mountains,
the Gloriana Segment of the Black Canyon Trail is the middle road between a
freeway and dusty dirt double tracks. The 80-mile route flows from Carefree Highway in
Phoenix to just outside of Prescott following centuries-old Native American
trails, defunct livestock paths, dirt roads and sections of new construction.
The
trail is divided into segments with trailheads located along its entire length.
The 3.4-mile-long Gloriana Segment is smack dab in the middle and wanders along
slopes above the scoured courses of Sycamore, Poison, Arrastre and Rock
Creeks. Geology buffs will find a plenty
to explore. Within a few hundred feet of the trailhead, the path bumps into an
outcropping of metamorphic rock tilted vertical and resembling fossilized Stegosaurus
fins weathering from the earth. A couple of hairpin turns through a gully of
giant saguaros and a short walk through a Palo Verde forest deposits hikers on
a breezy edge splattered with chunks of milky white quartz overlooking Maggie
Mine Road.
Take a moment to spy the various mine prospects that dot the
hillsides. Continuing south, the trail wanders through sunny rangeland accompanied by morphing
mountain vistas in what the Black Canyon Trail Coalition calls “Arizona’s
Outback”. The segment can be tackled as
an out-and-back day hike, multi-day backpack or a one-way car shuttle using
maps available on the coalition’s website.
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| A battered saguaro stands above Maggie Mine Road |
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| "Stegosaurus" rock slabs |
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| Juvenile saguaros on the Gloriana Segment of BCT |
LENGTH: 6.8 miles
out-and-back
RATING: moderate
ELEVATION: 2520’ – 2720’
GETTING THERE: Gloriana
Trailhead.
From Phoenix, go north on
Interstate 17 to the Bumble Bee/ Crown King exit 248. Follow Bumble Bee Road 1.1
miles to the trailhead on the left. There are no facilities. The hike begins at
the south side of the lot near the big sign. Roads are 100% paved. (The sign across the road marks
the start of the Bumble Bee Segment.)
INFO: http://www.bctaz.com/
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