Blowout Canyon Trail

BLOWOUT CANYON TRAIL

Mingus Mountain rises over Blowout Canyon

The new Blowout Wash community trail system in Cottonwood continues to evolve with several miles of new routes added to its menu in the past few months. 

The loopy system that winds through foothills below Mingus Mountain in Prescott National Forest broke ground in 2019.

A new trail climbs to Blowout Butte (L) summit

The first trails opened in 2020 and additional routes rolled out in 2021 with plans in the works for an ambitious trail corridor that will link with the Black Canyon trailhead. 

Cacti frame Verde Valley vistas

Noteworthy among the class of 2021 additions is the Blowout Canyon Trail No. 511 which makes a crawl through the innards of the eponymous gorge by way of a wavy single track cut from the slopes of craggy knobs and buttes. 

Trail passes a crumbling rock wall at the head of Blowout Canyon

The nicely varied 3.2-mile fresh-cut route links up with several other trails in the core of the Blowout Wash system for easy hike customization.  One to try uses the Bullseye Trail No. 557 for a 4-mile loop.  From the trailhead, follow trail No. 557 a short distance and veer right onto trail No. 551 at the first fork.  The first of a relentless sequence of ups-and-downs swings around juniper-studded mounds revealing excellent views of Sedona’s red rock landscape.  Passages through spike-stemmed crucifixion thorn trees and golden grasslands hang over sheer feeder canyons and jumbled drainages fringed with yucca, cactus, and high-desert shrubs.

Near the head of Blowout Canyon

Sparse tree cover allows for unobstructed viewing of a stunning mix of mountain peaks, red rock formations and expansive river corridors and agricultural  plains.  As the route zigzags over and around weather-worn bluffs, glimpses of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff appear as hazy silhouettes out on the horizon.  Roughly 2 miles in, the trail spirals down into the cloistered head of Blowout Canyon following carefully designed switchbacks that mitigate the descent and aid in proper trail drainage and sustainability. 

See-forever vistas dominate the hike

To keep the trail from degrading, never cut across switchbacks.

Near the high point on Blowout Canyon trail

Stay on established paths.  The descent passes by a wall of broken stone where loose rocks spill into a slot canyon rife with low-growing trees that benefit from extra post-storm water that rushes through the sliver-thin ravine. 

Yucca thrive on sunny slopes

Switchbacks make for sustainable trails. Don't cut them!

The trail bottoms out, then

boomerangs up onto a red-rock incline where ocotillos join the mix of a drier micro-climate vegetation. 
A brief, edge-hugging climb tops out on a scenic ridge with the biggest views of the trip.  Hundreds of feet below, glinting roofs in the town of Cottonwood and a grid of vineyards along Oak Creek sit in a yawning valley backed up by mountain views that stretch from Prescott to Flagstaff. 

Mesquite trees frame views of Sedona red rocks

From this point, the trail descends on long hairpin switchbacks to meet up with the Bullseye trail No. 557.  To complete to loop, hang a right and hike just under a mile back to the trailhead. Or go left to add on a few miles and climb up the prominent limestone slopes of Blowout Butte on sister newcomer, trail No. 556.

Blowout Wash trail system continues to grow.

LENGTH: 4-mile loop

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:  3,790 – 4,280 feet

GETTING THERE: From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the Cornville Road exit 293 heading west (go left). Continue 17.7 miles on Cornville Road (aka County Road 30) which will turn into Mingus Avenue and then Forest Road 493 to the large Blowout Wash trailhead.  For reference, the trailhead is 1.5 miles south of the Cottonwood Municipal Airport. Roads are paved up to the last half mile where FR 493 is a dirt/gravel track suitable for all vehicles.