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Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Seven Mile Gulch Trail

SEVEN MILE GULCH TRAIL

It's a steep climb up Seven Mile Gulch trail

It’s a scare hikers don’t soon forget.  Low growling, rustling sounds coming from trailside shrubs that hint at something ominous or predatory abruptly morph into the dull pounding cadence of a roused beast before the makers burst from their cover.  This is what it sounds like when doves fly.  

Beautiful scrubland on the trail's exposed ridges

While the startling wildlife encounter is a familiar one in Arizona’s brushlands, it never loses its fright factor. 
Feathery seeds of Alderleaf mountain mahogany

Still, the experience dovetails nicely with hikes that challenge physical stamina as well as mental fortitude.  
A "rest spot" on the trail showcases great views

Hikers can test their mettle, and maybe rouse some doves, on Prescott’s Seven Mile Gulch Trail No. 9854.   
A monsoon storm brews over Seven Mile Gulch

Located in the Lynx Lake Recreation Area in Prescott National Forest just a couple miles south of State Route 69, the shared-use route offers a strenuous climb, diverse eco-zones, wildlife viewing opportunities and sweet mountain vistas.

The trail knocks off its nearly 1,300-foot ascent in a series of insanely vertical hauls with short breather segments and dips into woodsy enclaves. 

The hike begins in pine woodlands

The hike starts out as an easy, half-mile stroll

through pine woodlands before exiting the tree cover and heading uphill on the first of many sheer inclines. 

Brilliant scarlet creeper blooms May - October

Where the route begins its direct assault on the ridgelines and hills west of Lynx Lake the trail is surrounded by scrub oaks, manzanita shrubs, random juniper trees and acres of grasslands. 

Open to hikers, equestrians, bikes and small motorized vehicles, the trail follows a wide road of scaley, torn up metamorphic stone shelves and loose rocks. It’s difficult to imagine getting a bike, horse or ATV up this puppy.  If a dove jolt didn’t wake you up, this will.

Lush forest near Seven Mile Tank

 
At the 1.3-mile point, the trail begins a drop back into pine forests, where it bottoms out at Seven Mile Tank, a shallow water catchment where canyon grape vines and moisture-loving plants and wildflowers thrive in a sun-dappled pocket of greenery. 
Trail moves between scrublands and pine woodlands

The shaded hollow attracts deer, swarms of pollinators and the domestic cattle that roam in this historic livestock grazing area.
Slimleaf lima bean blooms May - October

The brief respite from exposed ridges soon ends and the climbing resumes with more slippery, vertical segments that reveal ever-expanding views of Prescott Valley, Spruce Mountain, the granite dells near Watson Lake, the vivid green course of Lynx Creek and Flagstaff’s San Francisco peaks on the distant horizon.  

Orange globemallow mingles with western yarrow

From sunny landings on the way up, acres of alderleaf mountain mahogany bushes that sprout long, feathery seeds in summer thru early fall blanket the surrounding slopes like winter frost.  
Birchleaf buckthorn berries ripen in fall

After 2.3 miles of unrelenting up, the route meets Ranch Trail No. 62 before gradually ducking back into pine forests for the final walk to where the trail ends at the junction with Watershed Trail No. 299 in the shadow of 7,631-foot Bigelow Peak. 
Beware of rogue wildlife bursting from scrub

There aren’t any good loop options using the connecting routes, unless roads are used, which is why most hikers make the junction their turnaround point.
Prairie clover attracts pollinators

LENGTH:  6.2 miles up-and-back

RATING:  difficult

ELEVATION: 5,506 – 6,767 feet

GETTING THERE:

From State Route 69 in Prescott, go 2 miles south on Walker Road to the trailhead on the right just past the Highlands Center.

INFO: Prescott National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/prescott/recreation/recarea/?recid=67659&actid=50

Monday, September 13, 2021

Botanical Bonanza

Botanical Bonanza

L-R: 1995 edition, 2012 edition, 2021 edition

 

One of the things readers of this blog appreciate most are the images and identifications of plants and wildflowers included with each hike description.  In addition to landmarks, geological formations and wildlife, vegetation is a defining characteristic of hiking trails.  Whether trekking through alpine tundra, pine-oak woodlands, chaparral or Arizona’s iconic Sonoran Desert, hikers encounter myriad species of trees, shrubs, cacti and wildflowers.  Appreciation of these colorful understories and canopies is enhanced by putting names to the sighted specimens.  

While I use multiple sources to help identify the plant photos I share, my go-to source for the past 25 years has been the Falcon Guide, Plants of Arizona.  About to be released in its third updated edition, the book features color images and accurate, concise descriptions of over 1000 plants that help non-pros like myself identify and learn about Arizona’s botanical bounty. Entries are sorted by flower color and descriptions include botanical names and plant family, habitat, blooming season, elevation range, whether the plant is native or invasive, common or rare and information about ethnobotanical uses, history and precautions.  The third edition has been upgraded with additional photos showing full-plant views and various flowering/fruiting stages of development.  A glossary of botanical terms, Arizona life zones and an overview of plant families round out this detailed, yet approachable guide. 

  

Plants of Arizona: Third Edition

By John F. Wiens and Anne Orth Epple

Falcon Guides

Paperback, October 2021, $34.95

512 pages, 6” x 9”