Johnson Wash Road

JOHNSON WASH ROAD

Snow on Mingus Mountain viewed from FR96

Largely shade-less and hemmed in by a grey sea of prickly cat claw, Johnson Wash Road reads like a not very interesting dirt two track.

Big sky vistas are the hike's hallmark.

At first glance, it clearly lacks the “Three Ws” of hiker catnip: woodlands, water and wildflowers. But what there is plenty of is air. Big, restless eddies unobscured by trees, landforms and botanical distractions propel ravens, turkey vultures and hawks skyward to glide in loose, lazy loops. A walk on this dusty back road earns its hike-worthy credentials on big sky vistas alone. 

Isolated cottonwoods in Johnson Spring Wash

Johnson Wash Road, which is also known as Forest Road 96, is part of the Great Western Trail, a 4,455-mile route that runs from Mexico to Canada.  Purpose built for vehicles outfitted for rough conditions, long stretches of nothingness and rutted dirt far removed from the nearest service station, the road runs through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

Hance Spring Road crosses Johnson Wash

 The Arizona section wanders through over 800 miles of spectacular deserts, mountains, forests, canyons, creeks, grasslands, heritage sites, defunct mining camps and historic town sites.  

Junipers, scrub oak and cat claw on FR96

Open to motorized vehicles, hiking, biking and equestrian use, the Great Western Trail is at its heart, an off-highway vehicle (OHV) destination.  Motorized users typically venture out with several spare tires, tool kit, a few days’ worth of food, fuel and water and a convoy of similarly equipped companions, lest they find themselves up the wilds without a winch.

Yucca and granite outcroppings decorate FR96

Hikers, on the other hand need only pack the essentials, park and walk. And this stark slice of Arizona is well worth a closer look on foot. Located just a few miles west of Interstate 17 in Prescott National Forest,  the hike begins at a dirt turnout along Old Cherry Creek Road. The easy-to-follow route heads west on a rocky course that unwinds in a roller coaster style that dips and rises over the scoured channels of Sour Water, Racetrack and Johnson Wash. All told, the “flat” hike accumulates over 600 feet of elevation change.

Manzanita color an otherwise muted landscape

With nothing but scrub, cat claw, cacti and spotty stands of juniper and cottonwoods, there’s nothing to obstruct the viewscape spectacle. The muted silhouettes of the Bradshaw Mountains and Pine Mountain Wilderness rise on the far horizons while nearby knolls, bluffs and granite outcroppings interrupt sprawling high desert grasslands and yawning valleys. 

FR96 is part of the Great Western Trail

Among the scrub oak and manzanita shrubs, skulking coyotes, rodents and lizards scurry under shadows cast by turkey vultures and ravens circling overhead in search of a meal. The dead quiet and open-to-the-elements flavor of this place can be either joyful or frightening--sometimes both, simultaneously.

At the 2.2-mile point, the road comes to a major intersection.  The Great Western Trail veers southeast, while Forest Road 9604S spins off to the northeast, brushing the base of 5,725-foot Onion Mountain before fading away. The junction makes for a good turnaround point, but  several other unsigned offshoots may be used to extend the hike.  One to try is Hance Spring Road, also known as Forest Road 9011D.

There's plenty of air on the Great Western Trail

The unsigned junction is on the north side of Johnson Spring Road, 0.2 mile before the FR9604S junction.  It’s a primitive road with many unmarked spurs that weave around Johnson Spring Wash as it climbs uphill about 3 miles toward Cherry Creek.

Horehound grows under juniper trees on FR96

 With a Prescott National Forest map and compass, hikers can enjoy an unscripted trek up the wilds without a worry.  

LENGTH: 4.4 miles round trip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:  4,703 – 4,859 feet (650 feet of elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 about 8 miles south of Camp Verde, take the Dewey-Humboldt exit 278 for State Route 169. Go 5.5 miles west (left) on SR 169 to Cherry Creek Road just past milepost 10 on the right. Follow Cherry Creek Road 1.3 miles to the Great Western Trail sign at Forest Road 96 (Johnson Wash Road) on the right. Park in the dirt turnouts. Roads are paved up to the trailhead.

INFO:

https://www.azbackroads.com/gps-track/the-great-western-trail-arizona-route/

https://www.gwt.org/

Yellow Jacket Trail 524

YELLOW JACKET TRAIL

Prescott National Forest.

Mesquite and juniper trees ring Cottonwood Tank

The most striking characteristic of the Yellow Jacket Trail 524 is the silence. Located a mere 4 miles from Interstate 17 near the Yavapai County town of Dugas in a hilly corner of Prescott National Forest, the shared-use path cuts through sprawling open spaces where the sounds of civilization are muffled by a landscape of mesas, buttes, creeks and ragged drainages.

Estler Peak is a prominent feature along Yellow Jacket trail

At first glance, the largely treeless terrain flanked by volcanic bluffs and bald, isolated peaks appears intimidating and harsh. Within a few yards of hiking, though, the trail reveals bucolic rangeland, epic vistas and hidden pockets of greenery.

The out-and-back trek begins at a tiny trailhead near the leafy confluence of Little Ash Creek and Yellow Jacket Creek where sycamores and cottonwoods create a conspicuous ribbon of color against the muted tones of desert chaparral.

Sycamores & cottonwood trees in Yellow Jacket Creek

A cow grazes along Reimer Spring Road

Trail 524 is described by the forest service as a 1.4-mile route, but a 0.8-mile hike is required to get to the trailhead proper. The access path is a fading two-track that parallels the boulder-strewn course of Yellow Jacket Creek. The path makes many mild dips and climbs on breezy plains dotted with junipers, cacti and wildflowers. 

Cattle graze at the base of Yellow Jacket Mesa

A rustic corral at Gyetta Tank

To the west, great views of 4,263-foot Estler Peak, a prominent pinnacle along the drive in on Dugas Road, dominate the horizon.

Extend the hike on the Cottonwood Trail 9709

Cottonwood Tank attracts resident cattle and wildlife

At the signed junction for trail 524, the route begins its journey into stunning back country with the first of several creek crossings. The rocky, but usually dry crossings are fringed with scrappy stands of scrub oak, willows and catclaw. 

Part of the route follows the Great Western Trail

Soon, the dual landmarks of Yellow Jacket Mesa (4,751 feet)  and Cottonwood Mesa (4,577 feet) appear as intersecting plateaus on the eastern skyline standing out above the rustic corrals of Gyetta Tank.  Rusty barbed wire and sun-bleached posts circle the watering hole where herds of cattle can usually be seen grazing the surrounding grasslands.

At the end of the corrals, hop a bright green rollover gate to follow the trail to its terminus at Reiner Spring Road (Forest Road 68D) which is also part of the Great Western Trail, a 3,000+-mile shared-use historic route from Mexico to Canada that runs through five Western states, 800 miles of which are in Arizona.

Roll over gate at Gyetta Tank

The unsigned junction is the official end of the Yellow Jacket Trail and makes for a satisfying 4-mile round trip hike. But the adventure doesn’t have to end there. For a sweet taste of the Great Western Trail, head left at the junction and hike up the road watching as beautiful views of the Bradshaw Mountains open up to the west.

The road crosses the gorge of Cottonwood Canyon before emerging on an expansive rangeland at the mouth of a pass that flows between the two mesas.

At the 2.7-mile point, a sign for Reiner Spring and Cottonwood Tank marks yet another scenic transition.  Take the first right beyond the sign and follow the degraded road that plows though a draw where the mesas gradually pinch the path. 

Yellow Jacket (L) and Cottonwood Mesas 

The half-mile hike leads to Cottonwood Tank. Tucked into a gully at the convergence of the mesas, the glassy, mesquite-cluttered pond reflects vertical cliffs that top out 300 above the water.

Wandering cattle, flocks of doves and swarms of pollinators frequent the remote water source. Judging from footprints along the tank’s muddy rim, bobcats, deer, javelina and raccoons are regular guests as well.

Just a few yards east of the tank, a cattle guard and sign post for the Cottonwood Trail 9709 signals the beginning of an optional continuation of the hike.

Trail 9709 goes up and over Cottonwood Mesa and is 3.5 miles long, but it’s just a mile to the high point which serves as a nice turnaround point for an even 9-miler.

It's a 0.8-mile hike to the trailhead proper

LENGTH:

Yellow Jacket Trail: 4.4 miles round trip

Yellow Jacket Trail + Cottonwood Tank: 7 miles round trip

Yellow Jacket Trail + Cottonwood Trail to the top of the mesa: 9 miles round trip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 3,883 – 4,235 feet to Cottonwood Tank

(4,524 feet to the top of the mesa)

GETTING THERE:

From the Cordes Junction interchange on Interstate 17, continue  5.5 miles north to the Orme Road/ Dugas Road exit 268. Go east (right) at the bottom of the off ramp and follow County Road 171 (Dugas Road) 4 miles to the trailhead on the left. The trailhead is an unsigned gravel lot across from Forest Road 9650N and a “narrow bridge” sign. Roads are paved up to the last 2 miles which are on sedan-friendly dirt. The hike begins at the 524 sign.

INFO: Prescott National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/prescott/recreation/recarea/?recid=67411&actid=104