| THE MAZATZAL (MAD AS ZELL) WILDERNESS* Where are we on the AZT? This section begins in the Sunflower area at milepost #218 on Highway #87 and proceeds pleasantly north through the Mazatzal Wilderness until it reaches the East Verde River at LF Ranch. The AZT route then ascends to Whiterock Mesa, passes along Saddle Ridge to Hardscrabble Mesa and from there it heads indirectly to the Pine, AZ trailhead, which is also on Highway #87. A 69-mile trip from Sunflower to Pine. But, it's one of the most difficult sections on the Arizona Trail thru a long stretch of unending beautiful southwestern country. The 2004 Willow fire devastated the Mazatzal Wilderness. The very hot fire turned it into a "moonscape". You can be sure trail signs were burned. March 05 report from hiker Bill Steber on fire damage: "Actually there is good news and bad news. The good news is that the trail from Sunflower (Highway #87 @milepost #218 15 miles) to Mt. Peeley is in good shape. A crew could clean it up with a bow saw, shovel, and couple of pruning shears in a weekend. No real fire damage. The bad news is that your worst fears are true. The Mazatzal Divide Trail (23 miles) is a disaster. I would have to say that less than 30% of the trail is in decent shape the rest is either; burned out, washed out, washed way, buried in downed trees, vanished or lost in man and animal trails, or overgrown in vegetation. With out your GPS tracks, maps and a compass there would have been no way I could have made that section. Thanks for letting me use them. There is no way a horse or bike rider could make this section. Dave Hicks needs to revise his Mazatzal website section, this is defiantly not a "23 scenic miles" "generally soft to walk on". This section might need to be closed off until repairs are made. The Red Hills Trail (10 miles) section is in bad shape as well. I'd say that 60% of this sections is in good shape the rest is on its way to joining the Mazatzal Divide Trail. Even the road going down to the LF ranch has been washed-out in places so that it's impassable by horse. The fire burned a good portion of this section and well. Mary Ann said that the fire swept through that area in about 4 hours with flames over 100 ft high and it was 105 deg at midnight. That must have been nerve racking. Also some good news, McFarland Canyon was not damaged buy fire, Chilson Camp and Spring survived the fire as well as most of the Park." Pre-fire Route description: The Mighty Mazatzals (48 miles): For such a rugged looking expanse of mountains, most of the path the AZT takes across the Mazatzals is well contoured, easy to follow and well signed. And no wonder, Forest Ranger Eckstein with his two dogs and pack horses spends some of his valuable time working on many miles of trails. He and the Tonto National Forest people deserve a lot of credit for their efforts to take care of this long, remote trail. The AZT in the section begins on the west side of Highway #87 at milepost #218 (tho I suggest going down on the east side of the road and walking thru the culvert), and in four+ miles crosses under some power lines and then soon joins the Little Saddle Trail #244. In 3-4 more miles it reaches a junction to the Mormon Grove Trailhead. At that junction go north on the Saddle Mountain Trail #91 until reaching Sheep Creek Trail # 88 that heads northeast for a mile to the lovely junction in McFarland Canyon. Turn right and join Thicket Spring Trail #95 and in 2-3 miles pass by Thicket Spring and proceed to the Cornucopia Trail #86 about a mile to the Mazatzal Divide Trail #23. This point is about 15 miles from Sunflower and a half mile west of the Mt. Peeley Trailhead. The AZT follows the Divide Trail #23 for 23 scenic miles until it turns west on the Red Hills Trail (#262). The Divide Trail is easy to see, generally soft to walk on and contoured nicely along the mountain�s flank to minimize the elevation changes. The Red Hills Trail passes thru a lovely canyon that has some nice camp spots. After two+ miles on the Red Hills Trail, it turns north on Trail # 249, the Brush Trail. This trail is up and down and will make you work a little. Then in another three miles the AZT turns onto Trail #34, the Bull Spring Trail. This trail is mostly along an old road that is quite steep and rough in many places. I'd hate to walk up it. It's also quite panoramic and eventually leads by the LF Ranch and to the E. Verde River. This route has taken you 48 miles from Sunflower. Hardscrabble Mesa (21 miles): This should have been named Hard-To-Scramble Mesa. The first 7-8 miles of this trek will test your trail senses. The path is often rocky, weedy, non existent and, if you can find them, has rock cairns to help you. From the LF Ranch you will have to ford the river. Immediately north of the ranch, Rock Creek empties into the E. Verde River. At that point, on the west bank of Rock Creek is where the Arizona Trail/#14 the Saddle Ridge Trail resumes. In less than 50 yards from the river, the trail passes thru an opening in the fence. The trail is unsigned but it is distinct enuff to see as it proceeds north on an old ranch road. Watch closely as in less than a mile, just before Polk Spring, the trail turns northwest. It soons begins a grueling ascent up the very rocky, steep road on it's way to Polles Mesa. It's probably not as long a climb as it seems. Once on the mesa, you will forget that difficulty as your next challenge will be to find the rock cairns that will guide you to Red Saddle Tank and White Rock Spring. The cairns are there but often below the top of tall vegetation that grows on the mesa. If there's more than one in your party, spread out laterally to shouting distance width. If there's only one of you ...well good luck. (Good news! In the Spring of 2004 a group of volunteers with Ranger Eckstein cleared this area making trail finding much easier.) Finally, at White Rock Spring there is an AZT marker. Then it's a short steep climb up to Whiterock Mesa and another rock cairn finding adventure, tho it isn't overgrown with weeds. Instead the trail darts in and about Juniper trees. Eventually, the trail gets better and easier to find as it follows Saddle Ridge and soon leaves the Wilderness area. Shortly it joins a road for a couple of miles until it reaches FR # 194. You are now about 12.5 miles from the LF Ranch and 2500� higher. The AZT turns right (east) on the FR #194 and in 1� miles comes to a carsonite AZT sign and a malapai lined power line road. Turn right again as the AZT then follows, on or near, the power line in a southeasterly direction for 5 miles. Such a rock filled road is very tough on the feet. It's not the place to camp overnight either as the nearby ground is rock lined also.. But for enduring such hardships the trail now begins many, many miles of wonderful hiking. The AZT finally leaves the power line turning on Trail # 251 for two miles to Oak Spring. A nice camping area.. A few hundred yards further the trail continues northeast onto Trail #16 that leads across Highway #87 and 1/2 mile north to the Pine Trailhead. After that hiker-making stretch, take a break, you have earned a night at the Alden Manor Inn or at least a cold Pepsi and ice cream in Pine. Worthwhile Detours from the AZT: Stop and say hi to Mary Ann at the LF Ranch at the East Verde River. She's a one-of-a-kind person and will provide a drink of water and some friendly conversation to trail worn hikers. Also, if you�re a thru hiker and desire to see Payson, AZ., I suggest staying on the AZT until you get to Pine and then catch a ride back to Payson. Finally the Strawberry Lodge and Restaurant, 2 steep miles north of Pine is known for their great pies. Places to Camp � Potato Patch has some great views. The junction at McFarland Canyon is a nice spot. The Chilson Spring area had lots of good spots to put down the sleeping bag. Horse Camp Seep is especially nice. Near Hopi Springs is another good campsite but set your tent a few hundred yards off from the water pipe to avoid the mosquitoes. The junction of the Divide Trail and Mineral Springs Trail #24 in an area called The Park is good. Also, a half mile west of where the Red Hills Trail leaves the Divide Trail is a great place to camp. 6 miles north of the E. Verde at Brushy Springs is the last decent campsite south of the E. Verde. There's plenty of open spots north of the E. Verde River but I'd say the Oak Springs area, a few miles west of the Pine Trailhead is the best spot until reaching the Pine Trailhead. The Pine Trailhead has an outhouse and a large parking lot but camping there is not recommended because it's awfully close to the highway. Length - at least 69 diverse hiking miles . Power Rating � Difficult. The Mazatzals are a rugged looking mountain range. The southern portion of this section is laid out so very well that I would rate it moderate. But, from the junction of the Bull Spring Trail and the Brush Trail until it reaches Oak Spring to the north, the trail is very difficult i.e.steep and hard to find. Water* � Not any rushing streams but enough sources are available in the late winter/spring period. There was water at Sycamore Creek, Thicket Spring, Chilson Spring, Horse Camp Seep, and usually nice cool agua coming from a pipe at Hopi Spring. The East Verde River is year round too. And Mary Ann the owner of LF Ranch at the East Verde River offered this thirsty hiker a cool drink. Don�t count on finding any water between LF Ranch and Pine, except for some cattle stock tanks and possibly White Rock Spring and Oak Spring.. Bikeable? It's mostly a "Wilderness Area" so forget it. Definitely a no to bikers in the Hardscrabble section because of all the rocks.. Permits � None needed Maps** � 1) Tonto National Forest Map, 602-225-5200 and also, 2) Mazatzal Wilderness map from the Tonto National Forest Service. Advice � A point to consider, especially for segment hikers. You cannot drive the last three miles of road to the LF Ranch But, three miles east of LF Ranch is Doll Baby TH that is accessible by vehicle after an 11 mile, increasingly rough road from Payson (go west on Main Street past the golf course and sewage plant). And, a mile east of Doll Baby Trailhead is City Creek TH, that is the northern terminus of Mazatzal Divide Tr. #23. Also, if you are hiking north to south,this tip may help get from Red Saddle Tank to the E. Verde River (a very difficult trail finding section). Mary Ann at the LF Ranch says to just keep hiking towards North Peak in the Mazatzals (you'll know it when you look that direction). Cautions � I didn�t see any but there are bears in this area. But there were a lot of pesky, unrelenting little deep throat bugs in several sections of the trail. They love to fly into your mouth. Some netting to cover the face is a must here. Life on The AZT � The Divide Trail south of the junction with the Barnhardt Trail and near the Mazatzal Peak has one of the thickest stands of Manzanita bushes that the AZT passes through. It grows to about 6-10 feet high in this area. Fortunately the AZT/Divide Trail has a nice, wide clear path through it. This red bark, pink flowered, green leafed bush is one of my favorites. * Remember just about all water sources are seasonal in Arizona. Check with as many sources as possible before entering an area, including the local National Forest Service. **(In addition to On the Arizona Trail guide book) HOME EMAIL ME NEXT CHAPTER |
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| An odd looking rock cairn on White Rock Mesa |