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 a 9-mile round trip. Just a few yards east of the tank, a cattle guard and sign post for Cottonwood Trail 9709 signals the beginning of an optional continuation of the hike. Judging from footprints along the tank’s muddy rim, bobcats, deer, javelina and raccoons are regular guests as well. Wandering cattle, flocks of doves and swarms of pollinators frequent the remote water source. Here's what we know This legendary Irish pub is closing in Phoenix after 20 years Teen angst goes medieval in 'Catherine Called Birdy' This Arizona hike has see-forever views and a hidden green oasis Tim McGraw fell offstage during in Tempe. More: Cool rock formations and mountain views on this Prescott hike The path makes many mild dips and climbs on breezy plains dotted with junipers, cactus and wildflowers. The access path is a fading two-track that parallels the boulder-strewn course of Yellow Jacket Creek. The forest service describes Yellow Jacket Trail (also signed as Trail 524) as a 1.4-mile route, but a hike of 0.8 mile is required to get to the trailhead proper. 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. Within a few yards of hiking, though, the trail reveals bucolic rangeland, epic vistas and hidden pockets of greenery. Located a mere 4 miles from Interstate 17 near the Yavapai County town of Dugas, 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.Īt first glance, the largely treeless terrain flanked by volcanic bluffs and bald, isolated peaks appears intimidating and harsh. The most striking characteristic of the Yellow Jacket Trail in Prescott National Forest is the silence.
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