Trail 308, Williamson Valley, Prescott, AZ
(Trail Pooch Team, Wicket and Noel, Posting from Prescott, Arizona)
Hike Date: 08/10/10, Trail 308 into Mint Wash.
Wicket and I decided we needed to mix it up a bit so we headed out Williamson Valley way to Trail 308. The parking lot is just south of the Yavapai County Fire Department; I'd say about 6 miles out, plus or minus a few feet, from Iron Springs Road. From the parking lot you'll be able to access Trail 308 and 347. The area serves the equestrian community, mountain bikers, hikers with and without a trail pooch and joggers. Parking is free and you can jump on either of these trails and work your way into the north side of the Granite Mountain Wilderness area. While Trail 347 is more of a straight shot into the Granite Basin area, trail 308 hooks up with trail 345 which basically parallels the 347 in the mint wash drainage. If you're in the mood for a nice long moderately strenuous hike, you can head out west across Mint Wash on the 345 and work your way over to the northwest side of Granite Mountain and the Tonto Road area.
Wicket hiking in the point position as we begin our short journey over to Mint Wash. I was hoping to see some water running in the wash when we arrived, but alas, all we found was a couple of puddles for Wicket to wade in. There's a spot out there when the water is running that I like to pull my hiking boots and socks off and let the cascading water massage and cool my feet. I was a bit disappointed to see that this spot was dry. Oh well, I guess the area hasn't received as much rain as I thought it had. This is a trail system that should be worked early in the day during this time of the year, just to avoid the warmer temperatures. We of course didn't make it out there on this trip until about 7:30; it wasn't Wicket's fault, he's always coaxing me out of bed at day break.
When it rains in the area, this trail not only stays rocky, but it gets muddy too. When we arrived here, the trail was completely dry, but I could tell that not too many days before it was a muddy mess. This photo is looking west toward the northern end of Granite Mountain on our decent into Mint Wash over Trail 345. Had we taken a left about 200 feet back we would have been heading along the 345 toward Granite Mt and tying into the 347 about 1.25 miles south.
It was heating up fairly fast by the time Wicket and I arrived at the foot soaking spot that is dry, except for those couple of puddles left over from the last rain. We opted for a quick turnaround and jumped back on the 345 and hoofed it on up the hill to the 308 and back to the parking lot. This is a nice area to hike in if you're looking for easy topography, lots of granite boulders and nice scenery.
Thanks again for visiting our Blog. "Happy Trails" and remember to "Live Free, Live Wild". See you out there on a trail some time,
Wicket and Noel.
email: noel@trailpooch.com.....
Affiliated Website:
www.RealtyWebNet.Com. . .
Hike Date: 08/10/10, Trail 308 into Mint Wash.
Wicket and I decided we needed to mix it up a bit so we headed out Williamson Valley way to Trail 308. The parking lot is just south of the Yavapai County Fire Department; I'd say about 6 miles out, plus or minus a few feet, from Iron Springs Road. From the parking lot you'll be able to access Trail 308 and 347. The area serves the equestrian community, mountain bikers, hikers with and without a trail pooch and joggers. Parking is free and you can jump on either of these trails and work your way into the north side of the Granite Mountain Wilderness area. While Trail 347 is more of a straight shot into the Granite Basin area, trail 308 hooks up with trail 345 which basically parallels the 347 in the mint wash drainage. If you're in the mood for a nice long moderately strenuous hike, you can head out west across Mint Wash on the 345 and work your way over to the northwest side of Granite Mountain and the Tonto Road area.
Wicket hiking in the point position as we begin our short journey over to Mint Wash. I was hoping to see some water running in the wash when we arrived, but alas, all we found was a couple of puddles for Wicket to wade in. There's a spot out there when the water is running that I like to pull my hiking boots and socks off and let the cascading water massage and cool my feet. I was a bit disappointed to see that this spot was dry. Oh well, I guess the area hasn't received as much rain as I thought it had. This is a trail system that should be worked early in the day during this time of the year, just to avoid the warmer temperatures. We of course didn't make it out there on this trip until about 7:30; it wasn't Wicket's fault, he's always coaxing me out of bed at day break.
When it rains in the area, this trail not only stays rocky, but it gets muddy too. When we arrived here, the trail was completely dry, but I could tell that not too many days before it was a muddy mess. This photo is looking west toward the northern end of Granite Mountain on our decent into Mint Wash over Trail 345. Had we taken a left about 200 feet back we would have been heading along the 345 toward Granite Mt and tying into the 347 about 1.25 miles south.
It was heating up fairly fast by the time Wicket and I arrived at the foot soaking spot that is dry, except for those couple of puddles left over from the last rain. We opted for a quick turnaround and jumped back on the 345 and hoofed it on up the hill to the 308 and back to the parking lot. This is a nice area to hike in if you're looking for easy topography, lots of granite boulders and nice scenery.
Thanks again for visiting our Blog. "Happy Trails" and remember to "Live Free, Live Wild". See you out there on a trail some time,
Wicket and Noel.
email: noel@trailpooch.com.....
Affiliated Website:
www.RealtyWebNet.Com. . .
I just going to write, that whatever problems I may disagree with you on, you have provided a great insight into my homeland every day.
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