Hiking & Outdoor

If you are looking for a new adventure and haven’t done any exploring on the northwestern side of Granite Mountain, I have a loop for you. Fourteen miles out of Williamson Valley Road is the Almosta Ranch subdivision. Just a half-mile down Almosta Ranch Road, you’ll find a large parking area for the beginning of your exploration. Almosta Trail begins here and heads towards the western side of Granite Mountain. I took Almosta Trail to Lost Shoe and then Stringfeild back to Almosta to make about an eight-mile trek. Almosta Trail leads you through the end of the housing development and into the vast country full of pines, juniper, cactus, scrub oaks, manzanita, and even cottonwoods once you hit Mint Wash and Jerome Canyon.

Just before the two-mile mark, look for the trailhead sign on the left. Headwaters Trail is 3.27 miles of single track that will take you back to the Peavine. It is a very flowy trail that winds though the grass and it is a great place to get some miles in. Eventually the trail curves back toward the new subdivision. The trail continues through the area on a dirt single track in a wash. The fences for homes keep them silent and almost hidden. Follow the well-marked signs and stay on the dirt single track until you arrive back at the Peavine. Now you are about a mile from the parking area. This approximately seven-mile round trip is kind of a long journey, but because it doesn’t involve climbing any mountains, it is easy to accomplish.

On a beautiful Sunday morning, I found myself struggling to leave my warm comfy bed and cup of coffee. Some days it is just hard to keep your chin up. I finally convinced myself not to waste the day and go for a hike to clear my head. I found myself heading to the Ranch Trailhead parking area just down Walker Road about a ¼ mile. I heard it had recently received some much-needed love.

When I was a kid I loved the choose your own adventure books. I would read them over and over until I had chosen every option possible. Spence Springs is a lot like those books. You can pick a starting point and create countless adventures.

One adventure I have enjoyed most recently is Vista, Noodle, Sidekick, Tatanka, Tunnel Vision, to the BLM. Spence Springs is now very well marked and at every turn there is not only a trail map but even a QR code so you can download the map and track yourself with your phone. Service in this area is quite good so even if you do manage to lose yourself it will not be hard to find you.

The original Peavine Trail in Prescott is always a drier option, but it’s a little crowded these days. I heard Chino Valley had a new section of the Peavine rail trail ready to explore so I headed north on Highway 89. The trail materials on some of these old railroad beds make the trails a much less muddy option, and this is no exception: the Chino Valley section of the Peavine provided an almost completely secluded and mud-less hike just 10 minutes from Prescott.

Watson Woods is a riparian preserve that has been called the rarest, and one of the largest streamside riparian habitats in North America.

I recently took my niece on a quick day trip to this area, and it provided us with just the piece of heaven we were in search of. With a limited amount of time before the temperatures soared over 90 degrees, we took an early morning journey to Watson Woods, 126 acres shaded by majestic cottonwood trees and lush vegetation along our very own Granite Greek.

Amy Hale has lived in the Prescott area for more than 14 years, relocating here from Texas, where she worked big commercial cattle operations. When she moved to Prescott, her husband, Gail Steiger, said, “I don’t need you to cook for me, or clean for me, and I do my own laundry. What I need is for you to get on your horse and ride.”  

In the 80s — our teen years — it became more about appearance and tanning. We spent many summer hours on the back deck of Beth’s house, overlooking the creek, slathering on the baby oil and baking our skin in the sun. We knew that, eventually, our sunburns would turn into a tan. … or at least what we considered a healthy glow.

What we didn’t know: all that sun exposure earned us membership in a club we had no intention of joining. In our early 50s, we were both diagnosed with Melanoma.

We have been hiking together for two years. Like everyone else, we had to get creative during the pandemic, social distancing and getting fresh air. Our first hike was supposed to be four miles around Willow Lake. Seven miles later, thanks to the high water level covering the trail, it was dusk. Knees deep in mud, we got back to the car feeling adventurous.