The first mile parallels a housing development so it doesn't give the hiker a sense of wilderness or encourage you to keep going. Except for a good amount of birds, including scrub jays, white-throated swifts and and red-tailed hawks, the terrain is plain.
But for those who keep going the best is yet to come, as you soon dip down and leave the housing division behind for the scenic canyons and panoramic views that highlight Jacks Canyon Trail.
Not far into the hike, a warning sign pops up letting you know that if you plan to do the Hot Loops Trail you had better be prepared. Too many hikers have had to be rescued off that trail. It’s a rugged 20-plus-mile hike that most humans can’t do in one day. It’s rocky, involves route-finding. And hikers report that it's more mileage than any report states.
But this column is just about Jacks Canyon Trail. Arizona Highways calls Jacks Canyon a strenuous 15-mile hike. The book 100 Hikes in Arizona calls it a 13-mile moderate hike. Either way, come prepared. The first mile also shows some remnants of the La Barranca Fire, which scorched 800 acres in 2006, among mostly pinyon pine, juniper and scrub oak.
Once past the first mile you start to get a bit more shade, but it’s not enough until you get to the Munds Mountain Wilderness line. About 2.5 miles in you’ll come to a water tank, which often has water in it, but on this day was dry. Shortly after the tank you dip into a canyon with a worn wire fence, which is where the Munds Mountain Wilderness begins. A small wilderness sign also lets you know that motorized vehicles are not allowed past this point.
From here you’ll parallel Lee Mountain and Munds Mountain.
The next four miles is along dry washes with a lush riparian area for when the rains come. This is also where you get more into Arizona cypress, alligator juniper and manzanita.
The upper reaches of the trail has a Douglas fir forest as well as gambel oaks and ponderosa pine. You will soon start the climb up Munds Mountain. Past the Munds Mountain Wilderness line you're also more likely to see wildlife, including mule deer, javelina, elk, coyotes, foxes, bobcats and rabbits, maybe even an elusive mountain lion.
In the last 1.5 miles you’ll reach the top of Munds Mountain. From there you can see Wilson Mountain and Secret Mountain, as well as Schnebly Hill Road below.
Directions: Take I-17 to 179, then about ten miles to Jacks Canyon Road. Turn right. Drive nine-tenths mile to where the road curves right. Then go 1.7 miles and make a right onto a dirt road. A small sign on Jacks Canyon Road points to the trail, but it's easy to miss. The trailhead is one-tenth mile down the dirt road. For more information telephone the Red Rock Ranger District at 928-203-2900.
Oaks and Willow Trail is best done in spring or fall, because it can be too hot in summer, cold in winter and it is not an area where you want to be when the snow falls, because it’s pretty remote. The trail starts at about 5,900 feet and tops out at 7,027 feet, so there is more snow as you go up. It’s a good representation of the rest of the Juniper Mesa Wilderness, which rises from 5,650 feet to 7,050. It’s is off the beaten path, offering solitude along with large old-growth junipers. Some of these trees are more than a thousand years old.
Juniper MesaWilderness is worth preserving because of its abundant wildlife, diversity of plant life and unique geology, including exposed limestone, sandstone, granite and basalt. The vegetation includes mountain mahogany, skunkbush and manzanita.
For wildlife there are mule deer, turkeys, elk, javelinas, mountain lions, bobcats, bears, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, grey foxes and badgers. Bats, raptors and many songbirds are found here, including the threatened yellow-billed cuckoo. Golden eagles are seen here, too.
Snakes are plentiful, most notably the threatened Mexican garter snake.
Juniper MesaWilderness covers 7,566 acres of steep canyons and rolling hills, and was established in 1984. You get a nice workout as the trail climbs about 1,200 feet in the first two miles, then you flatten out for about a mile and a half before dropping 700 feet over the next two miles. And then you start the climb back out.
About a mile into the trail, you’ll pass through George Wood Canyon along a dry stream bed.
This trail is in the northern end of the Prescott National Forest. Pinyon pines, oaks, Utah junipers, alligator junipers and Ponderosa pines are among the trees found along the trail. When you reach the top, a sign relates that if you walk parallel to the trail into the woods, you’ll find a huge juniper.
The views from different points on the trail include Apache Creek Wilderness, Granite Mountain, Woodchute Trail, Sycamore Canyon, Kachina Peak, Kendrick Mountain and Bill Williams. You can get a good sense of wilderness surrounded by all this greenery.
Other trails link into Oaks and Willow Trail, including the Juniper Mesa Trail, intersecting at the highest point on Oaks and Willow. Toward the top there’s also a sign for Happy Camp Trail, but I couldn’t see the path.
Juniper Mesa Trail is six miles one-way, and Juniper Springs Trail is three miles. At the end of the trail there’s another wilderness sign, and you’re not far from Pine Spring. If you want just a little more mileage, go straight ahead.
Arizona Highways counts Oaks and Willow among its 52 best day hikes, rating the 11.5-mile hike as moderate.
Juniper Wilderness is used by hikers, hunters and equestrians. Wildfires have not impacted this area much, leaving Forest Service officials concerned that fire could spread quickly here in the future. There have been 20 fires over the last 26 years. That sounds like a lot, but most have been less than one acre, and most are lightning-caused, which the Forest Service lets burn as long as they don't affect nearby landowners.
Dogs are allowed, but should be leashed. This trip is accessible to all vehicles in good weather. Part of the road to the trail is washboard.
For more information, telephone the Chino Ranger District at 928-777-2200. Directions: From Prescott, drive north onWilliamson Valley Road for 22 miles to where the pavement ends. This is Forest Road 6. Take that for 14 miles to the junction with County Road 125, and continue for 1.5 miles to the Walnut Creek Ranger Station. From there go west on Forest Road 150 for 3.7 miles to the fork in the road, bear right and continue on Forest Road 150 for 2.8 miles to the trailhead.
