There are other sites in Turkey Creek and along Rucker Canyon Road. (31.87195, -109.28715), The Greenhouse Trail connects in from the east at Cima Park. The Crest Trail narrows to a proper trail width again here and curves to the west for a short stretch, leveling out somewhat for a time. 150 feet beyond, you will exit the trees onto the saddle. Douglas, AZ 85607 At the end of this segment, the trail reaches Barfoot Lookout Saddle directly south of Buena Vista Peak, a signed junction with the Barfoot Park Trail and Barfoot Lookout Trail. (31.89255, -109.28339) There is not a visible trail junction here, but head west approximately 80 feet through the meadow and a trail sign with "257"and an arrow should be found. Well, one bit is #270 and the other two are #270C, but the sign just says Crest Trail everywhere. Good views are available at Cypress Saddle, 3 miles from the trailhead. Tips: The Crest Trail is not a single linear feature but a main trail with various spurs and loops connected to it. The Crest Trail leaves Bootlegger Saddle heading south, and widens for a stretch, climbing along the way. Those two trails have their own junction a short distance to the southeast and combine into a single trail which continues to this junction. Tree-covered summit lacks views. Downed logs common along trail since fire. Will be overgrown and spotty in the summer, but for now it's clear and smooth. A "Wonderland of Rocks" is waiting for you to explore at Chiricahua National Monument. Continuing along the barren slope with a very steep drop off the right side, the trail maintains its southeasterly course the remaining short distance to Round Park, which is nestled in a saddle on the south side of Fly Peak. National Park Service Logo National Park Service. As of October 2020, the Crest Trail is clear of deadfall from Fly Saddle to Junction Saddle. Big Balanced Rock Trail is along top of the ridge. This junction is marked with multiple signs, though some are currently incorrectly numbered. The 8-mile paved scenic drive and 17-miles of day-use hiking trails provide opportunities to discover the beauty, natural sounds, and inhabitants of this 12,025 acre site. This home was built in and last sold on for. The trail cuts diagonally across the meadow and after approximately 60 feet, the Fly Peak Trail connects in. This Site All NPS Now he leads at least two week-long trail maintenance trips a year, typically teaming up with Patt and other Portal volunteers. This southeast fork of the Crest Trail #270 goes to Sentinel Peak. The Chiricahua Peak Bypass of the Crest Trail can be accessed from two locations. The higher elevation eastern terminus is at Aspen Saddle along the southeastern leg of the Crest Trail. (31.89256, -109.28367) The Bootlegger Trail drops away to the south and begins a steep, switchbacking descent from here. After a quarter mile, you will swing around to the southeast, and 0.16 miles beyond that bend you pass the point where a connector trail to the Mormon Ridge Trail once descended to the south. This stretch has a large number of aspen saplings mixed in among the sparse pines. As near as I can tell, this takes me to the source of Cave Creek. (31.89531, -109.28149) Note that the sign at the spring lists this segment of the Crest Trail as being the Bootlegger Trail, which is no longer the case. Continuing its southeasterly heading, the trail exits Round Park almost immediately after the last junction and begins climbing to a saddle between Ward Peak and Wattmid Ridge. (31.84217, -109.28597) This junction is marked by a sign. There are almost no large standing trees along the trail through this entire segment, largely as a result of the 1994 Rattlesnake Fire. Supervisor's Office 300 W. Congress St. Tucson, AZ 85701 (520) 388-8300. Elevation range: (31.88030, -109.28692) The saddle itself is a five-way signed junction in the middle of a raspberry patch. 3. After leaving Arizona for academic pursuits, he returned 20 years ago on a Sierra Club service trip to clear the Chiricahua Crest Trail. The 8-mile paved scenic drive and 17-miles of day-use hiking trails provide opportunities to discover the beauty, natural sounds, and inhabitants of this 11,985 acre site. (31.89246, -109.28368), The 0.68 mile long Long Park Trail connects to the Crest at Fly Saddle (31.87965, -109.28665) from the end of the Long Park Road (FR 42). The primary trailhead exists just outside the Rustler Park gate. But there are a number of other waterfalls without names which are not as familiar. To make the job of describing this trail network a bit more manageable, we have broken it up into three parts. Running along the spine of the Chiricahuas, the Crest connects numerous other trails … Rustler Park is the best option for hikes starting from the north on the Crest Trail. (31.86884, -109.28508) That trail is not visible immediately at this point, but there is a sign for it about 35 feet to the northwest (31.86892, -109.28506), from which point it heads north for a time before beginning its switchbacking ascent. (31.86141, -109.28739). The first unobstructed view, looking northeast towards Cave Creek. The Barfoot Park Trail climbs half a mile starting from the southwest corner of the meadow at Barfoot Park (31.91697, -109.27995) to meet the Crest at Barfoot Lookout Saddle. Great overlooks of Cave Creek Canyon, Views start at the trailhead, Access to the high country via Crest Trail, Desert to mountains diversity. Campsites are everywhere in this range and along both approach routes. The western fork of the Crest Trail can be seen along its ridge as it passes Paint Rock on its way to Monte Vista Peak. (31.90162, -109.28226), A 450 foot spur trail meets the Crest at the north edge of Bootlegger Saddle (31.89305, -109.28318) from a bend in the Long Park Road (FR 42D). Chiricahua Peak Trail is a 15 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Rodeo, New Mexico that features a great forest setting and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. The Crest Trail is actually a system of trails, spurs and side loops that sits like an inverted letter “Y” on the central ridge of the Chiricahuas. It's been a while since we hiked Chiricahua Crest, between an unpleasant encounter with a bear in 2006, and the discovery last year that the Crest Trail is popular with coyotes and drug mules. A bit of an S-curve follows over the next tenth of a mile before the trail emerges from under pine canopy to cross a barren stretch. Ed Riggs Trail drops you into the canyon while Mushroom Rock Trail climbs 610 ft/ 186 m up the other side. This trail is also sometimes referred to as the Fir Trail. Back to the Crest Trail—you will gradually swing around to the south and after nearly three tenths of a mile the trail enters a more recent burn, where the Horseshoe 2 fire took out what was untouched by the Rattlesnake. The higher elevation eastern terminus is at Aspen Saddle along the southeastern leg of the Crest Trail. 170 ft ↑ / 460 ft ↓. (31.88653, -109.27931), The Saulsbury Trail climbs steeply from its trailhead in West Turkey Creek to meet the Crest a little over a quarter mile northwest of Round Park. The Crest Trail is actually a system of trails, spurs and side loops that sits like an inverted “Y” on the central ridge of the Chiricahuas. Cut over Chiricahua Peak to Aspen Saddle on Crest 270A. North of Rustler Park, the trail was cleared over the summer but may have new deadfall. Chiricahua Crest Trail October 2-3, 2020 I lived in Arizona for several years before backpacking the Chiricahua Crest Trail, having read reports of poor trail conditions resulting from a … The northern leg of the ⅄-shaped Crest Trail system, this segment extends from the Barfoot Park Road (FR 357) just north of Buena Vista Peak south to Junction Saddle, a central junction north of Chiricahua Peak. Restrooms at trailhead. After a quarter mile, the trail turns southwest and shortly after enters a thicker stretch of pines before swinging around to the southeast, exiting onto another barren and very steep slope and coming to Saulsbury Junction, where the Saulsbury Trail leaves on the right side of the trail, heading northwest, almost paralleling the Crest Trail for a short while as it drops away steeply. Since you're in the area, definitely spend a day in the Chiricahua National Monument. To make the job of describing this trail network a bit more manageable, we have broken it up into three parts. Shortly before the saddle, the pines become thicker, and approximately a quarter mile beyond Round Park a faint trail junction can be seen on the left. A Wonderland of Rocks A "Wonderland of Rocks" is waiting for you to explore at Chiricahua National Monument. Aspen Saddle has amazing views, enough to placate those disappointed by Chiricahua Peak. After passing under a rock ledge after about a tenth of a mile, the Anita Park Trail climbs away to the northwest on the left side of the trail. Hang a left here and follow the fantastic Chiricahua Crest trail north for a little over 1/2 mile. Crossing this is usually not especially difficult, but care should be taken as there is a significant drop to one side of the trail. The Mormon Canyon Trail junction is 250 feet northeast along the Crest Trail. Chiricahua National Monument. From the bottom of the last switchback, the trail heads almost straight west for 0.14 mile to Chiricahua Saddle. There are sections of burn, sections not burned, and fantastic flowers/ferns along the way. The trail swings to the southwest and begins its four tenths of a mile descent to Cima Saddle, which was hit by the fire but still has many standing trees—but almost as many fallen ones. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. As of May 2019, this trail is free of deadfall following a Sierra Club service trip. This is good because the Crest trail is almost more a collection of many junctions to other trails. The earlier spur trail down to the Long Park Road shows evidence of having once been a road, and this portion of the Crest Trail may have been as well. There is a day use fee to park at the Rustler Park trailhead just outside of the campground. New aspen growth is occurring, however—and threatening to encroach on the trail in places. 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