| when? | Trip Report : April 4, 2009 |
| where? | Eagletail Mountains Wilderness |
| the hike |
The Eagletail Mountains Wilderness area has 97,880 acres of rugged and
desolate desert beauty. Located 70 miles west of downtown Phoenix, the
Ben Avery Trail is an ideal hike to explore the area. The hike begins at Courthouse Rock, dips down into a wash several times, and follows an old jeep road. We will be using GPS coordinates as well as a topo map, as the route can be a bit tricky to follow. The terrain is desert wilderness with plenty of cactus and other desert plants. At Indian Springs we can look for some ancient petroglyphs. We’ll take a lunch break here, then return on the same trail. |
| distance | 8 miles round trip |
| time | 5 hours |
| EC | +-500' elevation change |
| elevations | 1600' (Trailhead) to 1840' (Pass) |
| on trail | 100% — Ben Avery Trail |
| hike rating | "C" [easy] |
| dogs? | no |
| cost | When car-pooling, pay your share the cost of gas. The club also allows voluntary contributions of $1/member or $3/non-member. |
| weather | Tonopah |
| meet | 8:00 AM in west Phoenix on the west side of the Fry’s Marketplace parking lot at the northeast corner of 43rd. Ave. and McDowell (just north of I-10, exit 140). |
| drive |
To get to the trailhead: From Phoenix, take I-10 west to Exit 81
(Salome Road exit). Go south on Harquahala Valley Road almost 6 miles
to Courthouse Rock/Centennial Rd. Turn west on Centennia Road, which
leads straight toward Courthouse Rock. At 6.9 miles, veer right along
a washboard road that parallels a natural gas pipeline. Four miles
along the pipeline road, turn south where you see the Eagletail
Mountains Wilderness sign. High clearance vehicles recommended. |
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| updated March 16, 2009 | © Copyright 2009, Arizona Trailblazers. All rights reserved. |