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Arizona Trailblazers
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Idaho Pass
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The Idaho Pass route to Bulldog Canyon is just inside the Tonto National Forest
boundary. We started on the Powerline Trail and then turned south on the
Wolverine Pass Trail. It goes in and out of washes on the north side of McDowell
Road, giving us close-up views of colorful rock formations while avoiding the
residential district on the other side.
Coyote Rock is a local favorite, just north of the Idaho Access. It is a spire of Tertiary rhyolite that looks like a howling coyote from certain directions. |
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West of the Idaho Access, it’s all wilderness. We cross two arroyos on
the Idaho Pass Trail. Between them, a trail is planned on the east side of the
canyon. But it isn't built yet, so instead of bushwhacking we take the trail
on the west side.
Ahead of us are the volcanic plugs of Bulldog Ridge. We walk north, as the trail takes us down in the canyon for a quarter mile, then out near Idaho Pass. The pass is very scenic. We stop for a snack break as Ted rattles off the names of the peaks on Bulldog Ridge. Most of the names are just numbers, like 3195, which indicate the elevation. The National Board of Geographic Names has not been generous with place names in the Goldfields. |
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Beyond Idaho Pass the view opens up to a grand panorama of Bulldog Ridge on
the left and peak 3269 on the right. The colors on peak 3269 are amazing.
We turn east on Forest Service road 10, then follow a side trail over a pass and down into Bulldog Canyon. Two caves and two arches grace the walls of the canyon as we make our way eastward. At one point we have a distant view of the Trumpet Arch, south of peak 3089. A horse trail takes us back to civilization. We stop for lunch at the turnoff for hill 2685, then follow trails and roads back to Dome Mountain Trailhead. |
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| Home | Club Info | Officers | Meeting Minutes | Activities | Trip Reports | | Hike Descriptions | Trip Planning Guide | Lessons Learned | Links | Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club, Phoenix, Arizona For comments regarding this site contact . updated February 14, 2006 |