Saturday, April 13, 2013

Brown Canyon and Ramsey Canyon Huachuca Mountains of Arizona April 2, 2013




                   Upper part of Brown Canyon looking toward Ramsey Canyon

General Information and location: The trailhead for the Brown Canyon and Ramsey Canyon is located at the lower part of  Ramsey Canyon Road. if you are coming from Sierra Vista take Highway 92 south until you see Ramsey Canyon Road on the right. The loop is about 8 miles with approximately 2,000 feet in elevation gain. If you park here you do not have to pay but the Nature Conservancy does charge you to park at the Preserve. These mountains do have Mountain lions as well as the possibility of meeting drug runners. I talked to a Forest Service employee who told me the chances of seeing a smuggler is close to zero. It does pay to practice caution and hike during the daylight hours.. During the summer temperatures are hot and there is no water in the canyons. Bring plenty of water and wear a hat during the day.

The hike: The first part of the is parallel to the canyons until you reach Brown canyon Trail #115. This is approximately 0.7 miles long. At this point you enter Brown Canyon where you hike under Manzanita and Oaks. The trail is well grated and easy to follow. In the upper part of Brown Canyon  trail #116 to Ponoma Mine branches off. Keep following the trail into the wilderness to trail #122 in Ramsey Canyon. Follow the road back to the trail head. (Some information from www.usda.gov and www.dogsnotonmywindshield.blogspot.com).


         Map from the US Forest Service showing Brown Canyon, Ramsey Canyon and Carr Canyon in         the Hachuca Mountains of southern Arizona.

                        Trail in Brown Canyon

                           Miller Peak Wilderness

No comments:

Post a Comment