Passage #23 - Mazatzal Divide

Location:  Mt Peely to the Park

Length:  22.0 miles

Southern Trailhead:  Mt Peely Trailhead - FR 201
- GPS Coordinates:  34.00219° N, 111.47724° W

Northern Trailhead:  The Park - junction of Trail #23 & #24
- GPS Coordinates:  34.14643° N, 111.49997° W

Trail Route Description:  This entire passage is on the Mazatzal Divide Trail (#23). From the junction with the Cornucopia Trail 0.5 miles from the Mt. Peely Trailhead the route works its way up and around Mt. Peely. It passes the wilderness boundary, gets around the head of a drainage and then turns to the north and follows a ridgeline. It circles counter-clockwise around an unnamed peak and then descends down to the Bear Spring turnoff and then the Fisher Spring turnoff. It climbs up and over the previous ridgeline and drops down to the Shake Tree Trail junction. From here the trail continues north and downhill, passing Mazatzal Peak. The trail climbs and then drops again down to the Barnhardt Trail junction. Turning west the trail continues downhill, passing Chilson Spring, contouring for a short ways and then climbs above the North Fork of Deadman Creek. It passes Horse Camp Seep, continues climbing and reaches Hopi Spring. The trail crosses the upper end of Deadman Creek, heads west and then turns north and begins descending along the east side of Maverick Basin. The trail continues northbound and then turns to the west and comes to The Park.

Difficulty:  Moderate

Season(s):  All year (snow can be present at higher elevations after winter storms and lower elevations can be quite warm in summer).

Water:  Water can usually be found at Bear Spring, Fisher Spring, Chilson Spring, Horse Camp Seep and Hopi Spring.

Notes/Warnings:

• All water along this passage should be purified prior to use.
• Mountain bikes are prohibited in the Mazatzal Wilderness.

Resources:

• USGS Topographic Maps: Mazatzal Peak and North Peak.
• Tonto National Forest map.
• BLM Information Center maps.

For more information, contact:

• The Passage Steward
• Tonto National Forest, Payson Ranger District, 1009 E. Highway 260 Payson, AZ 85541   (928) 474-7900.
• BLM Information Center, One North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004   (602) 417-9300.

Current Trail Information:
3/2008 - Approximately 80% of the trail is now hikeable/passable. The worst deadfall and brushy spots have been fixed. A 3 mile section south of Bear Springs has not been touched due to snow depth and remains in bad shape. The remainder of the passage will remain challenging, but you can hike at almost normal speed. The Mazatzal Wilderness area trail signs have not been replaced after the fire, but an AZT wooden sign now exists at each major trail junction. In sketchy areas, follow the orange flagging. 12/2007 - This passage is "passable", but just barely. Horseback travel is not recommended. The deadfall and erosion from the 2004 Willow Fire continues to create major problems. Much of the signage burned. The section was hiked, flagged, and signed (limited) in December 2007. Please do not hike this section alone. You should have good map and route-finding skills and be comfortable in true wilderness situations. Plan on traveling at about 1/2 your normal speed.