Tag Archives: Turley Trail

Prescott Circle Trail: Segment 7, Part II

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Posted by on in Hiking and Nature

January 3, 2016, Prescott-  This weekend is billed as the last stretch of fair weather, before a series of storms takes up the entire first week of January.  I spent yesterday afternoon with that in mind, heading for the southern portion of the above-mentioned trail segment.

The trail I followed was only completed in July of last year, following a multi-party easement that involves the Prescott-Yavapai Indian Community, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the State Land Trust and the City of Prescott.  It was the last large link in the trail system.

So, it was with great satisfaction that I was able to do an 8-mile round trip, from Turley Trailhead, at the west end of Government Canyon, along the edge of that sizable chasm, around Badger Peak (also known as “P” Mountain), in back of three shopping plazas, to the edge of Highway 69, where an underpass links the trail with the last segment I covered, in late Fall of last year.

The trail was mostly modest, or so it seemed to me.  Two young women came the other way, with their dog, and told me they thought the eastward trail was easier than the way I was heading.  Somehow, I did not find either way all that taxing.  I’m sure they would do just fine, being at least thirty years my junior.

Here are a few scenes from trailside.

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Limestone crag, on north side of Badger Peak, Prescott.

 

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Junction of Turley and Badger Peak Trails.

View of Frontier Village, from Badger Peak Trail, Prescott
Northward view, from Badger Peak Trail, Prescott

 

View of Badger Peak, from the west.
Frost on the trail, Badger Peak

Above, the P on Badger Peak’s north side is visible, as is frost on the trail.

Badger Peak, from the east.
A sunbow, seen from the east slope of Badger Peak

The day ended perfectly, with a sunbow appearing to the northwest.  Along with the nearly two-dozen heart-shaped rocks I spotted along the way, this augurs well for my 2016.

The Road to 65, Mile 140: Happy Returns

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Posted by on in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Social

April 17, 2015, Prescott- I returned an item that was particular to my Kia, and got money back, that will be useful tomorrow.  A few hours later, I returned to a neighbourhood trail, the Turley Trail, named for a man who was instrumental in starting the Prescott Circle, which begins at “P” Mountain, east of town, and goes in a 360 around the Bean Peaks, Sierra Prieta, Thumb Butte, Granite Mountain, Pioneer Park and our northeastern lakes, then back towards Lynx Lake and again to “P”.

The Turley is 2.5 miles, one way, and traverses four ridges, before ending at a Prescott Circle marker, in a forested ravine.  I’ve written of it before, but here are some views from yesterday.

“P” Mountain is not directly accessible from this point, but it’s quite an inspiration, nonetheless.

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Here is the gap between the first and second ridges.  This is a moderate hike.

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On return hikes, I focus more on the small.  Wildflowers are a bit past peak here, but still captivating.SAM_4791

The quartz and granite caught my eye, at several points along the way.SAM_4794

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Finally, here is a cave, which I don’t remember seeing last time.

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It’s probably an animal lair of some sort, so of course I contented myself with this particular view.

Finally, the journalist David Brooks was on NPR, discussing his book on returning to a community-centered ethos.  More on that, later.