westy44runner

I know several people have ran this as I have seen pictures floating around every now and then. I've never ran this trail...but soon I am heading up there, I've got a couple other trucks possibly coming along depending on difficulty. How does it rate compared to Crown King? Is a locker required? bypasses?
After all the rains and flooding early in the year I know things may be drastically different too.
Thx

Brian

AZ4ME

iTrader: (1)

Desoto Mine is harder than Crown King. It's been about six months since I ran it but I would recommend a couple of inches of lift and a rear locker. I would also recommed sliders as rocker panel damage is possible (especially if you have little/no lift). There is a few rocky areas with decent size boulders and some steep hill climbs and decents. I made it (with the excellent spotting of Steve) with stock front and rear bumpers, with only a few scrapes. My vehicle has not much more than my recommendations above. I wouldn't have wanted to do it with anything less.

AZ4ME

iTrader: (1)

If you haven't seen them, Baja has some good photo's.

http://www.bajataco.com/desoto04/index.htm

westy44runner

Thx Brian. I've seen those pics before if I recall right...
I will see how things turn out...I've seen my friend drive his stock 4runner places I would have never thought but this looks like it may be stretching it from the pics...especially since he doesnt have sliders. Lots of rocks to grab rocker panels on that trail...
I will post up if we head up that way in a couple weeks.

crawler#976

The reports I've heard sound like it's not any worse than before.

Easiest way to get there is thru Mayer, AZ. off Hyw 69 to Prescott.

Where is a Circle-K in Mayer. From the Circle-K take Central to a left on Miami. From Miami take a right on Main St. Just past the Double D Bar on Main St., take a left on Wilks. At the three way junction at the end of Wilks, take Jefferson, which is the Goodwin Road.

The Goodwin Road intersects the Senator Hyw about half way between Prescott and CK. It's about 25 miles of dirt road.

Take a left onto Senator Hyw, stay on it for approx 4 miles and turn left onto FS 89. It goes thru a burned off area, decends a hill and crosses a large wash. Turn left into the wash and have a good time! Once thru the rocky sections, both of which are relatively short, you climb over a ridge or two until you get to the next major wash at the Goat Ranch. From there, the trail goes up the the Peck Mine Road. This appears to be the main road, but the DeSoto trail is a very sharp turn to the left. If you cont. out to the Peck Mine you intersect the main road to CK and miss all the hill climbs and the mine itself.

There are two cattle ponds on this section. They probably have water in'm. Prior to the second pond you have the option of going out via the "official" route in Charles Well's book, or heading up to the DeSoto Mine. There is a faint left turn off the main trail prior to the pond - that leads to some VERY VERY interesting off camber sections. I had my wheelin' buddy hang off the high side as a counter weight thru one spot- the body roll made it feel alot worse than it is, but looking out the drivers door down 45 deg angle at steep hillside always gives me the puckers

If you proceed on to the pond itself, the trail goes up and over the top of the ridge. The route can be very confusing at this point due to a bunch of mine roads branching off the main road. Stop at the top and explore, it offers some great veiws. The main mine is to your right on top of the hill. Once you cross the top, the trail leads down to a large flat section and the main road is bunkered off. If you look to the left edge of the brush on the flat section, you will find a steep decent down to a mine shaft- that is the way out of the maze. Follow that road out to the CK road - you come out above Cleator by a few miles.

With two of us, we've run the whole 12+ miles in less than 3 hours, but that doesn't include transit time from Mayer.

If you have the time and want to see some more neat country, take a left at Cleator on the old railroad bed cut just east of the Cleator Bar. It will take you back to Mayer once it intersects the Old Cordes road.

Enjoy it! It's one of my favorite trail runs - lots of varied terrain with great veiws and a ton of history. You pass close to one of the more famous Apache vs. Miner fights in the old west. Battle Flat is a great story of survival and outright toughness. We're such whimps...

Here's an excerpt of the account
_____________________________

Fish's manuscript gives the following account of the fight with the Indians, known as the “Battle Flat” fight. Fish says that this account was taken from a manuscript shown him by Judge Brooks in Prescott in 1900, giving the whole details of the fight. It varies somewhat from the account given by Hamilton in his work, “The Resources of Arizona,” and I am of the opinion that it is the true version, for the reason that it was taken from an original manuscript owned by Judge Brooks, whom all settlers in Prescott will remember as reliable in all respects. The account is as follows:

“In the latter part of May, 1864, Stewart Wall, Frank Binckley, DeMorgan Scott, Samuel Herron and Fred Henry, started from Walnut Grove on a prospecting trip. They took three pack animals and a good supply of provisions. They took their time passing the Hassayampa and Turkey Creek, and camped on the 2nd of June on what has since been known as ‘Battle Flat.’ About two hours before daylight the next morning they were attacked by a large body of Indians. The Indians would, doubtless, have waited until daylight, but one of the boys raising up, led them to believe that they were getting up. Every man was wounded and two of the horses killed before daylight. There was a continuous shower of arrows coming from the enemy, who were all around in fearful odds, and the boys were driven from their camp, taking up their position some three hundred yards away where they were still surrounded by the foe. The Indians took possession of the camp and made a breakfast upon the two dead horses. The boys found themselves in a terrible condition—all wounded and some of them in a frightful manner. Henry was wounded in the arm, but his legs were all right, so it was decided that he should break through the enemy's line and go for help. He took Frank Binckley, who had a ball through the bridge of his nose which drove a bone into an eye putting it out, with him. It was feared that Binckley would go insane if left. The two attempted, at about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, to crawl through the brush, but were soon discovered, and a running fight was then kept up for some distance. The men took a circuitous route to avoid being ambushed and to have the advantage in the ground. The party being aroused from their beds so suddenly, and in warm weather, had but little on, and these two wounded men made the run through the mountains from eleven a. m. until eight a. m. the next morning, barefooted. When they reached Walnut Grove a company of ten men soon started out and found the other boys, who had fought the Indians until in the forenoon, when the hostiles left, probably thinking that the game was not worth the cost. The boys were all taken in and all recovered but Sam Herron, who died nine days after.”
__________________________________

Walnut Grove is TWENTY PLUS MILES OVER THE HILLS DUE WEST!!!

Tough bastards!

westy44runner

Well I sure wont get lost thanks Crawler976, sounds like you have done the trial many times from those excellent directions.
Great history of the area too...thats quite an interesting story. The Bradshaws are one of the least explored areas in this state it seems like, its so remote.
I remember reading a few years back in an old magazine, I believe it may have been 4wheel Drive and Sport Utility about a trail in the Bradshaws, probably Desoto Mine if I remember correct, about a hermit who took up residence in the mountains and had built a small home, and he also fixed up an old Land Rover that someone had rolled off a trail and it was his own vehicle...?? Apparently he was not a friendly individual either, I will have to try to dig up that article, I may still have that issue. Anyways...thanks again for the great directions

Brian

i_love_tacos

hey are you gonna do this trail? i wanna try it, it sounds fun. i need a challenge to learn more. is it cool if i go if you go? hah

westy44runner

I plan to do this trail within the next month with another friend once he gets back in town and I dont see why you wouldnt be welcome as long as your tacoma is setup for this type of trail.

blink

dood your in scottsdale! where at? sorry for the hijack

westy44runner

yeah I live in Scottsdale...about a mile from old town.

i_love_tacos

well. i got a 3 inch lift. 32 inch tires, factory rear locker. ofcourse 4wheel drive. what do you think? i think i can do it. i hope...

westy44runner

yeah I would say you are setup enough for desoto from what I've heard about it.

i_love_tacos

cool then. i just hope im not busy on the day you choose to go. haha

crawler#976

I'll bring up the tail...

AZ4ME

iTrader: (1)

If you don't mind the company, you might post the trip in the Trail Run section when you know the dates. If it's okay, I wouldn't mind going if it's in the next few weeks. I'm sure there might be other interest also. Just a thought.

westy44runner

I've got a few fishing trips lined up for the next couple months so weekends are tight as it is..and I need to do some maintence to the toyota's before I have any more fun...but I will post up some trail runs when I get a chance to get out.