Eric S, one of the hiking club's more energetic members, wanted to scout out some trails off Juniper Flats west of Old Bisbee this weekend. He had asked for members to join him to explore the unknown trails, but only I showed up with Minnie. (The other active hikers were probably hiking the scheduled hikes for this weekend.) It was 37F when I arrived at the trail head.
We both met at 9am at the Old Divide pass, just above the Mule Tunnel which was built in 1958 to make traffic into the mining town easier. We arrived at the same time, as both of us like being on time.
Juniper Flats Road starts at the Old Divide road above the tunnel and meanders for four miles to the ridgeline. The lower first mile is under heavy regrading by the county maintenance crew of ADOT, making the road passable for cars to the homeowners who live here. We started at 9:15am and yielded to trucks going up and down the road for the first mile. Minnie was very obedient on leash. (I was quite proud of her.) I put a bright orange vest on her so she would be more easily visible, and that helped the truckers up the hill a lot.
I've driven up Juniper Flats several times over the years I've been here, but never have walked up this grade. All kinds of unique homes are scattered here along the ridgeline, and I don't want to trespass on peoples' property, so I've always stayed on the main road.
After a good mile walking uphill, we came to the first turn-off to another wide dirt road. "BEWARE of DOG" says the sign on a wire fence, and Eric told me this is a public road because of the access to other trails off this road. I had never explored it before because I thought it was a private road. Several homes are hidden in small spurs.
I was glad to get off Juniper Flats Road by now because at least three dump trucks kept coming and going with their load. We walked a good half-mile before now getting on the trail, marked by a horseshoe on a cement pillar. Now we were on a single-track walking a ridgeline toward Brewery Gulch. After two miles of hiking, I recognized the trail as a connector trail to the popular "Bisbee Loop Trail" I've been on a few times. Eric had never been on this loop, so I took the lead here. My only concern was that I'd have enough water for Minnie and me. A five-mile hike had now turned into a nine-mile+ hike. Eric, always being willing to explore new trail, was willing to hike the entire 5-mile loop now with me showing him the way.
The closer one gets to Brewery Gulch, the more trails that spring up off the main trail. We were now descending into the Gulch and the slope was steep. Eric was thrilled seeing the old town from above, because the view into the open pit Lavender Mine is quite impressive here. He was willing to pose for photos.
I spotted another side trail so instead of getting on Opera Drive, we followed this thin trail to an old garbage dumping ground, old rusty cars and a graffitied water tower before finding yet another trail past an abandoned table with three chairs with an overlook, and down some very crumbly stairs that got us to Brewery Gulch across from Youngblood Drive. Minnie was still off-leash but I watched for stray dogs coming out of blind corners. We were now back on pavement, with three miles up uphill climbing to do. The town was quiet (most likely because we were too far from the bars!) and enjoyed walking past the homes here.
I've been up this road many times, but never once have I been inside the grocery market. I peeked inside the window and the store is laid out like it was 100 years ago. Outside, behind a side gate, is a big water bucket with "Dogs Welcome Here" and I took a break here to let Minnie drink. I had enough water for her in my backpack, but filled up my bottles anyway. I never want to face a water shortage while on a hike.
I had not been up this road since late last summer with Gina. Back then water was gushing down the road. The water is now gone, the road mostly leveled out for cars, and it's back to a dry surface. Eric had been here before, but he had never been to the opening of Zacatecas Canyon. The canyon was void of all water.
MORE LATER (am having trouble getting photos to upload again)
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