Mural Hill in Bisbee (6502')

I first did Mural Hill on March 20, 2017 and really enjoyed this hike.  It's an unmarked trail going up to a prominent hill in the Mule Mountains that overlooks the hidden strip mine of Bisbee.  One can't see this new mine from the public roads as one drives into town from the east end, but one can see all that digging from above.

I had suggested this hike to my hiking friends as a post-Thanksgiving Day hike, one that offers some remoteness and gives one a physical challenge.  HollyW and SusanM both agreed to hike with me.  I took Sadie and Zeke.  We met in front of the Old Bisbee Brewing company, climbed up the pedestrian stairs to the north of the building, and continued our walk on OK street hiking northwest to the end of the street.  Unmarked trails into the nearby hills are accessible here.

It had been a while since I was in Bisbee.  I always enjoy having an excuse to come to this quirky town, but had it really been months since my last visit?  The trail starts at the end of OK Street and meanders around that first hill, Youngblood Hill.  A statue of Jesus now marks the way with "To My Cross," standing right in front of the "World's Largest Chicken Coop."  As I said, this town is quirky.

This first section around the hill follows the same trail as the one going up to the shrines above.  The Shrine Hike is a unique walk in itself, and one can see at least five different shrines around the hill, with new locations always popping up.   I got slightly disoriented the here, taking the wrong trail right and finding us going uphill when we should be going down into the first gully.  We had to retrace our steps to the first trail and then take the second left.  This trail goes between the two hills while the main trail then goes toward Zacatecas Canyon.

Once we were on "the" trail to Mural Hill, I had no other orientation issues.  The trail is heavily overgrown in parts that required me to stop and access which direction to take.  The pink markers from last year are gone or faded, but I did find newer yellow markers in the last mile.  We went up and over two gullies, past a small cement dam and then a gabion dam (rocks held together by strong metal mesh), then hiked up a side of a hill to get on the mining trail that takes us to Mural Hill.

The views along the way are breathtaking.  Both Holly and Susan had never been here before, and we stopped a few times for them to take in the views of Warren, the Sonoran mountains in the horizon, and other canyons visible from the ridgeline.   Any wildflowers that bloomed here during the monsoon are long gone.  Last time I had the blooming pink catclaw, this time it was just the many overgrown shrubs along the trail that would poke at us and rip at our clothing and caps.  I had warned the gals to wear thick shirts and pants for this hike, and they thanked me for this.  Our hands got scratched up just holding the thorny branches away from our faces as we'd hike under the tall growth.  I said my share of expletives.

One can see where the old mining road snakes up the sides of the hills toward Mural Hill. The reef is rather prominent and can be used as a landmark.  The white cross on Youngblood hill is also very prominent.

I lost battery power at the 2.31-mile mark, with a mile to go to the top.  Holly and Susan were great hikers and followed me, but we also took time to photograph the views.  I had to give the dogs water because despite the forecasted 63F for today's high, there was plenty of sun shining on them.  Both dogs were super troopers.

The last time up Mural Hill, I followed the track that the Huachuca Hiking Club had created, cutting up a steep side of a hill.  This time we followed the trail, which now goes around Mural Hill to the north and begins a descent.  I led the gals up a steep drainage going uphill, with natural rock steps and lichen-covered chapparal to hold on to.  It turns out that the real trail continues just past that drainage, dip down a bit and then climbs up the reef to the top.  Someone had marked the trail in yellow hunter's tape. We made sure we went down this way on our descent.

Both gals gasped in awe of the view once we made it to the summit.  The wind was noticeable now and we didn't stay long.  We ate our snacks and chatted.  The old chicken burrito I had for the dogs had gotten too moldy and I threw it over the cliff, but didn't throw it far enough.  The burrito had gotten lodged in the branches of a small shrub dangling precariously over the cliff.  Sadie was determined to get to that chicken, much to my chagrin.  Only a leash kept her safe now.  Zeke stayed by my side and was content with the small snack pack I had for each dog: a 2.6-ounce tub of high-end dog food, turkey variety.

There are other trails on the lower hills to the north of Mural Hill that are tempting for me to explore.  Susan seems interested in exploring with me.  I'd like to come here after a fresh snowfall.  We saw no one on the trail except for a young couple heading up to the shrines.

The northern slopes of the hills around us were baren of any hillside trees or shrubs.  Had there been a fire that wiped out the foliage?  It sure would be a hot hike here in the summer, with no shade trees along the way.

The return hike was the same route in reverse.  We stopped once for a water break but made the return at a steady pace, getting back to our cars at 1:45pm.  The parking lot in Brewery Gulch in front of the brewery was now packed, and our parking spots covered real estate.  Since it was Susan's birthday, we all agreed to have a late lunch at the Bisbee Breakfast Club (BBC), a nice breakfast-lunch diner open 7am-3pm seven days a week.  It's off the tourist route but still very popular once the tourists hear about it, and parking is ample.  I parked the dogs in deep shade and went inside to eat.