WOLVERTON MOUNTAIN and QUARTZ MOUNTAIN
WOLVERTON
MOUNTAIN and QUARTZ MOUNTAIN
Over its 54-mile
course, the Prescott Circle Trail tours some of the most spectacular country in
Arizona�s central highland region. The city-circumnavigating route is organized
into 10 segments that range from 2.7 to 9.1 miles in length with unique
features that transport hikers through shady pine forests, lakeside coves,
granite dells, grasslands and juniper scrub.
But if highpoint vistas are your
thing, Segment 4 delivers two juicy side trips: One tops out on an exposed crest
with terrific sights while the other explores a solitary quartz-studded knoll.
The segment is tethered by two trailheads. The White Spar Road trailhead is
near a campground while the Aspen Creek trailhead is hike-in only. The quickest access to the peaks is via the
latter. Begin on Aspen Creek Trail #48 across from the parking area on Copper
Basin Road. First up is Wolverton Mountain.
To get there hike 1.7 miles on
Trail #48, pass a gate and make an immediate left at a fork. This unsigned dirt
track climbs 0.2-mile and 130 feet to a scenic lookout. The �peak� is just a
weathered nub on the edge of a ridgeline, unremarkable except for its views of
the Prescott lakes area and the Bradshaw Mountains.
To the east, a pyramid-shaped,
white-speckled outcropping stands out among swaths of junipers. This is the
next destination: Quartz Mountain (a.k.a White Spar). To get there, descend to the gate, go right
onto Wolverton Mountain Trail #9415 and hike 0.8-mile to the Quartz Mountain
Trail #9415A turnoff. The 0.2-mile trail leads to a dirt roundabout at the base
of the hill. A raceway of rough ATV roads circle and spiral up a jewel-box bluff
of clefts and pinnacles.
The maze of deeply-rutted roads is iced with a layer
of creamy quartz nuggets laced with bands of pink and black minerals. Agaves,
cacti and swaying grasses grow from cracks in massive white embankments that
crumble into glinting landslides of beautiful, but worthless gems. The roads
reach to roughly 50 feet from the summit and offer great valley and mountain
vistas that stretch all the way to Flagstaff, but if you want to get to the top,
you�ll need to do some tricky, hand-over-foot scrambling on one of the several
paths-of-use that lead to crown of quartz spires. The most direct base-to-summit
route is a difficult, 0.2-mile hike with 112 feet of elevation gain. Loose rock
and thorny plants can be dangerous, so opt for the paths most travelled. Once
done exploring, descend and hike back to Trail #9145 which continues 3.4 miles
to its terminus at White Spar Road.
LENGTH: 5.9
miles one-way, 7 miles with summit spurs.
RATING: moderate
(difficult with Quartz Mountain summit)
ELEVATION:
5,600� � 6,704�
GETTING THERE:
WEST: Aspen Creek trailhead:
From Courthouse Square in Prescott, go 1 mile south on
Montezuma Street (turns into State Route 89/White Spar Road) and to the light
at Copper Basin Road. Turn right and continue 4.6 miles on Copper Basin Road
(turns to good dirt after 1.6 miles) to the Aspen Creek trailhead on the right.
The hike begins across the road on Trail 48.
EAST: White Spar Campground trailhead:
From Courthouse Square in Prescott, go 3 miles south on
Montezuma Street (turns into State Route 89/White Spar Road) to the parking lot
on the left. Trail access is south of the campground on the west side of SR89.
INFO
& MAPS:
http://prescott-az.gov/services/parks/trails/circle.php
MOUNTAIN and QUARTZ MOUNTAIN
 |
| Summit of Quartz Mountain |
Over its 54-mile
course, the Prescott Circle Trail tours some of the most spectacular country in
Arizona�s central highland region. The city-circumnavigating route is organized
into 10 segments that range from 2.7 to 9.1 miles in length with unique
features that transport hikers through shady pine forests, lakeside coves,
granite dells, grasslands and juniper scrub.
 |
| Summit of Quartz Mountain |
But if highpoint vistas are your
thing, Segment 4 delivers two juicy side trips: One tops out on an exposed crest
with terrific sights while the other explores a solitary quartz-studded knoll.
The segment is tethered by two trailheads. The White Spar Road trailhead is
near a campground while the Aspen Creek trailhead is hike-in only. The quickest access to the peaks is via the
latter. Begin on Aspen Creek Trail #48 across from the parking area on Copper
Basin Road. First up is Wolverton Mountain.
 |
| Wolverton Mountain Trail |
To get there hike 1.7 miles on
Trail #48, pass a gate and make an immediate left at a fork. This unsigned dirt
track climbs 0.2-mile and 130 feet to a scenic lookout. The �peak� is just a
weathered nub on the edge of a ridgeline, unremarkable except for its views of
the Prescott lakes area and the Bradshaw Mountains.
 |
| Aspen Creek Trail |
 |
| Cacti on quartz |
To the east, a pyramid-shaped,
white-speckled outcropping stands out among swaths of junipers. This is the
next destination: Quartz Mountain (a.k.a White Spar). To get there, descend to the gate, go right
onto Wolverton Mountain Trail #9415 and hike 0.8-mile to the Quartz Mountain
Trail #9415A turnoff. The 0.2-mile trail leads to a dirt roundabout at the base
of the hill. A raceway of rough ATV roads circle and spiral up a jewel-box bluff
of clefts and pinnacles.
 |
| View from Wolverton Mountain |
The maze of deeply-rutted roads is iced with a layer
of creamy quartz nuggets laced with bands of pink and black minerals. Agaves,
cacti and swaying grasses grow from cracks in massive white embankments that
crumble into glinting landslides of beautiful, but worthless gems. The roads
reach to roughly 50 feet from the summit and offer great valley and mountain
vistas that stretch all the way to Flagstaff, but if you want to get to the top,
you�ll need to do some tricky, hand-over-foot scrambling on one of the several
paths-of-use that lead to crown of quartz spires. The most direct base-to-summit
route is a difficult, 0.2-mile hike with 112 feet of elevation gain. Loose rock
and thorny plants can be dangerous, so opt for the paths most travelled. Once
done exploring, descend and hike back to Trail #9145 which continues 3.4 miles
to its terminus at White Spar Road.
 |
| Roads on Quartz Mountain are paved with "gems" |
LENGTH: 5.9
miles one-way, 7 miles with summit spurs.
RATING: moderate
(difficult with Quartz Mountain summit)
ELEVATION:
5,600� � 6,704�
GETTING THERE:
WEST: Aspen Creek trailhead:
From Courthouse Square in Prescott, go 1 mile south on
Montezuma Street (turns into State Route 89/White Spar Road) and to the light
at Copper Basin Road. Turn right and continue 4.6 miles on Copper Basin Road
(turns to good dirt after 1.6 miles) to the Aspen Creek trailhead on the right.
The hike begins across the road on Trail 48.
EAST: White Spar Campground trailhead:
From Courthouse Square in Prescott, go 3 miles south on
Montezuma Street (turns into State Route 89/White Spar Road) to the parking lot
on the left. Trail access is south of the campground on the west side of SR89.
INFO
& MAPS:
http://prescott-az.gov/services/parks/trails/circle.php
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