big man tips

BLACK CANYON TRAIL: BUMBLE BEE SEGMENT Old gate with Sunset Point on canyon edge--far right. Look down from the viewing deck at Sunset Point rest area on Interstate 17 south of Cordes Junction and the rugged terrain of what the Black Canyon Trail Coalition calls �Arizona�s Outback� rolls out 600 feet below.   The land down under the lookout is appropriately named Sheep Gulch. Whether this is happenstance or a nod to the Australian sheep stations (Aussie speak for ranches) that this gorge resembles, it�s an awe-inspiring sight to behold. Although it�s tough to see from the rest area, the middle section of the 80-mile Black Canyon Trail cuts through this beautiful abyss that�s cradled in a geological upheaval of pre-Cambrian granites, and scaly schists with sprinklings of orange-tinged quartz tossed about like confetti. Saguaros frame Bradshaw Mountains vistas.   The non-motorized-use route that stretches from the Carefree Highway in Phoenix to near the town of Mayer off State ...

BLACK CANYON TRAIL: Gloriana Segment Near Bumble Bee View of Bradshaw Mountains from BCT Sandwiched between the spot where Interstate 17 splits to begin its climb up to the mesas and gorges of Agua Fria National Monument and a gaping valley below the Bradshaw Mountains, the Gloriana Segment of the Black Canyon Trail is the middle road between a freeway and  dusty dirt double tracks. The 80-mile route flows from Carefree Highway in Phoenix to just outside of Prescott following centuries-old Native American trails, defunct livestock paths, dirt roads and sections of new construction. A battered saguaro stands above Maggie Mine Road The trail is divided into segments with trailheads located along its entire length. The 3.4-mile-long Gloriana Segment is smack dab in the middle and wanders along slopes above the scoured courses of Sycamore, Poison, Arrastre and Rock Creeks.   Geology buffs will find a plenty to explore. Within a few hundred feet of the trailhead, the path bumps int...