Montana Mountain 2.5

A very interesting trail with numerous attractions.  Two crested saguaros, a geologic window, an arch, a stone cabin and great elevated views.  Also access to Woodbury and Rogers trailheads.
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This trail rises above 5,000' and has several areas on shaded north slopes.  Do not go after a strong winter storm as it can be dangerous.

The route is described in a clockwise direction but can easily be driven in either direction.

There is a GPS - gpx track file at the bottom of the page.
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Crested saguaro behind a corral
The Woodbury Fire of 2019 was mostly on the upper reaches of the trail so there has not been much subsequent erosion.  Click for larger photo.
Begin this trip on paved Queen Valley Road then swing off onto Hewitt Station Road.  Cross Queen Creek and follow Hewitt Canyon drainage for much of this west leg of the loop.  Very scenic sonoran desert and mountains.
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Lower part of west leg
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Pinnacles along west leg
There is an unusual geologic window in a pinnacle.  This is most visible with early morning sun.

A little imagination will tell you why we named this feature "Elephant Arch".  The elephant feature is visible from the road, but is much more obvious from the high side.  I was up there years ago to snag a geocache.
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Natural window in pinnacle
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Elephant Arch from above
Continue up the trail and find this stone thingy on the far side of Hewitt Canyon.  If you know what it was used for please contact me and I will post it here.

A small crested saguaro is visible on the low side of the road a bit more up the trail.
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Stone thingy
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West leg crested saguaro
The west leg of this trail leads to Woodberry and Roger's Trough trailheads, and is graded every several years.  As of spring 2019 that was a strong several.  I have not seen the road east of Roger's Trough graded in over a dozen years.  The trail is rated a weak 2.5.

​Once you reach the top there is less erosion and there are numerous areas of trees.
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Trail erosion
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After the climb
The trail switches sides of a ridge for several miles, offering great high elevation views in all directions.  These photos highlight the village of Queen Valley and the Pucker Ridge Jeep trail.
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Queen Valley
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Pucker Ridge Trail and Picket Post Mountain
Did you know that cypress trees grow in Arizona?  The first photo shows the bark of a tree and the second shows their distinctive cones.  Cypress tends to grow in small scattered populations, rather than a large forest.  See this stand toward the eastern end of the ridge.
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Arizona Cypress bark
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Arizona Cypress cones
The trail drops down a series of switchbacks at the end of the ridge.  You can see the Marble Mine Jeep Trail from the end of the ridge.
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Montana Mountain switchbacks
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Looking across switchbacks toward Marble Mine Trail
There is a stone cabin a short distance below the switchbacks.  The lower section of this east leg is along Happy Camp Canyon, which is normally dry.  It is a rare treat to see this much water.

The crested saguaro shown as the opening photo is reached by going through a corral on the east side of the main trail.
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Stone cabin
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Road in Happy Camp Canyon
Page updated 2019.
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