The sixth anniversary of the Granite Mountain Hotshots sacrifice on Yarnell Hill was coming up on June 30th.
I’ve been to the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park, most recently in 2018. Rather than return, so soon, for a third time, I decided to visit the massive alligator juniper Granite Mountain saved during the Doce Fire, which threatened Prescott only a week before the Yarnell Hill burnover. 🔥
I have not been to the Hotshots Juniper before, and was not sure where it was. For quite some time, it has been tradition in Prescott not give exact directions to the juniper, I guess in attempt to maintain its serenity. But my hiking / mine exploring buddy Paul (aka Prescottstyle), says that the juniper’s location is no longer a secret. There’s even a route on AllTrails.com!
Still, I determined to find the juniper for myself.
I picked up Paul at La Casa Prescottstyle. His pup Betty was especially glad to see me when I gifted her some delicious bones I picked up at Miesfeld’s Meat Market when my wife & I visited Wisconsin two weeks ago.
FR 38 was much bumpier than I expected. I was glad my wife stayed in Phoenix, because otherwise she would have had to drop Paul & I off at the powerlines on Contreras Road, and it just got too darn hot later in the day to countenance hiking an extra 1.6 miles round trip between Contreras Road and Division Well. (Driving directions below.) ☀️
There are three main hiking options to visit the Granite Mountain Hotshots juniper:
- Straight to the juniper is a 3.2 mi., 375 AEG, round trip hike.
- Visiting the juniper during a loop hike of Upper Pasture Trail #38, Little Granite Mountain Trail #37 and White Rock Spring Trail #39, is 6.6 mi. and 900 AEG.
- If you hike in from Contreras Road, add 1.6 mi. and 200 AEG.
Because visiting the Granite Mountain Hotshots juniper was only my second real hike of June, I needed the miles to make my 50 for the month. (As I have for 42 straight months since December, 2015.) So, Prescottstyle and I chose Door #2, hiking the long loop counter-clockwise.
The hike starts by heading north across the wash, followed by a short, but steep, climb up FR 38 to a fenceless gate. Yeah, you can walk right around it, onto Trail #38.
Upper Pasture Trail #38 remains old jeep trail for a mile to the intersection with White Rock Spring Trail #39. The intersection has a number of old trail signs, plus at least two “19” arrows. Follow the “19” arrows left, on Trail #39, to head straight to the juniper. Prescottstyle and I turned right to get our miles in first. 🚶♂️🚶♂️
After the Trail #39 intersection, Upper Pasture Trail #38 enters the Doce Fire burn area, becoming nice single track as it steadily climbs 300 ft. in a mile towards Little Granite Mountain. Verbena were everywhere, in all the shades between white & purple. The penstemon were the reddest I have ever seen. Century plants also represented. There was a scattering of other flower species.
Center: Prickly Pear.
Bottom Row: {unknown}, Gooding’s Verbena, Firecracker Penstemon.
The loop levels out for a ⅓ of a mile, after turning north onto Little Granite Mountain Trail #37. The burn damage is much more obvious along Trail #37, with many ghostly junipers. Grasses and shrubbery, however, are going gangbusters. Thankfully no foxtail, like what fuelled the ongoing Woodbury Fire, which started a week after I hiked from Woodbury Trailhead into Fraser Canyon and Randolph Canyon. Still, lots of fresh fuel. 🤔
As Little Granite Mountain Trail #37 resumes its climb towards Blair Pass and Granite Mountain Trail #261, are my two favorite boulders: Balance Rock and Pooping Bear Rock. There are a few small stepups, but otherwise Trail #37 is smooth tread.
From Blair Pass, Prescottstyle and I turned west on White Rock Spring Trail #39. The barb wire fence to the north of the trail marks the edge of the Granite Mountain Wilderness. Trail #39 is much rockier than either Trail #37 or Trail #38, but not too bad. Long Canyon was laid out in a panorama below us.
I thought the Granite Mountain Hotshots juniper was on the opposite side of the canyon. But like I said earlier, I wasn’t sure where, so Paul and I took our time, as I scanned for large, stand alone alligator junipers.
¾ of a mile west of Blair Pass, White Rock Spring Trail #39 passed through a small patch of unburnt trees, which provided welcome relief from the sun. (But not the ants which swarmed us when we stopped for a break!) 🐜
Another ½ mile on is the junction with Cedar Springs Trail #41, which runs three miles northwest to Shroder Tank. There was a small lizard on the Trail #41 sign. By the time I got my camera out, he had moved to other side of the sign. So, I moved over there. Whereupon we proceeded to play merry-go-round for a few minutes while I tried to get a shot. 😁
From the Trail #41 sign, it is ⅓ of a mile through another surviving stand of shady trees to the turn off to the Granite Mountain Hotshots juniper. The turn off is marked by another “19” arrow. The juniper is 100 yds. down the trail.
There is a brass plaque, set in stone, in front of the juniper. The plaque is dedicated to all 20 Granite Mountain Hotshots: Andrew Ashcraft, Robert Caldwell, Travis Carter, Dustin Deford, Christopher MacKenzie, Eric Marsh, Grant McKee, Sean Misner, Scott Norris, Wade Parker, John Percin, Anthony Rose, Jesse Steed, Joe Thurston, Travis Turbyfill, William Warneke, Clayton Whitted, Kevin Woyjeck, Garret Zuppiger and Brendan McDonough — who barely survived being burned over for the second time in a week (Re: “Granite Mountain”, fka “My Lost Brothers” by McDonough & Talty). 🙏🏻
There are many mementos on & about the juniper: Money, ammo, tins of chewing tobacco, American flags, painted rocks, t-shirts, crosses, challenge coins, bells, chimes, wristbands, sweat rags, patches, hats, and even a Navy SEAL trident. (Respect from one warrior to 20 other warriors.) The number “19” was everywhere, including a half dozen more impromptu white granite rock sculptures. I felt bad I did not have something in my pack worth donating.
After spending an hour documenting all the mementos, Paul and I took an ant-free break, before heading 1.6 miles downhill, back to the trailhead at Division Well.
Directions: From Courthouse Square in Prescott, head north on Montezuma St. In a mile, it curves left, becoming Whipple St., which in turn becomes Iron Spring Rd. 10.1 miles from Courthouse Square, turn right onto Contreras Rd., which is smooth, wide, car-drivable dirt. In 0.8 miles, at the powerlines, turn right onto FR 38. If you have a car, park there and walk in. SUVs, or better, may easily proceed down the bumpy, rutted, lop-sided FR 38 another 0.8 miles to the trailhead at Division Well.
GPS File: Granite_Mountain_Hotshots_Juniper
Distance: 7.28 mi.
AEG: 969 ft.
Time: 3h 35m
Granite Mountain Hotshots Juniper Video
Granite Mountain Hotshots Alligator Juniper from Preston McMurry on Vimeo.
