Trail Overview

This follows the historic General Crook Trail from FS 139 Cottonwood Wash Trailhead to FS 107 Willow Wash. General Crook oversaw the construction of the road from 1872 to 1874. The trail connected Fort Whipple (present-day Prescott) with Fort Apache. It was initially used as a supply route and then for all travel until the Mogollon Rim Road was built in 1928.

Photos of General Crook Trail

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Difficulty

The trail has some off-camber spots.

History

This is one section of the 58.9-mile General Crook Trail. It is marked with a metal "V" on markers and trees along the route. It became Arizona's first State Historic Trail in 1979. Martha Summerhayes, the first woman to travel the road, did so in 1874. She later wrote a book entitled, "Vanished Arizona", describing her travels in Arizona Territory.

Technical Rating

Chuck Waters

Mar 11, 2025

Open

This trail is definitely not widely travelled. There are a couple sections where it looks like the trail up and ends. Just continue on a few yards, and it is very noticeable where the trail is at. This route is extremely easy and great to bring kids. There are all kinds of animal bones towards the East end of the trail where the kids will enjoy looking at and trying to figure out what kind of animal they came from. There also tends to be Wild Horses that frequent the East end of this trail near the staging area. They are calm, non-threatening to passers-by, and may even follow you for a few yards.