Ash Creek #307

One of the Pinaleno range’s larger streams has carved the route for this popular trail. As it drops from alpine forest to desert valley, Ash Creek Trail passes through all of the varied life zones that find a home on this unique mountain. Such a diverse set of surroundings makes this an excellent trail for encountering some of the varied wildlife species that inhabit the Pinalenos. Black bear, mountain lion, both mule and white-tailed deer, javelina and coatimundi are just some of the animals you’re likely to encounter if you proceed slowly and quietly and keep a watchful eye. If you like to fish for trout, you’ll be interested to know that pools in the middle reaches of Ash Creek hold populations of native Apache trout. Ash Creek is not a large stream, so the fish are small, but they’re wild and feisty nevertheless. If you come with that in mind, you’ll enjoy the fact that they are quite a challenge to catch. Since this prominent drainage has long been used as a major travel route up the mountain, it has also accumulated a number of historic relics. Along the trail are remains of an old sawmill and a logging flume, as well as boilers for steam engines used by loggers. These rusty artifacts serve as evidence that this area was used for timber harvest before modern transportation methods made it cheaper to haul lumber from areas where it could be harvested more economically.

Hazard tree area due to wildfire damage.  Ash Creek 307A is the primary 307 trail around Ash Creek Falls area due to unsafe conditions on this segment of 307.