7¼ Miles on the Watson Lake Loop Trail

Monday, 30 April 2018
Point of Rocks RV Campground — Prescott, Arizona
Temps: 69F( 21C) / 45F (7C)

Our initial plan was to pack our breakfast and leave early to hike the Watson Lake Loop Trail.  When we woke up to a 50F (10C) temp at 6:00a, we changed our plans.  We ate breakfast at home, packed snacks to nibble on later, and left for our hike at 8:30a after the morning had warmed up a bit.

In fact, the temp never reached above 66F (19C) while we were on the trail.  Until high clouds moved in during the afternoon, we had mostly blue skies and sunshine for a hike that turned out to be not 4.79 miles (7.6 km) but 7.25 miles (11.6 km).  No problem, we’ve done longer hikes.  We had plenty of water to stay hydrated … snacks for energy … and scenery to keep us motivated.  The cloud cover helped to shelter us from the sun during the warmest part of the day … and a light breeze kept us comfortable as we scrambled over and around the granite dells.

Distant view of Watson Lake and the granite Dells from the disc golf course.

The loop trail is a combination of single track trails that can be individually accessed from various points around the lake.  We used the access path from the campground to get to Watson Park, walked through the disc golf course and the tent camping area to reach the boat ramp, and connected to the Lower Granite Creek Discovery Trail briefly.  Here there was plenty of shade from the cottonwood trees.

We cross Granite Creek over this bright red bridge to enter a grove of Frémont cottonwood trees.  Native Americans used the bark and leaves for swelling and headache relief.

Next we picked up the Peavine Trail.  It’s a 6-mile (9.5 km) rails-to-trails path… flat and easy … built on what used to be a 19th century train track.  We walked just a short portion of it, stopping to take photos of the lake and the granite boulder scenery.  At this end of the trail, the lake water was quite low.  There were mud flats along the shoreline and noticeable high-water marks on the boulders.

Landscape panorama from the Peavine Trail.

We could have stayed on the Peavine awhile, but that would have been too easy ;-)  So, we opted to get on the Lakeshore Trail at the first northbound access point.  The sign indicated that this was a “technical trail’ and described it as more challenging than the flat trail we were leaving behind.  “Have fun!” were the last word on the sign.  That’s exactly what we did.

Off we go to play around the granite dells and have fun.

The high water markings are quite evident here.

Keeping an eye out for the white dots placed on the slick rock portions where the trail isn’t immediately apparent, we followed the dirt and granite trail, scrambling over some of the weather-eroded, curvaceous [sounds better than rounded ;-)] boulders to reach excellent vantage points from which to enjoy the scenery.

White dots, like the one on the bottom center rock, keep us on track.

The granite wasn’t slippery, making for steady footing.  Nonetheless, we paid attention to where we stepped as we carefully made our way across the rocky terrain.  “Watch your feet when walking; stop to enjoy the scenery” … that became our mantra.  The best part, once we left the Peavine, we saw hardly any other hikers.  The few people we did encounter were on a mission to speed-hike.  Distance was our goal today, not speed … and we achieved it at a pace that allowed us to enjoy the day while we were at it.

A lovely reflection stops me in my tracks, but when we walk on a bit further …

… we see that there is an access out to the lake.

The Lakeshore Trail offers a couple of in-out spurs.  We skipped the first one, and checked out the one that led us to Secret Cove.  The scenery made the detour well worth it.  We scrambled up to the top of one of the granite boulders and had our first snacks-with-a-view break here.  Simply lovely.

Food always tastes better from a spot with a view.

Next up was a nice segue to the Over the Hill Trail … which was mostly slick rock.  It had its ups and downs, but the elevation was not unlike the Lakeshore Trail — which ranged between 5,100 and 5,200+ feet (1,550-1,580 m).  We eventually descended into an oasis of green … cottonwoods along Granite Creek … gently flowing water … cattails swaying in the breeze.

Up and down we go over the hill … can you see us in the first two photos?

We walked along the creek to use a small bridge to cross over to the other side … but didn’t get far.  Noting that we were on the backside of the Watson Lake Dam — which was mostly-hidden by the foliage — we held onto tree branches and skipped across some rocks in the water to find a couple of boulders to use as a perch for our second snack-break-with-a-view.  The dam’s relief valve was open, creating a misty waterfall that streamed into the pool at the base of the dam.

A green oasis hidden amidst the granite dells.

Mui leads the way to another snack-break perch.

The dam was originally built to provide water for irrigation.

Thus rested, we tackled the North Shore Trail next.  Ascending out of the riparian setting along Granite Creek, we came to a trail sign with two arrows.  One direction was marked “steep.”  The other direction was marked “steeper.”  After four hours of hiking, we decided that steep was better than steeper and took the first option.  The ascent over the slick rock wasn’t particularly difficult, but did give us a cardio workout.  The scenery that greeted us at the top where we leveled off a bit was well worth the effort.

Our reward at the top of the steep trail.

A little further along the trail, we found an overlook where we sat a spell and enjoyed the scenery — which included the Watson Lake Dam.  Built on Granite Creek in the early 1900s for irrigation, the dam and the land around it was purchased by the city in 1997 to preserve it for recreation.  The dam is currently receiving a well-earned facelift.

Watson Lake Dam … undergoing the second phase of a planned repair program.

From here the trail dropped us down to another boat ramp.  Most of our views had been from high up, so we decided to sit at a picnic table overlooking a small beach and a huge granite butte for one last snack break.

The sky brightens a bit as we sit down to enjoy this idyllic spot.

The branches serve as a soft frame for a rock-hard landscape.

The last bit of the loop trail cuts through the ramp area and continues into the granite dells.  This would have taken us away from the Watson Park access path to the campground.  Instead, we walked up the paved Hillsdale Road that boaters use to reach the ramp.  That took us to right where we wanted to be.  Then it was just a matter of trekking up the short trail up to PoR RVC.   

I ended yesterday’s post saying that we promised to pace ourselves on this trip.  While doing a 7.25-mile (11.6 km) hike might seem like we didn’t keep that promise, our slow pace — we were out for 5½ hours — would bely that impression.  All in all a fantastic day, but to keep to our slower-pace motto, we will take tomorrow easy.

For more photos from our hike, click this link and start with the trail map ... scroll through the remaining photos by using the right arrow.

© 2004-2018 Two to Travel's Phaeton Journeys.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by ERIN ERKUN.