Weekend Warriors Arizona Hiking Guide

BARNHART TRAIL

If a continual climb up a rugged canyon to a desert waterfall in the rugged Mazatzal wilderness appeals to you, then you'll like this hike.

HOW TO GET THERE

This hike is located near Payson, AZ.

To get to the trailhead: From the Phoenix area, take HWY87 North, leaving the city limits.   You will drive about 50 miles from Fountain Hills to mile marker 239 (this is just past the turnoff to HWY-188). The Barnhart Trailhead turn off to FR419 is well marked. Take this graded dirt road 4 miles West to the trailhead. The graded road is in pretty good shape and most times of the year, passenger cars are probably OK.

RATING

Be Aware of: The trail was beat up a bit after the wildfire in this area. Watch out for rock slides and erosion that have degraded this trail.

30 yr old Recommendation: The trail reminded me of the Grand Canyon and the waterfall was much more impressive than I had hoped. The out and back described here is a Moderate hike.

DETAILS

Elevation change: About 1600 ft elevation gain.

Distance: The hike described is 6.6 miles round trip to the waterfall and back.

Time: We were hiking for 4 hours, with a good 30 minute break for food and to explore the waterfall.

Time of year: Spring after the snow melts is the best time for this hike if you want to see the waterfall.

Solitude: Fair. Expect between 15-25 hikers on a weekend.       

The Barnhart trail travels back into the depths of the Mazatzal wilderness. For those looking for an introduction to this area, taking the Barnhart trail to a waterfall makes for a nice moderate day hike.

There are multiple trails that start at this parking area. Make sure you are on the Barnhart Trail #43. This trail starts out rocky as it enters to the South side of Barnhart Canyon. There is a creek through Barnhart canyon that runs during the Spring months fueled by snow melt. The trail climbs steadily along this canyon, with good views of the creek below. The more water in this creek means a more impressive waterfall at the end of this hike. We were lucky enough to take this hike after the record rains of 2004/2005 so this creek was running very well.

The trail is in good shape and adds to the sensation of elevation gain, as the trail in many places is cut from the cliff side. Parts of the trail cross through sections burned by the Willow fire during the summer of 2004. Already you can see the growth start to return, but sadly much of the shade is now gone (temporarily I hope) from this section of the hike. 

While looking for the waterfall, you will likely observe a number of washes flowing along the left mountain into the creek below. When we took this hike, there were three such 'false falls'. The true fall (and most impressive) is where the trail crosses the creek itself, and not one of it's tributaries. You will reach this point after 3.3 miles of steady uphill hiking. The most impressive part of the waterfall is not visible from the trail, so spend the extra 5 minutes scrambling back into the narrow canyon to see the reward for your hiking. This is a lovely place to stop and relax. The trail continues on here to join up with the Mazatzal trail system, but the waterfall makes for a good turn around point for a day hike.      

When you've finished exploring, return the way you came. Be sure to enjoy the views on the way down.

[the seasonal waterfall on the Barnhart trail]

[there's some nice views too!]

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