Back-country exploration: Limestone canyon.

You can be forgiven if you don't know where Limestone canyon is....I didn't, and I live only minutes away. The canyon itself has historical significance in part by being the original location of the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix railroad route ( today's BNSF ). But it's value extends beyond history or the interest of a rail buff...it is also home to many miles of trails both in the canyon itself and the surrounding area. I have now been on several rides in the area...along with a few Jeep trips. None of these trails are particularly hard, nor did I really expect much from this area, but as usual, I got a few surprises....and I have just scratched the surface of this trail-riddled area. Unfortunately, many of the trails are not on most maps...and many are not marked. The best thing to do is just go out and start following trails....

The main street for the area is FS573 just north of Paulden, and just south of the Drake cement plant that serves as a distant sentinel for most of the riding here. There are a number of places to stage just off the main road, and trails start going in all directions. FS573 itself travels north several miles and eventually becomes Bullock road that connects back to hwy 89 just south of Ash Fork. The railroad history will soon make itself present with arrow-straight tangents, cuts and fills.
One item of interest you will encounter of FS573 is a crumbling old kiln that dates from the late 1800's.

The old kiln on FS573.

The kiln is in pretty bad shape, and is fenced off to keep stupid people from hurting themselves.
After passing the kiln you will climb a bit, passing the remains of an old trestle on the left, and rejoin the old railroad ROW ( right-of-way ), as evidenced by the shelf road you will now be traveling on.. After a bit you will encounter a large fill with a sign marking Lower Limestone tank and FS9017R.

FS9017R heads in a north-easterly direction and into some open grasslands with many trails heading off. In general, stay to the left and you will be on the main trail. This trail is pretty cool and winds its way back and forth across a small canyon, and is just a cool little 2-track. On the day of this pic, monsoon season rains born rise to a sea of wildflowers in one of the open areas.

Thanks to monsoon rains, a little extra color was present on this day.

Like a number of north-heading trails on the lower part of FS573, 9017 dumps you out on FS640. 640 can also be accessed via hwy 89 just north of the turn for 573.

FS640 is perhaps my favorite trail in the area. Maps show it ending after a few miles, but in reality it travels for several miles adjacent to hwy 89, following the same general route as 573, but some miles to the east. 640 finally splits, then ends in the area of the upper hell's canyon crossing of hwy 89 ( where the train trestle is visible on the left heading north ). On the way, it winds over ridges, past old tanks and corrals, and is just fun to ride. There are some scenic bluffs on side trails to the west, but none actually go anywhere.

Beautiful peaks on FS640.

FS640 will eventually force you to go right at a "T" . This will take you across Hell's Canyon and over to the current ROW for the BNSF railway where it ends.

Fall has come to Hells Canyon!

End of the line for FS640 to the east.

Turning left ( west ) at the "T" will take you back up into a small side wash where the trail fades, but not before I noticed an unexpected find: Petroglyph rock art! They look genuine. Very cool.

An unexpected find: 2 rocks covered with petroglyphs. Awesome!

If you decide to go check these out, remember that they are protected by Federal law!
Back down 640, several trails head east, and most of these have to go over to HC. I picked one unmarked trail that just happened to be a pretty neat little trail into, and across HC....just ( canyon ) north of the first hwy 89 crossing at Drake cement. Despite it's name, hell's canyon has some beautiful scenery....

Another trail crossing Hell's canyon. I'm heading west here...but a large bit of leftover water complete with plenty of prints was just out-of-frame to the left.

After heading across the canyon this trail heads in the general direction of hwy 89 and meets up with numerous other trails, but I did not explore these save for 1 that led up to the east rim of HC with a nice view of the hwy 89 crossing.

Highway 89 bridge to the left.

Now back to FS573...
North of  9017R, FS172 heads east for a few miles. There are numerous side trails, and this trail crosses the old railroad ROW with some pretty extensive rock-work. This trail simply ends at a tank overlooking a slot canyon. Worth riding just to explore....and who knows where all those other trails go.....

Further north on FS573 you will encounter FS601 heading east. This goes over the ridge and down to a sizable old railroad cut and fill. Once at the bottom of the hill, this trail runs into others, but these are all very lightly used, and hard to follow...although there are markers for them. More exploration is needed here. Nice views from the top.

I haven't mentioned trails heading west from FS573 yet. There are a few....and most don't seem to go anywhere. After passing 173 heading north on 573, an unmarked trail will head left at the top of the ridge. This leads to a sizable tank and what seems to be a wet-weather lake. The main trail continues to the west past these, but the trail simply seems to fade. Considering other finds just north of here, I would like to re-visit this trail to see where it may go...

North of FS601 you will encounter FS174 heading west. This was one of the surprises of the area. 174 turns down into an open field with a raised roadway. 174 will soon head west while what seems to be the main trail ( FS174A ) continues north. 174A twists and turns for some miles through the trees with numerous trails going in every direction. I have yet to ride many of these.
The real treat here is 174 that turned off earlier. This heads west, curves around a cattle pin and tank, and heads out on a high ridge overlooking canyons and a large, flat plain.

Quite a view from 174.

174 alone is worth the trip up here. 

174 ends near the top of a canyon , but there is a hiking/biking/dirt bike trail that seems to lead into the valley. I'm not sure what area this is, but the view here must be seen, and judging from the amount of use this trail has seen, many agree.

FS573 soon turns into Bullock road north of here. There are a few other trails here that need to be explored...but I don't have much hope of them going anywhere....but you never know. They are on my to-do list anyway. Hopefully I'll get back soon...