Length: 20 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Moderate

Wilderness Area: Juniper Mesa Wilderness

Journal: "A Two-Liner"

From Prescott, go West on County Road 10 and then turn North on Williamson Valley Road. Drive North for 28 miles (the first 18 are paved). Turn left on FR 95 and drive 1.5 miles to the Walnut Creek Ranger Complex. Turn Right onto FR 150 and go 6 miles to the trailhead. There is a sign at the trailhead. This trail is accessible in a sedan.

Trail Description:

From the trailhead, the Oaks and Willows Trail climbs to the top of a ridge. After cresting the ridge, the trail drops into George Wood Canyon. The trail enters the wilderness and follows a small drainage to the north. 1.5 miles from the trailhead the switchbacks begin as the trail climbs up Juniper Mesa. Two miles from the trailhead, the trail reaches the top of the mesa and makes a sharp turn to the right. After this point the trail is as flat as possible and it is an easy walk along the broad mesa.

3.5 miles form the trailhead you will reach the junction with the Juniper Mesa Trail. If you go straight at this junction you would remain on the Oaks and Willows Trail as it descends over the next 2.5 miles to Pine Spring where it ends. For this adventure turn Right at the junction onto the Juniper Mesa Trail.

The Juniper Mesa Trail drops quickly off the mesa and follows a ridge line for .5 miles. The views here are good. It then climbs back to the Mesa top and again becomes flat. We only went 1.5 miles along the Juniper Mesa Trail. The trail continues along the mesa for 6 miles until it drops off the East end and ends at Juniper Spring.

Return the way you came.

Water is available at Pine Spring and Juniper Spring, but neither is reliable during dry periods.