Barnhardt Trail Loop – Mazatzal Wilderness

Описание: The Mazatzal Wilderness is one of those middle of the 'Zona type areas - it's not sure if it's part of the desert or high country. Just south of Payson, AZ, the Barnhardt Trailhead is located about 4 miles (of drivable dirt road) off of the 87 freeway. There is a well-marked sign when driving north or south on the 87, so you can't miss it!

This loop was one of the coolest routes (running or hiking) that I've done in Arizona. We started our going clockwise from the Y Bar Trail (same trailhead as Barnhardt), and began to climb up the chunky, steep "trail". After about 9 miles we hit the Mazatzal Divide, which is part of the Arizona Trail. This section was SUPER fun, very runnable, and provided some epic 360 views!

About 12 miles in, we hit the crossroads for the Maztazal Divide and Barnhardt Trail. Unbeknownst to us, we saved the best for last. In less than a mile, we hit the waterfall section. The water was ICE-COLD, and gave us the boost to cruise back to the finish line. There is a serious amount of elevation drop (or gain if you run/hike it counter-clockwise) in this section, but the well-groomed switchbacks make it easy to navigate.

We ended up finishing right where we started, with 15.4 miles, 3, 100 ft of climbing. This loop will not disappoint!

Pro Tip: If you only want to visit the waterfall, go counterclockwise and start on the Barnhardt Trail.

Running and Filming Extraordinaire: Ray Pierce   / beardedsoberwarrior  

Trail Info: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/ar...

Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/Hor1B5ENTAV7vWZ67

Strava Route:   / strava