WILLIAMS TO JEROME ~ June 10, 2007

This was one of the most scenic road trips ever! All these years, we never realized there was a back road to Jerome! Be sure to stock up on gas, water, and snacks before heading down this remote route because you won’t find any amenities once you leave Williams. Starting at 4th Street in downtown Williams, take Forest Road 173 (Perkinsville Road) south and just keep going.

Perkinsville Road is about 50 miles long and the first half is paved, while the rest is gravel. The road is a little dusty and bumpy in spots, but overall it’s a really nice graded road. In fact, we were wondering why this lonely road out in the middle of nowhere would be so well-maintained. We passed a couple of forest ranger trucks coming from the opposite direction, and only a few other people along the whole way.

The road begins in the Ponderosa pine forest of the upland plateau, then it gradually drops down the side of the Mogollon Rim. It’s such a straight road as it gently slopes downward that you hardly even notice, but when you look back you can see the Mogollon Rim behind you. It’s the western end of the same plateau that juts up near Payson and cuts across the center of Arizona.

From there, the road enters juniper-and-piñon country followed by the high-desert terrain of the Verde Valley, and crosses the Verde River at historic Perkinsville Ranch. This deserted ranch is nestled between two national forests and adjacent to a designated wilderness area, not to mention the wild and scenic river flowing through a beautiful valley.

The Verde River starts at Sullivan Lake, where Big Chino Wash and Williamson Valley Wash merge south of Paulden, then flows south by southeast about 170 miles before reaching its Salt River confluence. The Verde is a perennial stream, which is unique in a state known for its dry riverbeds, although its water level varies greatly depending on the amount of snowmelt and rainfall runoff it gets from the mountains.

In 1864, it was here that James Baker and his partner James Campbell started one of the largest cattle and horse operations in Arizona. They called it Verde Ranch after the river than ran through the open range of native gramma grass in this central Arizona Territory. The severe drought years of the 1890’s, however, forced the partners to sell.

The Verde Ranch was purchased by Marion Alexander Perkins. The Perkins family sold beef to the miners in Jerome, and starting in 1912 when the Santa Fe Railway built the Clarkdale-to-Drake standard-gauge spur through there, they could ship cattle to market right from the ranch. The railroad depot near the ranch headquarters was named Perkinsville. The heyday of Perkins Ranch ended with the closing of Jerome’s copper mines in the 1950’s. In 1962, Perkinsville regained some prominence when How the West Was Won was filmed on the ranch property and also at the Verde River railroad bridge. It’s hard to believe that such a once-bustling place is abandoned now, vanished just like the Indians who lived there centuries before.

Stop and take a swim or go fishing in the river if you want, then you have a choice of driving up the rugged hills to Jerome, or continuing down into Chino Valley. The winding road up to Jerome seemed a lot scarier to me than the road up Bill Williams Mountain. This portion of the Perkinsville Road has quite a few hairpin curves of its own, but this time it’s along the edge of cliffs with no trees or guardrails to add a sense of safety. Although coming from this direction, at least you are on the inside!

At this point you’re actually following an old narrow gauge railroad grade that went from the mining town of Jerome over to the settlement of Jerome Junction for transferring loads of copper. Lots of laborers lived in Jerome Junction which had a hotel, store, and saloon. It’s just east of where Chino Valley is now but there’s nothing left of Jerome Junction today. However, the whole area is a unique geological wonderland featuring rugged desert canyons, crimson cliffs, and spectacular panoramic views.

When you get to the part where the road goes through a couple of narrow cuts in the red rock, you know that you are getting close to Jerome. You will come around a bend and go down past the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town on the outskirts of Jerome. After that long desolate drive, you are suddenly thrust into the midst of a popular tourist haven, where even a parking place is hard to find along Jerome’s main street!
Driving time: Allow at least two hours one way, or more if you like to stop and admire the scenery.

BILL WILLIAMS MOUNTAIN ~ June 10, 2007

You can either hike or drive to the top of Bill Williams Mountain (9,256 ft.), where there is a lookout tower that you can climb (at your own risk) for an even higher view. The lookout tower is manned, so if you’re brave enough to go up there, the ranger may let you in and show you around. It’s cramped quarters, though, with barely room enough for four visitors at a time. It was super windy when we were there, especially on the open stairway up to the tower. I’m scared of heights so I stayed down by the car but the guys all went up and got to go inside the tower. In addition to the lookout tower, there are a couple of small buildings and numerous communications equipment at the summit.

We drove up the mountain because the hike takes six hours and seemed like it would be a little difficult for the younger kids and me. To drive there, simply take Forest Road 173 (Perkinsville Road) south from 4th Street in downtown Williams and after about five miles, turn west onto FR111. The road is well-graded and four-wheel drive is probably not needed, but it’s steep with many hairpin turns as it winds its way up to the top. I wasn’t as scared as I thought I’d be because the road was pretty wide and lined with trees, which meant that at least we weren’t on the edge of sheer drop-offs or anything, even though we were really high up there and the views were breathtaking. It’s supposed to be a popular drive in the fall for seeing autumn colors.

On our way up, we passed a couple who were riding bikes to the top. We passed them again on the way down, but they were almost there by then. It was certainly a tough ride up, but must have been quite exciting going back down!

Also as we were going around one of the curves, I spotted a dog tied to a tree just off the side of the road. We stopped to check on him and he didn’t look hungry or thirsty or anxious, so hopefully everything was okay. Perhaps his owner was just letting him rest there in the shade of the tree while he went off on a hike or something. There are some nice campsites along the first part of the road under the pine trees on the edge of the meadows. We’ll have to keep that in mind for next time.

Bill Williams Mountain, the town of Williams, and the Bill Williams River in western Arizona were all named after William Sherley Williams, a.k.a. Bill Williams. He was a mountain man, hunter, scout and guide who traveled through the Mogollon and Little Colorado River region of Arizona in 1837, living off the land and trapping beaver. Then he headed west across the Colorado Plateau to the Colorado River, thus completing his only known visit to what is now Arizona. Williams was killed by Ute Indians while transporting baggage for the Fremont expedition in 1849.

While Bill Williams Mountain is a lone peak, it is one of a series of lava domes also consisting of Sitgreaves Mountain and Kendrick Peak, which rise along a fault line stretching west from Humphrey’s Peak.

WILLIAMS, AZ ~ June 10, 2007

On Saturday night after the Beale presentation, we left Riordan Mansion and got onto Route 66 heading west from Flagstaff toward Williams. (As you’re leaving Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, just continue straight through the intersection at Hwy. 180 to get onto Old Hwy. 66.) Route 66 takes you out of Flagstaff as it runs diagonally toward I-40. Then we had to get on I-40 for a while, but we got off on Parks Road which again is the same as Old Route 66. After a while, Parks Road just kind of turns into Forest Road 74 and heads north past the Pittman Valley Helibase and an El Paso Natural Gas compression station.

After that, the road becomes a dirt road as it continues north and curves to the east (which incidentally is where one of the segments of the Beale Wagon Trail is located). Along the way we saw a couple of deer on the side of the road and a raccoon, its large round eyes glowing with the reflection of our headlights. We set up our tent alongside FR 070. (We would have camped on FR 75 except for the grave, which was a spooky thing to encounter in the woods at night. It looked like a large mound with a white cross on top. In the morning we went back there out of curiosity and it was simply a pile of rocks and the marker said “MAX WILL’S BEST FRIEND.” Poor Max!) We also saw a large herd of deer near there, on both sides of the road.

Heading back in the direction from whence we had come, we turned onto Parks Road and stopped at the Oak Hill Snowplay Area so that we could walk to the Keyhole Sink. It’s an easy mile-long trail through the forest down to the base of a basalt cliff that has petroglyphs on it. One incredibly detailed petroglyph is a dramatic depiction of some Indians hunting a herd of deer at this very spot. While Keyhole Sink looked like the kind of place that Beale would have stopped at, there were no other markings except for the petroglyphs. Perhaps that’s because it’s not a year-round water source. When we were there it consisted only of damp mud – and lots of bugs! But it also contained a natural garden of roses and irises that were just past their prime bloom. What a wonder to see these flowers growing wild out in the middle of a forest in Arizona of all places!

When we got to the town of Williams later that morning, we were just in time to see the Grand Canyon Railway train pulling into the station. The steam train is really impressive when the steam is hissing and the bell is ringing – and it’s really loud, too! We ran right up next to it so we could even see the fire inside and the smallest valves moving. We stood there for the longest time looking at it, it’s such an interesting piece of mechanical equipment to watch. (See movie clip here) We had no idea how long the train was going to be stopped there, and by then it was noon so we walked over to the main street to get something to eat at Old Smokey’s Restaurant and Pancake House. Old Smokey’s opened for business in 1946 and it’s been in that same location for over 60 years, so it is truly a Route 66 original. When we came back out an hour later, the train was gone.

After lunch we walked to the Williams Visitor Center on the corner of Railroad Ave. and Grand Canyon Blvd., which is located near the train station just down a ways from where we had parked. At first a tour bus loaded with Japanese tourists was stopped there, but soon they left and we had the place mostly to ourselves. The building itself has an interesting history as the Santa Fe Railway depot for Williams and the Grand Canyon. Built of brick in 1901, it was later moved across the tracks for use as a freight depot. Restored in 1994, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Williams Visitor Center is jointly operated by the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce and the National Forest Service. One half of the visitor center is full of information and racks of brochures for the local area as well as from all around the state, while also offering a variety of books, maps, and souvenirs to purchase. The other half is a museum with interactive exhibits explaining the history of Williams, the prehistory of the area, Route 66, forest ecosystems, fire ecology and water conservation. (For example, did you know that just by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth you save 3-4 gallons of water?) A “Kids Corner” offers hands-on activities for the family.

This is an excellent, must-see visitor center – families will especially appreciate being able to view all of the interesting museum-quality exhibits for free! The Visitor Center is staffed seven days a week, and for after-hours visitors there is an interactive computer that provides information. The rangers there will be able to answer any questions that you have, too. They gave us a couple of handouts showing how to get up Bill Williams Mountain, which was where we were going next.

BEALE’S WAGON ROAD & A DAY OUT WITH THOMAS ~ May 12, 2007

Mother’s Day was coming up and what did I want to do on my special weekend? Go back to Route 66, of course – to do some more exploring on the Beale Wagon Road, and also to see Thomas the Train. A real life-sized Thomas was going to be at the Grand Canyon Railway, which intrigued me because we’ve been fans of Thomas the Tank Engine ever since the original series narrated by Ringo Starr.

Tickets for “A Day Out With Thomas” were $20 for a 20-minute ride with Thomas pulling the train. This was a lot cheaper than $60 per ticket for a regular train ride on the Grand Canyon Railway, but it would still be almost $100 for a family of five. So we were debating about whether it was worth it or not, but by the time we got around to solidifying our plans, the tickets for the days we wanted were all sold out. Then I had an even better idea! When you’re on the train you don’t get to see much of the engine anyway. But what if we were able to park or walk next to the track somewhere and just watch it go by? We’d be able to see it for a good long time that way.

To get an early start, we drove up north on Friday night to camp in the forest near Williams. From I-40, we got off on Parks Road (which is Old Route 66). After a while, Parks Road just kind of turns into Forest Road 74 and heads north past the Pittman Valley Helibase and an El Paso Natural Gas compressor station. We turned right on a dirt road across from the natural gas facility and set up our tent there. It was quite cold in the woods at night (50º when we checked). The compressor station was so noisy, it seemed like it could be heard for miles around, but we didn’t bother moving.

The next morning before heading in the direction of Williams to see the train, I wanted to look for some more of the Beale Wagon Road while we were up there. The place that I had in mind was not too far from where we camped. As it turned out, it was even closer than we thought because we made a big loop around and ended up back on FR 74 right where we had started from!

The way we had gone was, we went to Parks and at the Maine Consolidated School we headed north toward Spring Valley. We were looking for signs of the Beale Wagon Road and finally found one where the road turned westward at the corner of a large ranch. We followed the Beale signs through the forest, although they seemed to be few and far between. Then we looked for the turnoff to Laws Spring. We found it, but we were unclear as to how far it was and where to go next.

We just kept driving north on that dirt road, being careful not to get off on any side roads, and eventually we found the trailhead for Laws Spring. It had a rather large parking area, despite being in a remote piñon-juniper woodland with no one else around for miles. We hiked down to the spring which was only about a quarter mile. There we came upon a huge pool of water fed by a spring and surrounded by a neat rock outcropping. There were ancient petroglyphs on the rocks, as well as historic names and dates carved by Beale’s men and others who passed that way.

The trail continued on for a quarter mile past Laws Spring, where in the middle of a flat plain there was another marker for the Beale Wagon Road. I thought a wagon road would be so well worn that the tracks would last forever, but there was no evidence of it at all. We wouldn’t have known it was there if it wasn’t for the signpost.

If you’re interested in exploring the Beale Wagon Road, here are some tips:

Beale Wagon Road traverses the northern part of the state, running east-west, primarily north of and roughly paralleling Interstate 40. Many forest service roads are presently located where the Beale Road used to be, and other roads intersect the Beale Road as well, so there are a variety of access points. Forest Road 141 out of Parks is suitable for passenger vehicles, but on most forest roads a high clearance vehicle is recommended. Good places to look for the Beale Wagon Road include: Leupp, Government Hill, Laws Spring, and west of Seligman. Depending on the area, the Beale Wagon Road route may be marked with rock cairns, brass cap markers, tree blazes, and 4" by 4" wood posts.

It’s great that the Forest Service is currently developing the Beale Wagon Road into a recreational trail. Laws Spring is the only parking facility along the route so far, but more trailheads with interpretive signs are planned in the future. Portions of the historic route that are part of the forest road system may be accessed by any means, including motor vehicles and mountain bicycles. The off-road trail sections are open only to hikers and horseback riders. A pathway has not yet been cleared on the trail sections, so it can be a challenge to follow – but that’s part of the adventure isn’t it?

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai/recreation/trails/handouts/wil_beale.pdf (Click here for a Printable Map from the Forest Service.)

Next on our agenda was the Grand Canyon Railway in hopes of seeing Thomas the Train. We spotted the cute little blue tank engine at the station as soon as we pulled into town. Contrary to what we were led to believe, however, Thomas wasn’t pulling the train at all. In fact, he wasn’t even a working engine. Thomas was attached to one end of the train and a real diesel engine was at the other end. When the train left the station, it was pulled away by the diesel engine and Thomas simply trailed behind like a caboose. The train just went back and forth on the same track, ten minutes out and ten minutes back. So when it returned to the station, the real engine would be pushing from behind, making it look like Thomas was pulling the train. All Thomas did was whistle “Pip, Pip” all day long. Maybe it fooled the two-year-olds, but even my 7-year-old could tell that it was a fake. Now my kids all make fun of me for wanting to see it in the first place, but I’m still glad that we did. Watch the video below and you can say that you saw it too!

http://www.knowledgehouse.info/Thomas.wmv