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PHOTO: The
Beautiful Granite
Dells along
Watson Lake
10.3
Mileage of the
Peavine and
Iron King trail
system
ALL PHOTOS: CINDY BARKS
The setting sun casts a mellow
glow on the granite spires of
Point of Rocks as I approach.
Gorgeous in any light, the iconic
spot along the Prescott Peavine
National Recreation Trail in Prescott,
Arizona, is especially captivating on
this warm evening. I stop walking
for a moment at the interpretive
sign, which reads, “We hope you en-
joy your journey back through time.”
A photo on the sign shows an
old locomotive rolling into the rocky
junction. The sign explains that this
is what you might have seen here a
century ago. Positioned at the very
spot where the photographer may
have stood, the picture is enough
to produce a shiver. The rocks are
the same; only the railroad workers,
tracks and trains are gone.
As a frequent visitor to the Peavine
trail, I like to imagine the passengers
on those early trains—necks craned,
jaws dropped—when they ap-
proached the stunning Point of Rocks.
Legend has it bandits once hid out in
those shelves of granite, waiting to
take advantage of the remote location
and vulnerable passengers. That pos-
sibility must have lent some fear to
traveling the scenic route.
Not so anymore. For me and
thousands of other regular users
of the Peavine trail, coming upon
the Point of Rocks is pure pleasure.
Depending on the time of year, or
even time of day, the slanted rocks
can take on a hue anywhere from
soft pink to dark rose. Always, they
are breathtaking.
Ever-Changing Terrain
Though beautiful and intriguing,
Point of Rocks is just one piece of
a beloved trail system that encom-
passes both the Peavine and the
Iron King trails. Abandoned as train
routes decades ago, the Santa Fe,
Prescott and Phoenix Railway and
the Prescott and Eastern Rail-
road railbeds now provide more
than 10 miles of recreational trail
through diverse terrain in the central
Arizona communities of Prescott
and Prescott Valley. The 6.1-mile
Peavine runs north and south, while
the Iron King branches off to the
east, adding another 4.2 miles.
The two trails intersect at Point of
Rocks, located roughly at the half-
way mark of the Peavine’s length.
Start at the main Peavine trail-
head at the south end off Prescott’s
Sundog Ranch Road, and you’re
immediately in the midst of the
126-acre Watson Woods Riparian
Preserve, a thicket of old-growth
cottonwoods and willows running
alongside Granite Creek.
The woods offer a shady respite
from the otherwise sunny Peavine
and Iron King trails. On a recent hike,
I detour off the old railbed onto side
trails that wind through the woods.
Arizona
Through Time and Terrain: The Peavine and Iron King Trails
BY CINDY BARKS
D E S T I N AT I O N
FALL 2016 RAILS TO TRAILS
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