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Trip Report: Red Creek

by Brian Westfall and Ben Manahan (photographer)

Location: This trail is accessed by traveling northeast along Cave Creek road towards Seven Springs. The road turns to dirt along its course to Seven Springs, you will pass a pay station here and it's about 30-40 minutes from here to the turn off to access Sheep Bridge/Red Creek where it's a ‘T' in the road. Here there is a sign for the Great Western Trail, take a right and travel for a mile or so after the ‘T', and on the left will be FR18 which is the Red Creek trail . FR16 is just before it but I have never traveled on it and I believe the sign says 27mi to the Verde!

Difficulty: 2.5 (Rating descriptions can be viewed here)

Red Creek flows into the Verde River just above Tangle Creek near Sheep's Bridge.

Ben and I have been to Red Creek twice, and have made the mistake of leaving after 11am, and we have yet to make it to the Verde River before it starts getting dark during wintertime and we have been forced to turn back to save a little daylight before reaching the rocky ‘stair' type sections. We made it all but the last two miles to the Verde according to the GPS.

crossing one

After turning off onto FR18, the trail will lead you to a steep downhill section that droops into Red Creek, and then the trail is the creek bed for the most part all the way down to the Verde. Once drooping into the creek bed the second time is where things will be more adventurous. The trail will twist and turn through steep rocky banks lined with large roots and boulders. Some good size drop-offs will test stock vehicles and even slightly modified rigs depending on which approach is taken.

Ground clearance is the biggest issue on this trail, especially when the creek is flowing; large boulders loom under the water on what looks to be a fairly open sandy wash. Traction is fairly good even when Red Creek is flowing strong, except when traveling up the tight ‘stair' section.