KEY INFO
LOCATION American Flag Ranch to Tiger Mine Trailhead
DISTANCE 8.3 miles one-way
DAY-TRIP OPTION See turnaround note in the trail description.
SHUTTLE RECOMMENDATION Oracle State Park (passage mile 4.4)
DIFFICULTY Easy
LAND MANAGERS Arizona State Parks, azstateparks.com, 602-542-4174; Pinal County, pinalcountyaz.gov, 520-866-6455
RECOMMENDED MONTHS October–April
GATEWAY COMMUNITIES See Oracle, Mammoth, and San Manuel.
GEOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS See “The Mighty Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains”.
This short passage ambles through washes and across low ridges speckled with high-desert plants. They include yucca, prickly pear, cholla, the occasional juniper, and a variety of shrubs and grasses. The trail is clear except where it enters arroyos, but it is usually marked with rock cairns on either side. Local mountain bikers enjoy incorporating this stretch of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) into improvised loop rides.
This passage is ideal for a point-to-point day hike. To avoid walking on a road, use a side trail that leaves the AZT at mile 6.3 to reach a convenient parking lot just outside the town of Oracle on American Avenue (see Alternate Southern Access). The AZT itself continues onto Old Tiger Road and into the Black Hills of Passage 14.
As of this printing, Oracle State Park is open on a limited basis due to state budget shortages. AZT users, however, may enter the park as long as they stay on the trail.
A clear singletrack leaves the parking area and immediately turns to the left (north). At mile 1.7, the trail reaches Webb Road and a fence. Turn right (north-northeast) to parallel the road for 0.4 mile before going through a gate. Cross the road and take another singletrack on the left (north).
Follow the trail mostly downhill and in and out of washes. At mile 4.4, the AZT turns left (northwest) onto an old road and descends sharply into a gully. In another 50 yards, the road meets a major drainage, Kannally Wash, where the tank at the windmill does not have water.
TURNAROUND NOTE: If you’re just out for a day hike, the windmill is a great landmark to reach, then turn around and head back toward Oracle State Park. Once you arrive back at your vehicle, you’ll have put nearly 9 miles on your legs.
To continue on the AZT, go straight across the wash, angling north-northwest on an old roadbed.
Follow the old roadbed into a sustained climb, followed by alternating climbs and descents. Pass through a junction at mile 5.6, and when the trail splits again, in about 100 yards, stay left and climb another old roadbed.
At mile 6.2, you come to the junction with the trail that leads to the American Avenue Trailhead. Continue on the main route until you reach a major wash next to AZ 77 at mile 6.5. To reach a low culvert that crosses under the highway, 30 yards to the northwest across the wash, you must go through a gate in a barbed-wire fence. On the other side of the highway, near the culvert, scramble to the right up a steep bank to dirt Old Tiger Road.
Head left (north) on the road. After 1.8 miles look for an unmistakable AZT gateway on the left (north) side of the road, where Passage 13 officially ends.
The windmill in Kannally Wash makes for a great day-tripping destination from Oracle State Park.
This passage provides a fun ride that’s great for entry-level riders. Where the AZT wanders into the deep sands, bypasses provide decent alternatives. Some of these are steep and rocky, but those sections are short. Most of the bypass intersections are marked with four-by-four AZT posts. Cyclists out for a day ride should take a detour at bike-mile 6.3 to reach the alternate trailhead near Oracle. For more information about mountain biking along the Arizona National Scenic Trail, visit aztrail.org.
From Oracle, turn south at the eastern intersection of AZ 77 and East American Avenue, drive 1.5 miles on American Avenue, and then turn right onto Mount Lemmon Road. Continue 3.1 miles to American Flag Ranch Road, and turn right (west) to reach the trailheads on both sides of the road, including parking areas near the historic American Flag Ranch. The trail on the left (east) side of the road is the start of Passage 13; Passage 12 arrives from the west (right).
The trailhead at American Flag Ranch after an unexpected winter storm
From the east intersection of AZ 77 and East American Avenue, turn south onto East American Avenue. Drive 0.25 mile, turn left (east), and continue 0.25 mile to a parking lot. A four-by-four post marks the trailhead on the south side of the parking lot. Follow this trail for 0.8 mile to meet the AZT at mile 6.3 of Passage 13.
Note: To continue toward American Flag Ranch Trailhead, turn right and follow the trail description backward from mile 6.3. To access Old Tiger Road toward the next passage, follow the trail description forward from mile 6.3.
If you want to hit the trail from here, please follow the trail description in reverse order. From the east entrance to the town of Oracle, drive 0.8 mile east on AZ 77 to mile marker 105, and turn left (north) onto Old Tiger Road. After 1.5 miles on this road, look for an unmistakable AZT gateway on the left (north) side of the road. Parking is available on either side of the road.