Butcher Jones Trail

There were two main reasons why I was itching to try this hike. One, was that I had heard that on weekends and during the warmer spring, summer, and fall months, the trail becomes jam-packed with crazy lake-goers and trash so we had the fact that it was midweek and winter going for us. The other reason was purely selfish in that I wanted to check out two popular kayaking places: the lower Salt River from Pebble Beach to Granite Reef where the river never gets more than a Class II rapid, and Saguaro Lake where the Butcher Jones area and the eastern arm are closed to motorized boats. I have to say that even though it was midweek and winter, we still passed several large groups of "seasoned" hikers, some were even wearing nametags, so we didn't exactly escape the crowds on this popular hike. On the plus side, I only saw one kayaker on the lake and no boat traffic! Amazing! I will definitely go back here to kayak on another midweek day.

The Butcher Jones turn-off is off of Bush Highway. There are various ways to get there depending on where you are coming from: Hwy 87 or the 202 freeway, but since we were all coming from the East Valley, we took the Ellsworth Road approach and met at the QuickTrip on Ellsworth and University. Just a word of caution: you need to buy a Tonto Pass ahead of time! They are NOT sold at the Butcher Jones area! Here is a link to places that sell the Tonto Pass: Tonto National Forest Passes. The pass costs $6, and you must display it to park. If you are heading north on Ellsworth, it will turn into Usery Pass Road, and then you will turn right at the stop sign for Bush Highway. You will pass the Saguaro Lake Marina turn-off before making a right onto Butcher Jones Road (Butcher Jones Road is just north of the marina turn-off.) There is a nice, shaded picnic area here with tables, grills, and bathrooms. The actual trailhead is next to the lake on the left side of the cove.

The trail meanders alongside the dock for a bit before turning in and following a lake arm through a marshy area with shade trees, reeds, and lots of waterfowl. Bring your camera! From here the trail continues along the lakeside, and goes up over a hill where you can get sweeping views of the canyon walls that carve the lake and the surrounding mountains. We were even able to see the Flatiron of the Superstition Mountains from this vantage. Down below, we could make out nesting Bald Eagles in the trees along the lake. A good pair of binoculars would come in handy on this hike. There are some side trails that offer lake access, but we continued along the Butcher Jones trail and began to turn away from the shore and over some classic desert terrain. At the top of the hill, the wind kicks up, and you can see views of Four Peaks in the Mazatzal Mountains clearly to the northeast. A recent snowfall left some snow still on these peaks, and they were gorgeous at 7657 feet, rising above views of the lake in front of us. This part of the lake is called Burro Cove, and it makes a nice spot to stop and take pictures and have a snack, before turning around and heading back out the way you came in. The total round trip, out and back is listed as 5 miles, but it feels much shorter to me, probably because of all the great views.

Length: 5 miles
Elevation gain: 400 feet
Time it took us: 3 hours with lots of photo stops
Dogs okay: Yes on the trail, No on the beach
Fees: $6 for a Tonto Pass (must pre-purchase)