Prescott Circle Trail Dedication Celebration
A celebration was held at Watson Lake Park, Friday, May 29, to commemorate the 54-mile Prescott Circle Trail, a non-motorized trail intended for hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers that was 25 years in the making.
The trail meanders through forest, chaparral, grasslands, and along the shorelines of Watson Lake, Willow Lake, and Goldwater Lake. The topography along the route ranges in elevation from about 5,200 feet to over 6,000 feet.
The celebration, held by the Yavapai Trails Association and the City of Prescott, celebrated that the trail is now connected, though technically not completed. Only a small section near Williamson Valley requires hikers go off-trail onto a by-pass in a residential neighborhood for about a mile and half.
City of Prescott Recreation Services Director Joe Baynes told the crowd that gathered that the trail would not have come this far, had it not been for the volunteers, including the Over the Hill Gang, who spent hours upon hours clearing brush and building the trail.
Baynes also highlighted the cooperation that went into building the trail, as parts of it cross over land owned by the private sector, the Forest Service, as well as city, county and state governments.
The Yavapai Trails Association has produced a booklet that includes maps, trailhead directions, hike descriptions and an overview of the trail’s history. The Guide to the Prescott Circle Trail is available for $10 at the Prescott Chamber of Commerce and the Highlands Center for Natural History, as well several local biking and hiking stores.
To view a map of the trail, click HERE