Mdub
June 7th, 2007, 14:54
Wanted to invite anyone interested to join us. A couple buddies and myself (in two rigs - my white XJ and Rod's Gray Landcruiser) are planning a Sunflower mine run on Saturday Morning. I've done the trail once before and it isn't that challenging, but nice all the same. Don't really need lockers or anything, but a little bit of a lift is recommended. We are meeting at my house in Gilbert at 7:30 so we'll be at the intersection of Sycamore Creek/Mt.Ord road and FR25 at 9am.
To get to Sunflower Mine, coming from Phoenix on 87, you'll turn left onto the road marked Sycamore Creek/Mt. Ord. ( just a little past mile marker 222) Follow the paved road a little over a mile and then turn right at the cattle guard onto FR 25.
We plan on making pretty good time, so we won't be doing too much lolly-gagging (assuming we don't have mech. difficulties).
The information below was taken off of the Virtual Jeep Club website:
Sunflower Mine
Trail Rating: 3.0
Sunflower mine is a great straight forward trail with excellent opportunities to see some old mining equipment.
The trail starts not far off of Highway 87 north of the 4 Peaks area towards Payson. Winding up and down, the average elevation on the trail is higher than most of the other Phoenix area trails. This makes for generally cooler wheeling.
80% of the trail is a pretty easy dirt road. Maintained more or less constant throughout. Once past the main camping and staging areas you start to wind down and cross several creek beds.
The rest of the trail is made up of small boulder fields and a few short climbs that can be prone to wash outs.
You can make the trip in a stock TJ with a keen eye on those rocks, a small lift will make the trip an enjoyable breeze.
Operating until as late as 1955, the sunflower (also called National) mine produced Mercury. The mercury was formed by burning cinnabar from surrounding rocks into a gas then cooling to condense.
Several structures and shafts remain. BE CAREFUL when exploring these. Although they are some of the best preserved in the area, the potential for accident is high.
Rating 3 Difficult Trail
Description Loose gravel, large pot holes, steep inclines, medium sized rocks.
Vehicle and Equipment Four wheel drive required, tires with aggressive tread and lowered tire pressure helpful.
Example Log Corral Trail, Lower Firebird, Raw Deal, Ruby Wash (Optional Obstacles), FR42 (Changes greatly depending on rainfall), Upper Woodpecker
To get to Sunflower Mine, coming from Phoenix on 87, you'll turn left onto the road marked Sycamore Creek/Mt. Ord. ( just a little past mile marker 222) Follow the paved road a little over a mile and then turn right at the cattle guard onto FR 25.
We plan on making pretty good time, so we won't be doing too much lolly-gagging (assuming we don't have mech. difficulties).
The information below was taken off of the Virtual Jeep Club website:
Sunflower Mine
Trail Rating: 3.0
Sunflower mine is a great straight forward trail with excellent opportunities to see some old mining equipment.
The trail starts not far off of Highway 87 north of the 4 Peaks area towards Payson. Winding up and down, the average elevation on the trail is higher than most of the other Phoenix area trails. This makes for generally cooler wheeling.
80% of the trail is a pretty easy dirt road. Maintained more or less constant throughout. Once past the main camping and staging areas you start to wind down and cross several creek beds.
The rest of the trail is made up of small boulder fields and a few short climbs that can be prone to wash outs.
You can make the trip in a stock TJ with a keen eye on those rocks, a small lift will make the trip an enjoyable breeze.
Operating until as late as 1955, the sunflower (also called National) mine produced Mercury. The mercury was formed by burning cinnabar from surrounding rocks into a gas then cooling to condense.
Several structures and shafts remain. BE CAREFUL when exploring these. Although they are some of the best preserved in the area, the potential for accident is high.
Rating 3 Difficult Trail
Description Loose gravel, large pot holes, steep inclines, medium sized rocks.
Vehicle and Equipment Four wheel drive required, tires with aggressive tread and lowered tire pressure helpful.
Example Log Corral Trail, Lower Firebird, Raw Deal, Ruby Wash (Optional Obstacles), FR42 (Changes greatly depending on rainfall), Upper Woodpecker