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SIX SHOOTER CANYON IN GILA COUNTY, ARIZONA

If you love tree lined canyons this is the place for you.  As you hike the six shooter trail the progression of trees goes something like this: manzanita bushes, piñon pines, alligator junipers, Gambel oaks, Arizona sycamores, Fremont cottonwoods, ponderosa pines, velvet ash, bigtooth maples, Engelmann spruce and quaking aspens.

 

There aren’t many day hikes in Arizona — or anywhere else — with that much diversity. But you’ll have to earn the assorted look; this trek is almost entirely uphill.

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Your exploration begins at the Icehouse CCC Campground.  The first quarter-mile or so winds through a thick stand of manzanitas and scrub oaks. After 10 minutes, you’ll arrive at a gathering of boulders. be on the look out for black bears, white-tailed deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coatimundis and a long list of others. Just beyond the boulders, the route intersects the Check Dam Trail, and a few minutes after that, it moves into a small grove of alligator junipers.  Bring your camera and walking stick and enjoy this rare scenic canyon.

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Access Points

Photo Credit:  Cameron Davis

From U.S. Route 60 in Globe, go south on Hill Street (look for the Pinal Mountain Recreation Area sign near Milepost 251) for 0.2 miles to Broad Street. Turn right onto Broad Street and continue 1 block to Six Shooter Canyon Road. Turn left onto Six Shooter Canyon Road and continue 0.9 miles to Icehouse Canyon Road (just past Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park). Turn right onto Icehouse Canyon Road and continue 1.7 miles to a stop sign, where Icehouse Canyon Road becomes Forest Road 112. Continue south on FR 112, toward Pioneer Pass, for 2.4 miles to Forest Road 112A. Turn left onto FR 112A and continue 0.2 miles to the trailhead, which is located at the east end of the Icehouse CCC Campground parking lot

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