Venture Back Through Rugged Desert And To The Old West: Hike Down Poland Creek, Crown King, Arizona

Summers in Arizona are hot! But those are just the central and southern parts of the state called the Sonoran Desert Region. What many people don’t know is that here in Arizona, even in the summer, there are still plenty of beautiful and interesting places to go if you want to get outside and cool off during the day. So if you’re up for a new hiking adventure with a chance to get wet, visit Poland Creek, in Castle Creek Wilderness, Crown King, Arizona, and travel back through rugged, wild beauty and the true Old West.

I’ve always been interested in taking a trip to Crown King, which is located south of Prescott and in the Bradshaw Mountains, bordering the Castle Creek Wilderness. If you have a truck or 4×4 you should be fine because Crown King is only accessible via a 27 mile dirt road. But I recently joined a great local group of hikers called TLC Hiking Group, and when they said they were heading to Crown King to hike to a place called Poland Creek to a 30 foot waterfall with a great swimming hole called “Big Dipper” , I thought wow, that sounds pretty cool and I signed up with enthusiasm.

So bright and early on a Saturday morning, I met up with the TLC Hiking Group in Anthem, just north of Phoenix, around 6:15 am. Those of us with passenger vehicles hung out with other members who had trucks, jeeps, and 4wds. We were also advised to try carpooling together due to the limited parking available at the trailhead. At 6:45 am we were heading north to Crown King on I-17 until we reached the Bumble Bee exit, just past Black Canyon City. We exited the highway and turned left onto FR 259. Most of FR 259 in the early 1900s used to be an old rail line called the Bradshaw Mountain Rail Road and its one-lane bridges are still in use today. We first passed through the small town of Bumble Bee, then through an even smaller, much older and more rustic town called Cleator. The ride on FR 259 is absolutely beautiful with panoramic views all around you as you slowly ascend in elevation and into the rugged Bradshaw Mountains and Castle Creek Wilderness. Overall I thought the road was in very good condition and in dry conditions it would be very passable for normal vehicles if I took it slow enough.

We reached the top, at 5500 feet, called Poland Vista Point, and at the beginning of our trail at 7:30 am. Not an easily recognizable trailhead from the highway, but at mile marker 25, notice the small parking area and exit on the left. After a couple of group photos, we started our hike at 7:45 am. To get to Poland Creek, you must first follow the Algonquin trail. The views of Horse Thief Canyon from the Algonquin Trail are breathtaking and the decent one, although a total of about 1000 feet, is actually pretty gradual. After coming down, we turned left and headed down the canyon and onto Poland Creek. This is where the hike gets a bit more strenuous as you start jumping over huge rocks and boulders in the creek bed. We continued a bit past several small swimming holes until we reached the falls area, which is called the “Big Dipper”. Unfortunately, however, the water level at this time was too low and no waterfalls were running. A small group ventured out in search of another possible swimming spot while the rest of us stayed behind and rested. When they returned, they reported seeing a fully grown Black Diamondback rattlesnake basking in the sun on a rock.

After about an hour, and with the temperatures starting to warm up quickly, we decided to head back. The return trip over the rocks and boulders at Poland Creek, then up to 1000 feet up the Algonquin Trail felt more difficult at this point. However, the panoramic views of the surroundings were again absolutely stunning when I stopped here and there to catch my breath and take some photos. Most of us had made it back to the top of the hill where our cars were parked around 11am for a total round-trip distance of about 3 miles.

After gathering our group at the trailhead, we got back to our cars and headed two miles down the road to the old western town of Crown King. They had a lot of construction going on, but after just a couple of minutes of waiting we were allowed into the city and were immediately greeted and welcomed personally. We were also invited to lunch at “The Mill Restaurant” on the hill, a rebuilt old Gladiator Mill built in 1893, and it is said to have the best food in town, and it did! The food was excellent and the service across the board, very friendly, personal with everything done with a home made touch. Really excellent! After lunch we decided to visit the rest of the Crown King town. The city originated in 1875 after a gold prospector found gold and then grew for about 45 years after that as a gold mining town with Bradshaw Mountain Rail Road to support the mining economy. However, the mines were not productive, they say, and the railroad went bankrupt in the early 1900s. Today, they still have some working gold mines and they also mine their own gold. It is definitely a very picturesque city that has not lost its history or “rustic” charm of the old west. Nestled in the pines at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet, the temperatures on this August day were warm, but mild, in the 80’s and with a slightly cool breeze as well. Perfect! After checking out the Old Town Hall, Prospector Mall, and General Store & Post Office, we got back to our cars and left Crown King around 2:45 pm.

The road heading downhill in elevation on FR 259, was single lane with lots of swings and sharp S-curves. It also looked a bit creepier with a lot of trucks and construction vehicles approaching, all of which appeared to be driving at high speed. We almost went ahead with a dump truck! But luckily my good friend Dan was a great driver with a lot of experience behind him, so we were in good hands. We really enjoyed the rest of the beautiful trip and made it back to Anthem where our cars were parked at 4pm.

Overall it was a great day of fun, amazing wild mountain scenery, an excellent ‘moderate level’ hike with some really wonderful people and a very enjoyable visit to the old western town of Crown King. So if you’re up for a hiking adventure and a scenic day trip to the Old West, I’d definitely recommend visiting Poland Creek in Castle Creek Wilderness, in Crown King, Arizona.