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Coronado Hiking Trails |
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Brown Canyon Trail #115 & Pomona Mine Trail #116
Brown Canyon Trail leads into a scenic little canyon with
good views and high desert vegetation. A spur trail,
the Pomona Mine Trail, leads to the site of an old tungsten mine
while the Brown Canyon
Trail continues on into Ramsey Canyon. Brown Canyon is
a relatively shallow, open canyon carved among rolling hills covered
with grass,
oak, and mazanita. Its upper reaches provide excellent
views of the sheer cliffs of the Dragoon Mountains’ western
face, as well as of the Chiricahuas in the distance to the east and
the Whetstones
and Galiuros to the north.
Some people use this trail as an alternate route into
beautiful, bird-filled Ramsey Canyon. Using this route
means you don’t have
to park at the Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve visitor
center where, if you didn’t remember to get the required parking
reservation in advance, you’ll be turned away. Brown Canyon Trail
can also be combined with the Hamburg Trail #122 in Ramsey Canyon to
make a fine day trip loop. No shuttle is required if you walk the 1.5
miles of road between the Brown Canyon Trailhead and the Ramsey Canyon
Visitor Center. You will need a permit to cross Nature Conservancy property
on the Hamburg Trail, and you’ll have to leave your horse at
home. No horses are permitted in the Preserve. The best direction in
which
to travel this loop is up Ramsey Canyon and back down Brown
Canyon.
Another feature to visit along this trail is the old
Pomona Mine high on Scheelite Ridge. A side trip of
1.4 miles will take you
to the remains of that old tungsten mine and more fine
vistas.
Attractions:
High country/big views
Alternate access to Ramsey Canyon
Historic mining area
Watchable wildlife
Season: All year
Length: 4.5 miles (#115), 1.4 miles (#116)
Elevation: 5,025'-7,100'
Rating: More difficult (#115), most difficult (#116)
USGS Map(s): Miller Peak
Access: Drive 6 miles south of Sierra Vista on AZ
Highway 92 to Ramsey Canyon Road. Follow
Ramsey Canyon Road 2.1 miles to a wire gate on the right (north)
side
of the road. Park
here (adds another 0.4
mile onto trail) and follow the two-track
road north and west into Brown Canyon where it becomes the Brown
Canyon Trail. There is no marker or
sign here.
Notes:
The Pomona Mine Trail #116 is extremely
steep (5,600'-7,100') and usually
very hot in summer.
Old mining shafts may be unstable
and are not safe to enter.
If you intend to do a Brown Canyon/Hamburg
Loop, remember that the parking
lot at the Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon
Preserve (where you’ll access the Hamburg
Trail) is frequently full, but reservations
are available on weekends and holidays
(602-378-2785).
A free permit is required to cross
Nature Conservancy land to get
to or from the Hamburg Trail.
Horses are permitted on the Brown
Canyon and Pomona Mine trails,
but not on the trails within
the Nature
Conservancy Preserve.
Portions of both of these trails
are within the Miller Peak
Wilderness.
Motorized and mechanized vehicles
and equipment, including
mountain bikes, are not permitted
in Wilderness. See the Wilderness section of this guide for
more wilderness
rules and ethics.
Before visiting this trail,
call the Sierra Vista Ranger
District for current trail
conditions which
can vary with season, weather
and maintenance status.
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