Christmas, Arizona: The Holiday is Over

Directions: Christmas is located on a closed road which is about 7 miles North of Winkelman off of Highway 77. The road to Christmas is well gated, with a permanent wall built across the road.

Christmas is one of the spots you see on a map and wonder what it's like and how it got such an un-Arizonan name. Christmas is another mining ghost town, just like so many others that dot the American Southwest. The area was found in 1878 and claims were staked that later became invalidated because they were on the San Carlos Indian Reservation. It took a few years but the boundaries of the reservation were changed and news of the boundary change was received on Christmas Eve, the new claim was named Christmas. The town of Christmas was established in 1905. After some up and down economics, the town grew to over 1,000 by the 1930s and had a grocery store, hat shop, dairy, school and a church.

The mine changed owners several times throughout it's history, closed and reopened depending on the price of copper. It converted from an underground mine to an open pit mine in the 1960s. The Christmas mine finally closed for good in the 1980s. During it's lengthy existence nearly 55 million tons of copper were mined as well as some gold and silver.

Most of the building have bulldozed and all that remains in most places are the foundations. There are a couple of shacks and some tanks that may be part of a processing plant. The views are great.

I mountain biked my way through the town and up to the mine. It was over a 1,000 feet of climbing on wide but rocky road. I imagine there are other mining roads that have access to the upper workings that you can access with an UHV.

The Hike to the Belmont Mine, History and a View

The Belmont Headframe

Directions: From Phoenix take the US 60 to Highway 177 South in Superior. Drive .9 miles to Apache Leap Rd. Travel 1.2 miles to what's left of an old mining road through Belmont Canyon. Stay on this trail and avoid any spurs to the left until you see the Grand Pacific Mine. The trail switch backs left just before the Grand Pacific.

Dog Friendly: So-so, there isn't any water most of year so pack enough for you and your pooch. This is not a summer time hike, Fall through early Spring. There is cactus through most of the hike but the teddy bear or jumping cholla disappear as you gain elevation. Just beware and make sure you have a cone and some needle nose pliers. I did not come across any open shafts on this hike but we stayed on the road.

If you're looking for a short, challenging hike with the opportunity to visit history, this is the hike for

The Belmont Shaft

you. The trail head is just outside of Superior, along Apache Leap Road. The hike is only around three miles round trip but you're gaining over 1,000 feet of elevation. Plus if you take some time to explore the areas around the Grand Pacific and Belmont Mines, it will add some more time to your trip. The trail is actually an old mine road but I think it's been deliberately destroyed to make it more difficult to get to the mines. It's weathered into a very rocky, rough single track.

The Belmont Mine is tucked into Belmont Canyon under the looming cliffs of the Apache Leap. Copper, gold, silver and host of other minerals have been dug out of the ground at the Belmont Mine. The area was first prospected in 1899 and mining began in 1913 through about 1945.

Ronin in the hoist house.

The site has two buildings still standing and the Belmont Shaft, that is caged for our safety. I had the dogs with me and for once I was grateful for the protection. The shaft is 1,600 ft deep, I leaned over the cage to look down and it appeared bottomless. When I dropped some rocks down it, I could hear them hit the sides but never heard the definitive thud when they hit the bottom. Besides the shaft there are supposed to be over 30,000 feet of underground workings. One of the surviving buildings is the hoist house that still has some of the machinery inside. You can smell the grease. The other building might have been a workshop and there were some rock walls as well that may have been another building. There were also two rusty water tanks. This is one of the few abandoned mines I've come across where the head frame is still there but unfortunately it's now at the foot of the tailings pile in Belmont Canyon. It would have been cool if they had left it standing.

The view along the hike is tremendous. You look west towards Picket Post Mountain, Superior and the Superstition Mountains. You look east upwards at Apache Leap, named from the legend of when 45 Apache Warrior cornered by cavalry troops chose to leap to their deaths rather than surrender. This legend is part of the argument against the Resolution Copper Mine at Oak Flat. An interesting side note is that when I took the surface tour of the Oak Flat Mine site, the guide who is a member of the San Carlos Reservation disputed the legend.

The Belmont Mine

The Rugged Trail to the Grand Pacific Mine

Direction: It's only a short distance from Superior off of Apache Leap Road. The Google Map coordinates are: (33.269810,-111.070980). The road or trail is hard to see from the road, there is a ditch and mounds of rock. The road is rugged and is now only a single track trail but it's easy to follow.

Dog Friendly: So-so, there are cactus and there is no water. I didn't come across any open shafts but there is lot of mining in the area.

The Grand Pacific Mine claim was first discovered in 1900 and mined in 1916. The last year of production was 1955. Copper was the primary commodity, although they also mined silver, gold and manganese. I found a lot of tailings, a few foundations and a gated adit (see photo). There is also a lot of abandoned ore cart tracks.


I decided to make this another hike-a-bike adventure to save time on the descent but it was rugged trail. I was able to ride alot of the down and I was pretty cautious since I was alone. If you go by bike or hike, look out for the cat claw and other thorny bushes. Overall it was a good adventure, the mine was pretty cool and views were great.

No Sleep til...Brooklyn Basin

Directions: I'm not going to give exact directions. Brooklyn Basin Mine and Ghost Town are several miles off of Bloody Basin Road in the Aqua Fria National Monument. This drive does require a 4wd and it was the first time that I would have been stuck without one. I was able to drive to within 1 mile of the mine but didn't trust the road at that point. I probably could have made it further but the road was severely eroded in places. This area was affected by the Goodwin Fire and the roads will be affected.

Brooklyn Basin was established as a town in 1907. There was a main building that served as boarding house for the miners that worked at the mine as well as several smaller buildings and residences. The walls for the boarding house is still there, as well as a chimney from a house. The chimney was made from rocks from the mine, you can see copper in some of quartz in the rocks. The house was reportedly made from wood and when it was purchased after the mine was abandoned, it was torn down and the lumber used in another nearby town. There are more rusty cans than I've seen at any other site, they're everywhere, in the town and near the mine. I think part of it might be the fire clearing all the brush.

The Brooklyn Basin Mine was a copper, gold and silver mine. There was some belief that it was going to be one of the most productive copper mines in the world, this didn't pan out and the mine was eventually closed. I found two shafts but neither of the them were very deep. I read that the main shaft was 400 feet and the tailings pile makes that seem likely. It's possible that it collapsed or was capped and back filled at some point, although it's still 50 feet deep or so.

In addition to the mine and town, there are remnants of an Native American Pueblo. Pueblos were built from rock and mortar but the only thing left at this point are piles of rock. There are ruins in the area that can be accessed from Bloody Basin Road.

Reymert Ghost Town

Processing Kilns at Reymart

Directions: I'm not going to provide the directions I used to get to Reymert. Try the route in Google Maps, which will have you take the US 60 to N. Mineral Mountain Rd and then to N. Reymert Rd.

Dog Friendly: Not in the summer. There's a lot cactus and off road vehicles that use these roads.

Reymert is another mining town in the Superior area. All that's left is a few foundations and a couple of processing kilns. I road my mountain bike and as usual bit off more than I should have. I left in the late afternoon to avoid the heat and ended up making a brutal climb in the dark. The country is rugged and steep. Reymert Rd is located in a wash. Since I came in from the East, I'm not sure how the road is coming in from Mineral Mountain Rd from the west. I don't think there are many people who have ridden a bike to this ghost town.

It was still a good adventure and always interesting to see some Arizona history. Reymert was founded in 1890 to support the Reymert Silver Mine.

Richinbar Mine and Ghost Town

Directions: The hike to this mine on the North Bound Lane of I17 just past the Sunset Point rest area. The coordinates from Google maps are (34.206753, -112.119748). There is a locked gate and with for parking. You will need to either climb the gate or squeeze through it. Follow the road past the wind mill and the cattle coral. You should see the FR 9006 marker. This will take you to the canyon and you can see some of the foundations. Follow the road along the canyon to the right and that will lead you to the mine workings.

Dog Friendly: Nope. There are some extremely deep mine shafts that aren't fenced and cattle.

Old Foundation at Richinbar

This is an area that you drive through on your way to Sedona, Prescott or Flagstaff as I've done for years. I knew there was a lot of mining on the other side of the I17 in the Bradshaws but I had never heard of the Richinbar Mine. I was looking for quick trip that my son and I could take on the way to Flagstaff and found this little historical gem.

This blog is mostly about places I take my dogs hiking or I go mountain biking but I'm also intrigued by old mines. In college I had an internship with Arizona State Mine Inspector locating and researching abandoned mines. It was a great summer jobs as I got paid to go to some remote and rugged locations around the state. I was always amazed at how the first explorers made their way to those places without roads and occasionally found their fortunes.

The Zyke Shaft

The Richinbar mine was founded in the1890s and worked until approximately 1948. They mined over 4600 Troy ounces of gold and another 1400 Troy ounces of silver. The mine also produced copper and lead. There are several shafts in the area, the deepest one being the Zyke shaft which was over 500 feet deep. This is a dangerous mine as some of the shaft are poorly fenced or not fenced at all. If you come here to explore be mindful where you step.

There are foundations for many buildings as well as a 20 stamp mill but thats pretty much all that remains. There are some very unique structures that I read may have been cyanide tanks but we thought maybe they were some type of kiln or oven. There's also a tank that looks like an old swimming pool on top of one of the hills. There are a lot of old bricks, cans and some broken bottles though out the site.

Storage, oven or a tank?

 Beyond the mine and the ruins, there are some fantastic views of the Aqua Fria Canyon. I've also read there are petroglyphs in the area. I would consider coming back to hike down into the canyon and check out the petroglyphs.

Hike to the Sun Flower Mine

Directions: Take Highway 87 North towards Payson, your going to turn left on Forest Rd 627 which is approximately .6 miles past mile post 222. Your going to drive 1.2 miles and then make a right on Forest Rd 201 and then turn left in 1,3 miles on Forest Rd 25. I parked at a campsite where Forest Rd 25 meets Sycamore Creek. On the way to the mine we hiked along and in the creek and it eventually intersects with 25A, It wasn't bad but took longer. On the way back we hiked along 25A. The mine and the processing plant are the first road to the left. You can search for Sun Flower Mine on Google Maps. I have a 4wd truck but there are parts of 25A that I wouldn't drive and I'm there to wear the dogs out so I don't mind hiking.

Dog Friendly: Yes, I lucked out, it was 60 degrees and the West Fork of Sycamore Creek was still running. The dogs had a blast and as I write this they're all passed out.

Timbers and the sealed mine tunnel

The Sun Flower Mine (also known as the National Mine) was active from 1913 to the mid-1980s. It was mostly a mercury mine but gold, silver and copper were also mined. What makes this area great is that there is still some of the mercury processing plant still left but unfortunately not as much as there was before the 2012 Sun Flower fire. Beyond the processing plant the actual mine is about 1/2 mile away. All three of the tunnels have been sealed.

One of the sealed mine tunnels of the Sun Flower Mine

Despite the recent fire the hike along the creek was scenic and rugged. The view from parts of Forest Rd 25A was excellent. It was well worth the drive.

The Silver King

Directions: Take the US 60 to Superior. Take a left at the Silver King Mine Rd. A high clearance 2 wheel drive vehicle is capable of traveling this road.

Dog Friendly: So-so. No jumping cholla but there are other cacti. No water, so bring your own.

This means stay out!

The Silver King Mine's origin is rumored to be a soldier working on the Stoneman Road found native silver where the mine was eventually founded in 1875. This was the richest silver mine in Arizona producing an estimated 42 million dollars of silver ore between 1875 to 1900.

The terrain is mountainous and rugged. The mine itself has caretakers and there is a fence and some clear signage that visitors are not welcome. I did a Resolution Copper Mine surface tour and was told that the care taker does give tours. I hiked so I could at least get some photos of the workings. It's a quick drive through some nice terrain with great views of
Superior so it was worth the time. There are also plenty of side roads to explore on foot.

Riding to Bellevue, Arizona

Time to Parking: 50 minutes from the 202 and the US 60 (33.354949, -110.966477)

Man Made Waterfall

Directions: The turn off is on the right .2 miles past US 60 mile post 236. You're going to travel .8 miles and there will be a turn off on your left and a clearing to park. There's a weird man made wall that created a small water fall.After you park, ride back to the dirt road, take the road to the right before you cross the bridge over the creek. Make an immediate left and cross the creek (creek bed in the summer.) Take this road up for 2 miles where you'll hit Hutton Peak Road. Turn left and this will take you to Bellevue.

Distance: 3.5 Miles to Bellevue(33.332131, -110.945384)

Dog Friendly: Yes, minimal cactus, pretty isolated. There was water but probably not in the summer.

Bellevue's Last Standing Structure

I find a lot places by scrolling through Google or Apple Maps in satellite view. I found Bellevue, Arizona by looking for some places to take the dogs hiking. Bellevue is a ghost town that was founded in 1906 to support the Gibson Copper Mine, there were 300 residents at it's height. The post office closed in 1927 and that was the end of Bellevue.

Copper Mill Equipment

It looked easy enough to get to, at least digitally. My first attempt was taking Forest Road 3 but it ran into a gate saying it was private property. I was disappointed but found a great hike for the dogs. I set out again a few weeks later, this time trying Hutton Peak Road out Top of the World, again ran into a gate and someones ranch or farm. Just like the first time I picked another random road and went exploring with the dogs. That's how I found the jeep trail that google calls "unnamed road".

Turn left here!

I checked it out and sure enough, this road eventually hit Hutton Peak Road well past the ranch. It was steep, rocky and still a good ways from Bellevue. I was already running out of sun light and it would have been a monster hike. I decided that if biked it I would at least be able to cut the travel time considerably by being able to ride down hill.

I'm not going to lie, the climb sucked. I still need to work on my fitness but this would have been tough in my cycling prime. This ride had over a 1000 feet of climbing but it's all rideable depending on your fitness. It's mostly uphill until you get to Hutton Peak Road and then you're treated to a good descent into Bellevue. That descent also means you get another tough climb out of Bellevue. There are some great views from the top of the climb and the decent is fast and fun. Watch out for the bushes on either side of the road, some of the best lines got me bush whacked! Here's link to part of the descent.  http://youtu.be/jJuNV3RjzAA

Gibson Copper Mill

Copper Ore

Bellevue is... well what most Arizona ghost towns turn out to be. A few foundations, a shed and piles of junk. The foundation for the Gibson Copper Mill is there along with some remnants of metal mill equipment. There are also a lot mine tailings and some ore. Along the road there are some other mine workings but nothing to interesting or significant. This was definitely more about the ride than the destination.

View from the top