Butcher Jones Trail

I have been hiking a lot less since going on my endurance running journey, but for special occasions, I still make the effort. The special occasion this past weekend was nearing our engagement anniversary. Since we got engaged on a hike, I try to plan a special hike each year to remember it.

I don't remember exactly how I found Butcher Jones Trail. I think I found it one one of the "Best Hikes in Mesa" sites [maybe this one (The AZ Hikeaholics, 2024). Anyway, it is a ways from our house, but it looked beautiful; long enough to be worth the drive, but not too challenging, since neither my husband or I have been hiking that much lately.

We drove about 40 minutes from our house to get to Butcher Jones Recreation Area, down Bee Line Highway, onto Bush Highway, and then a few miles down the park road. We arrived early, about 7:45 AM, and found a parking spot in the main recreation area. (This had very much filled up by the time we left. We did see an overflow parking area on our way out, though.) The cost to use this recreation area in Tonto National Forest is $8, plus a $4 convenience fee, and the machine only accepts credit cards. The recreation area has several composting toilets (no water), multiple concrete picnic tables, and open beach access to Saguaro Lake. We did not see any trash receptacles, so pack out what you pack in!

Most of the trail sites say the trail starts on a concrete path (OhOh7, 2004). We saw the trail sign at the end of the parking lot and just headed off through the woods. The trail is narrow and rocky, but pretty easy to follow. It mostly followed the shape of the lake, revealing different coves and inlets, as well as revealing gorgeous view of the mountains. We did find the trail highly trafficked, which meant yielding to others. [Apparently uphill hikers should have the right of way (National Park Service, 2018)]. There were a few very steep drops or climbs (for which I needed to grab my husband's hand) to stay steady.

The trail ends with a fork: 0.25 miles to the end of the trail, or 0.25 miles to the shoreline. We chose to go to the end of the trail, which was basically a wide area with some rocks for sitting or looking out. We decided not to go to the shoreline, leaving that for another time, if we go again.

My watch registered about 5 miles total. (Maybe avoiding the sidewalk, which we saw on the way out, cut off some distance.) It took us a little over two hours total. We celebrated afterward with a picnic breakfast and then headed out.

I would recommend this trail, but with a few caveats. Start and finish hiking in the light (to avoid tripping over the rocks). Wear sturdy shoes. (I saw so many people hiking in tennis shoes. I was very thankful for my thick-soled hiking books with all those rocks.) Pack water in and out, as a lot of the trail is exposed to the sun. Have fun!

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P.S. I did some research to find out about the namesake of the trail. Apparently Butcher Jones was Dr. D.W.W. Jones, a surgeon, but not a very good one (Hiland, 2014). He ran a freighting business around the state of Arizona and had a ranch north of Saguaro Lake.

References:

Arizona NA. (2024). Butcher Jones Trail at Saguaro Lake. https://arizona-na.org/events/flyers/20240224_hike.pdf

The AZ Hikeaholics. (2024, April 8). Best hikes in Mesa, Arizona: Saguaro Lake and Salt River. https://theazhikeaholics.com/mesa-arizona-hikes/

Hiland, A. (2014, April 30). Asked & answered: Who was Butcher Jones? Arizona Central. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/2014/04/30/who-was-butcher-jones/8538709/

National Park Service. (2018, May 16). Hiking trail etiquette. https://www.nps.gov/articles/hikingetiquette.htm

OhOh7. (2024, June 13). Butcher Jones Trail #463, AZ. Hike Arizona. https://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=685