Agua Caliente Trail #140

Dogs No Dogs

This goes under the category of 'because it was there'. This would be a good one to do if you had a car waiting at the round-up in Madera. You could come down either the Vault Mine Trail or over to Josephine Saddle and down Baldy Trail or the Super Trail #134.

The trailhead is located off Agua Caliente Road, which can be reached by using the Whipple Observatory Road. A passenger car can make the drive in, just take it easy. You'll pass the Quantrell Mine Trail, a nearby parking area, and after another 0.75 mile or so, you'll find a second parking area and the trailhead just a couple of hundred feet past.

The first mile or so of this trail is quite easy and very nice to follow without too much climbing. The grade then increases around 1.5 miles and there might be times you wonder if you're still on the trail. The trail passes an open mine that is easy to get to, but there is a lot of loose rock near a second entrance so be careful. It also passes near a couple of springs (one dry).

As you approach Agua Caliente Saddle, the grade eases and the trail becomes easy to follow again, opening into a mature forest. Passing the saddle sign and staying to the right, the trail will continue for another 0.5 miles and come to another sign. Here Vault Mine Trail heads off to the north. The trail continues along the ridgeline passing under the summit of Jack Mountain about 4.2 miles along. After about 0.5 miles more, the trail ends at a junction with multiple trails including Josephine Canyon Trail #133, Temporal Gulch Trail #595, Super Trail #134, and Old Baldy Trail #372.