San Vicente Loop from Mountain View

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · River/Creek · Wildlife

Abundant shade and a permanent stream makes this trail a great choice for year 'round use.

There are a couple of water crossings, but the water is shallow and you can usually hop across on rocks.

This route starts at a public parking lot on Mountain View Road. It descends a well-marked trail through typical high desert vegetation, including Mexican blue oak, pinon, and prickly pear cactus. In about 3/4 of a mile, you'll intersect the San Vicente Creek Trail. Go left at the fork and you'll quickly drop into a lush riparian area lined with enormous cottonwoods. The trail is very well marked and stays close to the creek.

In about 3/4 of a mile, you'll arrive at the remains of an old bridge abutment from the Southwestern Railroad, which served mines in the Silver City area and was abandoned in 1910. Take a right here and cross the creek to follow the San Vicente Railroad Grade Trail on the opposite side of the creek. Be sure to check out the bioreactors being used to recycle food and other organic waste into compost. The bioreactors are operated by the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance near the site of the Old Chinese Gardens, where Chinese laborers operated a large farm in the late 1800s.

At about the two-mile mark, you'll see a couple of old cement trucks blocking the path. Leave the railroad grade, which is currently the object of a dispute with a neighboring landowner, and follow the path down to the creek. Cross the creek and rejoin the trail to ascend back to the parking lot on Mountain View.

This area is popular with birders, and it's not uncommon to see egrets, great blue herons and even black hawks fishing along the creek

The trail incorporates an abandoned railroad grade which served mines in the Silver City area and was abandoned in 1910. It also passes by the site of the Old Chinese Gardens, where Chinese laborers operated a large farm in the late 1800s.