TreasureHunts
By John Mangimeli
In Acker Park and Other Yavapai County Venues
ACKER PARK main entrance
Start at the main entrance to Acker Park, at the south end of paved Virginia Ave.
PINYON SITE
Cross the bridge. Stay right onto the Ridge Trail. Walk about 50 yards and look for a telephone pole on the right, where the telephone lines cross the trail. Turn left and go uphill. Look for a cluster of oak trees. One of them holds the treasure.
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ACKER SITE
Cross the bridge and stay right on the Ridge Trail. Walk up the trail about 200 yards. At the first trail junction, turn left. Look for a dead double tree on the right. The treasure is hanging around a nearby juniper.
CREEK SITE
Start at the main entrance to Acker Park, at the south end of Virginia St. Cross the bridge and walk up the Ridge Trail. Walk past post # 2. In about 100 yards, look for a large cairn (pile of rocks) on the right side of the trail. Walk down the path toward the creek. The cairns will show you the way. The treasure is hiding downstream a short distance, behind a wood rat nest under an oak tree,
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HILLTOP SITE
Start at the main entrance to Acker Park, at the south end of Virginia St. Cross the bridge and turn left on the Hilltop Trail. Follow the trail up to the top until you get to a flat area with a building on top. Go left and walk up the log steps to the hilltop. The solar panel points the way to a large Juniper tree. The treasure is hanging around here.
PICNIC SITE
Start at the main entrance to Acker Park, at the south end of paved Virginia St.
Turn right before the bridge on the trail through the picnic area. Stay left at trail junctions. At the first picnic table on the left, follow the beaten path down to the streambed. Walk up the stream bed about 100 feet. A big juniper tree on the bank is holding the treasure.
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GRAMA GRASS SITE
Start at the main entrance to Acker Park, at the south end of paved Virginia St. Cross the bridge and turn left on the Hilltop Trail until you get to the flat area on top. The treasure is hidden in the grass below one of the picnic benches on the flat area.
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ACKER PARK south entrance
Start at the south entrance to Acker Park, at the end of Autumn Breeze St.
BLUEBIRD SITE
Walk straight ahead on the Ridge Trail. At the first junction turn left. Pass the picnic table. Go right at the junction. Walk downhill to post #4. There are bluebird houses on both sides of the trail. The treasure is nested in one of them.
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ROBIN SITE
Walk down the Ridge Trail. At the first trail junction continue to go straight. Look for signpost # 6. Walk to the right to a green Juniper tree with dead branches coming out of the top. The treasure is hiding nearby.
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BIG JUNIPER SITE
Walk straight ahead on the Ridge Trail. At the first junction turn left. Turn left again at the next junction and follow the trail that has interpretive signs. Look for the third exhibit. A large juniper tree is guarding the treasure.
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WATSON WOODS RIPARIAN PRESERVE - Peavine Trail Head Start at the Peavine Trailhead on Sundog Ranch Road
MAVERICK SITE
Follow the paved trail past the picnic tables. Walk up to the Peavine Trail and go down the steps leading down into the forest. Turn left at the trail junction and follow the trail to the highway bridge. Just past the bridge, turn right on the footpath. Go past two dead trees and keep walking to the plaque mounted on a rock. The treasure is holed up here.
FLOODPLAIN SITE
Follow the paved trail past the picnic tables. Walk up to the Peavine Trail and look for steps leading down into the forest. Turn left at the trail junction and follow the trail to the highway bridge. Continue on the road about ¼ mile until you find a large culvert. The treasure is hiding near the culvert.
COTTONWOOD NORTH SITE
Follow the paved trail past the picnic tables. Walk up to the Peavine Trail and look for steps leading down into the forest. Turn right at the trail junction. Continue walking until you see a giant cottonwood tree. (There’s a sign there). The cottonwood is guarding the treasure.
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WILLOW SITE
Follow the paved trail past the picnic tables. Walk up to the Peavine Trail and look for steps leading down into the forest. Go down the trail and into the forest. At the trail junction go straight ahead. Follow the trail as it bends to the right. Continue walking through the willow thicket. Look for a small metal sign with a yellow sticker on it. The treasure is hiding in the willows behind you.
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WATSON WOODS RIPARIAN PRESERVE - South Watson Woods trail head
Start at the south trail head of the Watson Woods Riparian Area at the southeast corner of the US 89 and Rosser St. intersection.
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MORNING GLORY SITE
Walk south (right) on the trail and into the forest. Follow the trail as it drops into the steam bed and go up the other side. Follow the trail along Granite Creek until you see a sign about Southwest Rivers. Continue walking. The first big cottonwood on the left is guarding the treasure.
COTTONWOOD SOUTH SITE
Follow the road with the red gate to the north. Look for a wellhead. Walk down to the well and keep going straight on the trail. After you enter the cottonwood grove, look for the “Gallery Forest’ sign. A group of three cottonwoods is hiding the treasure.
SUNFLOWER SITE
Start at the south trail head of the Watson Woods Riparian Area at the southeast corner of the US 89 and Rosser St. intersection. Walk through the gate on the left and follow the trail until you get to Granite Creek. If passable, rock-hop across the creek. It may be dry in the spring and early summer. Follow the trail to a T-junction. The treasure is guarded by a large cottonwood tree.
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HIGHLANDS CENTER FOR NATURAL HISTORY
The Highlands Center for Natural History is on Walker Road (turn at COSTCO). The Highlands Center is located two miles north on the left
SQUIRREL SITE
Walk in front of the visitor center and down the ramp to the covered ramada. Take the hiking trail that starts at the lower left side of the ramada. Turn right at the trail junction. Continue straight until you get to the junction with trail # 305. Go straight ahead and then make a quick left. Walk past a bench and look for large dead trees on the ground, upslope from the trail. One of them is hiding the treasure.
PONDEROSA SITE
Walk in front of the visitor center and down the ramp to the covered ramada. Take the hiking trail that starts at the lower left side of the ramada. Turn right at the trail junction. Continue straight until you get to the junction with trail # 305. Turn right on # 305. Walk down hill to sign # 11. Walk up the basalt stream bed until you see a group of tall dead pine trees on the left. One of them is hiding the treasure.
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MOUNTAIN LION SITE
Walk in front of the visitor center and down the ramp to the covered ramada. Take the hiking trail that starts at the lower left side of the ramada. Turn right at the trail junction. Continue straight until you get to the junction with trail # 305. Turn right on # 305. Continue walking downhill until you get to a meadow. Cross the meadow and look for a box high up on a pole. Who lives here? Turn left on Trail 442. Look for a short, round wooden pole. The treasure is hiding in nearby rocks.
LYNX CREEK SITE
Walk in front of the visitor center and down the ramp to the covered ramada. Take the hiking trail that starts at the lower left side of the ramada. Turn right at the trail junction. Continue straight until you get to the junction with trail # 305. Turn right on # 305. Continue walking downhill until you get to a meadow. Turn left on Trail 442.
Follow the trail toward Lynx Creek. Look for a display and bench on the right. Sit down and take a rest. The treasure is resting nearby.
FAIN LAKE – PRESCOTT VALLEY
To get to Fain Lake, drive east from Prescott. In PV, turn right onto Prescott Highway East, turn left on 2nd Street, then follow the signs to Fain Lake.
COOT SITE
Walk down to the lake. Turn right and follow the paved path. At the end of the pavement, turn right and walk through the grass to a sign with animal silhouettes. Follow the path up the stairs. A large orange rock is hiding the treasure.
MALLARD SITE
Walk down to the lake. Turn right and follow the paved path. When the pavement ends, continue to follow the dirt path. Cross the bridge over Lynx Creek. Turn left and follow the path along the shore. Look for a large patch of cattails growing in the water. Turn left and walk out to the rocky point. The treasure is hiding in the brush.
DIPPER SITE
Walk down to the lake. Turn left and follow the paved path. Just before the dam, turn left onto the Cavalry Trail. At the rocky point at the top of the hill, carefully walk down to the Lynx Creek overlook. The treasure is tucked into the rocks.
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WILLOW LAKE west entrance.
Drive north on Willow Lake Rd. until you get to the dog park, on the right side of Willow Creek Rd. just past the intersection with Commerce St. Turn right into the dog park road, and continue to the end, where you’ll see a kiosk for Willow Lake.
CORMORANT SITE
Walk left on the trail behind the kiosk. When you get to a sign about birds, turn right on the path into the forest until you reach the blue sign at the end of the trail. One of the surrounding cottonwoods holds the treasure. If it’s spring or early summer, look up for cormorants and herons nesting in the top of the trees!
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WILLOW LAKE south entrance.
Drive north on Highway 89 and turn left at the roundabout onto Willow Lake Rd. (Or drive north on Willow Creek Rd. and turn right onto Willow Lake Rd.) Look for a gravel parking lot on the north side of Willow Lake Road, across from Britni Drive.
OSPREY SITE
Walk left on the trail, cross the bridge and continue until you see a bench. Just before the bench, turn right on the path that leads to granite rocks. Circle the rocks on the left. Turn right and follow a faint path down to the stream bed. Walk down the stream bed until you reach a small group of short, nearly-dead trees. The treasure lies there.
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WILLOW LAKE north entrance.
Drive north on Willow Creek Rd. to the entrance to Embry-Riddle. Turn right onto Heritage Park Rd. and follow the signs to the zoo.
PELICAN SITE
Drive to the self-pay station and turn right into the first parking lot. Follow the trail that has the blue signs. When you see a piece of artificial turf, turn left and walk down towards the lake until you see a gate with a chain. The treasure is around here somewhere.
SWAN SITE
At the self-pay station, continue driving down to the lake and park in the lot near the dock. Look for a black bench on the left. Walk past the bench to the large granite outcrop. You’ll find the treasure somewhere in the rocks.
HERON SITE
At the self-pay station, continue driving down to the lake and park in the lot near the dock. Take the trail to the right above the trees. When you come to the last big tree on the left, walk down to the two trees on the shore. One of them is hiding the treasure.
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COMMUNITY NATURE CENTER
Drive west on Iron Springs Road and turn right onto Williamson Valley Road. In about1/4 mile turn right into the entrance of Granite Mountain Middle school and park in the lot on the left.
RAVEN SITE
Go through the gate and turn left at the trail junction. At the next junction, turn right onto the gravel trail. Follow the trail until you can figure out what time it is. The treasure is hiding in the rocks at 11:00.
PINYON PINE SITE
Go through the gate and turn left at the next two trail junctions. Follow the trail to the top of the ridge and turn left. The treasure is hiding below a dead pine tree on your right.
GOPHER SNAKE SITE
In progress
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MANZANITA SITE
Go through the gate and follow the trail to the left. Walk through a large group of manzanita shrubs (red bark with bright green leaves). The treasure is hiding in the rocks behind the last manzanita on the left.
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YAVAPAI COLLEGE
SCULPTURE GARDEN SITE
The sculpture garden is adjacent to the Performing Arts Center. Enter the sculpture garden and walk down the trail. Look for a dancing frog. Keep following the trail until you see the Permian Corridor sculpture. Walk through the corridor and continue downhill until you find the Deodora Cypress tree. The treasure is hiding under one of its branches.
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CREEKSIDE SITE
Enter the sculpture garden and follow the trail downhill. Look for a sign that says ‘Creekside Trail’. Turn left on the trail and then right at the junction. Cross a bridge and continue until you see a second bridge. Just before the bridge take the path on the right. A large tree is guarding the treasure.
VETERANS SITE
Go to the Yavapai College tennis courts on Washington Ave. Park by the picnic table. Cross the street and follow the CrossFit Trail. Walk up the trail until you see the white buildings of the VA hospital. A path on the left takes you to a bench. A metal box on the bench holds
the treasure.
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PEAVINE TRAIL
To get to the Peavine Trailhead, drive north on highway 89 toward Chino Valley. Turn right onto the Prescott Lakes Parkway. After crossing the bridge, turn left onto Sundog Ranch Road, by the Humane Society. The parking area is on your left.
BLACKBIRD SITE
Walk north (right) on the Peavine Trail. Look for an exhibit about water birds. Turn left on the dirt trail and follow it to a black bench. The treasure is hiding in a bush near the lakeshore.
RAILROAD SITE
Walk north on the Peavine Trail. In about ¾ mile, look for a white sign that says ‘S.F., P. & P. Ry’. A granite boulder is guarding the treasure.
GRANITE DELLS SITE
Walk north on the Peavine Trail. In about one mile the trail goes through a cut in the granite rocks. Just past the rock cut, look for a red gate. Go through the gate. Follow the winding trail until it levels out and has a good view of Watson Lake. Look for the treasure beneath a small oak tree on the left. CAUTION: This sandy trail can be slippery. Wear good hiking shoes and walk carefully coming back down the trail.