Railroad Grade Trail

Important Information:
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 9,100 Feet (2836.7 Meters)
Length: 21 Miles (35.0 Kilometers)
Trail Number: 601
Usage: Light
USGS Maps: Big Lake North - 280 NW

General Description:
The entire trail follows an historic railroad route offering gentle trail grades and beautiful scenery. Formerly the railroad hauled logs from various parts of the Apache National Forest and the White Mountain Apache Reservation and later hauled tourists from McNary on a tour of the White Mountains. It has been unused for three decades.

A unique feature of this trail is the trestle bridge that is 80 feet in length and is similar to the bridges used by the railroad at the turn of the century. It was reconstructed in 1998. The trail also features trailheads at 4 locations so that users have the option to enjoy the entire trail or portions thereof. Each of the trailheads has a toilet and a parking capacity for at least 10 vehicles. These trailheads are located at Railroad Cove at Big Lake, Lightning Ridge, Sheep Crossing, and Big Cienega.

Directions:
From Eagar, At Big Lake Railroad Cove - on the southwest side of the lake off of Forest Road 249E; at Big Cienega - on Highway 260 about 17 miles west of Eagar

Seasons:
Normally Open: May - October