I'm surprised noone has noticed this yet. THis will more than likely close the access roads to Powerline Trail and Hackberry Creek!

A mining company is working to swap land for the Oak Flat Campground area AND surrounding 760 acres.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0418resolutionmine18.html

I remember when they did the test drilling for this several years ago. Hackberry creek & Powerline trail were blocked off then.. If active mining starts, both trails will more than likely be inaccessible.

quote:

The land swap, which is expected to be introduced in Congress soon, has the backing of nine of Arizona's 10 congressional members, Gov. Janet Napolitano, the Superior Town Council and some conservation groups.The swap, and the renewed mining activity it would permit, would revitalize a slumbering industry and bring jobs to a long-depressed part of central Arizona.

.....

The land swap also would block access to important birding areas and would shut down the 14-site Oak Flat campground in the Tonto National Forest.

The site draws about 900 campers a year, as well as more than 1,500 day users, according to forest statistics.

"Resolution mine officials say it's too soon to know what effect, if any, the project would have on the surrounding area"

I guess you would have to know which area is the 760 acres. I thought the rock climbing area is across the highway from Oak Flat.

Sierra Club is against the swap and they usually get their way...........

Thanks for posting this John.

The rock climbing area is in Devil's Canyon, which runs parallel to (and east of) Powerline and Hackberry creek trails. I dont think any of us have stopped to check it out on our trips, but I've seen it in the past.. AWESOME view. You can take a short side road off the trails (go straight at the windmill instead of turning right) and thre is a gorgeous 1000+ft deep canyon below you that runs as far as you can see.

Here is a map of it.. to the left you can see our trails. You can see the lake and the split in the road at the windmill.. the bottom left is near where Terence got stuck.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=33.2734&lon=-111.0307&datum=nad83

We were just a stone's throw away from the canyon. We should go camping out there on the edge sometime.

I ventured down into the canyon a few years ago. Beautiful down there.