Shaw Peak Trail #251

Shaw Peak Trail #251 is a ridgeline-style hike through the Chiricahua Mountains, mapped as a long-distance loop-like traverse rather than a short out-and-back. The route is 5.07 miles with about 985 ft of gain and about 2,265 ft of loss, reaching a high point around 7,970 ft.

Start near Onion Saddle from the Misfire Road/FR 4854 area off Trans-Mountain Road (Forest Road 42). The trailhead sign is burned; only two wooden posts remain, and the opening can be easy to miss—if you end up descending steeply along the road you’ve gone too far.

The route is generally good enough between Onion Saddle and Jhus Horse Saddle, but it alternates between charred and recovering forest. Expect steep up-and-down movement with frequent switchbacks as it climbs out of burned slopes and then drops through woods on the way toward Jhus Horse Saddle.

At Jhus Horse Saddle (the mid-point), you hit two junctions about 100 ft apart: Pinery Horsefall Trail on the west side (signed) and Jhus Horse Saddle Trail on the east side (unsigned). North of this junction, the trail condition becomes more problematic for following the tread.

From Jhus Horse Saddle, the trail contours around the twin peaks near Shaw Peak and continues across exposed, fire-scarred high country toward Shaw Saddle. It narrows significantly in the treeless/barren stretches, and the northern half is where route-finding matters most.

The hike finishes at the end of Kasper Tunnel Road (FR 4258), at the southern edge of the clearing in front of the Kasper Tunnel entrance, with the historic Hilltop Mine site nearby.

More information: Conditions, Shaw Peak Trail #251 - Chiricahua Mountains Hiking Trails, Shaw Peak Trail, Coronado National Forest (AZ)