Broken Mesa Rim

The Broken Mesa Rim trail starts at the Mesa Rim trailhead that is reached via a short, ¼ mile access road off of the Cottonwood Road about 8.5 miles north of the  Red Hills Parkway. The moderately difficult, single-track, rocky (lava) trail is about 4.3 miles long and climbs about 400 feet to the top of Broken Mesa. The trail follows the rim south dropping about 780 feet to the junction with the Ice House trail. The first ½ mile of the route may be via either a switchback trail or a pipeline road. The trail passes through terrain that is mostly burnt pinion/juniper habitat with a good deal of “cheat” grass. The trail does, however, offer excellent views of the Yellow Knolls and surrounding areas. From the southern end of the Broken Mesa Rim trail, it is possible to use the upper section of the Ice House trail (about 3.5 miles long) to reach the Danish Ranch Road to the north and shuttle or ride back to the Mesa Rim trailhead. Overall, the rough and rocky, lava rock substrate may be of concern to some equestrians or bikers.