This trail branches off the Bear Canyon Trail #299 after it passes the summit of Ladybug Peak. While Bear Canyon Trail leads down a south-facing slope of the mountain, Dutch Henry Canyon Trail follows a course that bears almost directly east. It is one of the few trails on the mountain with this aspect and as such offers access to an area that is otherwise quite remote.

Shortly after leaving the Bear Canyon Trail, Dutch Henry drops off a ridge to the north and switchbacks down into the canyon for which it’s named. As it descends this steep grade it leaves behind the mixed conifer forests of the high country for the sotol and cholla of the upper Sonoran life zone. If you see deer along the trail, you might notice that most of them are white-tailed in the higher elevations, while down among the oaks and beargrass, mule deer are more common. Also common are other desert dwellers, such as javelina and coatimundi.

The latter half of the trail winds in and out of the drainage bottom of Dutch Henry Canyon, where water usually flows only in the spring. A corral and windmill mark the end of the trail at its junction with FR 119 just across the creek.

Length: 7.2 miles

Rating: Most difficult.

Access: Higher elevation trailhead– From Safford drive south 8 miles on US 191 to the Swift Trail (AZ 366). Turn right (southwest) onto AZ 366 and drive about 17 miles to Ladybug Saddle. The trailhead is at the parking area on the left side of the road. Take the Bear Canyon Trail #299 one and a half miles until you reach the Dutch Henry Trail. Lower elevation trailhead– Follow US Hwy 191 thirteen miles south from Safford. Turn right (west) on Forest Road 119 and continue approximately 5 miles to the trailhead. The trailhead is located near the windmill.