The trail stayed open but became quite rough in a number of places. During the summers of 1990 and 1991 three volunteer work groups, consisting of two Sierra Club and one American Hiking Society trips, were successful in restoring and reconstruction the entire 5.5 miles from Fish Creek Access Trail to the Black River. Trout anglers will be interested to know that Fish Creek harbors a pure population of Arizona's state fish, the Apache trout . The Arizona Game and Fish Department has installed a barrier across the creek to keep introduced rainbow trout from swimming upstream from the Black River and hybridizing with the population of threatened natives. The native trout in Fish Creek are not large.
Larger rainbows are available in the Black River.
But even if your biggest catch here is the scenery or an afternoon of streamside relaxing you'll find this pleasant path an excellent place to enjoy a day trip or an overnight hike. From Buffalo Crossing follow FR 24 to FR 83. Or Follow FR 24 from Hannagan Meadow to FR 83 and turn west. From either direction it is around 3 miles to FR 83A which turns right about 1.4 miles to a lesser dirt road, which then forks left. Another access alternative is to hike down Fish Creek from the point where FR 24 crosses it 1.5 miles west of Hannagan Meadow to its intersection with the Fish Creek Access Trail 6.2 miles downstream.