HOSPITAL FLAT

Hospital Flat is so named because in the 1880s it served as a site for a field hospital for ailing soldiers from Fort Grant. That frontier outpost is located along Grant Creek on the south slope of the Pinalenos. The restorative powers of this cool mountain meadow, carpeted with wildflowers and traversed by a small creek, were sufficiently notable that it also became a summer retreat for officers and their families trying to escape the heat of their desert outpost. Fort Grant was closed in 1905 and now serves as an Arizona State Prison Facility. Hospital Flat still serves as a popular refuge for forest recreationists who come to its pleasant surroundings for much the same reason as did those soldiers. NOTE: Vehicles (including trailers) longer than 22 feet are not recommended because of the difficulty of negotiating the switchbacks on AZ 366. This trailhead is not accessible by vehicle from November 15 to April 15 when the Swift Trail is closed for the winter. Early or late snow may extend the inaccessible season. Pack and saddle stock are not permitted in campground. Limit 2 vehicles and 10 persons per site. 14-day stay limit.

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