(Photo courtesy of City of Prescott)

Prescott Circle Trail offers views of the city and nearby sites such as Thumb Butte and Granite Mountain.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Work is progressing this month to finally close the gap in a popular Prescott hiking trail, officials said.

A crew started clearing brush last week for construction to complete the 52-mile Prescott Circle Trail, which offers views of the city and nearby sites such as Thumb Butte and Granite Mountain.

"The beauty of this trail is going to be the views," said Chris Hosking, coordinator of the Prescott Trails and Natural Parklands.

The completion of the trail was mainly held up in recent years over trying to incorporate the Badger "P'' Mountain. The peak, which belongs to the Arizona State Land Trust, was off-limits to trail construction.

The project cleared that hurdle now that the city has bought a trail right-of-way from the State Land Department, the Daily Courier of Prescott reported Friday. In addition, the Arizona State Parks' Recreational Trail Program is giving a grant worth $99,000. The Yavapai Trails Association is also chipping in $3,300.

The entire project is estimated to cost less than the $120,000 that the city council had budgeted, Prescott Special Projects administrator Eric Smith said.

Crews from the American Conservation Experience have already cleared a 10-foot-wide swath through dirt, roots and rocks. The crews, who are being paid with grant money, and their equipment have made completion of the project attainable in weeks instead of months, Hosking said. Volunteers spent Friday smoothing out the potential new trail section.

The desire to fill the trail gap has been an ongoing issue since the 1990s. The Yavapai Trails Association first suggested having a hiking and cycling route around Prescott. The city and volunteers began constructing the 52-mile path one section at a time. Prescott, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University all own land that encompasses some of the trail.

The new trail section should be open for use by mid-June, Hosking said.