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| Salt River Canyon View |
This is a weekend trip in the White Mountains area and we plan on campign overnight before returning. We decide on an unusual (for us) route for getting to the White Mountains in order to revisit the Salt River Canyon on the way. It is quite impressive however unfortunately for us it is on Indian lands which makes visiting it difficult (permits required which are difficult to find and expensive) so we take pictures from the highway and then move on.
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| Salt River in the distance | Nice view of the canyon |
After exiting the Indian lands we start exploring the area on the many dirt roads that lead to the National Forest lands avoiding the ones leading into the large forest fire that rages on the north side of the highway. We do a few short hikes including one in a nice canyon but the weather is worsening so we decide to return to the car so we do not get stuck.
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| Main dirt road through the area | Side road - muddy |
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| No more road | Canyon floor |
On the way however we notice something on the side of the trail in the forest and as we look closer we notice it is a fawn sitting on the ground staring at us. As we scramble to take pictures he sits up and sticks his tongue at us and then starts eating from the nearby trees. We have fun observing him for some time before moving on.
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| What is that? | Oh..how cute |
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| He can stand...don't go | That is simply impolite |
After this we go deep into White Moutains trying to find a place to camp for the night and after a bit of searching and after some rain we find a spot on the side of a side dirt road where we camp for the night. It is a quiet spot and the rain subsides so we have a great sleep and are refreshed in the morning.
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| Road through White Mountains | Most major roads are well maintained |
This morning we plan on hiking to the top of the Escudilla Mountain one of the highest mountains in Arizona. After leaving the camping site we search for the correct road to the trailhead and after a few hits and misses we find the correct one. It climbs sharply first through the pine forests and then through the burnt pine forests - there was a huge fire a few years back - and after a few miles we arrive at the trailhead. Just when arriving in the parking lot it starts raining. So after looking around we decide to turn around and try to find something else to do.
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| Escudilla Mtn in the distance | Burnt forest |
After descending it stops raining so we do a few short hikes - one of the most enjoyable is near a creek that feeds a colorful marsh. We park at the marsh where a plaque informs us that it is a protected marshland
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| Inquisitive bird | Beautiful butterfly |
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| Protected marshland | Nice contrast of colors |
The walk is along an abandoned road near a creek with wildflowers everywhere and it is quiet and nice walk. After about 1/2 mile we have to cross the river if we want to continue on the road but we notice that the weather is changing so we decide to return to the car. We barely start back when it starts to pour so we are soaking wet when returning to the car. Our clothes take a bit to dry so we drive for about an hour before doing another short hike on the trail to Mount Baldy.
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| Abandoned road - now a trail | Flowers near the trail |
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| Pleasant creek | Is this really Arizona? |
After the trail to Mount Baldy is another short spur to a lake that we investigate. It is a nice mountain lake with a heron fishing and squirrels scampering on the shore.
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| Quiet lake | Seems to enjoy it |
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| Flowers are everywhere | What does he eat? |
With the rain picking up again we give up and drive towards Pinetop where we plan to eat at a BBQ restaurant that we enjoyed previously. When we arrive there we find out it opens only at 4 so we have to spend the next 2 hours in the area. We start with a nearby park which seems really popular and has a large lake surrounded by some marshland.
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| Very popular lake | Creek feeding the lake |
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| Dark clouds are coming | Flowers by the trailside |
There are lots of birds on and around the lake that we study but soon enough the rain is catching up with us so we run back to the car to wait the rain out.
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| Waterfowl on the lake | Close up of geese on the lake |
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| Squirrel in the grass | Apocalyptic hummingbird |
There is also an Art Show in town that we visit - it is small but it has a few interesting vendors and it is a good way to spend the time until the restaurant opens. As soon as it opens we enter it which is good as there is quite a queue after us. The food is as good as we remember it and satiated we move on towards Phoenix and home.
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| Art Show in Pinetop | BBQ Dinner |
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| Great view from the Walker Lake Crater Rim |
We are in Flagstaff for a few days for a conference and intend to do some exploring afterwards. The initial days we are staying at the Drury Inn which has a few advantages including free dinner (and drinks) which is really rare in US hotels.
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| Hotel room in Flagstaff | Overall look at the room |
After the conference we walk through the downtown area which is nearby examining the boutique shops that are open and then we leave towards the west side of Mount Humphrey. Our first longer hike of the day is towards Bismarck Lake starting at the Bismarck Lake trailhead. We miss the correct turnoff from the main dirt road initially but we get it right finally and arrive at the trailhead parking lot which is empty. The lake is about 1 mile away and then the trail ends immediately after meeting the Arizona Trail. The lake really is just a dried out pond (at least this time of the year) but the views of Mt Humphrey are magnificent.
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| Road near Humphrey Mountain | View of Humphrey Mountain |
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| High altitude meadow on the way to Bismarck Lake | Bismarck Lake - not really a lake |
Besides the views we also enjoy the multitude of flowers and squirrels on the way as well as the beautiful butterflies flying around.
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| Common flowers on the way | Another interesting flower on the way |
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| Butterfly along the trail | Guardian of the area |
Last trail for the day is Walker Lake Trail which is not really an official trail but more like informal trail that goes along the crater rim around Walker Lake which sits in the caldera. The views are beautiful and different as we travel along the rim.
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| Start of Walker Lake Trail | View of Walker Lake from the Rim |
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| View from the Rim to the north | View to the east |
It is evening so besides the beautiful views we expect to see some wildlife. And we do see some - a nighthawk listening to the other nighthawks crying through the night and then when returning a few elks near the lake - actually quite a few of them drinking water and grazing. We then drive around searching for a camping spot and we find a good one on the road to Kendrick Peak.
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| View of Humphrey Peak | Peaks in the sunset |
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| Nighthawk listening | Elks enjoying the lake in the evening |
Next day we decide to do the Kendrick Peak trail but at the trailhead we see that the area burned a few years ago so there is no shade along the trail so we decide to do the trail later in autumn and just explore the area for now. There are some nice views of the mountain from the different side roads in the area as we try to find a different trail to do that is more shaded.
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| Kendrick Peak trailhead information | Wilderness area boundary |
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| Trail through the unburned forest | Watchful squirrel |
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| Kendrick mountain from the distance | Burned area of the mountain |
While exploring we find a trailhead for the Beale Wagon Road one of the earliest roads through Arizona built by the United States with the help of camels.
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| Beale Wagon Road sign | Beale Wagon Road |
We continue exploring the area and we find a nice mountain the climb with a pond at a base and a heart built of stones at the top. There are some nice views of the surrounding mountains including Mt Humphreys that we enjoy before returning to the car and then returning to Phoenix as it starts to rain quite heavily.
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| Good dirt road | Pond for cattle |
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| Interesting construction | View of Mt. Humphrey |
This is the last weekend trip before a longer trip to Australia so we intend to camp on the Mogollon Rim on Saturday before meeting with friends for a hike and then to return back to Phoenix on Sunday. The first stop is on the General Crook Trail where we do a short hike and eat lunch in a meadow before running back to the car due to the rain coming in.
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| Not for cars anymore | Quiet meadow |
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| Yellow flowers | Nice blue flower |
We drive only a bit to an area near Willow Springs Lake that is open only for hiking and biking and because the rain has stopped we decide to do a hike on the many trails in this area. We hike for about 6 miles roundtrip exploring the trails and studying the wildlife.
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| Trail near Willow Springs Lake | Trail sign |
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| Road for hiking/biking only | What is he carrying? |
We have time to do one more trail and we decide on the Military Sinkhole Trail a trail that goes down from the Rim to road 260 below. We hike only partway in order to find some good views however the forest is continuous and good views are few and far between.
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| Forest view | Trail through ferns |
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| Military Sinkhole Trail | Destroyed forest |
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| Start of the trail from the Rim | Flower near the trail |
On the top there is a much better viewpoint which is really popular as it is easy to access. We take some nice pictures of route 260 below and the sunset before leaving as we have to find a campsite for the night.
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| View from viewpoint | Sun is setting |
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| Should we climb on this? | Road to Payson |
We have a campsite marked but as we get there we cannot find it so we search around until we find the hidden access road to the secluded camping spot. We watch the full moon and stars until we are tired and go to sleep.
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| Hidden road to campsite | Camping area |
Next morning after breakfast we drive to the meeting point with our friends near the General Springs Cabin Trailhead and after meeting we start the hike on the Fred Haught Trail. Right at the start we visit the General Springs Cabin which is well maintained and can be entered and visited. The trail is mostly level and follows a river valley uniting multiple cabins in the area.
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| General Springs Cabin at beginning of trail | Dirty pond near the trail |
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| River near Fred Haught Trail | Marshland near trail |
Our turn around point is Fred Haught Cabin which is about 4 miles out from the trailhead. There isn't much left from the cabin only a chimney and some foundations. The whole area burned quite recently and there are signs of this everywhere.
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| Meadow close to Fred Haught Cabin | Fred Haught Cabin ruin |
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| Burned tree remains | Better preserved tree remains |
While returning we stop a few times to take pictures of the river which sometimes has water in it and just to hide in the shadows as it is already getting quite hot. After arriving back at the car we start back towards Phoenix using a few backroads and not the Rim Road and luckily get to the pavement right before the skies open and it start pouring and then hailing. But after a few miles of this the sun comes out and we are on our way back without any further adventures.
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| View of river from trail | Flowers growing on the meadow |
Today we plan to do a shorter hike on the Mogollon Rim, the Victorine Trail, that goes down in one of the many remote Rim canyons. However as we pass through the Verde Valley and start to climb towards the Rim we notice something unexpected - the hills are full of flowers. So we start we an unplanned stop on a dirt road so we can explore the flowers. It is quite impressive and after taking a few photos of the flowers in the distance and of the few close by we decide to wander a bit more and see if we can find more flowers close to us.
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| Flowers in the Verde Valley | The flowers seem to be only in the distance |
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| One of the many yellow flowers | Is that a snake? No...something manmade |
WE don't have to wander a lot - the first side road we take becomes after the first turn a real meadow - it almost looks like a yellow sea. The bees are buzzing all around us, butterflies are flying, it really is impressive and unexpected. We take lots of pictures of the beautiful meadows but in the end we have to return to the car and continue on as it is getting late.
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| Flowers on an old road | Old fence in flower field |
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| That is a lot of yellow | Beautiful yellow field |
After one more stop for lunch near a meteorogical station we start on the dirt roads to the Victorine trailhead. As the roads become worse due to the rain in the previous days we decide to stop and hike the remaining mile to the trailhead. It is a quiet walk with no cars for miles and elk all around us even though we see only a couple. Then we arrive at the trailhead and the trail starts to descend precipitously at times. It is quite difficult to follow, luckily there are cairns relatively often but even so we miss the trail a few times as it is barely visible which again points to the remoteness of the area. In the canyon the water is flowing quite strongly and there is even some fall foliage. We relax a bit and explore the rocks but then as it is getting dark we return to the car which we reach right when we cannot see anymore in front of us without flashflights. The road back is uneventful and to our surprise there are no elk/other animals on the road as we reach the paved road and civilization.
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| Waterhole on the Mogollon Rim | Late season mushrooms |
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| Road to the canyon | That is where we are going |
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| Down in the canyon with a bit color | A bit further down in the canyon |
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| Trail above Lockett Meadow |
This weekend we decide on an extended weekend trip - leaving Friday evening after work and then having a full day in the Flagstaff area while returning Sunday in the evening. The hotels in the Flagstaff area are quite expensive so we decide staying at a smaller one which unfortunately is not that well maintained and the heat is hit and miss which is bad in the almost sub freezing night temperatures. On Saturday we decide to try a long loop trail, Sycamore Rim trail, which we found online prior to our trip. The first difficulty is finding the trailhead which is not easy as there are many sideroads and many trailheads (which should make finding one easier but it is not that way for us). Finally we find one with a paved parking area and we are the only car in the parking lot which we like as we enjoy the solitude. The loop trail is about 11 miles long but we plan to cut part of it using the Overland trail for about 10 miles of hiking.
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| On the way to Sycamore Canyon - there is a trail here | Prarie dogs in the distance |
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| This is the loop we plan to do | Overland trail is overlapping in parts with our trail |
The hike starts with a short connector trail to the main loop trail. The trail is easy to follow and soon we reach the main loop right where it intersects the Overland trail. Here the Overland Trail is actually following an old railroad track which is still visible. Soon our trail starts following the creek through some rocky areas and we even see some color in the trees which foreshadows what we will see farther on the trail.
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| Start of trail | Part of Overland Trail |
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| View from the trail | Rocky part of trail |
After about half a mile we reach Sycamore Creek which the trail promptly crosses. We find a nice row of stones that we hop on the other side but not before admiring the beautiful creek. The trail follows now the creek and we see it quite often as we continue on our hike. The trail continues to be quite easy and level and the views become more and more impressive as the canyon deepens before our eyes.
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| Passing Sycamore Creek | Cattails near the creek |
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| Peaceful creek | Trail is mostly level |
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| Canyon is becoming deeper | Still has some water in it |
There are also quite a few colorful trees in the canyon and we stop at a nice view to eat lunch. After a few minutes a squirrel also comes to study us and seems interested in us and what we are doing. After not receiving anything though he loses interest and goes back to finding more natural food from the many trees in the area.
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| Pocket of color in the distance | Close up of trees |
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| View from lunch spot | Interested in lunch? |
The next part of the trail is on the Rim and quite beautiful with great views and a lot of fall colors.
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| Trail is still level | Looking at us |
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| Another patch of color | Canyon is full of colorful trees |
After a few miles we arrive at the official vista point which is close to another trailhead. For us the views are similar to what we have seen on the way but if you are coming first here it is a great introductory view of the canyon.
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| Glad it is the Rim and not the Bottom trail | Close up of the canyon bottom |
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| Arriving at the vista point | View along the canyon |
After the viewpoint the trail continues along the Rim with continued views of the fall colors and what is now a deep canyon.
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| Canyons as long as the eye can see | Another patch of fall color |
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| View in the distance | Even the small "trees" have color |
Along the trail we find many interesting plants and even a squirrel cache in a depression in the trail (or at least that is what we assume it is).
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| A squirrel's winter provision | Prickly pear on the side of the road |
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| Flowers in the canyon | Nice contrast |
Halfway along the loop the trail is turning inland and starting through the forest. It is still beautiful but different with no canyon views but still following a scenic wash back towards the parking lot.
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| Trail is turning inland | But colorful trees are still everywhere |
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| No water here but still impressive | Farther in we also find water |
About halfway the trail passes right through the canyon where there are a few beautiful ponds - it is a very scenic and quiet spot so we rest a bit before continuing on as the dark is approaching.
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| Nice quiet area | Near the river |
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| Meadow in the canyon | Geological wonderland |
Soon we arrive at the Overland Trail that we intend to take back to the car however it is unusable especially in the twilight as the only markers are cairns set at huge distances with no visible trail between them. Soon we give up and walk to the road that runs parallel to the trail which is much easier to follow. After a mile we reach again the Sycamore Rim trail and enter another point area where we witness a beautiful sunset. And then it is dark but luckily we have our flashlight with us and we make it safely to our car and then back to Flagstaff where we fall asleep very fast as we are tired after our long hike.
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| Overland trail - really difficult to follow | Road - much easier to follow |
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| Sunset in Arizona | Sunset over a lake |
The next day we decide to start with a visit of downtown Flagstaff with a focus on finding breakfast. Everything is quite full but we finally find a place that has a free table and the food is quite good and filling. And then we walk a bit through the downtown area visiting a few shops but the wilderness is calling to us so we return to the car and start our drive towards Lockett Meadow our goal for the day.
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| Breakfast - is this healthy?! | Or this? |
However instead of using the usual way we take a longer way using dirt roads almost out of Flagstaff. The main road is Schultz Pass Road at the foothills of the San Francisco peaks - it is a beautiful drive and we stop at the pass for a short hike and to take pictures of the beautiful peaks with patches of fall colors in the forests that climb the steep slopes of the mountains.
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| Humphrey Peak in the distance | Lots of colorful aspen |
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| Close up of aspen area | Even closer..impresssive |
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| Another view of San Francisco Peaks in fall | Part of the color is gone |
Schultz Pass is infamous for the fire that blazed here a few years ago and was followed by a mudslide that covered a part of Flagstaff. As we drive we see reminders of the fire everywhere with charred trees surrounding us for the majority of the drive. As we unite with the main road to Lockett Meadow the traffic becomes quite surprisingly heavy and the road suddenly begins to climb with precipituous views next to the car. No pictures here as we drive focused on the road and hoping that we do not meet a car coming the other way.
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| Remains from the 2010 Schultz fire | The whole area that we pass has burned |
The parking lot that we arrive to is full but then the next one has one open space that we take. We didn't expect that many people but as soon as we exit the car we see what draws the many people - the fall colors on the mountains are beautiful. We are actually in the caldera of the San Francisco peaks and it is impressive to be surrounded by the peaks with many aspen showing off their fall colors.
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| Lockett Meadow - looks peaceful | Beautiful view |
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| Zooming in on the color | Fully zoomed in |
Next we have to lose the crowds somehow so we decide to take an old side road which seems less visited than the main trail in the mountains. As the road climbs it turns and curves around we get some great views of Flagstaff and the plains that surround these mountains, the highest peaks in Arizona.
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| Climbing with the road | Aspen looking at us |
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| Higher up - view of the surrounding area | Meadow at higher altitude |
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| There seems to always be something higher | Zooming in on colorful aspen |
After about a mile we reach a barrier and there are a couple cars parked here and from here is the start of an unofficial trail along a mostly level road through the aspens. It is a beautiful and not very popular trail evven though the color is mostly gone from the trees. Of course with them fallen from the trees the leaves are covering the road which makes for great pictures.
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| Road is now level - but where is the color? | Ah...there it is |
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| Unfortunately most of the color is gone | From the trees...but that makes for a pictoresque road |
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| Sooooo many leaves | Great walking on them |
Not all of the leaves have fallen of course and we find a few stands of aspen that look postcard perfect and we stay for a while to admire them and take photos of them. We almost cannot leave - just one more picture to capture how beautiful it looks.
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| But it is nice to see some color on the trees also | Beautiful |
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| Looking up | So much yellow |
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| Another colorful area | Cannot stop taking photos of the leaves |
As we intended to do a loop trail our plan is to find the Inner Basin trail, the major trail in the area, and descend on it. We find it easy enough and the trail is great from a scenic viewpoint with lots of color. However it is hard to enjoy as there are literally hundreds of other people walking up and down and shouting and screaming - all the people from the parking lots it seems. Of course this is the main trail and it is almost peak season for the colors so we should probably have expected it but still it is not as fun as the road/trail we went up.
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| Mountaintop through the trees | Going down on the trail |
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| There are yellow leaves everwhere on the way down | Rare clouds for Arizona |
After arriving at the parking lot we descend carefully (at least in the late afternoon there aren't that many cars coming up) and then it is back to the pavement and civilization. On our return however we still stop one more time in a rest area to capture the beautiful sunset - one of the perks living in Arizona.
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| Stopping in a rest area for the sunset | The sunset |
This weekend we go on our weekend trip on Saturday instead of Sunday because we plan to visit the Jerome Art Hop in the evening. On the way we plan to explore an area that we stopped previously but didn't explore in depth. We park the car in the "prairie" at a road fork and start walking down one of the roads and are shocked almost immediately by the really huge grasshoppers/locusts that are everywhere.
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| Arizona grasslands | HUGE grasshopper |
We continue walking on the road until it deadends at a colorful wash, here suddenly there are trees and they are in fall colors which is quite exciting as it is rare in Arizona.
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| Colorful creek - we should investigate | Getting closer to the bottom |
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| Old trail/road at the bottom | Beautiful colors |
We decide to continue down the wash after we find a trail on one side of the dry river - the trees are even more impressive when we are close to them and we stop to have a snack and admire them.
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| Fall colors in the wash | Impressive mountain |
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| No water in the wash? | What a beautiful color |
The trail leads to our surprise to an area where water is actually flowing and accumulates in a few small ponds. It is very serene here with no one else around and the views are quite good and certainly not what we expected when we started in this exploration.
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| Finally some water | Leaves in the water |
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| Creek downstream | Is this really Arizona? |
Return to the car we pass again through the pictoresque grasslands and because we still have some time we decide to try also the other fork in the road that is much longer according to the GPS.
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| Clouds are rolling in | Typical landscape |
This area is less spectacular but still has a few surprises especially a huge old trees that seems transplanted from an old horror movie. Soon we have to return to the car so we arrive in Jerome in time where we visit the many art galleries that are open this evening, enjoy the many exhibits and buy some souvenirs before returning home.
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| Really old tree | Alien looking growths |
Our trip today takes us to Perry Mesa where we have been multiple times and we enjoyed every time. We discovered online a new area that seems quite interesting and we intend to explore it today for a few hours. The access road is Bloody Basin Road which has deteriorated a bit especially on the climb after the crossing of the Verde River. We manage the climb okay and after another bumpy ride we arrive at the starting point of our hike. We have to wait a bit before exiting because of the cows that have taken an interest in our car. After they decide that we are harmless we exit and start our hike.
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| Fording Agua Fria | View in Agua Fria NM |
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| "Wildlife" passing the "road" | Passing next to us |
Right next to our parking spot is a hill that looks a bit different so we decide to investigate as we know there are Anasazi Ruins in the area. And lo and behold it is a small ruin with a few rooms and barely discernable walls. More interestingly there are lots of pottery shards in the area of many colors and sizes - quite exciting.
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| What is there in the shade of the tree? | Ruins of old Anasazi Village |
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| Another side of the ruins | More visible wall of Anasazi house |
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| Different colored pottery shards | Shards were everywhere |
From here we continue on the road towards the mine and pass the ruin of a cabin which however also has a surprise - a bit away it has a large cellar that looks like a hiding hole almost.
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| Road into the wilderness | Ruin of cabin |
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| What are these holes? | Looks like a hiding hole |
Next we arrive at the Rosalie mine and we are surprised at the fact that it has a lot of artifacts just strewn around. The major attractions however is of course the still standing chimney which looks impressive if you stand next to it.
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| Rosalie mine in the distance | Signs of mining |
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| Close up of Rosalie city site | Examining the remains |
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| Remains at the site | The signs of the inevitable target shooting |
On the return trip we climb to the top of a hill which has a mine near the top and watch the sun fall over the valley. We play around with the different setting on the camera for some fun photos.
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| Sun is setting | Mountains in the sunset |
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| What type of camera setting is this? | Somewhere down there is our car |
The sunset as usual does not disappoint with some very beautiful colors. It really is very difficult to find a more beautiful sunset than an Arizona sunset. After that we return to the car and after a bumpy ride back we arrive at the interstate and then in Phoenix.
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| Sunset | Who can resist taking multiple pictures? |
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| Close up of sunset | Testing the new found setting |
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