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SCHULTZ LOOP & the WEENIE WALK SOCIAL TRAIL
Coconino National Forest
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| Schultz Loop |
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| Weenie Walk |
Seems like every time I'm out hiking in Flagstaff, I
discover at least one "no-name" trail. The forest service refers to these unauthorized user-created routes as "social trails". Apparently, mountain bikers and renegade hikers have blazed their own maze of
secret trails---and they DO have names as I've come to learn---mostly from bikers kind enough to fill me in and an underground map acquired from an anonymous source. Cool names, even, like Super Fly, Jedi, Ricochet and the one we stumbled
upon recently: Weenie Walk. The "social trails" link
below connects to a forest service document explaining why these user-created
paths can be problematic and what plans are in the works to meet the need for
additional recreational routes. Anyhoo, as non-motorized cross country travel in non-wilderness areas (which would include hiking on fugitive trails) is currently legal on the Coconino, we
made an unplanned detour on Weenie Walk while hiking the Schultz Loop trail. Here's how:
From the trailhead, locate the start of the Schultz Loop
trail, pass through a big "road closed" sign after about 0.1 mile and
continue another 0.6 mile to a junction with a sign indicating to turn right to
head toward the Schultz Creek Trail.
This is where to turn right is all you want to do is the loop, however,
the woodlands flanking the road leading straight ahead looked so inviting, we
took a detour. After hiking up the
road about 0.4 mile, we noticed an unsigned trail heading off to the left. Again, it looked so green and pretty,
we just had to explore. We didn't
know it at the time, but we had just entered the Weenie Walk. This slim path climbs gently uphill, paralleling
the Brookbank Trail briefly before swinging east to eventually connect with
Sunset Trail. It's a beautiful,
quiet, pine-shaded stroll that passes through several sunny meadows. We got about 2 miles in when claps of
thunder in the near distance hastened our decision to turn around and head back
to the Schultz Creek Junction and complete the loop in totally legal territory.
LENGTH: 1.6
mile (loop), 5.6 round trip with Weenie Walk as described here.
RATING: easy
ELEVATION:
8,000' - 8,100' or 8,000' - 8,700'
DISTANCE FROM PHOENIX: 155 miles one way
GETTING THERE:
From Flagstaff, travel north on US 180 to milepost 218.6
to (FR420) Schultz Pass Road. Turn right and continue 0.5 mile to a
fork, bear right to stay on FR420 and go 4.9 miles to the Sunset Trailhead on
the right. Schultz Pass Road is
maintained dirt with a few rough spots.
High clearance is recommended, although we got through in a sedan.
INFO: Flagstaff Ranger District, 928-526-0866
SOCIAL TRAILS:
MORE PHOTOS:
1 comment:
Now, let me get this straight. "Social" trails and even "anonymous" sources and people documenting them are somehow okay, but vehicles driving on recently closed roads must be reported as lawbreakers? I truly enjoy and appreciate your blog, but this seems like a double standard.
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