CLOVER SPRING TRAIL # 46

CLOVER SPRING

Williams

Clover Spring

On a mountain with no shortage of summit-busting hiking trails, it takes will power to swerve off the epic routes onto one with a subtler kind of charisma. Whether bypassed due to time constraints, bad weather or dwindling supplies, secondary routes often get ignored in favor of heavily travelled arterial trails. Clover Spring Trail #46 epitomizes the joy to be found on the little trails that compete for love with the summit routes on Bill Williams Mountain.

Trough at Clover Spring

More an option than a diversion, this shady, moderate path is toggled to challenging Bill Williams Mountain Trail #21 and can be hiked as either a short loop or an alternative leg that adds less than a mile to the standard summit route. The "C"-shaped connector moves through beautiful woodlands overlooking the city of Williams. A short section of climbing among lichen-cloaked boulders precedes the arrival at a rustic concrete trough marking Clover Spring. Don't expect to find water, though. The spring runs best only during spring snow melt season. Beyond the spring, the trail continues on to Buckskinner Park, a municipal recreation site with its own trail system and fishing lake. To find Clover Spring Trail from the trailhead, hike 0.15-mile on Trail #21 and turn left at the signed lower junction. Continue 0.85-mile to the spring located just beyond the upper junction. Back track to the turnoff, hike 0.6-mile then either turn right and follow the signs back to the trailhead or continue up to the mountaintop.

Pine-oak forests shade the trail

LENGTH: 3-mile loop or 9.4 miles with summit hike

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 6,900' - 7,200' (9,250' with summit)

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 40 in Williams, take exit 161, go south on Railroad Ave. and follow the signs to the trailhead across from the Williams District Ranger Station.

INFO: Kaibab National Forest

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/kaibab/recreation/recarea/?recid=11669&actid=50

MORE PHOTOS:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10204758356357503.1073742091.1795269672&type=1&l=6d4c5dcb00

BENHAM TRAIL

BENHAM TRAIL

Williams

Aspens near the summit of Bill Williams Mountain

Heading west from Flagstaff on Interstate 40, the distinctive profile of Bill Williams Mountain juts over sprawling prairies criss-crossed with railroad tracks and remnants of Historic Route 66. The mountain's lumpy appearance is the result of multiple volcanic events that caused lava to accumulate in irregular heaps. The eruptions that occurred roughly 4.2 to 2.8 million years ago mark the western edge of the San Francisco Volcanic Field---an arc of molten rock relics that includes San Francisco Mountain (Humphreys Peak) stretching from Williams to north east of Flagstaff. Mountains like this one are just too tempting not to conquer. Because it's there, three ways to get to its summit have been established. You could drive to the top on the dirt road, but what fun is that? A more entertaining way up is to hike one of the single track trails.   Although both routes are about the same length, each offers a unique experience. Bill William Mountain Trail makes a straight up climb on massif's lush, aspen and fern populated north face. An easier, albeit still challenging route is the Benham Trail which employs long switchbacks to take much of the sting out of its ascent of the mountain's dryer eastern flank.  On the way up, look for expansive views of Garland Prairie, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness and a living slide show of Flagstaff-area peaks poking thru canopies of Gambel oak. Near the top, you'll encounter some aspens, fir, spruce and mossy rocks before the trail lands at a saddle with photogenic views of an impressive, pine-fleeced pinnacle called Finger Rock. From this scenic landing, head right on the dirt road for the final half mile trudge to the top. On the summit, an array of humming communication towers and a 1937 vintage fire lookout hover above swarms of brilliant red-orange ladybugs that congregate on shrubs and stony outcroppings. The best time to see the annual beetle convergence is from late spring thru summer.

Summit vista

LENGTH: 9 miles roundtrip

RATING: difficult

ELEVATION: 7,300' - 9,256'

GETTING THERE:

San Francisco Peaks 

From Interstate 40 in Williams, take exit 165 and follow Railroad Road 2.4 miles to 4th Street. Turn left and continue 3.6 miles south (4th St. becomes Perkinsville Road/County Road 73) to the trailhead turnoff past milepost 181. Roads are paved/gravel and sedan-friendly.

INFO: Williams Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/kaibab/recreation/recarea/?recid=11665&actid=50

MORE PHOTOS:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10204408803538901.1073742083.1795269672&type=1&l=f72e3a5fa4

Bill Williams Watershed Closure 2014

 Kaibab National Forest To Take Additional Precautions

To Prevent Human-Caused Fires

UPDATE: closure will be lifted at 8 a.m., July 8, 2014.

Kaibab NF Press Release, 6-2-2014:

 WILLIAMS, Ariz. – The Kaibab National Forest is taking additional steps to reduce the risk of preventable human-caused fires.  As of Friday (June 6) at 8 a.m. the North Kaibab Ranger District will enter campfire and smoking restrictions, and the Williams Ranger District will close the Bill Williams Mountain Watershed to public entry. 
Under the North Kaibab Ranger District’s campfire and smoking restrictions, which are also known as Stage 1 fire restrictions, fires, campfires, charcoal, coal and wood stoves will be allowed in developed campgrounds only.  The restrictions will also limit smoking to within enclosed vehicles or buildings or in developed campgrounds. 
 On the Williams Ranger District, which is already under Stage II fire restrictions, the Bill Williams Mountain Watershed will be closed to public entry.  This includes hiking, horseback riding, driving, camping and all other recreational and industrial activities.
 The Bill Williams Mountain Watershed closure area will be bounded to the east by 4^th Street and County Road 73, to the south by Forest Service Road (FSR) 122, to the west by FSR 108, and to the north by Interstate 40.  (THIS INCLUDES BILL WILLIAMS MOUNTAIN TRAIL, BENHAM TRAIL, BIXLER SADDLE and all trails on or around the mountain.)
 Forest managers often close the Bill Williams Mountain Watershed to public entry during fire season.  Bill Williams Mountain is the primary watershed for the City of Williams, and a major wildfire and subsequent flooding would be devastating to the city and surrounding communities. 
The entire Williams and Tusayan ranger districts remain under Stage II fire restrictions, which prohibit campfires, even in developed campgrounds; prohibit discharging a firearm, except while engaged in a lawful hunt; and, limit many industrial activities.
 For detailed information about fire restrictions and the closure of the Bill Williams Mountain Watershed, visit www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab or call the Kaibab National Forest fire information phone line at (928) 635-8311.
 For information about fire restrictions across Arizona, visit http://firerestrictions.us/az/ or call 1-877-864-6985.

BILL WILLIAMS MOUNTAIN TRAIL

BILL WILLIAMS MOUNTAIN TRAIL Kaibab National Forest Switchbacks are zig-zagging cuts in mountain trails designed to make steep ascents easier by adding miles and tempering vertical slopes. Don’t look for them on Bill Williams Mountain Trail #21. Constructed as a horse trail in 1902 to service the fire tower on the summit, this trail wastes no time on switchbacks, plowing straight up in abrupt, heart-pumping style. Most of the route is canyon-bound and thick with trees, vines and flowering shrubs. Views are sparse until the trail emerges on a ridgeline below the summit where fir trees and aspens embellish breathtaking vistas. HIGHLIGHTS: shady, steep route to a mountain summit LENGTH: 8 miles roundtrip ELEVATION: 6,900 – 9,256 feet RATING: moderate BEST SEASONS: April - October DISTANCE FROM PHOENIX: 185 miles GETTING THERE: From Flagstaff, go 30 miles west on I-40 to exit 161, go south on Railroad Ave. and follow the signs to Williams District Ranger Station and the trailhead. INFORMATION: Williams Ranger District (928) 635-5600, MAP: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5189840.pdf