Big Bang Trail

BIG BANG TRAIL

San Francisco Peaks seen from Big Bang Trail

Being loved to death is a slow and complicated process. Whether self-inflicted or enabler enriched, initially, it feels good. But before long, the halo wears off and reality pitches a swift, hard slap. It’s kind of like scarfing down tacos five nights a week only to wake up one morning “surprised” with a love handle hangover.

The first mile of Big Bang Trail is easy

Swapping out tacos for unauthorized trail building, this is a good  analogy for what has been happening in Flagstaff’s Mount Elden/Dry Lake Hills (MEDL) area for decades.

An alligator juniper anchors a bend in Big Bang Trail

While it might feel good to buck the system and blaze user-created paths, they cause environmental damage, disrupt wildlife and can lead to trail users getting lost or injured. This should come as no surprise to any outdoor enthusiast. While the slap has been stinging for quite some time, it’s only been in the last few years that efforts to rehabilitate the popular recreation area have  materialized.

Schultz Creek flows near the trailhead

The MEDL trail system, which includes popular old-standards like Brookbank, Sunset, Oldham and a segment of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, was originally dedicated in 1987.

Wing Mountain and Kendrick Peak on horizon

Because of its proximity to town, multiple access points and scenic qualities, the MEDL area in Coconino National Forest suffered from deteriorating conditions due to overuse, a confusing maze of unauthorized “social or wildcat” trails and recent human-caused wildfires.  The negative impacts on natural resources were palpable. Now, a joint effort between the forest service and local outdoor organizations is taking action to mitigate the damage, disperse pressure off the old standards and improve sustainability in the area.

Much of the trail hugs exposed edges

One of the first of the new breed of routes to be completed is the Big Bang Trail.

Creeping barberry blooms April - June

The 4.4-mile singletrack is outstanding not only for its smart design but also for its panoramic vistas, oscillating levels of difficulty and variety of terrain.  The serpentine path climbs over 1,200 feet along the natural contours of the Dry Lake Hills northeast of 9,299-foot Mount Elden.  

Mount Elden seen from Big Bang Trail

The trail may be accessed from the Schultz Creek trailhead by following the Rocky Ridge Trail (also part of the Arizona National Scenic Trail)  0.2-mile to the signed junction. The first mile takes it easy, twisting among Ponderosa pines, alligator junipers and oaks with glimpses of 8,578-foot Wing Mountain standing out to the west.  Spots of damage from the 2010 Schultz Fire and the 2022 Pipeline Fire are evident along the way as are slash piles and other signs of restoration efforts.

Boulders line a section of the Big Bang Trail

Where the route makes a northeast bend, views of the San Francisco Peaks  that soar to over 12,000 feet, break through the cover of a mixed-conifer forest. Right about where the mountains views show up, the trail becomes moderate in difficulty, dodging boulders with hairpin turns.

Fendler rose scent the trail June - August

 Next, the route takes on a more aggressive, edgy ascent along stony cliffs with steep drop offs overlooking Flagstaff.  As the coniferous forest thins and gradually morphs into a drier, more exposed mountain clime. Views of 10,428-foot Kendrick Peak pop out on the northwest horizon and Sedona’s 7,122-foot Wilson Mountain can be seen to the south.  

Flagstaff visible below the Big Bang Trail

Right around where it meets the 8,000-foot point, the trail bends north among sun-loving cliff-rose shrubs, yucca, and scrub oak, hitting its highest point and concluding the major climbing before winding through woodlands and meadows to its terminus at the Brookbank Trail.  

Big Bang spins off the Rocky Ridge Trail

If the Big Bang Trail is any indication of what’s in store for MEDL as trail realignments, and more connectivity roll out, hikers, bikers and equestrians can look forward to a greatly improved recreational experience. And if trail users heed the slap and stick to designated trails instead of disrupting natural resources, this environmentally-sound system will last for generations.

Mixed conifir forests frame the San Francisco Peaks

LENGTH: 9.2 miles roundtrip/out-and-back

RATING: moderate-difficult

ELEVATION: 7,147 – 8,404 feet

GETTING THERE:

Schultz Pass Trailhead:

In Flagstaff, go 3 miles north on U.S. 180 (Humphreys Street) and turn right on to Schultz Pass Road (Forest Road 420). Continue 0.5-mile on FR 420 and make a hard left at the Elden Look Road (Forest Road 577) and go another half-mile to the  parking area on the right.

There are no fees or facilities at the trailhead.

2023 ROAD CLOSURES:

During 2023, the Schultz Creek restoration project, which will mitigate damage to the Schultz Creek watershed caused by the 2022 Pipeline Fire, will result in temporary road and trail closures in the area. During construction, Schultz Pass Road beyond the Coconino National Forest boundary will be closed to motorized vehicles, but will remain open to hikers, bikers and equestrians. There’s limited parking at the forest boundary located a few yards south of the Schultz Creek trailhead, and more parking at the “Schultz Y” at the corner of Schultz Pass Road and Elden Lookout Road.  Phase 1 will begin on May 22 and run through June. Phase 2 will happen in late 2023.

FOR NEWS & UPDATES:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1106239

Schultz Creek Trail

SCHULTZ CREEK TRAIL

Aspens thrive on the upper reaches of Schultz Creek Trail

Slung between he edge-hugging dirt track of Schultz Pass Road and the sheer foothills below Mount Elden, Schultz Creek Trail rolls out like an emerald half-pipe.  Because of its fluid, north-south track, hairpin turns and mild jumps, the historic route in the Mount Elden-Dry Lakes Hills area just a few miles north of downtown Flagstaff is a magnet mountain bikers and hikers who don’t mind sharing the path with swooping wheeled traffic.

Mixed-conifer woodlands dominate much of the hike

The pine-cloistered trail clings to ledges above numerous drainages and the course of Schultz Creek.  The U-shaped space through which the trail runs is short on mountain views but long on woodland diversity.

The route shares space with the Arizona Trail

Throughout the hike, slash piles—pyramids of cut logs and brush--are stacked neatly off to the side.  The piles are part of the ongoing Midway portion of the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project, a joint effort of state, city, and Coconino National Forest teams to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and post-fire flooding through treatments such as tree thinning and fuels reduction.

Views are spare in the "emerald half pipe."

Arizona gilia bloom May - September

Forest service contractors will be using heavy equipment to move the slash around Schultz Pass now through March 2022. Trail users should exercise caution and steer clear of oversized trucks around the Sunset trailhead and surrounding forest roads.  Parking at the south trailhead or overflow lot will be the smart move for the next few months.

Aspen fleabane color the trail July - October

The trail ducks among deep woods & aspen glens

Schultz Creek trail presents a constant but moderate climb that begins in Ponderosa pine forests that gradually merge with fir and spruce as the path approaches its higher elevations. 

A slash pile (center right) awaits removal

The first 2.9-mile slice of the route is also part of the Arizona National Scenic Trail Passage 34, one of the most beautiful and popular sections of the 800+-mile, state-traversing path. 

Yellow columbine bloom April - September

Right about where the Arizona Trail spins off to the left, aspen trees commandeer the landscape.  A break in the deep-woods shade that dominated much of the hike up to this point allows plenty of sun into the steep-walled ravine where the white-barked alpine trees thrive in moist meadows. 

Goldenrod is a common alpine summer bloomer

The final 1.5 miles to the north terminus at the Sunset trailhead stay close to Schultz Pass Road and the course of the creek. 

A monsoon storm brews over the Arizona Trail

Paralleling the seepy, swampy, willow-cluttered creek, the trail passes among colorful wildflowers fields and brambles before meeting the Schultz Loop trail, an optional mile-long detour that lands hikers near Schultz Tank where numerous routes link with the Fort Valley trail system, Kachina Peaks Wilderness and more Dry Lakes Hills paths.

Willows & brambles grow around Schultz Creek

LENGTH: 4.3 miles one way

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 7,200 – 8,080 feet

GETTING THERE:

South trailhead & overflow parking:

In Flagstaff, go 3 miles north on U.S. 180 and turn right onto Schultz Pass Road (Forest Road 420).  Continue for a half mile then make a hard left at the FR 557 junction to stay on FR 420 and go another half mile to the Schultz Creek trailhead.  There’s additional parking at the FR420/557 junction.

North trailhead:

From the Schultz Creek trailhead turnoff, continue another 4.9 miles on FR 420 to the Sunset trailhead.

INFO:

Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55172

Arizona Trail

https://aztrail.org/explore/passages/passage-34-san-francisco-peaks/

Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project

https://flagstaffwatershedprotection.org/