Boot Lake

BOOT LAKE

Boot Lake

The churning winds on Anderson Mesa smack you in the face, hitting with a force somewhere between a snap-out-of-it whack and a full on bitch slap.

Anderson Draw

But if getting your attention this way while on the sprawling grasslands of Northern Arizona is something you require; it’s time to reexamine your priorities. 

Woolly Paintbrush blooms March - August

Sure, at first glance, the high elevation flatlands of Coconino National Forest don’t look like there’s much to see.

San Francisco Peaks over Boot Lake

Largely treeless and without any obvious redeeming features, it would be easy to write the place off as a hiking destination not worthy of snapping into. That would be a mistake. 

Entry gate at Boot Lake

Located 25 miles southeast of Flagstaff, Anderson Mesa is a 25-mile-long landmass that’s dotted with coniferous forests, pinyon-juniper woodlands and large swaths of grasslands. 

Geyer's onion bloom June - August

The mesa is also home to the Plateau Lakes Region—a smattering of ephemeral ponds and wetlands east of Mormon Lake. 

Storms build quickly over Anderson Mesa

The dozens of shallow sinkholes fill with water during snowmelt season and periods of precipitation, but mostly, they are soggy wetlands and riparian habitats suitable for hiking and wildlife viewing.

Gate on FR 9485E

And the more remote, off-the-main-drag they are, the more interesting they become—-especially for those willing to wake up and appreciate the subtle beauty hiding in plain sight. Boot Lake, a Plateau Lake that exhales a sense of discovery, allure and solitude is a perfect destination to learn appreciation for the stark beauty of Anderson Mesa.

White Prairie Aster blooms August - October

Sitting between Ashurst and Kinnikinick Lakes, which almost always have water deep enough for recreational fishing and boating, Boot Lake measures its moisture in inches at best. 

FR 9485E meets Boot Lake

But even without water, a hike to Boot Lake is a remarkable trip through the region.  The hike follows Forest Road 9485E, a dirt two track that winds through the Anderson Mesa Wildlife Protection Area. 

Approach to Anderson Draw

The road is usually open to motorized travel but is closed to all but foot travel between April 15 and June 26 annually for wildlife habitat protection. 

Pinyon pine along the road

From the trailhead on FR 125, the road dives into a shadeless expanse of grassland with pops of wildflower color.  The silhouettes of the San Francisco Peaks, Mormon Mountain and nearby Pine Hill line the horizons. 

A small wetland along the road

Fraught with mountain-borne winds and open to the sky, the road meets a rustic gate at the 0.7-mile point. Beyond the gate (close all gates behind you), stands of junipers and pinyon pines start to populate the flatlands. 

Wheeler Thistle blooms June - October

At the 1-mile point, FR 9116Q (unsigned) veers off to the left. The short road leads to Dry Lake Tank—-dry as advertised. The hike continues north on FR 9485E, soon dipping into the forested course of Anderson Draw where vegetation thrives in residual waters settled into the shallow, rock-lined gorge.

Forest Road 9485E on Anderson Mesa

Late summer brings a plethora of water-loving plants to the draw. Look for Geyer’s onion, White Prairie Aster, Poison Milkweed and Redroot Buckwheat growing in the rich soil.

Just beyond the draw, Forest Road 9484F spins off to the right for an optional mile-long side trip to Unit East Tank—another hit-or-miss water hole. 

Redroot Buckwheat blooms June - October

As FR9485E bends northwest, it passes an unnamed wetland enveloped in the most shade found on the hike. Pinyon pines, junipers and the occasional Ponderosa pine provide moments of welcome cover. But not for long. At 2.7-miles, the road meets the margins of Boot Lake.

Pine Mountain on the horizon

Enclosed in barbed wire for wildlife habitat protection, the elongated depression is banked by walls of volcanic boulders and tree-encrusted ridges. It’s a gorgeous place. 

Broom Snakeweed blooms June - December

Quiet, and only lightly visited by hunters in season, the green riparian site attracts all sorts of native birds, elk, deer and the mesa’s iconic hoofed herbivores—-pronghorn.

Poison Milkweed blooms May - September

Mormon Mountain in distance

A chain of earthen berms at the lake’s west end collectively known as Boot Lake Tank, warrant an exploratory side trip before doubling back in time to avoid the summer afternoon storms that come in on the wind in break neck speed over the mesa’s exposed terrain.

Trailhead on Forest Road 125

 

LENGTH: 6.4 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 7,075 - 7,128 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff, go 24.2 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Forest Road 125 on the left  past milepost 320.  Follow FR 125 for 6 miles to Forest Road 9485E located on the left at a cattle guard and fence line. The signs for FR9485E are down and faded. Park in the dirt turnouts. Access roads are maintained dirt suitable for most vehicles.  

Walker Lake Rim

WALKER LAKE RIM

View from the rim of Walker Lake cinder cone

Maybe it’s a lingering mood in the ether that hints at an acrid, nose-tingling whiff of molten earth or the smattering of solidified lava blobs that surround its rim that makes hiking Walker Lake such a visceral experience.

Walker Lake on August 5, 2026

Sitting near the core of the San Francisco Volcanic field, the extinct cinder cone volcano is referred to as Walker Lake because of the ephemeral water that collects within its crater.

Kendrick Mountain seen from Walker Lake

The San Francisco Volcanic Field is spread over an 1,800 square mile slice of the Colorado Plateau centered around the city of Flagstaff. 

Parry Bellflower blooms June - September

It has been a geologically active area for millions of years and has produced over 600 volcanic features over the landscape.

View from the east rim

Basically, every observable mountain and hill around Flagstaff is of volcanic origins.

Overlooking a volcanic landscape

The last volcanic event that happened about 900 years ago formed Sunset Crater and its adjacent lava flows.

The rim loop trail

Walker Lake isn’t the biggest or most spectacular volcano in the mix, but what catapults it from a one-in-600 minor lump on the landscape to one-in-a-million hiking destination is its serendipitous location. Imagined or not, the scorched-earth visceral feel of the short trail that circles Walker Lake captivates the imagination and drives the narrative of walking on the eroded rim of a cinder cone. 

Aspen sunflowers bloom July - October

The trail is an excellent platform for viewing several types of geological features that rise out of the sprawling plateau highlands of Northern Arizona. 

Primitive footpath to Walker Lake

The trek into this volcanic world begins on a closed road that brushes past an aspen protection area where wire fencing shields the iconic mountain trees from browsing animals so they have a chance to mature. 

Aspen exclosure area 

At the 0.3-mile point, the hike continues behind a large sign that reminds that motorized travel is prohibited in the area.

Lake viewed from the south rim

A short uphill walk on the wide road ends at a 3-way junction and the beginning of the rim loop hike. The trail becomes a slender path as it crawls up over the crater’s south brim.

Humphreys Peak seen from the crater's south rim

Soon, the massive profile of San Francisco Mountain and 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak— a stratovolcanoes that had at one time soared to over 16,000 feet— comes into view. 

Torrey's crag lily blooms in August

The lava domes of the Hochderffer Hills (9,152 feet) and the White Horse Hills cinder cones (9,065 feet) lap around its base.

Looking north from the crater

At several points, first glimpses of the internal crater lake peek through tall pines and a jagged lip of basalt. The trail swings eastward to emerge on the rim’s high point where amazing vistas fill the view frame. 

Arizona pea blooms May - October

Rangeland below is dotted with homesteads, pine glens, stock tanks and the faint scribble of the Arizona National Scenic Trail that skims the mountain 400 feet below. 

Beginning of the uphill hike

Through breaks in the fringe of Douglas firs and Ponderosa pines, views stretch all the way to the Painted Desert. As the trail moves north, 10,418-foot Kendrick Mountain looms large.

Far-reaching vistas

This hill that’s popular with hikers is a complex mix of lava domes and lava flows that built up over millions of years. Farther out, the lumpy profile of 8,215-foot Slate Mountain sits on a hazy horizon.  Interestingly, there’s no slate on Slate Mountain. 

Common silverweed blooms May - August

The complex lava dome volcano is a conglomerate of metamorphic rhyolite, sediments and magma flows. Also on show is 8,864-foot Saddle Mountain another hill of volcanic origins with a hikable road to its summit.

The 3-way junction

The rim loop trail then descends on slippery, rocky tread, landing back at the 3-way junction.  To visit the crater lake up close, follow the middle road and primitive footpaths into the bowl-like depression. Ringed with conifers and fields of wildflowers, the “lake” vacillates from soggy bog to substantial ponds depending on snow melt and monsoon rains.  Let it sink in that you’re standing inside a volcano that in the not-so-distant past (in geological terms—a blip) was a fiery fount of lava and molten ejecta.  And, the fireworks ain’t over yet. The San Francisco Volcanic Field is still active which means more eruptions will almost certainly occur in the future.  Whether that happens next week or in a hundred years, the rim of Walker Lake will be an ideal place to observe the show. 

Hike begins on FR9007S

LENGTH: 3.3 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 8,109 - 8,502 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff, go 19 miles north on U.S.180 to Forest Road 151 (Hart Prairie Road) on the right just past milepost 235. Follow FR 151 1.6 miles to Forest Road 418. Continue 0.2-mile on FR418 to the second dirt road on the left which is Forest Road 9007S. FR9007S IS CLOSED TO ALL MOTORIZED USE but foot and horse travel is permitted. There’s limited parking at a turnout at FR9007S—maybe room for 2-3 vehicles as well as additional parking along FR418.  Be respectful of private property in the area and don’t block access roads or driveways.

HIKE DIRECTIONS:

From the FR418/9007S parking spot:

• Hike 0.2 mile to a fork 
• Veer right at the fork onto FR 9004S
• Follow FR9004S 0.1 mile to a large road closed sign
• Hike 0.3 mile up the road behind the sign (still 9004S, though not signed) to a 3-way junction which is the start of the rim loop trail
• Take the narrow single-track on the right which heads up to the crater rim. For reference, the wide central road heads down into the crater and the lake. The path that continues straight ahead is the return leg of the rim loop. 

Little Waters

LITTLE WATERS

Mint Tank

Puddles, ponds, catchments, springs, seeps, tanks. Sometimes they are spring-fed depressions or ravines that capture snowmelt and rainwater.

Meadow near Mint Spring

But in addition to these natural water sources, there are some 3,000 created wildlife waters spread across Arizona’s forests, deserts and grasslands.

Calliopsis bloom June - September

They can be concrete troughs, tubs or most often, small ponds contained by earthen dams that can horde drainage runoff or be filled manually by the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s “lifesaving water program”.

Blade Tank

It’s an expensive, labor-intensive program, but one that’s necessary for wildlife survival in our drought prone state. The waters may be shallow but their purpose runs deep.

Forest Road 124

Not unlike air conditioning, dams and fake lawns, the waters are survival mechanisms—-Arizona style.

Fendler Rose fruits

In addition to providing essential hydration, the waters are great places for hikers to observe wildlife. While many of the waters blend almost invisibly into the landscape, some are easily accessible by way of forest roads. 

Mountain view on FR 124

Take Forest Road 124 for example, where a cluster of waters strung out along its rough dirt track make for an exploratory hike.  The road is located a few miles south of Mormon Lake off Lake Mary Road in Coconino National Forest and has several stretches that are open for dispersed camping. 

Southeast Tank

For an easy wildlife-spotting day hike, begin at the junction of FR 124 and FR 124C which is right about there the road gets too dicy for vehicles without high-clearance.  From the junction, the road heads uphill revealing scant mountain vistas peeking through dense Ponderosa pines.

Wavyleaf thistle boom June - September

At the 0.8-mile point, a clearing that appears on the left spills into the grassy swale of Mint Spring and Mint Tank. It’s a beautiful spot surrounded by trees, Fendler roses and low-growing wildflowers. Flush with water plants, the tank is a magnet for birds—-mountain bluebirds, woodpeckers and ravens are easy to spot for patient hikers sitting quietly among the tree cover.  Just under a mile beyond Mint Tank, Forest Road 9488L veers off to the right. 

Mint Tank

This primitive road leads to Southeast Tank a few yards in. This one looks like an arrested drainage—small and narrow but evidently attractive to elk and coyotes based on footprints observed around its muddy fringe. The third water on the hike shows up at the 2.9-mile point, though it’s not so easy to spot. 

Wright's bluets bloom May - September

Blade Tank is on the left a few yards off the road. Only the well-hidden earthen dam betrays its location.  Little more than a puddle, it sits in a pine-ringed depression at the foot of a gully. Still, the beasts of the wild find it as evidenced by a scattering of bones, feathers and prints. For a day hike, this is a good turnaround point, though several adjacent closed roads that are open to foot travel beckon further exploration.

Mint Tank

For the best chance to see deer, elk, coyotes, raccoons and birds, find a camp spot the head out right at dawn to stake out a hiding place near the little waters.

Trailhead at FR124/124C

LENGTH: 5.85 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 7,370 - 7,644 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff go 28.5 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Forest Road 124 on the left just past milepost 315.  Follow FR 124 for 1 mile to Forest Road 124C and park in the turnouts.  Roads are paved up to FR124 which is maintained dirt suitable for most vehicles, but high clearance is recommended. 

Arizona Game & Fish Lifesaving Water 

https://www.azwildlifehero.com/programs/lifesaving-water/

Coconino National Forest Travel Map for motorized roads and dispersed camping:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r03/coconino/publication/2025-travel-map.pdf