Stewart Ridge

 STEWART RIDGE

View of Mazatzal Mountains from Stewart Ridge

The Stewart Ridge Trail has been around for ages, existing as a gray zone social trail.

Summit on Stewart Ridge

For years the popular route was neither sanctioned nor actively blockaded by the forest service.

North Peak--center horizon

Mogollon Rim vista

But as part of a major trail enhancement push in the Payson-Pine-Strawberry area, Stewart Ridge has finally gained legal status.

Yuccas on Stewart Ridge

The trail is located in Tonto National Forest and had been adopted into the Payson Area Trails System (PATS).

Hike starts on the Over the Top Trail

While it’s just under a mile in length, Stewart Ridge delivers generous doses of both physical exertion and scenic beauty. 

A herd of elk on Stewart Ridge

From the Mud Springs Trailhead not far from downtown Payson, the hike begins with a short walk over slick rock and tree-lined edges on the newly adopted Over The Top Trail.

Trail on Stewart Ridge

At the 0.3-mile point, a sign post marks the turn off for Stewart Ridge.

Edgy section on the ridge

Right from the start, the trail heads uphill over a rocky single track.

Stewart Ridge junction

There are a few segments of level path, but it’s mostly a steady, not-too-difficult climb.

summit

Once out of the lower elevation tree cover, the ridge is open to the sky with views of the Mogollon Rim on one side and the Mazatzal Mountains on the other. 

Near the high point of the trail

Rife with cactus, yucca, agaves and sporadic junipers and firs, the trail moves among boulders and waist-high grasses before taking on the final push to a small summit at trail’s end. 

Summit mound ahead

The rock cluttered mound reveals breathtaking 360-degree vistas of national forest, wilderness, distant mountain peaks and pine-shaded residential neighborhoods.

Overlooking Payson

 

To extend the hike, just descend and pick up the mile-long Over The Top trail which tethers to the recently unveiled maze of loops and connectors in the Boulders Area Trail System. 

Mud Springs trailhead

LENGTH: 2 miles round trip (out-and-back hike)

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 4,758 - 5,433 feet (1,284 feet of accumulated elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

MUD SPRINGS TRAILHEAD:

From State Route 87 (aka Main Street)  in Payson, go 1 mile east on E. Phoenix Street and turn right on Gibson Court.  Continue a short distance to the trailhead on the left.  There’s limited street side parking in the residential area.  Mind the private property. 

Billy Goat Trail

BILLY GOAT TRAIL

View of the Mogollon Rim and Monument Peak

The Town of Payson has long been an exceptional hiking destination.

Billy Goat Trail

Its location at the base of the Mogollon Rim where the Tonto and Coconino National Forests merge and offer a variety of hiking environments from high-desert to tall pines which makes it perfect for year-round outdoor recreation. 

New signs in the Boulders Area Trail System

Payson is also an Arizona National Scenic Trail Gateway Community, solidifying its status as a hike epicenter. While the old standards around town—the Highline National Recreation Trail, Houston Loop, Horton Creek, and the Payson Area Trails System (PATS) are perennial Rim Country favorites, new trail development and maintenance had stagnated over the past few years.

Antelope Sage blooms July - October

That’s all changing now as the Payson-Pine-Strawberry corridor is about to explode with exciting new non-motorized routes. 

Boulder passages throughout the hike

The big push includes 15 miles of new and improved trails in the Granite Dells area, a 15-mile Pine-to-Payson connector, a 20-mile expansion on Houston Mesa as well as other plans still in the works. Additionally, the Town of Payson and Tonto National Forest, Payson Ranger District will address issues of limited neighborhood access and parking quagmires with two new trailheads off Granite Dells Road. 

Cypress trees and manzanita line the trail

A few trails in this ambitious multi-year project have already rolled out starting with the adoption of two former social trails in the Granite Dells (aka, the Boulders) area south of downtown Payson. 

Granite Dells from Billy Goat Trail

Boulders Area Trail System (BATS) is taking shape with the official legalization of  the old “200” and “300” social trails and 6 miles of new non-motorized trails underway. 

Monsoon over the Rim

Now dubbed “Billy Goat” and “Bootleg” respectively, the user-created tracks in Tonto National Forest have been buffed up, trimmed and outfitted with signs at all junctions and folded into the Payson Area Trail System (PATS).

A footbridge spans a drainage on Billy Goat

Picking this low hanging fruit was a no-brainer because, well, trying to eradicate social trails is rather like bringing a butter knife to a gunfight and also, the trails are amazing. 

Foxtail dalea bloom June - October 

Hiking or riding the re-worked Billy Goat Trail is a great way to get a sense of what’s to come. 

A tight squeeze on the Billy Goat Trail

Beginning with a short walk on the legacy Cypress Trail, Billy Goat spirals off heading uphill over vast slabs of granite. 

Mogollon Rim and Monument Peak

Forests of cypress, oaks, firs and pines soar over tangles of manzanita yucca and agaves as the trail works it way to high-point vistas with never-ending view of the Mogollon Rim, Monument Peak and the surrounding dells.

Epic vistas all around

At the Bootleg junction, the trail begins its downhill sweep, jogging among gigantic boulders and slick rock passages. It’s truly a gem that’s earned its legal status. 

Trailhead kiosk

“Adventure Where We Live” is Payson’s slogan, and while that’s always been an apt descriptor, the town’s next chapter is a super-charged venture that ties into legacy routes, builds connectivity for long distance treks and adds inviting new paths for outdoor enthusiasts of all ilks and abilities. 

trailhead

LENGTH: 3.1-miles 

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 4,722-5,001 feet

GETTING THERE:

CYPRESS TRAILHEAD:

From State Route 87 in Payson, go 2 miles east (right at the intersection) on East Phoenix Street to where the road ends at a turnaround.  Park on the curbs and observe all no parking areas. Hike begins at Phoenix Street Trail Access sign. 

KEEP UP WITH THE PROGRESS:

https://adventurepayson.com/

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 experience 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 to appreciate the stark appeal 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.  Forest roads on Anderson Mesa close in winter---check before going.