Posts
SANDY SEEP TRAIL
Flagstaff
 |
| Fire scars visible on the ridge |
This easy trail at the base of Elden Mountain rarely makes
it onto the typical hiker's bucket list.
Widely regarded as a "connector" route for some of Flagstaff's
more iconic trails (Fat Mans Loop, Little Elden, Arizona Trail) trekkers plow
through this repurposed Jeep road like rockets on their way to the moon. Although power hiking is valid use of
public lands, there's also much to be gained by embarking on pensive sightseeing
walks. This style of hiking embraces the details of otherwise "throw
away" trails making them journeys to savor rather than tedious means to an
end. And, there's a lot to see on
Sandy Seep trail. Here's a sample
of how to savor the details:
Hug a Yellow belly. Ponderosa
pines that are at least 150 years old develop scaly yellowish bark with aromas
similar to butterscotch, vanilla, cherry-almond and other sweet
confections---take whiff!
Brush up on your geology. Bring a guidebook and learn to identify volcanic rocks like pumice,
basalt, and obsidian.
Stop and smell the cliff-rose. The dominant flowering shrub on the trail blooms from
April through September.
Survey Fire scars:
Witness how the landscape is recovering from both the 1977 Radio Fire and 2010
Schultz Fire. The scars are visible on the high slopes to the west of the
trail.
Sing with Stellars jays. These vociferous,
electric blue birds sport pronounced feathered head crests and are easy to spot
rustling about in the pines.
See the "seep". Located about 0.5 mile past the Little Elden/Christmas Tree junction (go
right) a
water-hogging depression feeds a tiny green cienega.
Hound for horned lizards. They're talented at hiding in plain sight, so be wary of stepping on
one. Look for them near their food source--anthills.
 |
| Horned lizard |
LENGTH: 6 miles roundtrip
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 6900' - 7300'
GETTING THERE:
Sandy Seep trailhead:
From Phoenix, travel north on I17 to the I40 interchange in
Flagstaff. Head east on I40 to
exit 201 for US89 north. Drive
north on US89 to milepost 421 (0.5 mile north of Townsend-Winona Road) and turn left onto FR 9139 and drive
0.1 mile to the trailhead.
INFO:
 |
| Yellow belly Ponderosa pine |
Flagstaff Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, 928-526-0866
MORE PHOTOS:
