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Spotted these aspens across from the Horse Trap trailhead near Willow Springs Lake today--AZ260 between milepost 284-285.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Fall Color Report: Sept. 21, 2013
MOGOLLON RIM: 9-21-2013
Spotted these aspens across from the Horse Trap trailhead near Willow Springs Lake today--AZ260 between milepost 284-285.
Spotted these aspens across from the Horse Trap trailhead near Willow Springs Lake today--AZ260 between milepost 284-285.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Celebrate National Public Lands Day
NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY 2013
Saturday, September 28
 |
| Honanki Heritage site, Sedona |
Celebrate the 20th
anniversary of National Public Lands Day---the largest single day of
volunteer work in the nation-- by participating in one of the 28
events going on in Arizona. Choose from Verde River Days at Dead
Horse Ranch SP, trail maintenance, clean up at South Mountain Park
and the public release of California condors at Vermillion Cliffs. So
whether your prefer to get your hands dirty or simply take a stroll,
check out the NPLD website for a list of AZ events. Also, it's a
fee-free day at National Parks, State Parks and the Red Rock
Pass normally required for Sedona area venues (like Palatki and Honanki
Heritage sites) will also be waived.
Arizona State Parks
WHAT TO DO AT AZ STATE PARKS IN OCTOBER
Did
you know that during the Great Recession, volunteers came to the
rescue to save our state parks? All those wonderful trails and
campgrounds are open, clean and ready for your next outdoor
adventure. So how about showing some appreciation by visiting a park
this month. Don't know where to start? Just pick up the OCTOBER issue of PHOENIX magazine and check out my article (Great Escapes, pg 56) for recreational suggestions, special October events in the parks and
also how you can get involved. And, oh yeah, you can eat that 4000-calorie breakfast on the cover if you go hiking later.
ON
SALE NOW
Here’s
where you can find PHOENIX magazine:
Safeway, Fry’s Marketplace, Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club,
Sunflower Markets, Sprouts, Borders, Barnes & Noble, CVS,
Walgreens, Sky Harbor Airport, Albertson’s, Fresh & Easy,
Lowe’s, Home Depot, Target, Whole Foods, Basha’s, A.J.’s, La
Grande Orange, The Kitchen, Area hospital gift shops WEB
SITE: http://www.phoenixmag.com/ ORDER BY PHONE: 480-664-3960
Thursday, September 19, 2013
National Forest 2013 Fall Color Hotline is now active
2013 FOREST SERVICE FALL COLOR
HOTLINE IS NOW OPEN
 |
| Barbershop Trail, (1st week in October) Mogollon Rim |
And, we're off! Fall color hiking season is now underway and the hotline is up and running. The first report for region 3 (southwest ) states that there is no color yet in Arizona. Coconino National Forest reports that peak color is expected to happen during the first 2 weeks of October. Keep in mind, that "peak" is just that---the hump. So, look for foliage in the higher elevations beginning in the last week of September.
 |
| Wilson Meadow (1st week in October), Flagstaff |
Coconino National Forest
weekly updates:
USDA R3 weekly updates:
1-800-354-4595
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Sinagua equinox event
V-Bar-V Heritage Site Fall Equinox Hike & Presentation
Ancient peoples of the Verde Valley were consumate
astronomers who left a treasure trove of solar calendars and other etchings in
the russet sandstone around Beaver Creek.
This Sunday, researcher and author Ken Zoll will be speaking on the
petroglyphs of V Bar V and hosting the autumnal equinox LIVE as it passes over one of the site's Sinagua sunwatchers. This is a rare opportunity to see both
earth science and archeological research in action. The hike is an easy 1 mile roundtrip.
WHEN: Sunday
Sept 22, 2013
TIME: 1 p.m.
FEE: $5 per vehicle or valid Red Rock of Federal Interagency
Pass
GETTING THERE:
Take I17 north to the Sedona exit 198, turn right and go 2.8
miles on FR618 to the site.
INFO:
Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest,
928-203-2900
http://www.redrockcountry.org/recreation/cultural/v-bar-v.shtml
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Equinox excursion with fall color
PRIEST DRAW & HOWARD DRAW
Flagstaff
As the annual autumn equinox (Sept 22) brings the promise of
cooler temperatures in the Valley, it also heralds in a brief season of hybrid summer-fall
hiking in Arizona's higher elevations.
During the final week of September, high country trees break
with whispers of a warm autumnal palette above meadows awash in a slurry of
hanger-on summer blooms and past-prime grasses. This glorious dichotomy of
balmy sun and biting breezes serves up perfect trekking with a side of
camera-ready photo opportunities.
An interesting area to explore this subdivision of hiking nirvana is Priest and Howard Draws. Although it's pretty
much an off-the-radar kind of place for hiking, the wildly contoured limestone walls of these side-by-side shallow canyons are major "draws" for the sport of
bouldering. Complementing the
surrounding vegetation, a bank of caves, roofs, tunnels and pocked-and-cracked
walls result in unmitigated visual overdose. Add to that the hordes of mat-packing climbers hanging
upside down and scaling the rock superfly style, and you've got a hike of
extraordinary interest. The draws delve through woods and fields for roughly 1.5 miles to a point where the
cliffs disappear. Here, footpaths
continue on sans the manic mix of geology, athleticism and natural elements on
a seasonal cusp.
 |
| Late September color in Howard Draw |
LENGTH: 3 miles roundtrip
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 6,900' - 6650'
GETTING THERE:
From Phoenix, travel north on I17 to Lake Mary Road exit
339, which is south of the I40 interchange just before entering Flagstaff. Turn right, and at the bottom of the
off ramp, turn right again.
Continue 5.4 miles south on Lake Mary Road (FR3) to Crimson Road---this
is on the right hand side of the road just past the Canyon Vista Campground
turnoff. Turn right on Crimson and
then make an immediate left onto CR 132.
MORE PHOTOS:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3149979527160.102024.1795269672&type=1&l=0d98653800
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