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THOMPSON
TRAIL #629
Apache-Sitgreaves
National Forest
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| Parts of Thompson Trail survived the Wallow Fire |
Trails
with good bones have a way of reinventing themselves after a major
wildfire. When the 2011 Wallow Fire---the largest in Arizona
history-- roared through the woodlands around Mount Baldy and Big
Lake, the nearby Thompson Trail #629 suffered heavy damage that will
change its character as it recovers. Because of its good bones, the
classic White Mountains route that follows the West Fork of the Black
River still embodies everything great about high country trails—a
creek with native fish, moss-laced trees, clump grass meadows and
shadowy forests teeming with wildlife.
But the blaze altered its
feel. The fire impacted the trail in patchwork style leaving some
sections intact and others charred beyond recognition. The most
noticeable change is the loss of shade-casting fir and spruce trees
that had covered the canyon walls surrounding the stream. Where the fire
burned hardest, the trail is now sunnier than its former self,
allowing for the emergence of aspen trees that had been smothered by
the conifers. Colonies of white-bark aspen sprouts are quickly
claiming the space beneath blackened trunks and will eventually
mature to replace the former darkly imposing canopy with a mottled
sunshade.
In the six years since the fire, most of the ash and smoky
residues have washed away revealing a scared but healing landscape.
The hike begins at the mouth of a gorge where the river meanders in
oxbow curls. Within the first half-mile, two dams built as barriers
to protect the native Apache trout population form still ponds and
roaring waterfalls. Never straying far from the river’s edge, the
trail passes through survivor forests and moist cienegas where rock
piles and stepping stones mark the way through abundant shrubs, forbs
and wetland wildflowers like marsh marigolds and prairie smoke.
Interesting geology is another key feature of the
hike---watch for an impressive volcanic dike on the west cliffs and
tufts of red columbine growing from pock holes on basalt boulders.
The trail ends where the 2.5-mile West Fork of the Black River Trail
#628 begins with a knee-deep creek crossing. However, if you’d like
to keep your feet dry, just turn back here and enjoy the trek in
reverse.
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| West Fork of the Black River flows along the trail |
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| Marsh marigold |
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| Prairie Smoke |
LENGTH:
6.5 miles roundtrip
RATING:
moderate
ELEVATION:
8600’ – 8840’
GETTING
THERE:
From
Show Low, go 35 miles east on State Route 260 to State Route 273,
just past milepost 377 and signed for Sunrise Ski Area.Turn right and continue 14 miles to Forest
Road 116 (signed for Reservation Lake), turn right and go 4 miles to
the trailhead on the right. Roads are paved except for Forest Road
116 which is sedan-friendly gravel.
INFO:
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
