PIVOT ROCK
CANYON & WILDCAT SPRING
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| Iconic Pivot Rock is the hike's keystone. |
Lodged between
the epic wilderness areas of West Clear Creek and Fossil Creek, the woodlands
around Pivot Rock Canyon provide a quiet transition between the two recreational
juggernauts. Although it lacks the deep
gorges, waterfalls and hiking challenge of its surrounding destinations, the
unassuming little space on the Mogollon Rim holds fascinations of its own.
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| Limestone slabs in Pivot Rock Canyon |
Easily accessible off State Route 87 just
south of the community of Clints Well, the area can be explored using a
1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps campsite as a base.
From the
no-frills dirt clearing, two short treks with distinct flavors head out in
opposite directions.
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| Butterflies congregate near the springs. |
The woodsy,
informal routes located just outside of the wilderness boundaries use abandoned
roads and footpaths to explore an array of human artifacts and bizarre geology.
Often eclipsed
by the epic, vertigo-inducing trails that scale the raw and remote cliffs of
WCC (Tramway, Maxwell, Calloway) that are accessible only via tire-eating dirt
roads, the Pivot Rock Canyon and Wildcat Spring trails emanates a softer
character than their untamed, wilderness cousins.
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| Remains of a backwoods cabin. |
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| Payson Packers maneuver through a fern gully. |
The
double-header circuit begins across the road from the campground at a “road
closed” barrier with a walk to Wildcat Spring. Pass through the gate and follow the
faint two-track, veering right (downhill) where the road splits. The road soon
narrows to a footpath as it enters a shallow canyon meandering along the edge
of an ephemeral stream. The sketchy trail
weaves among brambles, hip-high ferns damp forests and sunlit meadows. Several
spur paths and game trails spin off the main route, but the best plan is to follow
the paths-of-use on the canyon floor. At
1.4 miles, the canyon converges to a point with evidence of runoff funneling
down into the stream channel. Wildcat Spring is located up on the east wall of
the canyon. A short scramble up to the defunct concrete trough reveals rusty
pipes and a crudely-poured square tub holding more pine needles than water.
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| Wildcat Spring is usually bone dry. |
On the flip
side, the Pivot Rock Canyon hike is a little more convoluted. Begin hiking on
the road at the end of the campground. At the 0.6-mile point, pick up an unsigned
footpath on the right heading downhill to a creek channel. (For reference,
there’s a small dirt clearing with a fire ring.)
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| Members of the Payson Packers hike group trek the roads. |
Hop down the limestone slab
staircase, head right and follow the obvious paths that crisscross the drainage
smothered in pine-oak woodlands and aspen-shaded clearings. The paths move through a narrow corridor bolstered
by outcroppings of layered fossiliferous limestone that harbor water pockets,
impressive overhangs and shallow caves. Roughly a half-mile into the canyon,
keep an eye out for the eponymous rock formation on the upper left embankment. The
easy-to-miss, natural limestone sculpture known as Pivot Rock hides in plain
sight above the ravine. Its massive foundation
supports a balancing capstone posed like an abandoned project on a potter’s
wheel. A frenzy of wild grasses and tree
sprouts have taken root in its porous, flaky surfaces. Nearby, a toppled pine
tree lies shattered at its base, a near-miss that could have crushed or sent
the monolith over the edge.
Once done
visiting the rock, continue hiking the faint path that winds among gooseberry bushes,
brambles and gigantic ferns to a point where tiny pools lush with White
Watercress, Yellow Monkey flowers and swarms of butterflies and moths herald
the approach to Pivot Rock Spring.
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| An Orange Gooseberry thicket. |
Even
in our current extreme drought conditions, a trickle of water still flows from
the spring’s location high on the canyon wall. Icy air and a glaze of sweet water oozes from the spring's cave-like source.
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| Pivot Rock Spring spews cool air and a trickle of moisture. |
From the spring,
backtrack to the access road and continue hiking the two-track north. Along the
way, off to the left, a decaying pile of rough-hewn logs is all that remains of
a backwoods cabin.
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| White Watercress thrives near Pivot Rock Spring. |
This is a favorite
turnaround point for an easy day hike, however, it’s possible create your own circuit
using the area’s maze of dirt roads and the Coconino National Forest road map for
guidance.
LENGTH:
Pivot Rock: 3
miles roundtrip or up to 6 miles using linking forest roads.
Wildcat Spring:
2. 8 miles roundtrip
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 6780
– 7100 feet
GETTING THERE:
From the State Route 260/87 junction in Payson, go 32
miles north on SR 87 to Forest Road 616, which is located past milepost 284 on
the left. Follow FR 616 for 3.3 miles to an unsigned campground downhill on the
right.
The Pivot Rock trail begins on the road at the end of the
campground. The Wildcat Spring hike
begins across from the campground at a closed gate.
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| Limestone escarpments in Pivot Rock Canyon |
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