ROGERS TRAIL

ROGERS TRAIL

Rogers Lake Natural Area

Southwest of Flagstaff, two recreation areas with divergent personalities are now linked.  The recently completed 5.4-mile Rogers Trail tethers the event-centric, party atmosphere of Fort Tuthill County Park with the subdued wilds of Rogers Lake Natural Area.

Switchbacks on Rogers Trail

The non-motorized, flowy trail that straddles the open space between the two Coconino County properties has several access points and many opportunities to create short day hikes, long loops or car shuttle excursions. 

A bee harvests nectar from Butter and Eggs

One convenient out-and-back circuit begins at a trailhead on Forest Road 532.  From the roomy dirt parking lot, pick up the Flagstaff Loop Trail heading west and follow it 0.9-mile to the beginning of Rogers Trail.  Roughly paralleling Woody Mountain Road, the meandering, single track holds steady at around 7100 feet, sweeping easily through wildflower meadows, and shady glens. 

The San Francisco Peaks seen from Rogers Trail

Watch for swarms of butterflies and bees drawing nectar from Butter and Eggs, New Mexican vervain and field bindweed blooms.  After passing by the Arboretum at Flagstaff, where there’s a short access path, the trail turns southwest heading toward the pine-smothered mound of 8045-foot Woody Mountain.  Near the four-mile point, a set of syrupy switchbacks take on the southeast flanks of the mountain. The smartly constructed trail eliminates much of the huff-and-puff of the 600-foot ascent. (I ran into several volunteer forest service workers who were improving drainages on this section.  It’s important that trail users don’t cut switchbacks because doing so will cause the path to degrade and create dangerous conditions.) 

Gambel oaks are common along the trail

The uphill segment winds through thick stands of Gambel oak, New Mexican Locust and Ponderosa pines.  Even with the dense tree cover, glimpses of the San Francisco Peaks can be seen through breaks in the foliage. Trailside basalt boulders, an understory of pine cones and clumpy grasses plus the rustlings of ravens, hawks and mountain blue birds in the canopies complement the trail’s pleasant, away-from-it-all feel.  The route levels out as it approaches its high point at the natural area border. 

New Mexican Vervain attracts pollinators

Continue hiking past the boundary to enjoy vistas of Rogers Lake rolling out 400 feet below.  The sprawling, high-elevation wetland is an important refuge for wildlife and native plant species and it’s common to sight pronghorn and elk skulking around the fringes and domestic cattle converging around puddles.

Acres of pinecones 

At the 6.1-mile point, a metal post marks the spot where Rogers Trail connects with the natural area system. Two Spot Trail heads off to the left while Gold Digger Trail takes the right fork.  For a satisfying 12-mile roundtrip day hike, turn around here.

View of Rogers Lake from the trail's high point

Otherwise, go either way at the junction for a two-mile downhill trek to viewing decks at the edge of the lake.

LENGTH: 5.4 miles one-way (6.1 miles one-way as described here)

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:  7030 – 7680 feet

GETTING THERE:

EAST ACCESS (as described here):

From Flagstaff, go west on Historic Route 66 to Woody Mountain Road (Forest Road 231) on the left.  Go 1.8 miles south to Forest Road 532, turn left and go a few yards to the parking area on the right.  Follow the Loop Trail 0.9 mile to connect with Rogers Trail.

Woody Mountain Road is washboard-rough but passable by sedan.

Rogers Trail links Ft. Tuthill Park with the Natural Area

ALTERNATE MIDWAY ACCESS POINTS:

There’s a 0.3-mile spur path directly across from the entrance to Flagstaff Arboretum (3.7 miles south of Route 66 on Woody Mountain Road) and parking aprons where the trail crosses FR 390A and FR 9026 south of Woody Mountain Road.

WEST ACCESS at ROGERS LAKE:

Go 7.8 miles south on Woody Mountain Road to the Gold Digger trailhead.

The Two Spot trailhead is located another mile down the road.

INFO:

http://coconino.az.gov/282/Trails

TRAIL MAP:

https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/51768/Rogers-Trail?bidId=

PIVOT ROCK CANYON & WILDCAT SPRING

PIVOT ROCK CANYON & WILDCAT SPRING

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.  

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. 

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.

Remains of a backwoods cabin.

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.

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.)

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

Limestone escarpments in Pivot Rock Canyon

INFO:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/landmanagement/projects/?cid=stelprdb5356224