Little Waters

LITTLE WATERS

Mint Tank

Puddles, ponds, catchments, springs, seeps, tanks. Sometimes they are spring-fed depressions or ravines that capture snowmelt and rainwater.

Meadow near Mint Spring

But in addition to these natural water sources, there are some 3,000 created wildlife waters spread across Arizona’s forests, deserts and grasslands.

Calliopsis bloom June - September

They can be concrete troughs, tubs or most often, small ponds contained by earthen dams that can horde drainage runoff or be filled manually by the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s “lifesaving water program”.

Blade Tank

It’s an expensive, labor-intensive program, but one that’s necessary for wildlife survival in our drought prone state. The waters may be shallow but their purpose runs deep.

Forest Road 124

Not unlike air conditioning, dams and fake lawns, the waters are survival mechanisms—-Arizona style.

Fendler Rose fruits

In addition to providing essential hydration, the waters are great places for hikers to observe wildlife. While many of the waters blend almost invisibly into the landscape, some are easily accessible by way of forest roads. 

Mountain view on FR 124

Take Forest Road 124 for example, where a cluster of waters strung out along its rough dirt track make for an exploratory hike.  The road is located a few miles south of Mormon Lake off Lake Mary Road in Coconino National Forest and has several stretches that are open for dispersed camping. 

Southeast Tank

For an easy wildlife-spotting day hike, begin at the junction of FR 124 and FR 124C which is right about there the road gets too dicy for vehicles without high-clearance.  From the junction, the road heads uphill revealing scant mountain vistas peeking through dense Ponderosa pines.

Wavyleaf thistle boom June - September

At the 0.8-mile point, a clearing that appears on the left spills into the grassy swale of Mint Spring and Mint Tank. It’s a beautiful spot surrounded by trees, Fendler roses and low-growing wildflowers. Flush with water plants, the tank is a magnet for birds—-mountain bluebirds, woodpeckers and ravens are say to spot for patient hikers sitting quietly among the tree cover.  Just under a mile beyond Mint Tank, Forest Road 9488L veers off to the right. 

Mint Tank

This primitive road leads to Southeast Tank a few yards in. This one looks like an arrested drainage—small and narrow but evidently attractive to elk and coyotes based on footprints observed around its muddy fringe. The third water on the hike shows up at the 2.9-mile point, though it’s not so easy to spot. 

Wright's bluets bloom May - September

Blade Tank is on the left a few yards off the road. Only the well-hidden earthen dam betrays its location.  Little more than a puddle, it sits in a pine-ringed depression at the foot of a gully. Still, the beasts of the wild find it as evidenced by a scattering of bones, feathers and prints. For a day hike, this is a good turnaround point, thought several adjacent closed roads that are open to foot travel beckon further exploration.

Mint Tank

For the best chance to see deer, elk, coyotes, raccoons and birds, find a camp spot the head out right a dawn to stake out a hiding place near the little waters.

Trailhead at FR124/124C

LENGTH: 5.85 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 7,370 - 7,644 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff go 28.5 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Forest Road 124 on the left just past milepost 315.  Follow FR 124 for 1 mile to Forest Road 124C and park in the turnouts.  Roads are paved up to FR124 which is maintained dirt suitable for most vehicles, but high clearance is recommended. 

Arizona Game & Fish Lifesaving Water 

https://www.azwildlifehero.com/programs/lifesaving-water/

Coconino National Forest Travel Map for motorized roads and dispersed camping:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r03/coconino/publication/2025-travel-map.pdf

Soldier Mesa

A FLIGHTY FOREST FROLIC

Soldier Mesa Tank

There are a lot of birds on Soldier Mesa. Bluejays, hawks, vultures, finches, hummingbirds, woodpeckers and ravens. Lots and lots of ravens. 

A wild turkey feather at Soldier Mesa Tank

For whatever the reason—its proximity above the course of Fossil Creek, a secluded water source or its lightly used location on the Mogollon Rim—the feathered hordes like it here.

Winged buckwheat blooms July - September

Gamble oaks shade FR9362K

It’s not necessary to be an expert bird watcher to enjoy the popular hobby in birdy places like this. With the aid of technology (see links below) and a pair of binoculars, anybody can play wanna-be ornithologist and feather detective. 

It is illegal to collect most wild bird feathers

But before heading out on a bird-spotting expedition, it’s important to know the rules. First and foremost, it is illegal to collect or possess feathers or any other parts from almost all native wild birds in Arizona. The Federal  Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects more than 800 species including most of what flies overhead in Arizona.

Soldier Mesa Tank is easy to miss

The law also means you may not mess with the birds, their eggs, nests, habitats or feathers. This includes anything you may find on the ground.

Watch for raptors over the juniper meadows

A complete set of rules, guidelines and limited hunting exceptions may be found on the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service website. Of course, if you’re already observing the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace outdoor ethics, that pretty much covers it. 

Junction of FR9362K and FR9365K

A mixed bag of woodland types might be a contributor to the large number of species that call Soldier Mesa home.  Dense Ponderosa pine forests, Gamble oak patches, sunny stretches dominated by junipers, agaves and wildflowers and the mucky waters of Soldier Mesa Tank make for prime habitat opportunities.

White prairie aster blooms July - October

It’s also a tidy little hiking destination for wandering and wondering. Forest Road 9362K serves as the hiking route on Soldier Mesa. From the gated entrance on State Route 260, the rough dirt road makes an immediate duck into tree cover of Coconino National Forest. 

FR9362K ends overlooking Horsetank Wash

A short distance in, white chevron tree markers denote where the road crosses the historic General Crook Trail. Woodpeckers appear to favor the tall pines and are easily identified by their bright red caps and noisy tapping. 

White chevrons indicate the Gen. Crook Trail

Continue following FR9362K as it makes a barely discernible downhill crawl. In places, the road splits and rejoins but it's never too difficult to navigate through oak woodlands that attract wild turkey and sparrows. At the half-mile point, the road meets a junction with FR 9365K.

FR9362K is rough and rocky

Veer right to stay on FR9362K.  The next stretch of road moves through patches of open meadow dotted with yucca and cacti.  Hummers, finches and jays flit among juniper branches. At 0.8-mile, Soldier Mesa Tank comes into view off to the right. It’s easy to miss, so stay alert and you might see hawks and ravens circling above the tiny pool.

Agaves thrive among Ponderosa pines

Beyond the tank, the road degrades into a rocky, cracked-earth path, ever narrowing until it fades into scrub and boulders above Horsetank Wash at the far northeast boundary of Fossil Creek Wilderness.

Trailhead on State Route 260

LENGTH: 3 miles round trip (out-and-back hike)

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 6,636 - 6,789 feet (338 feet of accumulated elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 in Camp Verde, take the State Route 260 exit and go 28 miles east (toward Payson) to Forest Road 9362K on the right just past milepost 246. There’s parking behind the gate.

U.S Fish & Wildlife Service

https://www.fws.gov/law/migratory-bird-treaty-act-1918

Feather Identification Tool

https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/

Merlin Bird ID

https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Leave No Trace

https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/

 

Plateau Potato Lake

PLATEAU POTATO LAKE

Potato Lake Tank on Anderson Mesa

Roughly thirty minutes south of the summer hiking magnet of Flagstaff, is a quieter but no less attractive trekking destination.

The basin of Potato Lake on Anderson Mesa

The Plateau Lakes on Anderson Mesa offer respite from crowds in an under appreciated landscape replete with quirky geological features.

Forest Road 82D near Als Lake

The Plateau Lakes Region in Coconino National Forest is anchored by Mormon Lake—Arizona’s largest natural lake.

Texas Frog Fruit blooms April - November

During years with lots of precipitation, the lake can span an area up to 12 square miles. 

View of Peaks from FR9484D

But that’s the exception, not the norm.  Mostly, it’s a scenic yet mucky wetland of puddles and swales that still manages to attract wildlife and support a fringe of water-loving vegetation.

Forest Road 82D near Als Lake

It’s also the mother ship per se for dozens of smaller natural water pockets, wildlife waterholes and created lakes that orbit its massive basin.

Geologists describe the Plateau Lakes as naturally occurring bowl-like depressions formed by various tectonic events that resulted in slumps and sinkhole features in the volcanic landscape.

Field Bindweed blooms May - September

Junction FR82D and FR9484D

Spread across the flatland like pock-marks or lunar craters, some are no larger than a kiddy pool while others rival football stadium proportions. Like Mormon Lake these hollows vacillate between weedy swamps and shallow pools that evaporate entirely in times of drought leaving behind crop-circle-like impressions. 

Entrance to Potato Lake

Hiking to the Plateau Lakes can be done by hopping on the Arizona National Scenic Trail Passages 29 and 30 which skirt by several, or by using a network of rough dirt roads that traverse the mesa. 

Typical scene on FR9494D

One interesting destination is Potato Lake.  Don’t be confused, though. This is a different animal from the watery, crawdad infested “solution depression” (geology speak for a kind of sinkhole) Potato Lake off Forest Road 300 (Rim Road) on the Mogollon Rim near the community of Pine. (Read the POTATO LAKE story on this blog).

The easy hike to "Plateau Potato Lake” uses three easy-to-navigate dirt roads. Beginning on Forest Road 9117F, the trek heads east for 0.4-mile to where it meets the fenced edge of Post Lake—another Plateau Lake. 

Potato Lake Tank

A storm brews over Als Lake

The rocky two track then bends north onto the mesa and merges into (unsigned) Forest Road 82D. 

Anderson Mesa is a mostly flat, windswept expanse dotted with junipers and intermittent plots of Ponderosa pines.

San Francisco Peaks seen from FR82D

The airy expanse is criss-crossed with draws and canyons that disrupt exposed grasslands favored by pronghorn.  The mesa is surrounded by volcanic mountains that churn up weather, which means it’s almost always windy here. 

Post Lake

At the 1.3-mile point, views of  8,463-foot Mormon Mountain to the west and 12,633-foot San Francisco Mountain north of Flagstaff stand out over Als Lake, another Plateau Lake with hit-or-miss water levels. It’s worth mentioning that even when bone dry, the footprint of these ephemeral lakes are often lush with wildflowers and knee-high grasses.

Storm over Potato Lake Road

Past the lake, the road meanders through fragrant woodlands dominated by junipers until it comes to a fork where FR9484D spins off to the right. The road, which is also known as Potato Lake Road is signed, but the numbers are barely legible. At this juncture, FR82D continues a half-mile north to one of the most well-known Plateau lakes—Deep Lake.

It’s worth a side trip on the way back. (Check out the DEEP LAKE story on this blog).  FR9484D continues through more juniper-shaded terrain with chunks of basalt strewn about the rusty soils.  The route meets a junction with FR9119W at 2.8 miles. FR9119W heads left and circles Potato Lake, but this trek continues straight ahead on FR9484D.  After another 0.2-mile, a stand of thick greenery of pines, firs and oaks herald the entry to Potato Lake.

Passing through an aboreal archway, the road opens up to views of the sprawling lake. In early June 2026, the lake was dry, but adjacent Potato Lake Tank contained a basin of residual muddy water.  Built into the south edge of the lake with an earthen dam, the margins of tiny waterhole showed signs of wildlife activity.  Elk, deer, waterfowl, raccoon and coyote tracks sunk deep into the moist muck signal it’s time to turn the hike around and leave the precious water to the winged and furry forest residents. 

trailhead

LENGTH: 6 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 7,049 - 7,127 feet (447 feet of accumulated elevation change) 

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff go 17 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Forest Road 82E on the left just past milepost 327 which is signed for Ashurst Lake. Follow FR 82E 1.7 miles to FR 9117F on the left. A faded sign marks the road.  There’s parking in dirt pullouts. 

Forest Road 82E is washboard gravel suitable for all vehicles. High clearance is recommended on FR 9117F.  No facilities or fees. 

Pine Loop

PINE LOOP

Mazatzal Mountains from Lower Pineview Trail

When asked what passage of the Arizona National Scenic Trail is the “best” one, trail users are quick to state that it’s the one you’re currently on. 

Pine Loop uses AZT Highline Passage 26

For those who have trekked the entire 800+-mile non-motorized route that runs from the Mexico border to Utah, the oft repeated refrain precisely sums up the experience.

Highline/Arizona Trail

Traveling south to north, the trail’s 43 Passages move through wildly diverse terrains. 

Highline/Arizona Trail

Deserts, mountains, riparian corridors, canyons, chaparral, grasslands, valleys, alpine meadows and coniferous forests. So, it’s easy to understand why naming a favorite is an impossible ask.

Mogollon Rim from Lower Pineview Trail

 

But for hikers, bikers and equestrians looking to sample the trail without committing to days-long backcountry hauls, a special bias must be directed at the Highline Passage 26.

Lower Pineview Trail

As the last Passage in the Central Arizona zone, in Tonto National Forest, the 23.9-mile single track marks the transition from arid desert mountains to Arizona’s woodsy high country.

Community of Pine below the trail

It’s also one of the more approachable Passages with several trailheads, connecting trails and access points.  Treatable water is available at several springs and creeks along the way.

Arizona Trail/Pineview junction

A popular family-friendly day hike option that’s doable spring through fall is the Pine Loop. Starting at the Pine trailhead north of Payson, the loop uses the Arizona Trail/Highline, Pineview, Lower Pineview and Pine Canyon trails.

Pine Canyon Trail

The well-signed hike starts out on the Arizona Trail, which shares space with the rerouted Highline Trail. This lower elevation side of the Passage features an interesting hybrid vegetation zone where cacti, yucca and agaves make their last stands as the dominant plants among oaks, junipers and Ponderosa pines.

Pine Canyon Trail

  The loop follows the AZT/Highline Trail for one mile to the Pineview, Lower Pineview junction.  Nearby, a large information kiosk marks the spot.  This is where the loop departs the AZT and heads west on the Lower Pineview Trail. (For a longer option, go north on the Pineview Trail and follow the signs.

The Pine Loop is well signed

This adds roughly a half-mile and 200 feet of elevation to the loop). 

Pineview Trail

Lower Pineview serves up some great views of the Mazatzal Mountains to the south, the craggy cliffs leading up to the 700-foot escarpments of the Mogollon Rim and glimpses of the community of Pine.

Map of the loop

At the 1.5-mile point, the loop swerves left onto the Pineview Trail that hangs on rolling foothills studded with junipers and scrub oaks. After less than a half-mile, the loop picks up the Pine Canyon Trail heading south.  Now, the route is shaded in tall pines as it winds through gullies and drainages before ending back at the AZT/Highline Trail where the loop concludes with a backtrack to the trailhead.

Pine Trailhead 

While short in length and only mildly challenging, this scenic little loop gives a concise tour of a major shift point on the Arizona Trail and might also tempt those just sticking their toes into the world-class trail to explore deeper and maybe discover their own “best” parts. 

LENGTH: 2.9 mile loop

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 5,362 - 5,692 feet (525 feet of accumulated elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

From Payson, drive 12.6 miles north on State Route 87 to the turnoff for the Pine Trailhead on the right. Roads are paved all the way.  There’s a restroom but no other facilities. Restaurants and services are available a short drive up SR87 in the community of Pine. 

INFO: Arizona Trail Association
https://aztrail.org/explore/passages/passage-26-highline/

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