Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve

PICTURE CANYON NATURAL and CULTURAL PRESERVE

Bridge over the Rio de Flag

On the industrial side of the tracks a few miles east of Downtown Flagstaff, a tiny preserve set between the unglamourous footprints of a wastewater plant and public works facility interrupts the churn of municipal infrastructure with a surprising corridor of green.

Deep water pond near wastewater treatment plant

Mt. Elden (left) and Sheep Hill cindercone viewed from the trails

Picture Canyon Natural and Culture Preserve protects a swath of rare habitats and human history huddled around a perennially moist branch of the Rio de Flag watershed, a natural stream system with headwaters at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and Mount Elden that flows in ephemeral tendrils through Flagstaff.

Slimleaf lima bean blooms May - October

Mountain tansy mustard bloom July - August

Named for panels of petroglyphs (rock art) etched into stone along one of the site’s three trails, the 478-acre parcel protects sensitive terrain, Native American heritage sites and wildlife habitats.

Along with a 1.2-mile section of the 800+-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail that bisects it, the preserve’s Tom Moody and Don Weaver trails provide easy walking tours that tie in visits to a deep-water pond, historic railroad trestle, waterfall, pithouse, petroglyphs and a crossing of the Rio de Flag waterway by way of a wooden bridge. For longer hikes, the trails also connect with the 44-mile, city-circling Flagstaff Loop Trail.

Pine-oak woodlands: one of several eco zones in the preserve

Preserve trails link with the AZT and Flagstaff Loop

The compact preserve on the drier, leeward (a.k.a. “rain shadow”) side of San Francisco Mountain packs in an amazing snapshot of Northern Arizona’s biodiversity in an ordinarily semi-arid environment.

Signs at the petroglyph site detail their significance

Buffalo gourds bloom May-Aug along the Rio de Flag

Basalt canyons, slopes and a variety of soil types create niches that foster myriad microclimate zones including meadows, pine forests, floodplains, and riparian corridors rife with willow and reeds.

A perennially flowing segment of the Rio de Flag

The preserve also serves native wildlife by providing a contiguous land bridge that allows elk, deer, and other animals to circumvent urban areas and safely cross between grasslands, forests, and wetlands.

Colorful layers of Sheep Hill cindercone

Prairie coneflower bloom Jun-Oct

Tom Moody trail traces the Rio de Flag floodplain

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as both a Northern Arizona Audubon Bird Sanctuary and an Arizona Game & Fish Department Arizona Watchable Wildlife Experience site, preserve visitors may spot waterfowl, large mammals, raccoons and more than 200 species of year-round and migratory birds.

Rock art panels decorate basalt cliffs

A map kiosk and brochures available at the trailhead give information about the site’s archeology, wildlife, and history to enrich the hike through this living sanctuary and outdoor classroom.

A waterfall trickles through a basalt canyon

LENGTH:

Tom Moody Trail: 3.9-mile circumference loop

Don Weaver Trail: 0.7-mile

Arizona Trail: 1.2 miles

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 6,587 – 6,849 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Downtown Flagstaff, go 4 miles east on Historic Route 66, turn left on El Paso Flagstaff Road and continue 1 mile to the trailhead on the right.

INFO:

https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/2881/Picture-Canyon-Natural-Cultural-Preserve

Wildflower wetlands

SINCLAIR WASH & RIO DE FLAG

Flagstaff Urban Trail System

Rio de Flag

Last weekend in Flagstaff, the morning air had a telling, damp crispness to it.  Shorter days and cooler temperatures mean the summer wildflower season is winding down. But, in the moist corridor of Rio de Flag, high country flora will be blooming through late September.  Sinclair Wash Trail, which begins at Fort Tuthill Park and ends at the Arizona Trail off Route 66, is a major artery of the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS).  Winding through a diverse mix of terrain and connecting with 8 other trails, the floral sweet spot of this wide, mostly flat trail is the wetland area near Sawmill County Park. A short but steep descent from the playground drops hikers in the middle of Rio de Flag---a waterway created as part of the town's water reclamation program. The mile-long segment follows the stream through a limestone canyon festooned with oak archways and climbing vines. Where the trail approaches the I40 underpass, a cattail-choked marsh fosters a plethora of plant and animal life.  Here, the late summer wildflower checklist includes: globemallow, wild chrysanthemum, sunflowers, clovers, wild geranium, Red-osier dogwood, coneflowers, aquatic buttercups, New Mexican vervain and alfalfa.

wetlands

LENGTH: 5.7 miles one way. 2 miles roundtrip for the Rio de Flag section only.

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 6805'- 6988"

GETTING THERE:

Sawmill County Park (short hike):

In Flagstaff, go east on Butler Ave to Lone Tree, turn right, continue to Sawmill Road on the left and follow the signs to the park.

Fort Tuthill County Park (long hike):

From I17 south of Flagstaff, take exit 337 for AZ89A and "county fairgrounds". At the end of the off ramp, continue straight into Ft. Tuthill Park and follow the signs to trailhead parking.

Prairie coneflower

INFO: City of Flagstaff

http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/index.aspx?NID=1809 

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RIO DE FLAG

RIO DE FLAG NATURE TRAIL

Flagstaff

Inside the canyon

Another in my series of  “who knew” hikes, this one hides behind Flagstaff’s Museum of Northern Arizona.  After shrugging it off for years, I finally made the detour this weekend and was pleasantly surprised.  Instead of the dull “edutainment” trail I was expecting, this one is free of signs and packed with interest.  The trail begins on the rim of a 50-foot-deep, sheer walled canyon, then descends via a set of stone stairs into a beautiful riparian corridor cluttered with arroyo willows, brambles and Rocky Mountain irises.  Winding among enormous volcanic boulders and Ponderosa pines, the route cuts a figure-eight path with a couple of fun detours.  First, look for another stone staircase that leads up to the canyon’s west rim, here, you’ll follow a rambling, leaf-littered path to an aspen-ringed cove and the stony harbor of an intermittent spring.  Also, on the east rim near the museum, a simple path paralleling US180 leads to a wooden observation deck with a pond and green swale fed by the trickling waters of Flagstaff’s only “river”.

Rio de Flag

LENGTH:  0.6-mile loop

RATING:  easy (rocky, uneven surface)

ELEVATION: 7048’ – 7120’

GETTING THERE:

From Phoenix, go north on I17 to Flagstaff.  Continue through town and connect with US180 (Fort Valley Road).  Go roughly 3 miles north on US180 to past milepost 218 and turn left into the parking lot for the Museum of Northern Arizona.  Trail begins near the museum entrance.

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