Forest Road Double-Header

CINDER TANK & HUNTING TANK

Hunting Tank off Forest Road 80

Two water holes, two canyons, two roads and some excellent views. That’s the draw for this largely ignored double-header backroads trek.

Basalt cliffs along FR 80 in Coconino National Forest

Using a pair of forest roads in the Beaver Creek Watershed a few miles west of Stoneman Lake, the who-knew hike is easy to access off paved Stoneman Lake Road (Forest Road 213) but is disguised by nondescript signs that give no clues to the good stuff they hide.  

Western blue flax (which can be white) on FR 80

View of Rattlesnake Canyon from FR 80

Located where Arizona’s Central Highlands meet the edge of the Colorado Plateau roughly 35 miles south of Flagstaff, Forest Roads 9241E and 80 wind through a landscape of canyons, volcanic features, and acres of golden pastureland.

Smoke from the Crooks Fire hangs over Bradshaw Mountains

FR 80 traces the lip of Rattlesnake Canyon

  The allure of this under-the-radar slice of Coconino National Forest oozes from its hybrid high-desert-meets-tall-pines environ that muddles the picture postcard “house vistas” of both Sedona and Flagstaff.

Corral at Hunting Tank

Hikers take in the views at Hunting Tank

Cinder Tank attracts wildlife in Coconino NF

The first leg of the circuit begins at Forest Road 9241E. Identified as a “short route” on the Coconino National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map, the road is essentially just a gated parking area.  A ring of boulders blocks entry to the trail--a fading two-track that’s open to foot traffic and  equestrian use.  The weedy road traces the edge of a finger gulch at the far northeast end of Rarick Canyon, dropping steadily to where it meets a wildlife water hole.

Point where cinder tank road fades out

Tinged red by a wall of decaying volcanic stone and the trampling of elk, bobcats, skunk, racoons and domestic livestock, Cinder Tank marks the beginning of a short segment of shady Ponderosa pine  forest that stands in contrast to the juniper scrubland that defines much of the area. 

Narrowleaf yerba santa blooms April - August

Beyond the tank, the road gets rougher as it heads up an embankment to emerge on an airy mesa with views of 7,307-foot Apache Maid Mountain and glimpses of the layered landforms around Sedona peeking through stands of Utah serviceberry shrubs and tangles of Gamble oaks. 

Utah service berry blooms April - May

The road vacillates between an obvious two-track and a barely there footpath before being swallowed whole by grasses and shrubs at the 1.3-mile point. The weed-choaked dead end makes for a good turn round point.  

Part two of the circuit begins about a half-mile farther east on Stoneman Lake Road at Forest Road 80 where there’s a gate, cattleguard and a sign commemorating the Chaves Historic Trail, an important, centuries-old travel corridor between Prescott and Winslow.

View of Sedona from cinder tank road

Forest Road 80 is a 9.2-mile seasonal road that’s open to motorized use for high-clearance vehicles. The south end of the rough, narrow road also serves as a scenic hiking route. 

Tall pines shade the road above cinder tank

From the parking area, the road heads north descending easily to an unsigned junction roughly 0.2-miles in.  The right fork heads to a rustic corral and a sizable water hole called Hunting Tank.  It’s a scenic detour of just over a half mile roundtrip and well worth a visit.

Finger gorge of Rarick Canyon on right

From the junction, FR80 dips into a finger cove of Rattlesnake Canyon then climbs to the lip of the gorge’s northeastern reaches. 

Yellow evening primrose bloom April - June

Gamble oaks in a meadow near cinder tank

High point vistas include Alligator juniper-framed looks at the Bradshaw Mountains to the west and glimpses into the sinuous, stony corridor of Rattlesnake Canyon below. 

The road above cinder tank

After topping out on a breezy mound where traffic on Interstate 17 can be seen whizzing by to the north, walls of sheer basalt and pillars of contorted volcanic ejecta close in on the road as it parallels the ever-shallowing canyon to where it levels off just yards from the freeway at the 2-mile point.

Apache Maid Mountain seen from FR9241E

While FR 80 continues north for another 7+ miles, the canyon head serves as a fine turnaround point for sampling one of the many scenic routes that make up the 380,000+ miles of the National Forest Road System.

CINDER TANK ROAD

LENGTH: 2.7 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 6,091 – 6,237 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 drive 19 miles north of Camp Verde and take the Stoneman Lake exit 306. Head east (go right) at the bottom of the off ramp and follow Stoneman Lake Road (Forest Road 213) 4.3 miles to Forest Road 9241E on the right where there’s a gate and cattle guard.

FOREST ROAD 80 & HUNTING TANK

LENGTH:  3.5 miles roundtrip as described here

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 6,000 – 6,234 feet

GETTING THERE:

From the Cinder Tank Road parking area, continue 0.4-mile east on Stoneman Lake Road to the parking area for Forest Road 80 on the left.

 

 

Tap Tank

TAP TANK

Annual goldeneye in full bloom Sept. 25, 2021

October in Arizona means cooler temperatures, dusting off of hiking boots and the annual rush to view golden high-country fall foliage.

View from the high pastures above Rarick Canyon

While it’s sometimes overlooked, Arizona autumn gold happens underfoot as well as overhead. The low-growing option is easy to spot along Interstate 17 between Sedona and Flagstaff.

Landforms of Sedona viewed from FR 213F

 

Tap Tank caps off the hike in Coconino NF

From late September through October, the rangeland is dominated by the peaking of Annual goldeneye flowers that blanket the rolling hills in a paint-splatter style reminiscent of loosely-rendered works created by plein air impressionists working in airy, Provence meadows.

Tap Tank attracts wildlife and domestic cattle

 

Annual goldeneye bloom May - October

The annual showing of Heliomeris longifolia var. annua, a knee-high, shrub-like plant in the sunflower family that produces small golden flowers from May through October, is at its best in early fall.  

The route crosses rugged Rarick Canyon

One particularly fine area to walk among the blooms is the rangeland of Coconino National Forest around Stoneman Lake north of Camp Verde.  Many dirt roads wind through the hilly backcountry including one that’s not only dripping in goldeneyes, but includes a dip into scenic Rarick Canyon and a traipse to a high pasture with a glassy stock tank and amazing vistas.

Storm clouds brew above FR 213F

View from the upper end of FR 213F

Forest Road 213F serves as the trail for this moderate-rated hike.  The rough dirt two-track begins easily enough with a short walk through juniper-studded flats. At the 0.2-mile point, the road splits. 

Acres of Annual goldeneye color the landscape

Take the less-obvious left fork to stay on FR 213F and save the unnamed right track for a surprise add-on trip on the way back.  A half-mile in, the road starts a short, steep dip into Rarick Canyon and crosses the bottom of the rocky gorge.

Wright's birdbeak blooms Jun- October

 Once past the boulder-jumbled gully, the road heads up the east face of the canyon wall. It’s less than 500 feet of climbing from the canyon depths to the high pastures above, but many dips and ascents along the way accumulate to over 1,300 feet of elevation change. 

Mountain vistas and high pastures on FR 213F

Along this segment, views of the Verde Valley, Bradshaw Mountains and the colorful rock formations of Sedona open up to the north.  At the 1.8-mile point, the road splits again.  Forest Road 213J spins off to the left while FR 213F continues south around 6,197-foot Table Mountain. 

The road dips & climbs through Rarick Canyon

For this trip, take the left fork which is marked by a faded post obscured by a juniper tree, and follow the overgrown road a few yards to Tap Tank.  Set in a shallow depression on the north side of the road, the glassy livestock water hole is besieged with a fringe of wildflowers, water plants, hip-high grasses and an arc of junipers.  

A skunk bush blushes with autumn color

The tank makes for a good turnaround point.  For an alternate look at the annual goldeneye show, backtrack to the first junction and head out on the unsigned right fork.  This spur road is flatter and sunnier than its companion route. 

Extend the hike on an unnamed spur road

Over its 0.6-mile course, it serves up a full menu of breath-taking vistas that rise above acres of scrub oak, yucca and a seemingly never-ending sea of golden blooms before it dead-ends at the lip of Rarick Canyon.

White prairie aster bloom August - October

LENGTH: 5 miles round trip (including the spur road)

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 5,548 – 6,031 feet (1,313 feet accumulated elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 drive 19 miles north of Camp Verde and take the Stoneman Lake exit 306. Head east at the bottom of the off ramp and follow Stoneman Lake Road (Forest Road 213) 1.8 miles to Forest Road 213F on the right where there’s a gate and cattle guard.  There’s parking for 2-3 vehicles near the gate.  NOTE: FR 213F may be closed in winter and when there’s flooding in the canyon.