Calloway Tank

CALLOWAY TANK

Calloway Tank

My hiking pal had to pee.  Prostate, or something. While destination Winslow could wait, Nature’s call demanded an immediate pull off from State Route 260.

Forest Road 9364R

Shaded by Ponderosa pines and lots of thick scrub, the turnout at Forest Road 9405D on the Mogollon Rim seemed as good a place as any for an urgent pit stop. 

Gate on FR 9405D

While my pal heeded the call of the wild, I casually pursued the hike possibilities of our impromptu rest stop. Armed with forest service maps and an urgent need (though not quite up to my pal’s) to hit the dirt, I quickly determined that the area offered much more than adequate cover for tending to ones bodily functions.

Barestem Larkspur blooms March - May

  The woodsy backroads south of West Clear Creek Wilderness where we pulled over are a tight-knit maze of exploratory hiking options. 

Calloway Tank

The main arteries show up on forest maps, but many others, too short to plot, intersect the primary routes without fanfare. Sitting on the Mogollon Rim in Coconino National Forest, Forest Road 9364R makes for an easy-to-access walk in pine-oak woodlands. 

Spring snow covers Gambel oak leafs, Apr. 14, 2026

From our pull over site, the hike starts on Forest Road 9405D with a short walk of a few yards on blacktop to a gate.

Calloway Tank

Beyond the barbed wire gate (close it behind you) the road meets the junction with FR 9364 at the 0.2-mile point, where the route bends left. 

Small-leaf pussytoes bloom April - August

The road condition is deeply rutted and rocky but it’s signed where those unmapped spur routes spin off.  Just follow the 9364R signs to stay on track. A few of the spurs appear to lead to nowhere, but offer mini side trips where wildflowers color the understory of shrubs and prior season’s deadfall.

Pink Woodhouse's phlox

Calloway Tank

At the 1.3-mile point, first glimpses of Calloway Tank peek through pines on the right. 

Snow-capped logs at Calloway Tank

One of many human-created water catchments built in Arizona forests to hydrate wildlife and domestic livestock, the tank is a critical, life-sustaining resource.

Forest Road 9364R

The glassy surface of Calloway Tank reflects sky, clouds  and the ring of stately ponderosa pines that ring its banks. Springtime brings a blast of wildflower sprouts including Barestem Larkspur, Desert paintbrush, Small-leaf pussytoes, Woodhouse’s phlox and groundsel. 

Forest Road 9364R

Desert paintbrush

Fallen tree trunks camouflaged by a canopy of Gamble oaks near the water make convenient viewing benches for spotting blue jays, hawks, towhees, mountain bluebirds and ravens that dive for insects. 

Forest Road 9364R

By this point, my pal needed to find yet another privy place.  Important to note: when nature calls, always select a place at least 200 feet from any water source, if you must use toilet paper--do without if you can or use leaves instead or carry a plastic bag with a little baking soda in it and carry the tissue out with you.. at the very least, bury it 6 inches deep and conceal it with leaves or rocks. Leave no trace!

A pine meadow along the route

The tank is a good turnaround point, but dozens of primitive backroads can add miles to this quick and easy walk in the forest. 

Trailhead at Forest Road 9405D

LENGTH:  3 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 6,760 - 6,954 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 in Camp Verde, go 29 miles east (toward payson) on State Route 260 to Forest Road 9405D on the left, just past milepost 248. Park in the turnouts along the access road.  

Big Spring Overlook

BIG SPRING OVERLOOK

Overlooking West Clear Creek Wilderness

Forest Road 142H trades on its erratic appeal. A hike on the dirt two track in Coconino National Forest is calming and invigorating in equal measure.

Cabin Tank

Packed with lots of things to see, the road distills a mix of semi-desert grasslands, ranch relics and epic vistas into an approachable, earthy cocktail.

Corral ruins

The hike takes off from an unmarked trailhead off State Route 260 east of Camp Verde where the landscape drolls on in a blanket of wildflower-embellished pastures and pinion-juniper woodlands. Over its first mile, primitive dispersed campsites offer secluded space for well-prepared travelers. 

Mud Tanks Draw

Cattle converge around a string of fluctuating water holes in road-adjacent Mud Tanks Draw and dusky-blue scrub jays might swoop and screech to protect their nesting territory.  The road itself is in relatively decent condition—rocky but with no major obstacles or route-finding challenges, which adds to the pleasure of walking its curvaceous track.

West Clear Creek overlook

West Clear Creek Wilderness overlook

Sporadically placed white metal chevrons can be spotted tacked to a fence line that parallels the road. These indicate that sections of the road are part of the historic General Crook Trail #130. 

Yellow evening primrose

A mile in, FR142H bends right and passes through a wood-and-wire gate.  Here, rounded hills, gumdrop-shaped junipers and a smattering of massive, ancient alligator junipers front views of distant ridges and mountain peaks. 

FR142H passes through this gate

At the 1.6-mile point, the route meets a junction with Forest Road 13. 

Corral ruins

Head left to stay on FR 142H as it begins its gradual ascent to a rustic corral complex at the 2.2-mile point. 

General Crook Trail chevron

Wrapped in rusty barbed wire and rough-hewn posts, the corral circles a small waterhole known as Cabin Tank.

Corral gate

A sign for Forest Road 9243M sits in front of the corral entry gate. For a quick, but rewarding detour, pass the gate (please close all gates behind you) and walk the  0.1-mile fading road to the tank, watching for cow pies along the way before doubling back.  Beyond the corral gate, another site of mangled wood-and-wire fencing lives out its waning days among encroaching cacti and shrubs. 

Juniper meadow

Be mindful of the tangles of wire that mimic snakes in the grass. 

Wooly paintbrush

A few yards past the corral, the road starts a steeper but not-to-tough climb to the hike’s high point.  Much more degraded than the previous miles, FR142H slowly enters a more arid landscape of yucca, pinion and scrub oak.

Cabin Tank approach

Verde Valley vista

The slight elevation gain reveals some great views of the Verde Valley before the road flattens out and ends near a giant alligator juniper and fire pit at the edge of West Clear Creek Wilderness. 

Woodhouse's phlox

The volcanic rock ledges overlook the Big Spring area of the wilderness where the West Clear Creek Trail traces the canyon floor 1,000 feet below. Ragged cliffs, colorful rock outcrops and views that stretch all the way to Flagstaff overwhelm the senses at the end of the unassuming road that vaults from pastoral to primordial in just over 3 miles. 

trailhead

LENGTH: 6.2 miles roundtrip (out-and-back hike)

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 5,819 - 5,971 feet (540 feet of total elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 in Camp Verde take the State Route 260 exit 287 and continue 22 miles east (toward Payson) to Forest Road 142H on the left just past milepost 241. FR142H is not signed but there’s a stop sign and cattle guard/gate a few yards in.  For reference, Apron Tank, a shallow pool that sits on both sides of the road, is at FR142H.  There’s parking in a dirt lot past the gate.

Walker Basin Trail

WALKER BASIN TRAIL #81

Wide-ranging vistas on the Walker Basin Trail

See this story on AZCentral: https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/hiking/2025/01/03/walker-basin-trail-hike/77178067007/

From the high point of the Walker Basin Trail, echoes of the area’s ranching history linger in bits of barbed wire, stock tanks and weedy livestock tracks.

Mesas, buttes and ravines define the trail

  Creative minds might conjure images of cattle trains or sheep drovers, only to be jolted back to the 21^st century by the appearance of contemporary cattle or sheep. 

Forest Road 9201C leads to the upper trailhead

It’s not unusual for domestic livestock grazing among junipers and cacti to deliver jump scares to distracted trail users in this corrugated back country.

Red rock outcrop over Walker Creek

Situated between the Wet Beaver Creek and West Clear Creek Wilderness areas, Walker Basin Trail No. 81 winds through a riffled terrain of high desert plateaus and water-carved canyons. 

Limestone ledges overlooking the Verde Valley

The former livestock trail in Coconino National Forest located roughly 40 miles south of Flagstaff and 20 miles southeast of Sedona offers up spectacular glimpses of both the mountain ranges  of central and northern Arizona and Red Rock Country’s iconic geologic formations. 

Moderate but difficult to follow in spots, the entire trail is just over 8 miles long. 

The upper trail parallels a barbed wire fence

However, the best scenic ogling opportunities happen in the first 2.5 miles from the north terminus along Forest Road 618 near the community of Lake Montezuma.  

View from the trail's high point

One of the perks of this under-the-radar trail is that it’s largely ignored, no doubt because it has some serious competition with the nearby Bell Trail that leads to the iconic swimming hole known as The Crack on Wet Beaver Creek. The pleasantly uncluttered route may be hiked as an out-and-back or car shuttle, but for a moderately demanding day hike, a 5-mile up-and-back trek starting at the north trailhead makes for a satisfying outing in the wilds.

The north trailhead proper is located 0.8-mile east of Forest Road 618 (Beaver Creek Road) at the end of FR 9201C, which is open to motorized travel and requires at least a high-clearance vehicle.

Sacred Mountain (center)

 Those with less robust cars may opt to park in the dirt turnouts and walk the road to the trailhead, veering left at the 0.4-mile point to stay on the main road.  

The north trailhead on FR618

The trail is barely visible here

The upper trailhead is marked only by a post-and-wire gate. 

Primitive cairn (left) on the limestone ledges

A crumbling forest service logo sticker and unintelligible letters cling to a post giving no indication that it marks the beginning of the Walker Basin Trail.  Beyond the gate (close it behind you) the route becomes a dusty single track. 

Basket cairns mark part of the lower trail

It’s easy to follow for about the first mile.  Basket cairns (native stones wired into barrel-shaped posts) placed at random intervals help with navigation, but some have toppled over and after a while, they disappear completely.  Sometimes, hand-made rock piles serve as guides where the trail passes through sandy washes and limestone scree. 

The upper trailhead on FR9201C

Where the route begins its uphill crawl, it turns feral, dodging among junipers, cacti and cow pies. At places, the trail is completely obliterated by scrub and loose rock, but hikers can stay on track by tracing a barbed wire fence that roughly parallels the path.  All the way, massive views of Sedona, the Black Hills, Mogollon Rim and Sacred Mountain rise above seamless stretches of high desert rangeland. 

An old juniper frames high desert views

At the 2.2-mile point, the route encounters a series of limestone ledges near the trail’s highpoint that lead to a rocky bench overlooking the Verde Valley.  Beyond the ledges, route-finding becomes more challenging, making the scenic overlook a good turnaround point for a day hike.

LENGTH:

Full trail: 8 miles one way

Up to the ledges: 2.4 miles one way

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:

Full trail: 3,851 – 5,972 feet

Up to the ledges: 3,851 – 4,368 feet

GETTING THERE:

NORTH TRAILHEAD (as described here):

From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the Sedona/Oak Creek State Route 179 exit 298 and veer right (east)  onto Forest Road 618.  Continue 4.5 miles on FR618 (Beaver Creek Road)  to the signed Walker Basin Trail sign at Forest Road 9201C. This is directly across from the Wickiup Mesa Trail System Elmore Wash trailhead.  Low clearance vehicles should park here.  The trailhead proper is located 0.8-mile east at the end of FR9201C.

Roads up to the trailhead are maintained dirt suitable for most vehicles.

SOUTH TRAILHEAD:

From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the Sedona/Oak Creek State Route 179 exit 298 and veer right (east)  onto Forest Road 618. Continue 9 miles on FR618 and turn left (east) onto FR214 (Cedar Flat Road) and go 7.3 miles to the trailhead on FR214B.  A high clearance vehicle is required.

INFO:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55426

Headwaters Trail

HEADWATERS TRAIL 

A "beach" at West Clear Creek

Of all the hiking routes that descend into West Clear Creek Wilderness—Willow Crossing, Tramway, Maxwell, and the eponymous West Clear Creek Trail---the Headwaters Trail is the most challenging. The 13,600-acre wilderness spans the Red Rock and Mogollon Rim ranger districts of Coconino National Forest.

Sunrise in seen from West Clear Creek

Along its 20-mile length, which is defined by the steep-walled canyon carved by West Clear Creek, the terrain moves through high desert at its lower edge near Camp Verde where it spills into the Verde River to pine-oak woodlands at its headwaters on the Mogollon Rim near Clints Well.

Headwaters Trail is steep and slippery

Steep, scrappy and often obscured by pine needles, the half-mile Headwaters path makes an abrupt plunge into a canyon-bound stretch of the creek.

Dogwood and willows along West Clear Creek

Sometimes called the Point Trail, the short access path is favored by anglers and campers that hang out on the shady rim 600 feet above the perennial waterway. 

Hanging gardens on West Clear Creek

The climb down is convoluted and slippery, ducking among conifers, oaks and moss-encrusted boulders. The primitive trail drops onto a beach where red-osier dogwood and willows sink roots into the debris strewn water course. 

Anglers and hikes in West Clear Creek

Extending the hike beyond the butt-slide descent involves wading and using foot paths that wend around the creek’s edges in the shadow of towering cliffs.  Exploring may be done either up or downstream.

Wading is required to explore along the creek

From the point where the trail lands on the beach, head left to see the famous “hanging gardens”, limestone cliffs draped with drooping green plants that sway over shallow depressions in the rock walls. Or, go right and follow the waterway to a gallery of ancient rock art. 

Wilderness wonders of West Clear Creek

All told, the stunning scenery of this near the headwaters of West Clear Creek makes the difficulty of getting to it worth the effort.  

LENGTH: 1-mile roundtrip (from the rim to the creek)

ELEVATION: 6,600 – 5,950 feet

RATING: insane

GETTING THERE: From Payson, go north on State Route 87 (toward Pine-Strawberry) to State Route 260. Turn left (west) and continue 3.1 miles to Forest Road 144, near milepost 249. Turn right (east) and go 1.8 miles to Forest Road 149, turn left (north) and continue to a 3-way junction at Forest Road 142. Go right onto FR 142 and drive 0.9 miles to Forest Road 142E on the left---this is an easy-to-miss unmarked road—if you reach Forest Road 142F, you’ve gone too far. Follow FR 142E 2.7 miles to a large, unsigned parking area. Roads are rough dirt and gravel. High clearance vehicles required.

INFORMATION: refer to the Coconino National Forest map, USGS map, Calloway Butte