Escudilla National Recreation Trail

ESCUDILLA NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL

Apache Sitgreaves National Forest

Escudilla Mountain seen from U.S. 191/180

In a world replete with competition and obsessions about number-ones, nobody remembers who or what came in third.  Same goes for hikers seeking to bag all of Arizona’s loftiest peaks.  Hardly a hiker in the state isn’t familiar with the number one spot, Humphreys Peak, the highest point on San Francisco Mountain (the USGS official summit benchmark says “Frisco” not Humphreys), an extinct stratovolcano north of Flagstaff.

Much of the lower trail escaped the Wallow Fire

One sure way to start an argument among hikers is to breech the topic of which Arizona mountains are the highest. So we don’t trip over semantics, it’s important to distinguish between a mountain and a peak.

Aspens line the trail near the head of Toolbox Draw

San Francisco Mountain has seven of the state’s highest peaks—Humphreys, Agassiz, Abineau, Doyle, Fremont, Rees and Schultz- but they are peaks on the same mountain.  

Fireweed blooms July - Sept on Escudilla Mtn.

So, it’s a collective number one.  Here are the state’s top five highest mountains, all of which have trails to their summits.

Escudilla lookout stands above fire damaged slopes

Humphreys Peak 12,633 feet, Mount Baldy 11,420 feet, Escudilla Mountain 10,912 feet, Mount Graham 10,720 feet and Kendrick Mountain 10,418 feet.

For Arizona “peak-baggers”, the rush to the top inevitably begins with an elbow-to-elbow slog up Humphreys Peak for bragging rights and the requisite Instagram moment. 

Big sky and green valley views on Escudilla Mtn

Lush woodlands near the trailhead

But, in this hiker’s opinion, it’s the mountain that lags in third place that delivers the gold-medal alpine experience. 

Brushing the clouds at 10,912 feet in elevation, Escudilla Mountain located off U.S. 191 in Eastern Arizona’s White Mountains is a much less congested route with a pronounced “out-there” ambiance.

Final aspen glen before fire damage dominates

The isolated, dome-shaped massif sits just over three miles from the New Mexico state line in Apache County and cuts a distinctive profile that’s visible for miles.

Summit view in 2006

The Escudilla National Recreation Trail No. 308 lies almost entirely within the Escudilla Wilderness Area where only foot and equestrian travel is allowed. 

The mountain was touched by another type of first--the unenviable kind- when the largest wildfire in Arizona history roared up its slopes.  The 2011 Wallow Fire charred more than a half-million acres around the communities of Alpine, Nutrioso and Greer. 

Shrubs & flowers grow among downed trees

Even though Escudilla Mountain sat at the eastern edge of the fire’s reach, much of the terrain escaped severe damage.

Harebells are classic alpine wildflowers

But some areas were devastated.

While the Wallow Fire certainly changed the mountain’s look, miraculously, much of the aspen and mixed conifer woodlands on the lower part of the trail are intact. 

Summit view in 2006

Summit view looking east toward New Mexico

The first half-mile of the hike was largely untouched and remains thick with white-barked aspen glens.  The ravages of the blaze become apparent at the 1.1-mile point where the trail exits pristine forests and emerges on a crest at the head of Toolbox Draw.  The previously fir-and-spruce draped passage is now an environment of bald rolling hills punctuated with a few stalwart Douglas firs. 

How the severely damaged area looked in 2006

Damaged summit fire tower is closed to the public

The upside is newly exposed mountain vistas.  The trail hangs close to the edge of draws and ravines, passing through patches of survivor trees, fruit-laden shrubs and fields of colorful wildflowers. 

Summer-ripening orange gooseberries

One last aspen passage at the 1.7-mile point heralds the entrance into the severely burned side of the mountain. 

Looking southwest from the summit

The fire took no prisoners here.  Ten years removed from the fire, the landscape is one of toppled tree skeletons and torched snags. 

Survivor fir & spruce trees on the upper slopes

Above it all, the battered metal frame of the former summit fire lookout stands on a scorched knob that denotes the destination. Among the downed trees, an under story of blooming shrubs, saplings, and alpine flowers hint at resurgence. Over the final mile to the summit, the trail dodges among deadfall and woodchips left from when the trail was cleared of obstacles.  

Denuded flanks of Escudilla Mountain

Spindly, head-high aspens fill spaces formerly occupied by enormous old-growth conifers on the last leg of the trek that ends at the fire tower on the 10,877-foot pinnacle.

Richardson's geranium grow among pine needles

 

Trail condition on the summit ridge

The wooden cabin that once stood below the lookout is gone and the tower is fenced off for safety.  Gone too is the fringe of trees that limited views so it’s now easy to see all the way into New Mexico and the green valleys of the Blue Range Primitive Area.  The 10,912-foot true summit resides a half-mile off-trail beyond the lookout, for those to whom 35 feet matters in the quest for a memorable third-place victory.

LENGTH: 6.3 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 9,560 – 10,877 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Springerville, go south on U.S. 191/180 for about 20 miles to Forest Road 8056 on the left between mileposts 420 and 421which is signed for Hulsey Lake and Terry Flat.  Follow FR 8056 4.5 miles to the trailhead.  FR 8056 is maintained gravel suitable for most vehicles.  Several hairpin turns and steep drops off may not be suitable for RVs.

INFO:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/asnf/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=45293&actid=50

 

 

Kinder Crossing

KINDER CROSSING

East Clear Creek 

When dogs dream about hiking, images of Kinder Crossing dance in their heads. Tucked into a picturesque canyon with a perennial stream, the trail that leads to an idyllic water-carved passage packs every imaginable doggie delight into a single hike. Scampering rock squirrels, taunting blue jays, jumping fish and leaping frogs give chase, inciting primitive stirrings in even the most sophisticated of city dogs.  Sandy beaches along East Clear Creek beckon dig-happy hounds and a plethora of swimming holes stoke the canine “inner wild” into overdrive. Humans too will find much to admire along historic Kinder Crossing Trail No. 19 in Coconino National Forest.  Originally used to drive sheep through the rugged canyons of the Mogollon Rim, the steep, rocky trail descends nearly 500 feet along the crumbling, fossil-laden limestone walls of Yeager Canyon.

Damage from the Tinder Fire seen from the trail

Like many forested areas in Arizona, the difficult-to-access backcountry surrounding East Clear Creek was recently damaged by wildfire.  

Parts of the trail sustained only light fire damage

In 2018, the human-caused Tinder Fire that began with an illegal campfire set during stage one fire restrictions which ban campfires anywhere other than in a developed campsite or picnic area, went on to char over 16,000 acres of mixed-conifer woodlands and critical watershed terrain east of C.C. Cragin (Blue Ridge) Reservoir.  

Limestone escarpments line East Clear Creek

All told, the blaze cost nearly $7 million in suppression costs, endangered the lives of first responders and destroyed 33 homes in communities along State Route 87.  That was quite an expensive campfire.  The unknown perpetrators live with that.

Wild geranium grow along the route

Three years post fire, the viewscape from the top of the trail is one of teetering ashen matchsticks, spots of half-cooked pines and sheets of toppled trunks cascading over scorched-earth ridges and exposed stone knobs previously obscured by tree cover. 

The creekside path is very overgrown

But, the depressing start belies what lies below.  A few yards into the trail,  ledges dangling over sheer escarpments serve as a platforms for first glimpses of a meandering green riparian zone hugging the twisted stream.

Beware of sharp New Mexico locust thorns 

Rife with loose rock and tangled roots, the newly sun-exposed slopes have morphed from a previously dank mushroom-and-moss alcove into emergent plots of common mullien and fragrant cliff-rose shrubs that pull nutrients from deadfall and disturbed soils.  The first half-mile is a relatively easy traipse with a barely noticeable descent, but that changes where a primitive rock cairn signals where the trail goes full tilt into a switchback-mitigated spiral to the creek.  

Cliff-rose shrubs scent the upper trail

As the trail inches closer to the stream, the bleakness of the burn scar spills into a canyon-bound corridor lush with moisture-hungry willows, alders, brambles, wild geraniums and penstemons.

A toppled pine lies over the trail

 

Once at the creek, footpaths trace the flow as it winds through high grasses, sandbars and still pools that lap at colorfully-layered canyon walls. 

Limestone slabs on the switchbacks

It’s just a three-quarter mile descent to the creek, but the trail continues downstream (go left at the bottom of the trail) for just under a mile to the crossing where the route head up the opposite embankment to Forest Road 137. 

Wild potato is a rare find on the trail

At this writing, the creekside trail was overgrown, mucky and difficult to navigate.  

Tinder Fire scar visible from a trail overlook  

Thickets of thorny New Mexico locust make bloody work of getting through the quagmire.

Before fire canyon overlook July 2007

The trailhead is 0.2-mile from the parking area

 

Stay alert while hiking in the Tinder Fire scar

The hike along the creek reveals tiny waterfalls and slickrock cascades spaced among rockfall and tall survivor pines.  

Common Mullien bloom in the ashes of the Tinder Fire

Elk, deer and black bears might be spotted wallowing in perennial swimming holes--that is, if visiting dogs didn’t get there first.

Before fire creekside, July 2007

A quiet pool in East Clear Creek

LENGTH: 1.5 miles round-trip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 7,000 – 6,417 feet

GETTING THERE: From Payson, go north on State Route 87 to Forest Road 95, which is located roughly 10 miles north of Clints Well between mileposts 299 and 300. Turn right onto FR 95 and continue 4.5 miles to the turn off on the left for Forest Road 95T and follow the signs 0.6-mile to the parking area. The official trailhead is another 0.2-mile down the road. A high clearance vehicle is required on FR 95T. Those with low clearance vehicle should park along FR 95 and hike FR95T. 

INFO: Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=54998

 

 

Munds Wagon Trail

MUNDS WAGON TRAIL

Monsoon water lingers in Bear Wallow Canyon

Sedona classic, Munds Wagon Trail, follows the course of an historic cattle trail that was used to drive herds and move goods from Sedona to summer pastures and markets south of Flagstaff.  The dirt wagon road was an essential, albeit dicey, transportation corridor used from the late 1800s to the 1930s when it was replaced by Schnebly Hill Road, which makes a precipitous, bumpy climb up red rock canyon walls to connect with modern-day Interstate 17.

Basket cairns mark the Munds Wagon Trail

Years after its demise, the route was relocated and repurposed into a non-motorized recreational trail.  The path slips through gullies and ridges between the road that traces the edge of Munds Mountain Wilderness Area and Bear Wallow Canyon. 

The route traces the edge of Munds Mtn Wilderness

From the Huckaby-Munds Wagon Trail trailhead, the hike begins with a slight dip over slickrock, roughly paralleling the road for excellent views of Sedona’s iconic Capitol Butte and Mitten Ridge formations.  

View of Munds Mountain Wilderness

The route is muddled with confusing paths-of-use, so be sure to follow the baskets cairns to stay on the official trail.  

Goodding's verbena blooms April - September

After two road crossings, the route begins the first of several dives into the canyon.  Shaded by cypress, juniper, pinion pines and pops of willows and hop trees, the rock-bound course of Bear Wallow Canyon harbors an ephemeral stream with dozens of tiny pools and rivulets that fill during snow melt runoff and summer monsoon rains. 

Yuccas & agaves line the high-desert route

Extend the hike on the Hangover Trail

The trail stays close to the canyon bottom for most of its 3.8-mile length, passing by waterfalls and shallow caves with stony traverses overlooking the gorge and an abrupt wall of sheer wilderness mountains. Where the trail ascends the agave-lined rims above the canyon, the rumble and roar of tour company Jeeps transporting boisterous groups up Schnebly Hill Road are clearly visible inching their way up the rutted, dirt passage.

Inside Bear Wallow Canyon

Evidently, passengers enjoy calling out and waving to hikers walking on the adjacent trail, which adds to the singular nature of the trek.  A group of picnic tables at the 1.3-mile point are something to keep in mind for a return trip lunch break. 

Catclaw acacia blooms April - October

Tadpoles scramble in the ephemeral canyon stream

At 1.8-miles, the trail meets the Hangover Trail junction. 

Trail crosses Schnebly Hill Road several times

For a longer and more difficult option, pick up this trail and follow it 3.6 miles to where it reconnects with Munds Trail at the Cow Pies trailhead. This detour involves much slickrock and exposure, so it’s not for the faint-of-heart. 

A shallow cave above Bear Wallow Canyon

To bypass the scary stuff, continue hiking on Munds Trail, as it crosses the road two more times before it leaves the canyon and heads uphill to its north terminus near the top of Bear Wallow Canyon and colorfully-layered Merry-Go-Round Rock on Schnebly Hill Road.

LENGTH:

To Hangover Trail Junction: 1.8 miles one way

To Cow Pies Trail junction: 2.8 miles one way

To end of trail: 3.8 miles one way

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 4,640 - 5,591 feet (on Munds Trail only)

GETTING THERE: From traffic circle located at the Oak Creek bridge on State Route 179 in Sedona, turn right onto Schnebly Hill Road and go one mile to the trailhead on the left. Roads are suitable for all vehicles. There is a restroom at the trailhead.

FEE: A Red Rock Pass or equivalent is required at the Schnebly Hill trailhead. There is a permit kiosk at the trailhead.

INFO: Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=74313

KINNIKINICK LAKE

KINNIKINICK LAKE

Scrub land surrounds Kinnickinick Lake

Fishing and hiking share a common component--hoofing it to get to the good stuff.  Anglers typically trudge miles along streams and lake shores in search of the ideal spot to cast a line, while hikers will go out of their way to explore quirky, out-of-the-way sights.

Kinnickinick Lake, located 38 miles south of Flagstaff, is one place where anglers and hikers can unite in purpose.

Reeds grow around the lake's dam

The small trout fishery is situated on a desolate plateau, dotted with scraggly junipers a few miles southeast of Mormon Lake in Coconino National Forest.  Vast grasslands where domestic cattle browse among sporadic stands of Ponderosa pines and water tanks define the dusty, 9-mile drive in on kidney-jarring back roads.

Calliopsis bloom along the water Jun-Sept

 

 

At approximately 100 surface acres in size, the lake sits at 7,000 feet in elevation and is open for day-use  fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and boating.  

Pines and junipers provide spotty shade along the hike

Largely shade-less with an eerie kind of allure, Kinnickinick, which is a Native American word used to describe plant-based mixtures for smoking, makes for an unusual trek.

The 2-mile circumference hike around the water involves following faint paths-of-use along a mix of mucky fringe, jumbled boulders and pine-shaded shores. 

The rocky fringe of Kinnickinick Lake

The route passes several barbed wire fences—close all gates and never cut or alter any parts—alternating among low bluffs above the lake and shoreline scrambles. 

The airy terrain of Kinnickinick Lake

The lake is bound by a dam at the head of Grapevine Canyon where acres of reeds serve as camouflage for waterfowl like ospreys, Great Blue herons and ducks and well as the herds of elk and pronghorn that roam the area.  

The lake is a haven for birds and waterfowl

A fun way to hike the lake is to do a hybrid kayak-walk trip.  This option circumvents the barbed wire and much of the loose-rock footing while providing better opportunities to view wildlife.

Poison milkweed attracts pollinators

 

Either way, this off-the-beaten-path, primitive destination offers an alternative to the typical party atmosphere of spending a day at the lake.

The hike follows faint paths-of-use

Curly dock flourishes in muddy areas around the lake

LENGTH:  2-mile circumference hike

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:  7,010 – 7,095 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff go 24 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Forest Road 125 on the left signed for Kinnickinick Lake.  Go 5 miles on FR 125 to Forest Road 82, veer right and continue 4.5 miles to the lake.  Forest roads 125 and 82 are rough dirt but passable by most carefully-driven vehicles.  The lake is open for day use only and there are no fees. There is a restroom near the boat ramp and picnic tables are spread out along the shore.

INFO: Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55002