Hellsgate - Big Ridge via Haigler Creek

Weather:  60º, sun 

About this Hike:  After an introductory hike to Hellsgate Wilderness a few weeks ago, I've mapped out a number of other hikes in the area. 

Checking out the Big Ridge Trail from near Haigler Creek seemed like a perfect post-Thanksgiving hike to burn off some turkey. 

I anticipated FR-200 to Haigler Creek would be a decent road considering there are neighborhoods and even a lodge down in the valley near the creek. I was mostly correct about this, albeit for one sketchy spot. The spot in question comes right after a signed pull-off for an overlook high above Haigler Creek. A stretch of the road is a one-lane shelf with no guardrails and sweeping views into the valley below. It was a bit nerve wracking, but the road quickly returns to a more safe feel. 

We parked and began our hike from a large pull-off where FR-200 meets an ATV trail. I believe this is  FR-1355. This ATV trail crosses Gordon Creek and becomes FR-178. The path was very muddy in spots, with puddles of standing water. It was also very steep and rutted in other spots. This didn't stop several ATVs that went buzzing by. A few miles in, we even found a parked 4Runner. It was an older model with plenty of forest pinstriping. Regardless, I was shocked that a street vehicle made it thru some of the narrow, steep, and rutted sections. 

Eventually we junctioned with Big Ridge FR-177. I was hoping to hike out to a feature called Horse Mountain, which would be about 13 miles round trip. With about two hours left of daylight, we determined it was best to turn back after a short jaunt up FR-177, having not reached Horse Mountain.

For being below 6,000 feet, this area has impressively thick forest. There's ponderosas and occasional firs, all happily co-existing with junipers, pinons, agaves, and other high-desert vegetation. Enjoying thick forest and occasional water features was the real reward of this hike. 

Hellsgate has obviously been ranchland for many decades. The trails are just ATV roads punctuated by cattle tanks and decayed ranching infrastructure (spring heads, troughs, fences, etc.). I had hoped for some viewpoints and vistas today. While there were a few breaks in the dense vegetation where I brought out my binoculars, there seldom were any good viewpoints in the wilderness area.

Regardless, I look forward to exploring more of Hellsgtate including a return to Bear Flat. In fact Horse Mountain may be reachable from there via a hike similar in length to today's hike. An earlier start would certainly help make this goal attainable. 

Stewart Ridge

Weather:  65º, sun and clouds

About this Hike:  Today didn't look like a hike was going to be possible between work commitments and an iffy forecast. By this afternoon I had completed my work obligations, and the sun was shining. 

Stewart Ridge is so close it's practically in my front yard...as in, I can see the ridge from my front yard. Today was the perfect opportunity to explore this trail so close to my home. 

I started my hike at the Mud Springs Trailhead. I've used this trailhead before to access the Oxbow portion of the PARCS trails. I must have blown right by the unmarked junction for Stewart Ridge in the past. 

The ridge trail offered fantastic 360º views of Payson, the Mazatzals, and the rim. Using binoculars, I was able to find my house, even if only the rooftop of it. There were a surprising number of late-season wildflowers blooming among the high desert landscape. The pink granite, pinon pines, and agaves were similar to what we hiked through last weekend in Hellsgate Wilderness, yet so much prettier at the same time. 

I hiked out to where the official trail ends at a rocky outcropping that I believe is called Gibson Peak. While the official, mapped trail had come to an end, cairns indicated I could go further. I pressed on, following the cairns along a path that was sometimes well-worn and other times overgrown. Past the rocky outcropping, the stands of pinon pine and juniper began to get thicker. I followed what seemed like a trail, although it quickly disappeared into the woodlands. The area was overgrown and increasingly more steep and rocky. I was on the edge of the ridge. With the number of elk bones I saw, I figure there's active mountain lions in this area. I opted to make this my turnaround point. 

I knew I just needed to parallel the rocky ridge to find my way back. However, I ended up on quite an annoying bushwhack, seeming to never find the path I used on my hike in. Eventually I rejoined the official trail and was glad to have done so. Apparently you can hike up to the top of Gibson Peak, although I imagine this would entail some tricky scrambling. I've read there's even some kind of stone structure on top. I might have to come back and explore some more...

As I hiked out along the ridge, the forecasted bad weather was beginning to build in. The skies were dark over the Mazatzals, and by the time I reached the trailhead, the first drops of rain had begun. 

Hellsgate Introduction - Bear Flat

Weather:  75º, sunny

About this Hike:  The Hellsgate Wilderness has been in my backyard for a couple years now since moving to Payson, yet I've never given this area much consideration. 

We decided to change that this weekend. After considerable research, we opted to take the Bear Flat Trail from its namesake neighborhood up to Mescal Ridge. If Mescal was nothing special, the plan was to continue down Bear Trail toward Horse Mountain and Big Ridge. 

We wasted probably about half an hour looking for the trail after crossing Tonto Creek at the trailhead. My GPS map indicated the trail paralleled the private land that makes up the Bear Flat neighborhood. 

We followed the fence to a gate with a sign that admonished 'Watch for Snakes.' This is where we took a wrong turn. While faint, the trail quickly becomes a steep old Jeep road. Instead we went wandering up the steep hillside clinging to trees and following game trails. Spying a saddle near the top, we aimed for that. Upon breaking through the trees, we were on the Jeep road. I asked how the hell did we miss this at the beginning? 

Regardless, now on the correct path, we quickly reached the Mescal Ridge junction. The signpost is there, but the sign is long gone. I was hoping for some good views into the Hellsgate Wilderness. There were some good viewpoints. Through my binoculars I spied a large green meadow with a faint two-track running through it. I'm thinking this is Big Ridge Trail? I could also see homes on a ridge, a reminder this area is more developed that one might think.

Otherwise, many of the would-be viewpoints were obscured by vegetation. And about that vegetation...Mescal Ridge feels very deserty. There's plenty of the namesake agave plants, hedgehog cacti, desert spoons, etc. to remind you that this hot, exposed ridge is in a desert climate. Yet there's also plenty of juniper and pinon pine to remind you this is high-desert forest. 

The ground along Mescal is rocky with deep rust-colored boulders that I assume to be granite. There were also occasional white quartz stones and even some reddish-purple rocks that reminded me of Mazatzal quartzite.  That same ground is also absolutely littered with cow pies.  There are three cattle tanks along Mescal, and this is definitely open-range country. We encountered just one small herd of bessies, but they ran away before we got close. 

I'll be honest that I didn't love Mescal, yet I'm still glad to have experienced it. Upon reaching the Bear Flat junction , and with only about an hour of daylight remaining, we did a short jaunt down Bear Flat. Immediately we were surrounded by thicker forest. The trail was easier on the feet with crushed gravel instead of the rockiness of Mescal. I found myself wishing we had done this segment today instead. 

Regardless, now my interest in Hellsgate is piqued. I plan to return via the FR-200 and experience Bear Flat from the south end to see Horse Mountain and Big Ridge. 

U-Bar to Dane Spring / Canyon

Weather:  65º, sunny

About this Hike:  Nearly two months ago we hiked Barbershop Trail.  At that time I mentioned the original plan was to hike up to the Dane Spring Cabin--a plan that was quickly scrapped when we began to take in the beauty of Barbershop Trail. 

Hoping to catch some fall color, we decided to return to the rim today to explore U-Bar trail up to Dane Spring. In September we parked at Buck Springs. That weekend the Mogollon Monster 100 race was going on, and the trailhead at FR-321 was a bustling aid station complete with RVs, spectators, and copious amounts of propane to power all the festivities. The 321 road was a different story today. Quiet and peaceful, with just one other car at the trailhead. 

The brief introductory segment of this hike was on Barbershop Trail. It became quickly apparent that fall color was far past peak. The aspens were bare, although a few bigtooth maples clung to their last colorful leaves. 

We turned north at the U-Bar junction and hiked up to the Dane Spring Cabin. It looks like it has gotten some maintenance and reinforcement since I last saw it in June of 2022.

I debated turning around and going back to Barbershop. The massive old growth blue spruces and other conifers in this canyon never cease to amaze me. Instead we pressed on. The trail begins to hug the rim of Dane Canyon. We met a trail runner who advised us we would drop into Dane Canyon just up ahead, and a drop into Barbershop Canyon was still further ahead. 

We opted to check out Dane and Barbershop Canyons. Both looked dark and a bit foreboding from their respective rims, but an easy hike down well-maintained trail took us into forested meadow. Both canyons' creeks had some water. 

The foliage was not as majestic as what is found along the Barbershop Trail. Occasional stands of fir and spruce often gave way to ponderosa, grassland, and pale iron-colored rock and soil. 

Despite the name, Barbershop Canyon past Dane Canyon is not part of the Barbershop Trail. Otherwise, this would have an interesting loop opportunity. We turned around after exploring the bottom of Barbershop and made our way to FR-321. We arrived back to the truck right at sunset as the November air was beginning to get chilly. There was a moonrise and then some opportunities for star gazing. 

It was a beautiful day on the Mogollon Rim. 

Happy Jack Passage 28 of Arizona Trail

Weather:  68º, sunny

About this Hike:  Just over a month ago I explored a segment of the Arizona Trail (AZT) with the goal of seeing Turkey Mountain.  That hike enlightened me to about four more miles of AZT from AZ-87 to the trailhead parking area up along FR-82. 

With clear skies, and this being the first weekend in a while that I'm not dodging rain clouds, I decided today was the day to explore this part of Passage 28 of the AZT. 

I parked just off of 87 after driving through an unlocked cattle gate. The trail starts off in scorched ponderosa pine forest. Unfortunately, this defines the first mile or so of the hike. Many of the blackened trees don't appear to be completely dead. While about two-thirds of the lower needles are brown/orange, the crowns of the trees are still green. I wonder if they'll recover? Even more unfortunate, I believe this was controlled burns set by the USFS. I'll never understand how killing nearly all the trees in an area supports a healthy forest...

Eventually the condition of the forest did improve, although one never needed to look far to find fire-damaged ponderosas. The trail opens up at an overlook above Jack's Canyon and then descends into the canyon. The creeks still have a good amount of water in them from last week's torrential rain, but the few creek crossings were nearly dry and always easy to navigate. 

In the canyon and along the creek was the best part of this hike in my opinion. The shrubbery in the canyon is exhibiting its full display of fall color, and this made for some pretty reflections off the standing pools of water in the creek bed.

After about four easy miles of hiking I reached FR-82, which was my goal for the day. I had previously explored the AZT beyond this point. I briefly considered walking up 82 a ways, turning left at FR-93D and looping back on that. It looks like 93D follows a drainage, and I thought it might be an interesting approximately two mile extension to the hike. I kinda wish I had done it. Likely the extension would be more grassland and ponderosa forest...not that that's a bad thing. Regardless, I opted to make FR-82 my turnaround point. 

At the Hay Meadow Tank not so far from where I started there was a herd of cattle drinking the muddy water. Along with a herd of deer and a tarantula, this completed today's wildlife sightings. 

I continue to enjoy exploring segments of the AZT between Happy Jack and Flagstaff. 

Foggy Fall Mormon Mountain Hike

Weather:  60º, heavy cloud cover, humid

About this Hike:  Just about every weekend for the past month has brought rain. Arizona is receiving a lot of tropical moisture off the Pacific this year in a deluge that reminds me of the falls in 2018 and 2019. Despite the rain, I have found breaks in the downpours long enough to get out and go hiking every weekend. 

In recent past weekends I've noted that despite the rain most creeks and arroyos are dry. This finally changed. With nearly three inches of fresh rain in my backyard gauge this morning, creeks I've never seen flow before were chocolate-milk torrents today. But with radar indicating a break in the rain for most of Saturday, we couldn't keep our boots off the trail.

We opted to drive up to Mormon Mountain between Rim Country and Flagstaff. Not only would the cloudy, damp conditions create unique scenery, but we anticipated some fall color in the aspen stands at the top of the mountain. 

Ours was the only vehicle parked at the Mormon Trailhead parking area at the Dairy Springs Campground. A few brave tent campers were setup in the campground. The peak of Mormon Mountain was hidden by thick, gray clouds. 

The Mormon Mountain trail climbs 1,200 feet, yet it's never very steep. The climb is gradual and without narrow switchbacks and steep inclines. The trail is excellent and receives regular maintenance. I've done this climb once before, but it seems I failed to appreciate the thick, old-growth forest this hike traverses. 

Making it more magical was the damp conditions that are so rare for Arizona. As we climbed higher toward the summit at 8,400 feet we began to get into fog. The fog was like smoke, often swirling around us, but never so thick as to impede visibility. The old-growth trees were covered in pale-green moss. The unique gray light, the fog, and the lichens made this feel like an enchanted—if not slightly creepy—forest. 

The aspen fall color was hit or miss. Some were still green while others were starting to show a few yellow leaves. At the summit was where we found some peak fall color in the aspens. We ate lunch near the communications towers on top and then began the trek down. While we had cell service at the summit we checked the weather. It appeared a thunderstorm may be blowing in, although this never materialized—thankfully. In fact, we experienced no rain the entire afternoon, although the low, gray clouds indicated the heavens could unleash at any moment. 

As we hiked down, we appreciated the warming temperatures compared with the chilly, windy summit. Eventually we got out of the gray clouds that were hugging the top of the mountain. There was even some occasional sunshine breaking through the clouds. We paused at the viewpoint over Mormon Lake. Despite the rain, it's still dry as can be, although now there were a few puddles in the middle. I don't think Flagstaff and the Mormon Lake area received quite as much rain as we did in Payson. 

Today we could have chose to play it safe and stayed home. The weather didn't look promising. But I'm glad we got out. Not only did the weather cooperate, but we got to hike in some conditions that probably come around only once in many months. Today was a beautiful fall hike in an area we've been exploring so often as of late—the stretch between Rim Country and Flagstaff. 

Marshall Lake to Walnut Canyon

Weather:  70º, sunny, windy

About this Hike:  A couple months ago we did a quick day hike in Walnut Canyon. While a pretty area, Walnut Canyon isn't exactly new territory to me anymore. However, I did notice a segment of Arizona Trail intersects Walnut Canyon with a sign reading 'Marshall Lake 4.7 miles.' 

Since we've been exploring segments of the AZT all along Lake Mary Road this summer and fall, I wanted to come back and explore this Marshall-Lake-to-Walnut-Canyon segment. Today was the perfect day weather-wise, so I loaded up the truck and drove up to Flagstaff. 

I parked at Marshall Lake which has a good size parking area for the AZT trailhead. The so-called lake is a big grassy meadow right now. Last week's rain obviously didn't do much for it, but I'm sure it's beautiful when full of water. Perhaps after a wet winter I'll need to return to this area... The area is very popular for dispersed camping, and as usual, I found myself wishing I had small RV or camper van. 

The scenery along the trail looked like pretty much all the other hikes I've done near Lake Mary Road: stands of ponderosa, grasslands, meadows, and the occasional cattle tank. I saw just two other hikers and a few bicyclists. Otherwise, I had the trail to myself. Unfortunately many segments of forest are being actively logged in this area. Large dozer-line roads bisect the landscape while ponderosa logs are piled 20 feet or more high, their mulched branches littering the ground. 

The best scenery by far was the final 1.5 miles before descending into and joining Walnut Canyon. The forest turns more lush. Firs intersperse with the ponderosas. The views open up looking into the canyon, into Flagstaff, and toward the San Francisco Peaks. 

In the canyon and near the junction with the main trail there is a neat sandstone formation. It has a pale pink hue and the typical sandstone striations. There is a little rock overhang that some may want to call a cave. A quick climb up a side trail leads to a mini rock arch / window. 

While not a jaw-dropping hike, this was a fun ~10 mile round trip Saturday afternoon hike.