Weather: 90°; sun; windy
About this Hike: Driving eastbound from Payson on AZ-260, I've long been intrigued by a sign indicating a left turn that's aptly named '260 Trailhead.'
This is an uncomfortable left turn. The highway is four lanes total (two in each direction) with a solid center line. There's no center lane for making a left turn. Oh, and the speed limit is 55 mph, with most people doing far in excess of that.
Military Sinkhole trail ascends the Mogollon Rim from 260 Trailhead. If the left turn were not safe, my Plan B was to drive a few more miles and park at Military Sinkhole Vista on top of the rim and then hike this trail in the opposite direction. Thankfully, with no traffic behind me, and a gap in oncoming traffic, I was able to make the legal, but treacherous, left turn into 260 Trailhead parking lot.
I was surprised to find a large gravel lot with bulletin boards, a latrine, and well-signed trails branching in multiple directions.
From the parking lot I began my ascent on Military Sinkhole Trail. The forest service website labels this as Trail #966, but the signage at the trail has it as Trail #179. Regardless, the ascent up the rim takes place over about two miles and just over 1,000 feet of elevation gain. It starts out in a vein of "Sedona-esque' red rock, but quickly becomes shadier. In fact, this section of the hike has the best forest. A thick blend of firs, spruces, and ponderosas are complemented by plenty of maple and oak. I might need to come back here in the fall.
The trail crests on the rim at Military Sinkhole lookout site, which is part of the Rim Lakes Vista Trail. Forest Road 300 (Rim Road) is still paved at this point, and the vista lookout sites have paved parking lots. This means expect lots of tourist traffic.
Despite the higher elevation, the forest on this part of the rim changes. Mighty ponderosas dominate with no firs or spruces in sight. The pines are spread apart, and the forest floor feels almost like high desert grassland. Open grassy meadows are abundant while old logging roads criss-cross the landscape.
I opted to cross FR-300 and continue along the trail. I found what I'm certain is the Military Sinkhole. It's just a shallow depression in the ground. Maybe it fills with water during the wetter seasons. Being as it was still early in the day, I continued my hike following the trail and Old Rim Road to the 235 Road Trail. I hiked to a feature on the map called 'Lake Three.' Lake Three was void of any water, but it was beautiful, grassy elk meadow. This was my turn around point.
Despite the forecasted highs on the rim top being in the low 80s, it was hot. The wind picked up in the afternoon, which was a welcome relief. Despite the shade of the thicker trees, the hike down only got hotter as I descended in elevation.
I've long been curious about 260 Trailhead, and I'm glad to have explored this area. And of course, I found a few other trails that I'll need to come back and explore again in the near future.
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