Portal Area: Nature Trail, Cathedral Vista, and Silver Peak

Weather:  79º, sun, hot

About this Hike:  After departing Chiricahua, we headed toward Arizona's Yosemite—Portal. This could be a 24 mile drive over FR-42 Pinery Canyon Road. However, with the RV, we needed to stick to the pavement. Staying on terra-firma took us on a two hour drive, across the New Mexico state line, and then back into Arizona. 

I wanted to camp at one of the first three campgrounds along Cave Creek Road in Portal. I was nervous these would be filled up with weekend warriors and had made Plans B, C, D, etc. I was very wrong. The campgrounds were near empty. We got a great spot at Stewart Campground. 

I chose Portal Nature Trail and Silver Peak because these have hike-out access from the campground. The nature trail is a relatively flat stroll through high desert riparian woodlands. Many of the trees and shrubs are labeled by placards. There is a cool old stone structure labeled as the 'Explosives Shack.' A utility line parallels much of the nature trail, which is slightly anti-climatic. 

We arrived at Silver Peak Trail and began our ascent up. It was hot and exposed juniper and grassland to start. As we wrapped around toward the north and west the tall mountain peaks cast some welcome respite on the trail. An occasional riparian drainage offered some tree shade as well. 

My hope on Silver Peak was to take in some views of the stunning mountains and rock formations that make Portal the "Yosemite of Arizona." It did not disappoint. 

With elevation and mileage stats close to Flagstaff's Humphrey's Peak, I would have loved to summit Silver Peak. With a late start, summiting wasn't possible today. We made it to Viewpoint #3 on the All Trails map and then called it good. This was just short of the three mile mark, with another two miles (and over 1,000 feet elevation gain) to go before the summit. Perhaps somedays I'll come back...

We also explored the Cathedral Vista Viewpoint (early Sunday morning) where we met the YouTuber behind the BackroadTrails channel. He was gathering some footage for an upcoming video on Portal. Cathedral Vista Trail unofficially continues past the viewpoint. In fact, following the unofficial trail led us right back to our campsite. Like literally, it ends right there at the Stewart Campground at the site we had selected. 

The guy behind the YouTube channel shared that he would continuing up FR-42 and overnighting at Pinery Canyon Campground—a remote dispersed camping area along this scenic mountain pass. I'll admit I was a little jealous. And therein lies the problem with this initial visit to Portal:  From South Fork, to FR-42, to the entire recreation area (and all the trails branching therein), one needs a high clearance vehicle. Cave Creek Road quickly turns to dirt. The South Fork road has a sign warning against taking an RV on it. 

When I return to Portal, it will be my with my Tacoma. Camping in the RV is great. In fact, I haven't warmed up to tent camping despite sinking thousands into fancy roof top tents and other equipment. But to enjoy all that the Portal area has to offer, one needs to be able to leave the pavement. 

Silver Spur & Faraway Ranch

Weather:  75º, sun and clouds

About this Hike:  The Big Loop had been a long hike today. However, after dinner at camp, we decided on an evening stroll.

The Silver Spur Trail begins right in Bonita Creek Campground, meaning no need to move the RV. We followed the path through riparian meadows where more than a few pygmy-sized deer greeted us. 

We stopped at a historic cabin and then continued through the equally historic Faraway Ranch. Eventually we reached a parking lot near the park entrance. The trail continued from here as the Bonita Creek Trail. However, it was getting dark, so we opted to make the parking lot our turnaround point. 

Headlamps came out and we arrived back at camp just after dark. 

Silver Spur made for an enjoyable evening walk. 

Chiricahua Big Loop

Weather:  71º, clouds and wind, occasional sun

About this Hike:  The Big Loop is an All Trails route. It combines multiple trails and gives an excellent overview of the best Chiricahua has to offer.

We opted to park at Massai Point point, which is the end of the scenic drive. This hike may actually be easier parking at Echo Canyon as we had to use a short connector trail to get the loop started from Massai. 

Regardless, the trail took us through several canyons including Sarah Demming Canyon and Upper Rhyolite, both of which were lush with a flowing stream and tall pines. Big Loop also traverses Chiricahua's signature hoodoos, winds around teetering balanced rocks, and loops through Heart of the Rocks where various formations are given names denoted by signs. 

Like most [soon to be] national parks, Chiricahua has an Inspiration Point. This is an out-and-back side trail and we opted to skip it since it looked to offer views into a canyon we'd just climbed out of. 

Echo Canyon ended up being one of the best parts of this loop. The scary part is I almost skipped it. There is a junction and the sign says that both directions will take you back to Massai Point parking. If I had followed the Hailstone Trail it would've gotten me back to Massai, but I would've missed one of the best parts of Chiricahua. I am glad I opted to follow the Echo Canyon Trail.  In an area called 'The Grottos' you get to hike in between massive hoodoos and rock formations. In some parts it feels cave-like and there's a noticeable temperature drop.  In sunny clefts between the rocks, scraggly apache pine and other vegetation manage to grow skyward.

We topped out near the Echo Canyon parking lot, but had to use a short connector to get back to Massai. I would estimate this to be a nine mile hike and always along well-maintained trails. Maybe we just spent a lot of time stopping to observe the scenery, because it took about six hours to complete.

Chiricahua Natural Bridge

Weather:  70º, sun and clouds

About this Hike:  After about five hours of driving we arrived at Chiricahua National Monument. Bonita Creek Campground will be home for the next couple of nights as we explore what may soon be Arizona's next national park. 

Since it was late in the day, I opted for a 'medium-duty' hike at the Natural Bridge Trail. There is a small parking area off the main road, but we had it to ourselves. Good thing too, because I recently acquired a small RV from Cruise America. Its a pre-production prototype of their new 'ultra-compact' model, and after they finished testing it, I picked it up for a good price. National park infrastructure is typically accommodating for those who use small RVs and vans as their primary exploration vehicle. 

The natural bridge hike starts in a riparian zone, climbs to high desert savanna, and then drops into another riparian area complete with apache pines, wildflower meadows, trickling streams, and plenty of mosquitos. 

The water and mosquitos are thanks to all the monsoon activity Arizona has enjoyed this summer. It also means that while these trails are well-maintained, there is some tall grass encroachment. Post-hike I did a thorough tick check even though I was wearing long pants. 

After just over two miles of hiking, the namesake natural bridge came into view. You can't get really close to it. A sign denotes the end of the trail at a viewpoint. I'd suggest binoculars and/or a zoom lens. 

This was a good inaugural hike to kick off our Chiricahua exploration. 

Babe Haught to Knoll Lake

Weather:  77º, sun and clouds

About this Hike:  One year ago today I first explored Babe Haught Trail to Knoll Lake. Looking for something to do today, and remembering this to be an enjoyable hike, I opted to try it again. 

The parking lot was the fullest I've ever seen it at the Hatchery Trailhead. This may be spurred by the closure of Horton Creek parking lot for on-going construction. 

While I saw a few other hikers today, I wouldn't call the trail crowded by any means. But then, with multiple spurs of Highline Trail branching from the same parking area, surely not all hikers were on Babe Haught. 

For some reason I enjoyed this hike a lot more last year. It wasn't bad by any means this year, yet it just felt different. Maybe it was the fact that it was still uncomfortably hot today. Maybe all the orange ponderosa pines were getting to me too...

I can't tell if the ponderosas are dying or experiencing intense seasonal needle drop. Most of them still have plenty of green, punctuated by some clumps of orange. Photos taken and analyzed by AI tell me its just seasonal needle drop. But then with the beetle outbreak in recent years, I never know what to believe. 

Knoll Lake is still low when you compare the bathtub ring to its current state of fill. However, with a good monsoon this summer, it is higher than a year ago. In fact, there wasn't much lake bottom to walk along. Even if it was just a few inches of murky water, the lake level is definitely higher. Hopefully El Nino brings us some solid snowpack this winter and fills up the rim lakes. 

Sand Rock Canyon / Fossil Creek Canyon Rim

Weather:  81º, sunny, muggy, hot

About this Hike:  I discovered this hike on All Trails. It looked to follow old dirt two-track roads through the savanna and to an overlook above the Fossil Creek Wilderness area. The hike begins at FR-9D which parallels a high tension powerline. There is a distinct change here—the ponderosa pines of the Mogollon Rim end and the grasslands begin. High desert savanna spotted with junipers and occasional pinion pines  was the scenery for the entire hike, save for a small creek that had ponderosas growing along it. At least the grasses were relatively green. Muddy spots along the trail and even some standing puddles attest to the amount of rain this area has gotten in 2026's active monsoon.

The trail eventually diverges away from FR-9D and onto FR-9K at a large cattle tank. The tank was full and the water looked clean (by cattle tank standards). I was glad to move away from the overhead powerlines. I experienced a strange phenomenon while underneath them. My hand slipped off the rubber grip of my aluminum hiking pole. Upon contacting the metal, I experienced a small electric shock in my right hand. While not serious, it was more than a little static zap, enough so that I instinctively threw my hiking pole. There was no obvious injury to my hand, and so I theorized the powerlines had something to do with it. Some internet research when I got home confirmed my theory. 

This hike was difficult to follow. I wasted considerable time backtracking and trying to find the All Trails  GPS track. In the tall grass it was to no avail. The best way to do this is simply to follow the defined two-track. Eventually the two track rejoined the All Trails GPS track. The road forked again, and I went left, once again diverging the GPS track. This proved to be a good choice. This route led to a faint, but navigable, footpath and right to the edge of the canyon. 

I took some time to appreciate the views into Fossil Creek Wilderness. As this canyon runs toward the Verde Valley, Sedona-esque red sandstone is prominent in the canyon walls. I was saddened to see a lot of orange pine trees on the upper ridges of the canyon. This is testament to a pine beetle outbreak that I hope is nearing its end. The inner canyon looked lush and beautiful, although the creek was not visible. 

I hiked back to the fork and tried to follow the All Trails GPS track. It appeared to go on close to another mile, ending on a narrow peninsula. This proved to be to no avail. The two-track ran out. While a narrow peninsula on the map, when you're standing on it, it is a sea of grass and junipers. It would've been easy to get lost, and I was not plowing through all that grass. I found one viewpoint to the side, and it didn't seem to offer anything that the first good viewpoint offered. I could see the end of the peninsula from here, but I wasn't willing to go on any further. 

I hiked out the way I came in. Without backtracking and getting confused, it only took a little over an hour to get back my parking spot on FR-677 just off of AZ-260. 

This was a hot, unpleasant hike. The viewpoint was enjoyable, but honestly, I'd rather be hiking down in Fossil Creek Canyon (an area I've yet to explore). 

Rim Run and Box Canyon

Weather:  78º, cloudy, muggy

About this Hike:  My original plan was to explore the network of trails that originate at the Canyon Point Campground near Forest Lakes. However, I was stopped at the guard shack. There is a $10 day-use fee. I opted to continue down 260 turning at Merzville Rd. 

From Merzville Road I could access something called Rim Run Trail, which looked to be a viable alternate. In fact this ended up being a great choice.

I drove in to where Merzville junctions with Hillcrest Road and parked . The road was getting a little sketchy and there were plenty of good clearings to park in. I imagine this would make for some good dispersed camping, especially if one is looking to avoid the fees at Canyon Point. 

My hike entailed following Merzville Road to where it ends at a vast overlook on the edge of the Mogollon Rim. Parking where I did was a good call. The road only degraded more, and there was a lot of standing water and smelly mud. I often paralleled the road, hiking on the thick bed of pine needles that make up the forest floor. The forest back here is thick, healthy ponderosa. It was very peaceful and enjoyable to hike through.

Near the end, the road becomes more like rock steps. Ending at the rim's edge, I could see the nearby peninsula viewpoint that is accessed from the campground. This was further confirmation that I missed out on nothing (and saved $10) by doing the hike via Merzville Road. I could also see a fish hatchery and some buildings in the lush, green valley below. 

There is an American flag planted at the edge of the rim viewpoint. Judging from its lack of tatters and relatively vibrant color, I would say this is a new addition. 

On the hike out I followed a side trail down a decommissioned road to what looked like another viewpoint. It did lead to a viewpoint, but it was rocky, brushy, and the views weren't great. 

Being that it was early afternoon, I debated whether I wanted to link up with the network of trails that branch from the campground, or go do something else. The campground trails have silly names like 'Dare Me' and 'Wedding Day.' This makes me think they're geared more toward mountain bikers. The whole network is close to 260, meaning constant road noise. 

I figured if I wanted the above unpleasantries, I might go try something else. I started heading back toward Payson, stopping at the Box Canyon Trail just off 260. While the map indicated walking directly parallel to the busy highway, I opted to follow a utility line that also paralleled the road. This kept me a little further out of traffic and ultimately led to a side trail. This side trail had cairns and looked to descend into the box canyon. Unfortunately, it was extremely steep and eventually had a sheer drop off. I took a photo of two pretty waterfalls deep in the canyon and then turned back. 

Finding the correct trail, I paralleled 260 and then joined the official Box Canyon Trail. It was much easier to descend, and soon I was at the waters of Christopher Creek, surrounded by magnificent purple-red cliffs. 

I hiked up to a viewpoint and got some photos of a waterfall spilling into a pool below. I also had noticed a grassy meadow when I first reached the water's edge. I went through an open horse gate and followed a path through the meadow. The creek changed dramatically, becoming a marshy remnant. The canyon walls vanished and deciduous trees surrounded me. I arrived at an equestrian enclosure with a large building. Turns out I had trespassed onto a private retreat / camp. Upon arriving back at the water, I saw the bleached, bullet-hole filled 'No Trespassing' sign. 

While not overly spectacular hikes, I was glad to get out and enjoy some simple pleasures here in Rim Country this Labor Day.