Great Basin Day One - Timber Creek, Pole Canyon, & Osceola

Weather:  78º, sun, clouds, spotty showers

About this Hike:  Today starts my first of three days exploring Great Basin National Park in Nevada. Due to a cold front and subsequent thunderstorms in the area, I opted to keep today's hike in the lower elevations of the park. The cooler temps were a welcome relief, as I can't imagine doing these hikes with summer temps in the 90s. 

My first hike was South Timber Creek toward Johnson Lake. In fact, I reached a pass with a sign indicating 2.7 miles to Johnson Lake. Instead, I opted to close the loop early using Baker Meadows Trail. I did this because while 2.7 miles doesn't sound too far, the map indicated there was a lot of elevation to be gained and that it may go above timberline. With the threat of thunderstorms ever present, I decided not to venture too deep into the backcountry. I also assumed that Johnson Lake would be a puddle at best this time of year. 

After finishing the loop (and kicking myself a bit for not pushing on to Johnson Lake), I visited Pole Canyon Trail next. I enjoyed a relatively easy ascent thru riparian areas, bounded by stark gray canyon walls. Eventually I reached the upper reaches of this trail and more open meadows. The 360-degree views of mountains and the basin valley in the distance were impressive. This was early afternoon and the skies were starting to thunder. I turned around and hurried back to the Pole Canyon parking area, arriving back just before the storm blew in. It never amounted to much, and I spent some time exploring the Great Basin Visitor Center. 

With the threat of storms past, I decided on one more hike. It was going to be Lehman Creek Trail. Unfortunately my GPS had a different plan. After not notifying me of the turn, I was now on my way up the scenic parkway. This shelf road has limited turnarounds. My next chance to safely turnaround was at Osceola Ditch Trailhead, a trail I wanted to explore anyway. I decided to just hike Osceola instead since I was already at the trailhead. I hiked in a little over a mile to Mill Creek, traversing boulder fields and high desert terrain. The forest became much more lush around Mill Creek, which ended up being my turnaround point. The topography of the ditch, and much of the timber that supported this nineteenth-century mining aqueduct, are still in-tact. 

After Osceola, I was tired and it was dinner time. I'm glad to have explored the lower elevations of the park. Hopefully drier weather is in store the next couple days, because I want to spend more time up near Wheeler Peak. 

Buck Mountain Lookout

Weather:  88º, sun, occasional clouds

About this Hike:  I noticed the sign for Buck Mountain Lookout last weekend while driving up to Flagstaff. We decided to make a return visit today to check out this historic fire lookout. 

I wasn't sure how drivable FR-229 would be, but it ended up being an easy drive up to the last mile where we opted to park and begin the hike. The last spur of road up to the fire lookout is closed anyway, with a sign advising foot traffic only. 

For an historic lookout built in the 1930s, I was surprised to see a lot of modern infrastructure. I'm uncertain when this lookout officially closed. The AI answer I received was in the 1970s, but the signage and infrastructure look newer than that. While the cab is closed and boarded up, the stairs up to the tower are open. In fact, the wood decking of the tower looks surprisingly new. My research also indicated the tower underwent restoration in 2022. 

While obscured by vegetation, the views atop Buck Mountain were impressive. I especially enjoyed using my binoculars to find Apache Maid Mountain (and its fire lookout) along with Wet Beaver Wilderness. Despite their proximity, I was unable to see any of Sedona. 

During our lunch break, an Arizona Sister butterfly landed on my red hiking back. She put on quite a show, pumping her wings while using her proboscis to lap up whatever residue was on my pack. 

The day was hot, save for a few clouds and rumbles of distant thunder. We kept this hike relatively short and then headed back to Pine for beers at That Brewery. 

Bear Jaw Abineau & Walker Lake

Weather:  70º, humid, clouds, occasional light rain, sun later

About this Hike:  Triple digits are here in Arizona, even for Rim Country. I decided to head above 8,000 feet to try and get some respite from the heat. It's been a while since I've explored the Bear Jaw Abineau loop in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness north of Flagstaff. Today seemed to be the perfect day to visit again. 

When I arrived at the trailhead around noon, the sun felt scorching. I feared this was going to be an unpleasant hike. However, dark clouds were building around the Kachina Peaks. While cloud cover would offer some respite from the sun, it also could mean lightning—not something you want when climbing to above 10,000 feet. The forecast had indicated low chance of storms today, but in the mountains during an active monsoon season, a daily storm is almost inevitable. 

In the past I've hiked this loop counter-clockwise. Doing so gets the steeper portion out of the way on the ascent up the Abineau Trail, with a more gradual descent on the Bear Jaw Trail. 

The day ended up being perfect weather-wise. The clouds never thundered, but they did bring respite from the sun. When I reached the Waterline Connector Trail at the top of Abineau Peak, I received a welcome, cooling shower. By the time I reached the junction with Bear Jaw Trail to begin my descent, the sun was already back out. 

Before beginning my descent, I lingered and took in the spectacular views of the mountains and old-growth conifer forest. The Kachina Peaks look like something you'd see in Colorado or in the Rockies. With no major fires in Arizona right now, the air was reasonably clear today. There were views across the meadows studded with ancient volcanic features, reaching all the way up to the rim of the Grand Canyon. The forest floor was alive with wildflowers and colorful berries. 

While the sun came back out, once I got under the canopy of thicker forest, it offered plenty of shade. The forest transitions from high-altitude conifer to massive aspen, and then eventually old-growth ponderosas make a return. The ponderosas are never very dense in this ecosystem, but the ones that have managed to thrive above 8,000 feet are gargantuan. And there's the smell...this is a very fragrant forest. The notes of pine mix with the butterscotch-vanilla of the ponderosas. 

I had such an enjoyable afternoon on Bear Jaw Abineau that I didn't want it to end. Studying the sign and map at the trailhead, I decided on one more quick hike, this to Walker Lake. Walker Lake is a bowl-shaped ancient volcanic feature. Like most of the 'lakes' in this area, it is a meadow that floods in a wet year. 

I parked my truck just off Hart Prairie Road and followed a four-digit forest road back toward the lake. An older couple with a camper van were dispersed camping back a little ways. I could have driven back to the lake, but with an unknown four-digit forest road, I didn't want to risk it. These are often not suitable for anything more than a dirt bike or ATV. 

Walker Lake is just a grassy meadow, with a muddy puddle in the center. Despite all the monsoon action as of late, the Kachina Peaks need a winter of solid snowfall.

Regardless, today was a great day and left me wanting to come up to Flagstaff more often to explore the Inner Basin and all the other neat features this area has to offer. 

Kinder Crossing and Blue Ridge

Weather:  72º, humid, clouds, occasional light rain

About this Hike:  I went up to the rim today planning to explore the short, but interesting, hike at Kinder Crossing. I figured afterward I'd hang around along FR-95 and see what other interesting sights there are. 

I parked the truck at the road for Kinder Crossing (95T) where it intersects FR-95. I didn't want to drive far down this rough, muddy road, opting to hike in instead. I reached the rim of East Clear Creek Canyon and took in the panoramic viewpoints. The sky was growing darker and I heard distant thunder. I second guessed if I should return to the truck, but stubbornly hiked down the switchbacks into the canyon anyway. 

A family was in front of me, and I eventually caught up to them. By the looks of their gear, they were headed down to East Clear Creek to go swimming. With recent monsoon rains, I imagine East Clear Creek would be a great swimming spot. The family was none to happy to see me, frequently watching over their shoulders while they stopped to take pictures and just generally block the trail. 

I took some photos of the striking cliffs and rock formations all reflected by the waters of East Clear Creek. The family continued blocking forward progress on the trail, and the skies kept getting louder. I decided I'd seen what I came to see today, and I turned back.

The approximately 1.5 mile hike back to the truck flew by. I hoofed it out quickly, nervous of the greenish-blue tint to the storm clouds. I hoped the family in the canyon would be OK. 

 I reached the truck before the first rain drops began to fall. While FR-95 is as good of a USFS road as you'll ever get, I decided to return to pavement. I drove down to the Moqui Campground turn off and parked at a trailhead for the Arizona Trail (AZT). 

Reading a book and eating lunch, I waited out the storm. Once it seemed to have past, dropping only a little rain, I ventured out on a new-to-me segment of the AZT. From Moqui to the parking area on FR-751 (Blue Ridge Reservoir), I have not explored that segment of the AZT. In fact, I wrote it off as likely being boring. I ended up being very wrong about this. 

This part of the Blue Ridge AZT segment wanders through grassy meadows, green from all the monsoon rain, and healthy ponderosa pine forest (nice to see since most pines along AZ-87 have either burned or succumbed to beetles). The trail passes by Moqui Campground and then goes straight through Blue Ridge Campground, exiting the camping area right next to the host site. 

The trail climbed a volcanic rock formation, opening up into a wide vista. The San Francisco Peaks were visible, as was a body of water. Too shallow to be Blue Ridge Reservoir, I believe what I saw was Long Lake, or one of the other small lakes in that area. 

As I got closer to where the AZT intersects FR-751, I began to hear dogs and people. I know this to be a popular area for dispersed camping. Having hiked south on the AZT from the FR-751 trailhead previously, I opted to turn around. The skies were getting ornery again, and I didn't think there was anything more to see. 

While I dodged a couple thunderstorms, it made for a rain-cooled and pleasant atmosphere on today's hikes. While Payson was getting slammed with storms and hail, it was a surprisingly nice day in the northern part of Rim Country. 

Monsoon Desert Hike - Canyon of the Waterfalls

Weather:  75º, humid, clouds, rain

About this Hike:  Since its recent rise in social media popularity, I've become intrigued by Canyon of the Waterfalls in the Superstition Mountains. Located on the periphery of Lost Dutchman State Park off First Water Road, I've driven by this trailhead countless times without ever noticing it. 

My plan was to visit this area in the cooler months. An active monsoon this week meant cooler temps and the potential for the waterfalls to be flowing. The stars seemingly aligned for a unique desert hike during an otherwise unthinkable time of year. 

I left Payson early, fearing many others would have the same idea as me. I expected full parking along First Water Road, and I anticipated a possible muddy mess along the road. 

Upon arrival at the waterfall trailhead, I scored the last available parking spot. The road was fairly dry, and the wash that comes right after the waterfall parking area was also dry. This was despite the fact it was still raining.

I parked the truck and wondered if I should have brought my rain jacket. The rain was steady, but not heavy, and there was no lightning or thunder. The jacket would have just made me too hot. As it goes with summer rains in the desert, it never cools things down that much, but it sure does drive the humidity high. 

I found this hike to be challenging to stay on trail. As I neared the first of the rock formations, I noted a lot of slippery black rock that I had to hike up. The slickness was exacerbated by the steady rain. I feared what coming down was going to be like. While wet rocks are inherently slick, I was surprised to find that I had good traction. 

I pressed on past the rock formations, losing the trail and having to search for it several times with my hiking GPS. I followed the trail into a wash that was dry. A large rock outcropping stained black had to be navigated around. I assumed this to be one of the waterfalls, and it was definitely not flowing. 

Beyond this first waterfall, I reached a slick, steep scramble. It wasn't long, nor completely vertical, but I watched other hikers having a terrible time coming down it. Once they passed I gave it a go. The rain was picking up, adding to my overall nervousness. Having hiked in about two miles at this point, I made the tough decision to turn around. 

From a higher point on the trail, I used my binoculars to look up-canyon. I got the impression that the wash in the canyon wasn't flowing much, despite all the recent rain. One of the hikers I encountered at my turnaround point also confirmed this by calling the rest of the hike, "A would-be river." 

Shortly after turning around, the rain stopped. I followed a couple of other hikers who took a path around the slick rocks that I climbed up on the way in. This path stuck to mostly gravel and offered far better traction. This is what happens when you're hiking on an unofficial trail and relying on the footprints of those who've gone before you. 

I'm not sure if I made the right call or not by turning around. Shortly after I turned back, the rain stopped. The trail was already well on its way to drying out by the time I was back at the trailhead. A picture I found on AllTrails dated from the last couple days does show the waterfall up-canyon flowing a bit. While I can be a stubborn individual and keep pressing on in less-than-ideal circumstances, I also can be overly cautious at times. A YouTube video of this hike also indicated there may have been a narrow ledge, rock-wall clinging, and a sheer drop further up-canyon. I am very limited by my extreme fear of heights in such scenarios.  

Maybe one day I'll come back. Perhaps I'll try the waterfall canyon again on a combined trip with another relatively unknown trail in the area that has recently earned social media fame:  Triple Arch Trail.

East Baldy 95

Weather:  79º, sunny

About this Hike:  Just over two years ago I hiked up East Baldy. I was intrigued by the historic plane crash site near the summit. Back in 2024 we were coming off a winter of solid snow pack, and snow fields on the mountain made for an unpleasant hike. Now coming off two lackluster winters, I knew snow wouldn't be a problem on Baldy this year. I wanted to experience East Baldy in drier conditions and see if there are any additional airplane artifacts that were buried in snow last time. 

I forgot just how nice East Baldy is. It's seldom a steep climb, and it remains within forest for most of the hike. There's a lot of unique rock formations to enjoy, and it frequently opens up into stunning viewpoints. 

Unfortunately, a lot of the surrounding forest is succumbing pine beetle--a problem happening all over the western US. Many of the spruces and firs have turned an unpleasant brownish-orange color. Some of the worst die off is in the meadow surrounding the east fork of the Little Colorado River. Thankfully, there is still plenty of healthy old-growth forest to enjoy further up-trail. 

I reached the plane crash site in just over two hours--quite a bit faster than in 2024 when I could've used snowshoes. The only obstacles that slowed me down were areas of deadfall across the trail. Most of these have a side route carved around them, but some were an obstacle course to navigate. 

I didn't find any additional airplane wreckage at the summit. The pieces that I saw two years ago are all that is easily visible. However, mother nature must know this is ultimately a gravesite. The area around the crash is a field of beautiful mountain lupines. 

The wind was howling something fierce near the summit. It was making a eerie whistle through the stands of toothpicks that used to be trees. Some of these were crashing against each other adding to the cacophony. While I ate lunch near the crash site last time, I opted not to do so today. Judging from the amount of deadfall that litters these upper reaches of Mount Baldy, I thought the risk of a tree falling on me was too high. I took some photos and then began my descent back down, glad to have enjoyed East Baldy again in warmer conditions. 

Government Springs

Weather:  79º, sunny

About this Hike:  The plan for today was to head to the White Mountains and kayak at Crescent Lake. This body of water intrigued me last summer when I camped at Big Lake. I was hoping Crescent had fared like the rim lakes--despite virtually no snowpack this winter, the rim lakes filled up to about three-quarters their capacity due to some good rainfall. 

Before heading to the lake, I set up camp at one of my favorites--Winn Campground. The camp host informed me Crescent is considered a dead lake. Upon arrival, I found very low water, mud, and scum. I'm not sure if what I smelled was the scum on the water or the pit toilets... Harkening back to my algae-filled experience kayaking Big Lake last August, I knew better than to even attempt the gross cesspool that is Crescent's current condition. Someday after a winter of heavy snowpack when its full of clean, fresh water, I imagine Crescent will be a fun lake to paddle. 

My Plan B was right across the street from Crescent at the Overland Trail. I opened a gate and parked on the other side. The forest road was in awful condition. An trail sign indicates this is in fact the Overland Trail. It went briefly through some nice forest. It opened into a meadow with a preserved multi-room cabin. The meadow seemed to be an impromptu campground, and I was left wondering how people managed to get fifth-wheel trailers back there. The Overland Trail vanished and I had no luck finding it. The GPS track would indicate I was on trail, but in reality I was walking through a cow and elk poop filled meadow. 

I opted to turn back and try to figure something else out. I thought about Thompson Trail along the Black River. Even though I've done that one a few times before, it would be better than nothing. I opted instead to head back toward Winn Campground and see what Sheeps Crossing was all about. After all, the FS feels that Sheeps Crossing merits a paved parking lot.

I started down the only trail that branched from the parking lot. Soon, I was along the west fork of the Little Colorado. I followed what is an unmapped, but well-maintained trail parallel to the river. And speaking of the river, I think this is a more enjoyable (and less crowded) hike than Thompson Trail. I was surrounded by unique rock formations, trees, wildflowers, and of course, the constant burble of the river. I noted that the trail has clearly received maintenance, and someone has posted green arrow markers on trees. Since you're in a shallow, narrow canyon, it's not hard to stay on trail--just stay parallel with the river. Aside from a few boulder fields and muddy seeps, it was an easy trail to follow.

Since it was late in the day, I only went about two miles and then turned back. Looking at the map, I suspected this trail would lead to Greer. I confirmed that it does in fact lead to Greer, and can be hiked from Government Springs Trailhead. 

While not an official FS trail, Government Springs was a redeeming hike on a day that otherwise had not gone well. It was back to Winn Campground to get ready for tomorrow's hike at East Baldy.