FR-67 to East Verde River

Weather:  59º, sunny

About this Hike:  This hike came together this morning. I was looking for something to do. Just 24 hours ago we had near an inch of snow on the ground, while the Mogollon Rim is still looking pretty white. I knew the best hiking opportunities would be found at lower, desert elevation.

I decided to check out the Graff Road Trailhead on the northwest side of Payson. I mapped out a hike primarily following FR-67. Of note is a hill called White Mountain and then a potential viewpoint into the Verde River.  The vegetation is definitely of the high desert variety with an abundance of juniper, pinion pine, and prickly pear cacti. 

The 67 road is a lot like all the other hikes I've been doing lately—rocky, steep in places, and an old ATV road. The hike started out with soft ground and some mud. I was wondering if I made a good decision. I passed thru the first of two cattle gates, and the ground began to improve. It seemed to get drier as I continued my descent toward the East Verde.

Meanwhile, spectacular views of the Mazatzals kept me company, the mountain tops dusted in snow. The Mogollon Rim was also visible to the north, while the red-banded cliffs of the Verde River canyon were straight ahead. 

I reached the White Mountain and found it to be an underwhelming little butte. I didn't think it worth my time to hike up it. I pressed on toward the river. 

The descent became very steep at this point. The soil changed from chalky and pale to deep reddish-purple. This is an ATV road, and past motorists have added wood blocks trying to offset the extreme erosion and steepness of the road down to the river. It was hard enough to hike, and I would not want to drive down this in any vehicle.

I ate lunch at the Verde River. The river had a descent flow to it with the rain and snow we enjoyed earlier this week. The water was light brown and very turgid. The un-submerged riverbed was surprisingly not muddy, and so I hiked up-river a bit. 

The road continues across the river, although the map indicates this may be private land. I didn't feel like risking a repeat of last weekend's adventure, and I also didn't feel like navigating a water crossing. The river was my turnaround point for a hike that totaled nearly 10 miles and ~1,400 of elevation change.