Weather: 81ยบ, 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).
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