Fire and Water - Wet Beaver Creek Swimming Adventure

Weather:  90º, sunny

About this Hike:  With below-average temps, this was the perfect weekend for a hike at the Wet Beaver Creek via Bell Trail.  Since first discovering this spot in October 2017, I've wanted to go back prepared—swimsuit, aqua socks, and a towel.  Past hikes here have been with hiking mates who ran out of water, were in a rush, expressed concerned about bacteria in the creek, etc.  I decided to fly solo on this one.

As of Friday night my plan was to get up somewhere around dawn and be on the road early.  The parking lot gets crowded fast in the summer and I figured an extra-early start would help me beat both the heat and the crush of traffic flocking to the high country on a typical summer Saturday morning.  And then the Badger Springs Fire ignited.  I-17 was closed as of bedtime on Friday night.  I considered a detour via 87 to 260 thru Payson; however, I-17 was re-opened when I got up Saturday morning. 

So about that fire...As I drove by, the smoke plume was still visible.  The burn scar along the interstate was fresh.  And the guardrails—they were still on fire and at least one had collapsed onto the shoulder.

Arriving at the main parking lot around 8am there were spots to be had, although they were filling up fast.  I choose a nice spot on the end and got my hike underway.

Since Bell Trail runs east to the 'Beaver Crack' swimming hole, I was hiking into early morning sun.  It was intense and hot.  Once I got thru the meadow and into the red-rock canyon, some outcroppings provided shade.  The trail was busy, and  I was working my way around a lot of active senior citizens.  Kudos to them for attempting this hike.

The four miles to the swimming hole went by quick as there isn't major elevation gain or obstacles on this hike.  People were cliff jumping at the swimming hole, and I was able to get a good spot on the rocky beach below. 

I wasted no time jumping into the crystal-clear blue-green water of Wet Beaver Creek.  It was cold, but felt so good after the hike.  I took care to stay out of the cliff jumpers way, and some of the active seniors joined me in the water.  My core temperature dropped fast, and when I got out I was shivering hard and had a raynauds attack in my left hand.  Nothing a little sun bathing on the flat red sandstone didn't cure. 

On the hike out I detoured down Weir Trail to the a USGS water monitoring site.  There's sandstone so flat that it almost feels man-made at the end of Weir Trail. If you go back into the woods a little ways there's a beautiful pool that's shaded by big trees.  The water is emerald-blue, and a little waterfall feeds into the pool.  Ferns form a hanging garden from the red cliffs.  Such a beautiful, serene spot... 

Back out at the monitoring site, I got in the water just downstream of the flume formed by the flow-detecting equipment.  One final cooldown...

As I headed back out thru the canyon and toward the meadow, clouds began to build in.  Cloud cover, along with an occasional breeze, made the hike out a lot cooler than the hike in was.

The drive home on I-17 was uneventful.  Badger Springs was still smoking, and the southbound guardrails were also on fire.  ADOT reports say by mid-morning the backups were bad in the fire area.  I made a good choice leaving early.  Oh, and 87 ended up being closed due to the Slate Fire yesterday, so my detour wouldn't have been such a good idea anyway...

Water, Water Everywhere – Wet Beaver Creek

Weather: 85º, sunny

About this Hike:  It's too hot for October! So a hike to a swimming hole seemed like a good idea. 

After a week in Sedona, driving south on 179 back to I-17, the landscape quickly changes from beautiful Red Rock Country to high-desert wasteland–a reminder I'm heading back to Phoenix.  Today's the first day of my vacation in Sedona, and going down 179 S is a dismal reminder that my vacation will end in a few days.  However, the Bell Trail lies just southeast of I-17.  It's decent paved Forest Service Road the whole way there.  Needless to say I wasn't expecting much from this area.  Was I ever wrong.  This hike on relatively flat, graded trail runs parallel to the lush riparian environment around Wet Beaver Creek.  Even though we've been in a post-monsoon dry/hot spell, the waters of this creek were flowing strong. 

It was my goal to reach the Wet Beaver Crack Swimming Hole (awful name, I know).  After over an hour hike and some side-trail detours down to the creek, we came to a junction.  Go left to stay on Bell Trail.  Go right to take the Weir Trail.  There's a map posted at the junction, and it looked to me like Weir crossed the creek.  We reached a shaded oasis area with red rock cliffs and even a small waterfall.  There's a USGS monitoring station there, and the small dam creates a bit of a luge.  I sat on the smooth red sandstone and dipped my hot feet in the icy water.  I thought that maybe this was the Beaver Crack Swimming Hole, but my instincts told me it was not. 

Upon returning to the junction, I studied the map more carefully.  It did in fact appear Bell Trail crossed the creek up ahead.  Another hiker came by and I confirmed with him that Beaver Crack was still ahead.  At this point the trail does require a semi-steep climb high above the creek.  It eventually drops down to the swimming hole.  The red rock cliffs and black edges of the Mogollon Rim grew more and more stunning.

Once at the swimming hole I realized why 'crack' is in the name.  There is a fissure in the red sandstone-encompassed pool that is almost Lake Powell-esque.  There were other hikers sunbathing and enjoying the swimming hole.  I regretted not having a swimsuit on.

An even deeper regret?  I slightly underestimated the mileage and time on this hike.  With all the side detours, this took approximately 2.5 hours to hike in.  Water was running low for both myself and my hiking mate.  As a seasoned hiker this failure of planning hurt my pride, but I asked some generous hikers if they could spare a bottle of water.  They kindly obliged.  I was humbled.

The hike back out to the trailhead parking lot took just over an hour.  Next time, I'm planning to bring a lot more water.  And my swimsuit so I can get in the water.

Beaver Crack

Quiet oasis near the USGS site on Weir Trail

Like Fossil Creek....