Weather: 79ยบ, 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.
