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Hike Arizona: Flagstaff, Grand Canyon & Northwest

Flagstaff: Abineau/Bear Jaw
Flagstaff: Anderson Mesa
Flagstaff: AZT 32 31
Flagstaff: AZT 34 north end
Flagstaff: Bismark Lake
Flagstaff: Campbell Mesa
Flagstaff: Cherry Canyon
Flagstaff: Continental-Anasazi
Flagstaff: Dairy Springs 30b
Flagstaff: Dry Lake Hills
Flagstaff: DLH Overlook
Flagstaff: Duck Pond
Flagstaff: Fat Man’s Loop
Flagstaff: Fisher Point
Flagstaff: Highlands Trail
Flagstaff: Horse Lake
Flagstaff: Humphreys Peak
Flagstaff: Inner Basin
Flagstaff: Kachina Trail
Flagstaff: Kelsey-Dorsey
Flagstaff: Kendrick Peak
Flagstaff: Lava River Cave
Flagstaff: Mineral Belt
Flagstaff: Mt. Elden
Flagstaff: Mt. Elden Loop
Flagstaff: Little Elden
Flagstaff: Oldham Loop
Flagstaff: O’Leary Peak
Flagstaff: Pipeline Trail
Flagstaff: Pumpkin Loop
Flagstaff: Red Mountain
Flagstaff: Rogers Lake
Flagstaff: Sandy’s Canyon
Flagstaff: SF Peaks Trail
Flagstaff: Schultz Creek Loop
Flagstaff: Slate Mountain
Flagstaff: Strawberry Crater
Flagstaff: Sunset-Brookbank
Flagstaff: Sunset-Buffalo
Flagstaff: Veit Springs
Flagstaff: Walnut Canyon
Flagstaff: Walnut Meadows
Flagstaff: Weatherford Canyon
Flagstaff: Wild Bill Hill

Munds Park: Crystal Point
Grand Canyon: Plateau Point
Supai: Havasu Canyon
Williams: Bill Williams Mountain
Williams: Sycamore Rim

Guidebooks:
Abbott, Lon; Cook, Terri, Hiking the Grand Canyon’s Geology, The Mountaineers Books, Seattle, WA, 2004.
The best-known Grand Canyon trails are described by their geology.
Mangum, Richard and Sherry, Flagstaff Hikes (5th. ed.), Hexagon Press, Flagstaff, AZ, 2001.
Hikes in the Flagstaff area are identified with map coordinates and described alphabetically.
Mazel, David, Arizona Trails: 100 Hikes in Canyon and Sierra (3rd. ed.), Wilderness Press, Berkeley, CA, 1989.
Hiking trails throughout Arizona are described and shown on topographic maps.
Tenny, Ted, Footloose From Phoenix: Some Pretty Amazing Hikes, Westcliffe Publishers, 2015.
Hikes around Flagstaff are described in chapter 9.

Flagstaff: Lava River Cave

Hike:
    The cave is fairly easy to explore, it is mostly large tunnel passage. The entrance requires a very easy scramble down into the main passage where you walk along a lava flow floor. The temperature in the cave is approximately 40° year round.
    Lumbermen discovered the cave around 1915, and it was said that homesteaders in the area would collect large amounts of underground ice and use it for refrigeration.
    In addition to the wildly varying surface, the cave varies in width and height. One section features a ceiling more than 30 feet high, and in other areas it is so low you must almost crawl to pass through it.
    Boots, three light sources (a good flashlight or headlamp and two backup lights), some sort of head protection (hard hat, climbing helmet or even a bicycle helmet) and layered clothing are recommended.

Best Time of Year to Hike: summer

Distance: 1.5 miles RT with 1 mile RT surface hike

Difficulty: "C" [easy]

Weather Conditions: Flagstaff

Drive:
    Take I-17 north to Flagstaff then head north of Flagstaff on US 180. Just beyond milepost 230, turn left onto an unmarked dirt road. This is Forest Road 245, and you need to follow it for three miles. Turn left on Forest Road 171 then left again on 171B.
logo Trip Report : Aug 1996
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Supai: Havasu Canyon

Hike:
    Towering cliffs, lush landscape and awesome waterfalls with blue green pools await heat weary hikers visiting Havasu Canyon.
    From the trailhead at Huyalapai Hilltop, the first mile of the hike is a steep descent into the canyon, with views of the canyon walls below.
    Once on the narrow floor, the canyon walls tower above for the next 7 level miles until you reach the village of Supai. This remote village is home to some 500 Havasupai Indians. It seems even more surreal when you imagine everything here is brought in by helicopter or horseback.
    Navajo Falls is the first of the famous sights, and about a mile and a half from Supai. Havasu Falls, one of the most photographed of the Grand Canyon, is next. You can swim in the blue green pools or picnic on the beach of the 100 foot waterfall. Mooney Falls, twice as high as Havasu, is just past the campground. No camping is permitted past this point.
    Beaver Falls, another two miles from Mooney, is an easy day hike from the campground.

Best Time of Year to Hike: Spring and Fall

Distance: 20 miles round trip: 8 miles to the village of Supai and another 2 miles to the campground.

Elevation Change: +-2000'

Range of Elevation: 5200' to 3200'

Difficulty: "A" [tough]

Weather Conditions: Supai

Drive:
Take Interstate 17 north of Flagstaff and head west on Interstate 40. Turn on Arizona 66 near Seligman and head north toward Peach Springs. This is your last chance for gas. 37 miles from Seligman exit is Indian road 18 turning only to the right with a small sign pointing the way to Supai. The Huyalapai Hilltop and start of the trail is another 63 miles, and about 325 miles from Phoenix.

clip Trip Report : May 1998
Trip Report : May 1999
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updated October 2, 2020