Home
Contact Us
Library
Calendar of Events
Trip Reports
Trip Planning Guide
Leader Info
Outdoor Links
Lessons Learned
Bear Mountain, Sedona
Bear Sign Trail, SedonaHike:Bear Sign Canyon is a little known, untraveled, fabulous diversion with views of rust sculptured canyon walls overhead. In spring, a secret creek splashed over slickrock pools for your pleasure. Turn around when the going gets too tough about 2.5 miles. Best Time of Year to Hike: May - September Distance: 4 miles Elevation Change: +-500' Difficulty: Easy. Weather Conditions: Sedona Drive: Easy to find but rough on your car. To access the trailhead, take I-17 north and take the Sedona Exit. From the Sedona "Y" (where SR179 intersects SR89A) drive southwest on Highway 89A (toward Cottonwood) for a distance of 3.2 miles. Turn right onto Dry Creek Road (MP371). Go right and follow the map to the trailhead. Dry Creek Road turns to dirt and may become a little rough, if you drive your car, plan to go slow. Description: Start at the well known Vultee Arch Trailhead. The sign says "Dry Creek Trail #52" at the north end of the parking lot. Head up Dry Creek Trail. At mile 0.6 the trail and creek split and you will hopefully spot a rusty sign that says "Bear Sign #59" leading to the left. Bear Sign Canyon is a little known, untravelled, fabulous diversion with views of rust red sculptured canyon walls overhead all year. In spring, a secret creek splashed over slickrock pools. Turn around when the going gets tough after about 2 miles.  Trip Report
Bell Rock Trail, SedonaHike: Description: Here’s an easy trail with many rewards. You can bring the whole family on this Sedona stroll.From the parking lot check out the posted maps. Jump on the Bell Rock Path as it is called. Wide and flat, the hike up to Bell Rock is very easy. Continue on the Bell Rock Path around the west side of Bell Rock. Hang a right on the Courthouse Butte Loop. From here on the trail is single track heaven around Courthouse Butte. Several side trails will be encountered along the way. If you stay close to Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte you should be okay. The forest closes in and the scenery goes into overdrive. Up, down and curving the contours of the land this is one awesome stretch of trail. Be on the lookout for mountain bikers as you stroll east. As you begin to head south on the east side of Courthouse Butte you enter the Munds Mountain Wilderness. I mention this because mountain bikes are not allowed in the Wilderness zone. Down near the southeast side of Courthouse Butte I passed two artists hard at work sketching the monument. The trail heads back west to the junction with Bell Rock Path. Head on back to the parking area.
Trip Report
Lynx Lake Campout, Prescott
Nelson Trail, Pine MountainHike:Starting out in a soothing riparian forest along Sycamore Creek on the Nelson Trail (No.159), this loop hike eventually climbs 1,500 feet up to the Verde Rim as it aims for its high point atop Pine Mountain. The enchanting array of walnut, sycamore and oak trees weaves a cool cover of shade. Trout break the ice-cold water’s surface. Hawks squawk in the treetops lining the creek. Bears seem at home here. As the trail rambles in the crevice of the Sycamore drainage into the Pine Mountain Wilderness, bear signs are fresh enough to evoke caution. An apple orchard at the Nelson’s Place ruins, within the first mile of the hike, draws the bruins. Elk, mountain lion and deer also share the wilderness. The hike seems easy enough at first, but when you are within two miles of the top there’s an endless series of switchbacks to conquer. On the 4.5-mile climb to the Verde Rim, the trail (No.159 and then 12) separates from the creek and passes through a forest where pines and oaks provide immediate shade, and maples and an anomalous stand of aspens promise a burst of color in the fall. At the Verde Rim Trail (No.161), hikers will turn south (right) and head to Pine Mountain, where they’ll get a 360 degree panorama with Horseshoe Lake in the south, the rugged Mogollon Rim in the east, the Verde Valley to the north and the Bradshaw Mountains in the west. After about a mile, hikers will turn west (right) onto the Pine Mountain Trail (No.14) and zigzag 1.2 miles down the mountain back to the Nelson Trail and then an additional 3.2 miles to the trailhead.
Take Interstate 17 north to the Dugas interchange (Exit 268). Turn east and follow Forest Road 68 for 17.8 miles to the trailhead. High-clearance vehicle necessary.
Vista Point Trail, JeromeHike:Located just up the mountain from the town of Jerome, this is about a four mile moderate hike. You’ll want to allow plenty of time to savor the spectacular views of the Verde Valley. The Vista Point Trail (No. 106) starts near the top of Mingus Mountain and immediately descends the mountain’s southeastern edge, introducing panoramas of the Verde Valley, Mogollon Rim and Colorado Plateau that will accompany you the entire trip. In winter and spring, you’ll likely encounter snow on this high altitude hike. By late spring and well into summer, you’ll find a variety of forest vegetation. The ponderosa pines atop Mingus Mountain quickly give way to juniper, Gambel oak, Apache plume and penstemon, then scrub oak. The south facing slope is a haven for trees, bushes, flowers, vines and plants of all kinds. Before the trail’s end, a small rise affords a new view to the north, encompassing the San Francisco Peaks, Kendrick Peak and Bill Williams Mountain. Trail No. 106 connects to North Mingus Trail #105 allowing for a loop back to the top of Mingus Mountain. This is really a beautiful trail. When I was there during Memorial Day weekend there were lots of people at the campground but none of them were on the trails. It was very green and filled with plenty of flora. We even noticed quite a few bear droppings along the way. Yep, there are bears in those woods but we had no problems. The view is worth the drive and the hike — if you’re up for it. Bring Plenty of Water: it does get warm there during the day. Best Time of Year to Hike: spring, summer and fall Distance: 4 miles Elevation Change: +-1000' Difficulty: moderate Weather Conditions: Jerome Drive: Proceed north on 1-17 toward Jerome. (Take Cottonwood exit and head toward Clarkdale and Jerome on highway 89A) Go through the town of Jerome and proceed up to the submit of Mingus Mountain. On the left-hand side of the road, you will see a parking lot and some bathrooms, which is where you will need to turn to go into the campground. We will meet at this location at approximately 9:30 AM. Great place to stop and go to the bathroom if you need to. We will probably need to leave some cars at this location due to limited parking at the campground. Proceed down the dirt road (Forest Road 104) for approximately 2.6 miles to the Mingus Mountain Campground. At the major LEFT FORK in the road, you will immediately see the Vista Trailhead. We’ll probably park a few cars at the opposite end of the loop (the end of the trail is just up the road a little further to the hang glider site.) Mingus Trail #105 ends at this hang glider site. Trip Report
Vultee Arch, Sterling Canyon, SedonaHike:The trail goes 1.7 miles along the bottom of Sterling Canyon. It is easy to follow as it basically goes along the creek bed. The creek is dry most of the year. About 0.75 mile in, there are tall, white sandstone cliffs on the right with Douglas firs growing in the clefts. The trail dead ends at a plaque placed at the base of a red rock outcropping in remembrance of Gerard and Sylvia Vultee who were killed in an aircraft crash on January 29, 1938. The crash site was on East Pocket Mesa, more than a mile north and at a higher elevation than the plaque. On the north side of Sterling Canyon is the red sandstone arch named for Vultee, an early aircraft designer from California. Return trip is by the same route. Best Time of Year to Hike: May - September Distance: 4 miles Elevation Change: +-400' Range of Elevation: 4800' to 5200' Difficulty: Easy to moderate Weather Conditions: Sedona Drive: Take Interstate 17 to State Hwy 179. Drive northwest on Hwy 179 to Sedona. In Sedona turn left on US 89A going towards Jerome and Clarkdale. Drive through West Sedona for 3.0 miles to Dry Creek Rd. Turn right on Dry Creek Road and drive 2.0 miles on this paved road. Turn right on Sterling Canyon Road FS #152C. Drive 4.3 miles on this dirt road until the road ends at turn-around. Trip Report
|
|||||||
updated February 8, 2022 | |||||||