| when? | Trip Report : September 24, 2011 |
| Trip Report : September 12, 2009 | |
| where? | Mogollon Rim |
| the hike |
Description:
We will hike down the Tramway Trail and up the Maxwell back to our cars.
The Tramway Trail is an extremely steep descent to West Clear Creek.
The trail alternates between switchbacks and some fall line scrambling.
Hiking poles are recommended due to the difficult descent and also helpful
when crossing or wading in the creek due to slippery rocks. When we reach
the creek we will hike upstream about a mile to the Maxwell Trail.
There is an area of petroglyphs between the Tramway and Maxwell trails
which we will try to find. Depending on time we could do some
exploration farther up the creek. We will need to hike about 3.5 miles
of Forest Roads when we get back to the top of the Maxwell trail to get
back to our cars. Hiking on a road is not my favorite thing to do but it
is well worth it in order to see this beautiful canyon.
Geology of Canyon: The three major layers are the Supai Formation, Coconino Sandstone and Volcanic deposits. During the Paleozoic Era Arizona was mostly a shallow sea and deposits at the bottom of the canyon are Red Supai Sandstone and Shale. On top of this is Coconino Sandstone which is made up of eloion (windblown) deposits of sand, sand dunes. You can see the cross-bedding in many of the cliff faces. The top layer of the canyon is Kaibab Limestone and a variety of volcanic deposits. Vegetation: The vegetation depends on the Elevation. At the top Ponderosa Pine and Fir, a transition area of Pinon, Juniper, Mesquite, Prickly Pear and at the canyon bottom a riparian area. The canyon bottom will have Cottonwood, Sycamore, Alder, Ash, Willow, Walnut and Wild Grape and POISON IVY. Wildlife: Elk, Deer, Bear, Lion, Coyote, Fox, Ringtail, Skunk; Birds: Bald Eagle, Black Hawks, Owls; Poisonous Reptiles: Rattlesnakes and Coral Snakes. What to bring: Water, lunch, water shoes, hiking poles and long pants due to overgrown trail and poison ivy. |
| distance | 6-7 miles round trip |
| time | 5-6 hours |
| EC | +-1220' elevation change |
| elevations | 6003' (creek) to 6821' (road junction) |
| rating | "B" due to the difficult descent Rate yourself as a hiker. |
| dogs allowed | no |
| cost | Sharing gas expenses with the driver. The club also allows voluntary contributions of $5 per non-member. |
| weather | Pine |
| meet | 7:00 AM in the parking lot of the Target Center on the south side of Shea Blvd., about a mile west of Highway 87 (Beeline). For those leaving their cars behind, please park up against the north curb away from Target. |
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| updated September 20, 2011 | © Copyright 2011, Arizona Trailblazers. All rights reserved. |