The group gathered at MacDonald’s on Power Road. We had some of the regulars, some new faces and some that we hadn’t seen in a while. In all there were 18 people who joined us on the hike to Workman Creek. They were: Tom and Jeannie Van Lew, Ramana, Padma, Lakshmi and Sneha Aisola, Neal Alexander, Elaine Cobos, Meera Desikamani, Tony Grundon, Alex Johnson, Anatoli and Natalia Korkin, Jarvis Lowndes, Chuck Parsons, Shilpa Rao, Ben Velasquez and Cheng Yu.

We drove through Globe then up Highway 88 towards Roosevelt Lake. We then turned onto Highway 288, sometimes called The Young Road, as it goes toward Young, AZ. After 10 miles it turned to dirt. Before we knew it we were up in the pines and our turnoff to Workman Creek was to the right. Hidden in the rugged Sierra Ancha Mountains, Workman Creek is one of Arizona’s most overlooked wilderness areas. Situated in a no-man’s land between the northern mountains and the southern deserts, this central Arizona range has spectacular scenery, clear- flowing creeks, and very few visitors.

We had conflicting descriptions of the hike we had planned, so we drove up the dirt road past several campgrounds that were situated along the creek. We then came upon the 90’ waterfall. Since we had had a good rain the night before, we were hoping the falls would be full and flowing hard. Somewhat disappointed, we explored around the falls a little and took our pictures while one in the group told the story of the man who murdered his wife at these very falls a number of years ago.

We proceeded up the rutty and pothole filled dirt road until we came to the Aztec Peak Trailhead. We donned our hiking boots, packs, radios and water and headed up the trail. The first part of the trail we managed to keep together as we crossed a meadow and apple orchard. We were walking in a pine and conifer forest and soon we were on the switchbacks. The group began to separate, however we were always in radio contact. The first group to the top radioed to the people remaining on the trail that the view was “spectacular”.

The ranger who had spent the entire summer on fire watch was there packing up since the fire danger season had ended. He and some of the other National Forest Firefighters were being called upon to help with the fire raging in California and Nevada. He allowed us up into the tower and answered our many questions about the view and his job. We could see Roosevelt Lake and Four Peaks to the west, the Salt River Valley to the south, the Mogollon Rim to the north and the White Mountains to the east.

After a short break for lunch we joined Anatoli and Natalia who had found a much more scenic spot to enjoy their lunch. We had a commanding view of the upper Salt River and the mountain ranges to the north and east. Too soon it was time to pack up and head back down the hill, but not before Padma, Ramana’s wife, discovered a rattlesnake curled up under a very large rock. Fortunately it had given her plenty of warning, so we walked around it. The trip down was quicker than the trip up, but a few of us slowed to take in the ‘mulchy’ smell of the forest and inspect various fungus growth on the downed trees. I tried to find a good Ponderosa Pine specimen that smelled of butterscotch, but I was unsuccessful.

Workman Falls [photo by Chuck]

Tonto National Monument consists of the ruins of two cliff dwellings established by the Salado Indians in about 1300 A.D. The southeast-facing settlements were built quite high up a steep hillside within well-protected natural caves overlooking the Tonto Basin, which is now flooded forming Lake Roosevelt – originally the Salt River flowed through the Basin which was therefore well irrigated and fertile. As with many other ancient peoples of the Southwest, the Salado appear to have abandoned their villages suddenly, early in the fifteenth century, for reasons that are not known.

After the tour we continued on our way home driving down the Apache Trail from Roosevelt Lake to the city. We first drove past the new bridge, connecting Highway 88 and Highway 188 to the north. We then came to Roosevelt Dam. The old dam was raised seventy-seven feet and the new face-lift for Roosevelt Dam has completely changed its appearance. Today the dam looks like a modern structure, rather than the traditional masonry facade one could view as they entered Horseshoe Bend. We continued along the trail grabbing views of the winding ribbon of Apache Lake. We then drove up Fish Creek hill. The roadway going up Fish Creek Hill has a ten percent grade, is narrow and full of tight corners and blind curves.

A few miles further, the trail begins to bend sharply as the land becomes steeper, and passes along the shores of Canyon Lake. The land around Canyon Lake is typical of the Tonto forest area – crumbling, distorted rock with steep cliffs and twisting ravines, without much covering vegetation but with several species of desert plants.

We were soon back in town. It was a nice day of hiking, and exploring more of this richly varied state we call home.