Kelsey-Dorsey Loop Hike

We hiked in upper Sycamore Canyon on 17 August 2016. This was an exploratory hike done to determine the routes' suitability for inclusion in the regular Skyliner schedule. From the Cottonwood Safeway Parking Lot we drove 36 miles north on Hwy 89A, turned left onto Forest Road 535 and drove for 5.6 miles, turned left onto FR 536 and drove 3.6 miles, turned left onto FR 538 and drove 5.5 miles and then turned right onto FR 538G which we followed for 0.5 miles to park at the junction with FR 538E. After parking we hiked along FR 538G for 1.5 miles to the upper Kelsey Trailhead, followed Kelsey Trail for 3.5 miles to the lower Dorsey Trailhead, followed Dorsey Trail for 2.9 miles to the upper Dorsey Trailhead at the end of FR 538E, and hiked for 0.2 miles along FR 538 to where we were parked. Note that we were caught by a downpour just at the end of the hike and our two drivers Jim Manning and Dave Beach hurried ahead to their cars and drove back to meet us at the upper Dorsey Trailhead where FR 538E ends. Thus, although the entire hike distance was 8.0 miles, some of us only hiked 7.8 miles.

As we started our hike at the junction of Forest Roads 538G and 538E we noted two signs. One pointed to the upper Dorsey Trailhead (below left) along FR 538E; the other (below right) warned us that no camping was allowed near water sources, in this case Casner Tank.

The GPS track we were following at this point was created by tracing the route of FR 538G from a map; it turned out to be only approximately accurate. However, we had only to follow the road and our track did begin and end at the correct points. Just before we reached the end of FR 538G at the Kelsey Trailhead at Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area, we passed FR 527A which leads off to the right. Just a short distance past that intersection we came to the trailhead and the end of the section of hand-drawn track. From this point on we would be following GPS tracks made during actual hikes.

Shown below are the pedestrian gate that marks entry into the wilderness area and the start of Kelsey Trail (below left) and the trailhead sign itself (below right), a sign which also notes that Kelsey Trail leads to Little LO Trail.

The trail led us through a thick ponderosa pine forest, sprinkled with low-growing oaks, The trail was quite steep at first, descending over a hundred feet in the first 0.1 miles as it zigzagged its way down the steep mountain slope. But it then leveled off and descended at a more gentle slope leading northwest along the mountainside.

The path was well-defined and we really didn't need a GPS track to stay on course. However, some members of the hiking group had recently purchased a new Garmin GPS device and were getting the feel of it. Having carried one on all of my hikes for several years and having become almost proficient in its use, I was attempting to demonstrate a feature on the new instrument when it suddenly went blank. We attempted for quite some time to revive the device and I was beginning to think I had broken it when it finally dawned on me that it might be a battery problem. We changed the batteries and were back in business.

About 0.5 miles from the trailhead we came to Kelsey Spring (below left), a spot marked by a small, lush meadow. In common with all such water sources in the area, a sign is posted prohibiting camping within 200 feet. It was while we were paused here that I unwittingly used the last few electrons from the GPS battery. We continued to fumble with it for another 0.6 miles before finally changing the batteries when we reached Babes Hole Spring (below right).

Just another 0.1 miles past Babes Hole brought us to the junction with Little L O Trail. This is a short trail that leads for 0.8 miles to Geronimo Spring, located at the lower end of Little L O Canyon, and then continues for another 0.2 miles to the site of the old Girdner Homestead. Having been told of the spring and homestead a few years ago by Leon Girdner, now of Cornville, who had lived there as a child, we subsequently hiked to the area in May of last year.

Compared to the May 2015 hike we saw relatively few flowers on this hike. We did note some asters (below left) between Babes Hole and the Little L O Trailhead. From this point Little L O runs northwest down the spine of a ridge to Geronimo Spring. Kelsey Trail, meanwhile continues straight for a few yards and then turns southwest toward Dorsey spring. A sturdy sign post (below right) carries two signs pointing out the separate trails. It would indeed be difficult to become lost on this trail, with or without a GPS track.

Having gone beyond the turnoff to Geronimo Spring, we were now hiking along a trail that was new to us. At first we climbed sharply to reach the crest of a ridge that sloped down into Sycamore Canyon. We then crossed along the head of a wooded wash and climbed a second ridge. The vegetation along this section of trail consisted of a sprinkling of ponderosa pines, oaks and manzanitas. We also saw a few more flowers such as the delicate sprinkling of deer vetch (below left) and a lonely firecracker penstemon (below right).

We stopped on the crest of this second ridge, about 1.3 miles from the junction with Little L O Trail, for lunch. We had a great view overlooking Sycamore Canyon.

Overlooking Sycamore Canyon

From our lunch spot the trail descended at a fairly gentle slope and then climbed gently again to the junction with Dorsey Trail. This was part of the trail system used by the early ranchers to move cattle between summer grazing around Flagstaff and winter grazing deep in Sycamore Canyon. They would have continued along Kelsey Trail to Sycamore Basin below. We, however, with no cattle to deliver to winter grazing, would turn up Dorsey Trail to complete our loop hike.

From our lunch spot we had traveled another 0.8 miles, descending around 200 feet and then ascending about 175 feet to reach the Kelsey/Dorsey Trail junction. We still had a bit over three miles to go and an 800-foot ascent ahead of us so we stopped for a brief rest and a group photograph before resuming our journey.

Left to right: Lila Wright, David Beach, Karl Sink and Jim Manning – photograph by the author

Before leaving the Kelsey/Dorsey trail junction, I snapped a shot of the trail sign (below left). Dorsey Spring (below right) is located about 160 yards up Dorsey Trail from the junction.

The spring was a pleasant place with a pool fed by a pipe from further up the slope. We saw a clump pf irises, perhaps planted by an early settler in remembrance of a loved one left behind. I can clearly remember that my mother carried root plants, cuttings and seedlings from one house to another as we moved from farm to farm in East Tennessee. These, labeled “Mother,” “Aunt Fannie,” etc, to indicate their original source, were lovingly tucked in the wagon between chairs and tables and were replanted at the new location as the first order of business.

Shortly after leaving Dorsey Spring we encountered a steep but mercifully short section of trail. After that the rest of the hike was along a gentle slope. About 1.1 miles from the lower Dorsey Trailhead we left the Wilderness at another of those walk through pedestrian fences (below left) and then, after another 0.5 miles, arrived at the junction with Hog Hill Trail (below right), a 2.4-mile trail that skirts Hog Hill and connects with Kelsey Trail at Winter Cabin Spring near Sycamore Point.

The path at the wilderness boundary was closed by a single board and a couple of sticks strung on a strand of barbed wire. It wouldn't have deterred even the most sickly of cows. On the other hand, we didn't see any signs of cattle at all during our hike, so I guess it really didn't matter.

We were caught by a sudden downpour at the Dorsey/Hog Hill Trail junction. I stopped to there don my poncho while the others just pushed on. In retrospect, I should also have just ignored the rain and continued on with them; by the time I had gotten my poncho on, I was drenched anyway.

The upper Dorsey Trailhead at FR 538E was only another 0.1 miles ahead and by the time I arrived there, the drivers had retrieved the cars and were waiting for me. Already soaked, I paused before entering the car to photograph the sign at trails end.

The very wet ending of a good hike

We hiked 1.5 miles on FR 538G, 3.4 miles on Kelsey Trail and 2.9 miles on Dorsey Trail for a total of 7.8 miles. The two drivers hiked an additional 0.2 miles on FR 538E for a total of 8.0 miles. The highest elevation was 7015 feet and the total ascent was 1506 feet.

The red track on the attached map (below) shows our hike route and the short section of blue track is part of the route we drove from Hwy 89A to the junction of FR 538G and FR 538E.