Bell Rock to Cathedral Rock on Templeton Trail

Last October, Jim Manning led a hike on Templeton Trail from the Verde Valley School Road to the junction of Templeton and Cathedral Rock Trails. Templeton continues beyond the junction to cross under Hwy 179 and end at Bell Rock Pathway. To complete the remaining section of the trail, we scheduled another hike, starting at the north Bell Rock Pathway parking lot (near the Little Horse Trailhead). From the parking area, we planned to hike south on the pathway for 1.8 miles to the Templeton Trailhead.

The day before the hike was one of those gloomy days, during which the sun barely makes its presence known. To make matters even worse, the day followed several glorious sunny days of above average temperatures. I got a chill early in the morning and shivered throughout the day. I was really beginning to doubt the wisdom of going on a hike the next day. But I went to bed at 2130, slept without once awakening for eight and a half hours and was greeted by a cloudless sky, a perfect day for hiking, on 21 February 2015.

Eleven strong we set out with great anticipation, driving north on Hwy 179 through the Village of Oak Creek, passing Bell Rock on the right and turning into the parking area at about mile marker 109.75. There we met George and Akemi, increasing the size of our group to thirteen.

We hoisted our packs, gathered ourselves together to make sure no one was missing and left the parking area by way of the exit shown here (right). We were following a GPS track, but never really needed it, as the trails in the area are clearly marked and informational signs are posted at trail junctions.

From the pathway we could clearly see our goal, the grouping of spires collectively called Cathedral Rock, on the horizon; in the foreground are shown directional trail signs and one of the ubiquitous metal trail maps that make finding ones way easy in this heavily used area of trails.

Cathedral Rock on the horizon, directional signs in the foreground

We passed the Little Horse Trailhead, about 0.4 miles from the parking area, continued for another 0.2 miles and crossed a narrow, wooden bridge. The photograph (left) shows Joyce Arregui and Bill Woolard crossing the bridge on the return trip.

Just beyond the bridge, to the right of the two cyclists seen in the photograph, we found the HT Trailhead, a trail that obviously crossed under Hwy 179 and would, according to a posted map, lead us to Templeton Trail. It would shorten the hike by 1.4 miles (one way).

The trail distance between the northbound and southbound lanes of the highway was about 0.2 miles and the total distance from Bell Rock Pathway to Templeton Trail was 0.8 miles. Along the way we crossed Easybreezy Trail (right), used primarily by bikers.

When we reached Templeton Trail, we found that the trail we had been following continued on past the intersection but that the name changed to Slimshady Trail (left). HT Trail, only 0.8 miles long, ended there.

Our trail was wide and essentially level at this point, rising and falling gently as it dipped into and out of washes on its way to the rock ledge that it would follow along the northeast slope of Cathedral Rock. From the ledge we had a panoramic view across Sedona to Capitol Butte and Bear Mountain on the horizon.

Looking beyond Sedona to Capitol Butte and Bear Mountain on the horizon

Looking ahead we had a close-up view of the towering spires that form Cathedral Rock. In the lower right quarter of the below photograph is shown the path that Templeton Trail follows along the ledge. Although there are a few places where the trail is faint as it makes its way across bare rock, it would be very difficult to really become lost in this area.

View of Cathedral Rock from Templeton Trail

Cathedral Rock Trail (right) is clearly marked and there is little chance of passing it by. This is where the hard part of the hike begins. There are places where the rocks are slick and little in the way of footing exists. I would not attempt the climb if there were even the slightest possibility of ice on the trail, or when the trail was wet for that matter.

The two photographs shown below illustrate the more difficult sections of trail.

Climbing Cathedral Rock

Climbing Cathedral Rock

We didn't do it very quickly, at least most of us didn't, but we all did climb to what I have marked as Stop 1 on the map insert (left) which shows our GPS track up Cathedral Trail from Templeton Trail. Stop 1 was a large flat area, sheltered from the breeze by the surrounding spires. The hardest part of the climb was now behind us and some, satisfied with that, stayed there for lunch. The rest of the group climbed on up for another 200 feet or so, and then continued on to the Gap between the two southernmost spires. The highest point of our hike.

The following photograph of Courthouse Butte, framed by two of Cathedral Rock's spires was taken from that point.

Courthouse Butte seen from Cathedral Rock

After stopping for lunch, we made our way slowly and carefully back down the trail, helping one another as needed. While the descent was easier than the climb up had been, it did require care to avoid slipping. On the way up, we had noted several places where the rocks appeared worn and slippery. Now, we discovered why. It was where hikers just sat down and slid across bare rocks while descending. This was often easier and safer than seeking a tenuous toe hold.

On arrival back at Templeton Trail we found Akemi (right), always a fast hiker, waiting for us and we all gathered for a group photograph before heading back to our vehicles.

Left to right: Ron Condon, Daisy Williams, Chris Jensen, Collene Maktenieks, Anita Jackson, Bill Woolard, Lila Wright, Joyce Arregui, Connie Woolard, Akemi Tomioka, Jim Quinn and George Everman – photograph by the author.

After the photograph we retraced our steps to the HT Trail/Templeton Trail intersection where paused for a rest and to decide whether we would take Templeton Trail back to Bell Rock Parkway. I wanted to take Templeton so that I would have hiked the entire length of that trail. Bill and Connie along with Joyce agreed to accompany me and the rest of the group took the shorter route by way of HT Trail.

The included map (next page) shows the GPS track for the return hike from Cathedral Rock by way of Templeton and Bell Rock Pathway in red. The blue GPS track shows HT Trail.

My GPS instrument showed that I hiked a total distance of 8.4 miles, that the highest elevation was 4739 feet and that the total ascent was 1039 feet.

Those who returned by way of HT Trail hiked a total of 6.8 miles.

Restored Ruin and Ladder in Long Canyon

On 14 February 2015, thirteen Skyliners set out from Cottonwood to hike up Long Canyon to the site of a restored Indian ruin and a rickety wooden ladder that leads to a dark opening in the canyon wall high above.

We left from the Cottonwood Safeway parking lot and drove north on Hwy 89A to Dry Creek Road in Sedona, took Dry Creek Road to the stop sign, turned right on Long Canyon Road (FR 152B) and continued 0.6 miles to the Long Canyon Trailhead. There is parking at the trailhead on the left side of the road for around a dozen vehicles. A larger parking lot was available about 0.3 miles back down the road at the Mescal Trailhead and a connector trail will take one from that trail to Long Canyon Trail. However, we arrived well before 0900 and were confident of finding space at the trailhead parking lot, so we continued on. George Everman and Akemi Tomioka joined us there.

It was a bright sunny day, perfect for hiking, and we doffed our jackets before hoisting our packs and heading up the trail into Long Canyon. About 0.6 miles along the way we saw where we would later turn off to visit the Birthing Cave, a side trip scheduled for the way back. The turnoff is located at the remains of an old barbed wire fence and the trail is semi blocked by the careful placement of debris, presumably to prevent Long Canyon hikers from making a wrong turn.

Continuing on our way up the canyon, we passed through an area covered with manzanita, scrub oak and juniper trees. By the time we arrived at the turnoff to what we call the Ice Cream Cone Ruins (not our goal for today), marked by a distinctive rock embedded in the trail (right), appropriately called Buttrock, the surrounding forest was composed primarily of Arizona cypress with some scattered oaks. We were more than two miles from the trailhead.

We continued on our way up Long Canyon for a considerable distance, entering an area with several large ponderosa pines scattered among the smaller trees, before turning left in a wash and then almost immediately climbing the left bank on a trail that would lead us to our goal, just a short distance ahead. From any break in the foliage along this section you can look ahead and see the canyon walls closing in all around.

Looking ahead while traveling up Long Canyon

After climbing out of the wash, one must take care to avoid missing the next turn, also to the left. A well-trodden path leads straight ahead, but the most direct route to the ruin leaves the narrow, flat shelf formed by the bank of the wash and climbs steeply up the canyon wall. To our left we saw two very small caves (left) set low in the red rock cliff. They were too small to enter, so we passed on by. The trail climbs steeply at first, then levels of for a short distance, as it traces along the ridge and crosses another side wash. It then turns sharply uphill again, heading straight toward a sheer red rock cliff. We are climbing along the side of a wash running down a sloping area beneath the high cliff wall of Long Canyon. Through breaks in the foliage we can see the ladder we intend to visit after our trip to the Indian ruin.

Magnified view of ladder seen from the trail across wash

But we didn't spend much time viewing the ladder on the way up. We were entirely too busy pushing and pulling our way up the steep trail.

Luckily, the trail is mercifully short and we were soon rewarded by our first sight of the ruin (right). There are two separate structures, the nearest one appears to have been restored simply by re-stacking the rock walls. The larger structure, on the other hand seems to have received more attention, with the rocks having been mortared in place. The mortar appeared to be mud based, probably made by mixing the loose dirt seen all around us with water.

The keyhole-shaped opening that served as an entrance to the larger house sported a wooden header (left) that appeared to be of fairly recent vintage, lending support to the idea of restoration.

The ruin is tucked deep in an overhang of the northeast facing cliff and little sun reached the area, so it was rather chilly. This caused me to wonder why the structures had been placed here in the first place. Indian dwelling were normally faced for the maximum amount of winter sun.

While sheltered by the overhang, I noticed that my GPS was constantly pinging to signal that it had lost or regained a signal and I knew that signals must be leapfrogging back and forth across the canyon. The track would surely be a mess when I uploaded it to my computer and my GPS mileage reading would be recording the leaps across the canyon as distance hiked. Sure enough when I later uploaded the track this is what I saw (right). As I had expected, the instrument had recorded over 12 miles, at least twice the distance we had actually hiked.

After a quick snack in the shade of the overhang, we made our way across the head of the wash to visit the ladder. There, with the sun to warm us, we would tarry long enough to eat lunch before heading back down the canyon. The climb across the head of the wash was a perilous journey, best done by those with a stout heart and a sure foot. The two photographs below show the path behind me and the path ahead as I made my way across the head of the wash.

The trail behind

 The trail ahead

Once we had crossed over the wash we had a close-up look at the ladder and the mysterious place it led to above. After one close look at the condition of the ladder (left), I resolved that whatever lurked in the darkness above would remain a mystery for me. I was not about to climb the rickety, aged structure to see for myself, even though it did have a few shiny new nails in the bottom rungs.

Alongside the ladder stood the remains of an old stone structure (right). Perhaps it was for the use of a guard stationed there to prevent enemies from using the ladder. For us, it was another mystery to file along with the question of what was at the top of the ladder.

As expected we were now in a sunny, pleasant place with a magnificent view for our lunch break.

Looking back down Long Canyon while eating lunch at the ladder

We tried to locate the positions of some of the other Indian ruins in Long Canyon from this viewpoint. I was not at all successful in that.

After everyone had eaten and rested, we roused ourselves for the climb back down to the main trail. Hikers are shown here (left) climbing down from the ledge where we had eaten lunch.

When we arrived back at the bottom of the canyon, we stopped in the wash where we rejoined Long Canyon Trail for a photograph. Two of our hikers, Tim and Patty Caron, had other commitments and had left us earlier, so we now numbered thirteen.

Left to right: George Everman, Collene Maktenieks, Lila Wright, Cindy Emmett, Daisy Williams, the author (sitting), Karl Sink (rear), Akemi Tomioka, John Ashworth, Gilliam Ashworth, Beverly Sass and Joanne Hennings – photograph by Name Withheld

The hard part of the hike was now over and, except for a short, steep climb for those who would visit the Birthing Cave on the way back, the rest of the way was an easy downhill stroll through the scattered ponderosa pines, the Arizona cypress and large oaks, the manzanita, scrub oaks and junipers to the parking area where our vehicles awaited.

When we reached the turnoff to the Birthing Cave, four members of the group chose to continue on to the trailhead and wait for the seven who would visit the cave. That was quite understandable as many of us have already been there more than once and, truth be told, it is not very impressive.

At the turnoff we stepped over the assorted debris, placed on the side trail to keep Long Canyon Trail hikers from going astray, and continued along the trail that leads up to a saddle in Mescal Mountain and then continues on up to the top of the mountain. The Birthing Cave is located in the steep face of a mountain ridge protruding northeast from the gap in Mescal Mountain. To reach it we hiked along the gently rising trail toward the gap and then turned right onto a steep, well-worn side trail that climbed sharply for about 100 yards to the cave.

The cave itself is not much to look at, just a sheltered overhang in the steep cliff wall. The small cavity (right) is, according to what I have been told, where Indian mothers birthed their babies. I consider the whole idea to be nothing more than a tale made up for tourist consumption.

I saw nothing at the cave to indicate any possible Indian habitation except for a few rocks stacked at edge of the area covered by the overhang. They might have been placed there at any time. All in all, the best part of the Birthing Cave, in my opinion, is the view as shown below.

The best part of the Birthing Cave is the view

The red track on the attached map (next page) shows Long Canyon trail for its entire length as hiked on a previous trip. The trail does not have a specific ending point, but rather just ends in a welter of indistinct tracks that lead off in various directions and end separately after a short distance. One or more of these tracks might continue on to reach the canyon rim, but I really don't think so. Today, we had hiked around two-thirds of the way to the end of Long Canyon Trail before we turned off to visit the ruins.

At the conclusion of the track my GPS instrument indicated that we had hiked 12.2 miles, twice our actual hike distance. The anomaly is caused by satellite signals bouncing of the canyon walls under certain conditions.

Once I uploaded the GPS track to my computer and removed the extraneous cross-canyon pings, I found that the total distance for our hike today was 6.1 miles, the highest elevation was 5012 feet and the total ascent was 801 feet.

Red Canyon, Nolan Draw and 4543 Sinkholes

On 7 February 2015 David Beach led nineteen Skyliners on a tour of three sinkholes in the Loy Butte area. These included the smallest and also the largest of seven Sedona area sinkholes.

From Cottonwood Safeway parking lot, we drove north on Hwy 89A for 9.6 miles and turned left onto Forest road 525 at the Sedona Wastewater treatment facility. We drove 5.9 miles on FR 525, turned right onto FR 152C, drove 2.0 miles and turned left onto FR 152E. We then continued for another 0.4 miles and parked at the rim of Sinkhole 4543.

With a circumference of 13 feet and a depth of around 3 feet, this is the smallest of the Sedona area sinkholes. The name “4543,” taken from the elevation at the site, was assigned by Paul A. Lindberg, author of Arizona Geological Survey, Contributed Report CR-10-C, April 2010.¹ The author says that it is a “sinkhole that is probably in the formative stage of breaking through to the modern ground surface.” He goes on to note reports of substantial amounts of air rushing in and out of two small rock openings at the site, indicating a large cavity below ground level.

Dave Beach standing in 4543 Sinkhole

We didn't spend much time at 4543 and were soon on our way to Red Canyon Sinkhole, near the Palatki Heritage archaeological site. According to Lindberg, Red Canyon, with an estimated area of around 32,900 feet and a depth of 103 feet, is the largest of the seven Sedona area sinkholes.² The sinkhole is actually located in the canyon and forms a part of the canyon wall. We hiked first to the upper rim and looked down into the sinkhole and the canyon. In the photograph below the bottom of the sinkhole is located directly below the red outcropping and extends back beyond where the photographer is standing. The opposite side of the sinkhole is essentially at the canyon floor. The hiker seen on the rim at top right is headed down into the canyon after which he will circle back and descend to the bottom of the sinkhole.

Red Canyon Sinkhole as seen from the rim above. The other side of the sinkhole is much lower, essentially at the floor of the canyon

After viewing the area from the upper rim we followed the hiker shown in the above photograph and descended (right) to the canyon floor. We then turned and climbed down just a few feet to reach the bottom of the sinkhole. The sinkhole accepts drainage from Red Canyon and feeds it to a subsurface aquifer.

Tucked in at the bottom of the sheer rock wall from which we had just descended was a mini ecosystem, with lush grass, vines and a variety of trees. This was indeed a most restful and isolated spot. It would be a wonderful spot for a summer picnic. Of course picnicking here would likely be frowned upon by the rangers at nearby Palatki.

Lush growth at the bottom of the sinkhole

According to Lindberg, the stream that drains Red Canyon originally bypassed the sinkhole, but a “flash flood … created a natural debris flow levee that … changed the course of the drainage” so that it now “empties directly into the sinkhole.”³ The drain is shown in the photograph (left).

We looked for pictographs that we were told could be found on the cliff wall. We did find some, but the sun was at a poor angle for photography and I was unable to even see them clearly, much less take photographs. Presented below is the best shot I could get. Someone interpreted the faint figure in the lower left of the photo as a brave sneaking up on the animals shown in a canyon at the upper right. That was a better explanation than any I have.

Pictographs on the cliff wall at Red Canyon Sinkhole

Leaving Red Canyon behind we hiked back to our cars, paused for a snack break and then headed for Nolan Draw Sinkhole, our third and final stop. To get there we returned to the junction of FR 525 and FR 795, drove 0.6 miles north on FR 525, turned left onto FR 9549B and continued for one mile, heading southwest, before parking on the right side of the road. After parking we hiked another 100 yards on FR 9549B, turned left through a stile and followed an old road for about 0.4 miles to our destination. I don't know for sure what old road we were following, but we did come to a fork with a sign identifying the left fork as FR 9549C; we took the right fork.

Nolan Draw Sinkhole was to me the most interesting of the three we visited today. It actually had what I expected of a decent sinkhole: steep, sharply deliniated walls, a decent depth, some secretive dark places below and trees growing in the bottom. It was the sort of place where monsters might lurk, waiting for small children to fall in.

Nolan Draw Sinkhole

The diameter of Nolan Draw Sinkhole is more than 1830 square feet and it is some 68 feet deep. It also has an undercut area running from the northwest through the north, the east and on to the southeast side. Lindberg reports that “the undercut area is 4.6 times larger than the surface opening with a large dirt floor extending to the northeast.”⁴

Dave, our hike leader, was determined to descend into the hole and explore the area of the overhang and I had packed my flashlight. Lila had contributed a rope lest we be unable to haul ourselves back up. We quickly shed our packs and started the descent, Dave taking the lead. There was a narrow shelf, just wide enough to stand on, about six feet below the rim and just below the shelf was a sturdy tree trunk that we could use to shinny down to what Lindberg called a “human-formed bench”⁵ In the below photograph, taken by the author while standing on the narrow ledge, Dave is shown below sliding down the tree trunk.

Dave Beach descending into the Nolan Draw Sinkhole

We explored the overhang from the southeast to the northwest. Dave is shown below standing on the dirt floor underneath the overhang; this photograph was taken from the human-formed bench.

Standing under the overhang

We continued our counterclockwise exploration of the overhang by crouching and heading for the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. Rocks had broken off the walls above and tumbled to the bottom (right), partially closing off the overhang and creating a tunnel. The brilliant rays of the midday sun, shining down through openings in the fallen rock debris, lit up the darkness under the overhang and made the going easy.

Encouraged by the easy travel, I pushed on toward the northwest end of the overhang, soon finding the exit (left).

I emerged from beneath the overhang through a hole in the rubble to find myself just at the base of the tree we had used for our descent. Looking up through the bare branches of the tree, I could see two hikers, framed against a clear blue sky, standing at the rim above the sheer red wall of the sinkhole.

Hikers framed against the sky on the rim of Nolan Draw Sinkhole

We had now finished our exploration and after a final look around at a recently-used fire pit and several bird nests, tucked neatly into crevices, we climbed out to join the rest of the group for lunch.

Fire pit in Nolan Draw Sinkhole

One of several bird nests

From our lunch spot on the rim of Nolan Draw Sinkhole we had an excellent view of Bear Mountain on the horizon.  The mouth of Red Canyon can be seen at the southwest corner of the mountain.

Bear Mountain on the horizon – from the south rim of Nolan Draw Sinkhole

After lunch we gathered on the rim of the sinkhole for a group photograph.

Left to right: Daisy Williams, the author, Lila Wright, Jim Manning, Miriam Sterling, Joyce Arregui, Karl Sink, David Beach, Margie Beach, Marywave Van Deren, John Ashworth, Anita Jackson, Gilliam Ashworth, Terry Johnson, Connie Woolard, Collene Maktenieks, Dolly Yapp and Beverly Sass – photograph by Name Withheld

Today's hike really didn't involve much actual hiking. We bushwhacked approximately 0.7 miles to and from Red Canyon Sinkhole and hiked along an old road for about 0.8 miles to and from Nolan Draw Sinkhole.

The GPS tracks shown on the included map (next page) in blue are forest roads we drove on. The red track shows the hike to Nolan Draw Sinkhole. The bushwhacking track to Red Canyon Sinkhole is not shown.

Footnote: Ironically, the same day we visited these three of the “seven” Sedona area sinkholes, an eighth one appeared in the roadbed of Hwy 89A, causing a road closure “between mileposts 387 – 389 near Cave Springs Campground⁶”, in the Oak Creek Canyon.

1http://www.azgs.az.gov/publications_online/contributed_reports/cr10c.pdf, p 51

2http://www.azgs.az.gov/publications_online/contributed_reports/cr10c.pdf, p 45

3http://www.azgs.az.gov/publications_online/contributed_reports/cr10c.pdf, p 45

4http://www.azgs.az.gov/publications_online/contributed_reports/cr10c.pdf, p 43

5Ibid

6http://azdailysun.com/sinkhole-closes-highway-a-in-oak-creek-canyon/article_8f1e8880-af36-11e4-b926-0f19abb4a666.html

Walker Basin Trail

On 4 February 2015 the author along with Lila Wright, Collene Maktenieks, Joyce Arregui and one unnamed hiker scouted Walker Basin Trail. We drove north on I-17 and took the Sedona Exit. From there we turned to the southeast on Forest Road 618, drove 4.9 miles and turned left onto FR 9201C. This turnoff is marked by a Forest Service sign (right). Leaving one of our three vehicles at the intersection, we drove 0.8 miles east on FR 9201C, high clearance vehicles required, and parked a second vehicle at the trailhead. We then returned to FR 618 and continued south for another 4.8 miles to FR 214, the road to Cedar Flat.

This turnoff was also prominently marked by a Forest Service sign (left). We turned onto FR 214 and followed it for 9.5 miles to a convenient parking area at a large corral located near Cedar Flat Tank. Cedar Flat Tank is located about 0.1 mile from the road and could easily be overlooked. However, one cannot miss the corral. The corral is located on the right side of the road and a large loading chute, sturdily-built of huge, iron-reinforced timbers leads from it to a spacious loading area. We parked there.

As can be seen from the above figures, the total driving distance on dirt roads was about 19.2 miles one way. None of the roads required a 4-wheel drive vehicle but high clearance vehicles are highly advised for FR 9201C and FR 214.

The corral, and its convenient, at least when cattle are not being moved, parking area is actually 0.2 miles past the unmarked Walker Basin Trailhead. As can be seen from the below photograph taken at the trailhead, there is actually room to park right at the trailhead, so we could have avoided the extra 0.2 miles hike back form the corral.

Walker Basin Trailhead at Cedar Flat

Note the indistinct road sign just to the right of the gap (gate). It tells us that we are now on FR 214B. The trail actually follows that forest road for the first 2.2 miles.

We now found ourselves hiking along a seldom driven forest road through open grassland.

Joyce leading the way along Walker Basin Trail (Forest Road 214B)

Eventually the road became a little rougher and the junipers closed in around us. But we could still see the San Francisco Peaks in the distance.

The San Francisco Peaks Peaks directly ahead above a section of the trail

Around a mile and a half into our hike we topped out above Brockett Tank where a herd of cattle were spread out enjoying the warm sun.

Cows at Brockett Tank

The road track we were following took us to a fence at the northeast corner of the fence surrounding the tank. It appeared that a gate had once existed in the fence and we could see the vestige of an old road on the other side, so we climbed the fence and started to follow it. However, a quick look at my GPS after we had gone about 450 yards disclosed that we were traveling perpendicular to our desired track and the trace of an old road was becoming ever more faint. We turned back to the fence and corrected course, but still didn't find any trace of FS 214B. We were now well past the tank and I decided to recross the fence and search for the road there while the others waited at the fence. Finding it about a 100 yards ahead, I signaled the rest of the group to cross the fence and wait there while I followed the road back to the tank to complete my GPS track. What I found was that the road reached the tank at an offset from the gap provided for cattle to enter the enclosure, so I followed along an old track to the gap, entered it and turned to take the following photograph, showing where we would have ended up had we only followed along the fence instead of crossing it.

Leaving the enclosure at Brockett Tank heading west on Walker Basin Trail

I was close enough to where we had mistakenly crossed the fence to complete my track, so I passed back through the gap shown above and followed a cattle trail (right) for a short distance to intersect the trail (FR 214B) and rejoined the group.

The trail was once again quite easy to follow (left), although it looked as though it had been many months since any vehicles had passed this way. About 2.2 miles from the trailhead at FR 214, Forest Road 214B made a 90⁰ turn to the left. Walker Basin Trail, marked by a sign showing a figure of a hiker and one of an equestrian (right) along with an arrow pointing the way, but no trail name, turned 90⁰ to the right. 

The track we were now following was no less distinct than FR 214B had been and it continued generally in the direction the old GPS track we were following led, so we continued confidently on our way toward Walker Mountain, passing through another gate (left) along the way.

Soon we came to a mountain pass at the eastern side of Walker Basin and found ourselves faced with a steep, rocky descent along the old road toward Walker Tank. From one angle I thought (perhaps imagined) that I could see just a small slice of the earthworks around the tank itself.

A little farther down the trail, while we were stopped for lunch, we could look across the basin and down into Walker Canyon. Meanwhile, at the extreme left of the below photograph, the north hump of Walker Mountain itself is visible. Our trail would lead us through a pass just to the left of this north hump. At the bottom of the basin a trail, not visible here, forks off to the right and leads to Walker Creek Tank in the canyon.

Looking across Walker Basin from the east rim

We saw a few cows at Walker Basin Tank. As was true of all the other we had seen today, these cows were just hanging around the watering hole (right) enjoying the sun. Grass was bountiful and they all looked well nourished.

We had a fairly steep climb from the tank up to the mountain pass on the west side of the basin and there were some places where one could lose the trail, at least temporarily, if not careful. But we had the old GPS track that I had created using the National Geographic overlay in Google Earth to guide us and, although it was wildly incorrect in places, it did keep us headed in the right direction. The track we were following (left) was still passable, though little used, by 4-wheel drive vehicles.

When we finally arrived in the saddle we found ourselves in a flat area thickly populated with junipers and cactus. We also found what appeared to be a fork in the track we were following. I chose the wrong fork and again had to retrace my steps in order to connect the GPS track I was making. This deviation cost me an extra 0.2 miles. From the pass at Walker Mountain the trail leads northwest across a relatively flat mesa, losing only about 300 feet in altitude in a little over 1.5 miles before starting the descent on the west side of the mountain. The trail (right), now steep, washed out, and rocky, descends at first diagonally along the slope of Walker Mountain and then follows a spine that forms the south rim of Walker Canyon.

Although it was a strenuous descent, the rocks were large and for the most part firmly embedded. That greatly reduced the likelihood of a fall. However, there was still the danger of getting a foot caught in a crack which can cause serious damage to an ankle.

We were all very happy to at last see the box holding the sign in sheet that signified the lower trailhead. There is no sign in sheet at the upper trailhead, so we just signed out here and indicated that we had hiked the trail one way.

We all piled into my pickup, three hikers riding in the rear, for the trip back to the car we had parked at the junction of FR 618 and FR 9201C. We arrived there at about 1630. Lila and I continued on to Cedar Flat to retrieve the vehicle parked there while the other three hikers returned home. It was about 1815 when I finally arrived back home.

The actual length of this trail as shown in red on the attached map (next page) is 8.0 miles. However, because of the extra 0.2 miles we hiked from the corral and the misadventures along the way, all of which I removed from the final GPS track, we actually hiked about 8.9 miles.