Paria Canyon Hike

On Tuesday, 03 May 2011, four members of the Skyliners Hiking Group (Donna Goodman, Dolly Yapp, Gordon Bice and the author) set out for a three-day backpacking trip down Paria Canyon. Not considering ourselves to be experienced backpackers, we had spent a lot of time and effort preparing for the trip. We made multiple 15 mile long hikes around Cottonwood and actually camped out one night at Twin Springs on Mingus Mountain, all to ensure that we and our gear were up to the task.

We gathered at Gordon’s house at 0800 on 3 May and left for Page, AZ where we would spend the night at the Super 8 Motel before starting our trip down the Canyon. We detoured to Lees Ferry on the way to Page to leave Donna’s truck in long-term parking at the lower end of the Paria Trail. We then drove in Gordon’s vehicle on through Page to the Paria Check in Station at White House, UT to pick up our human waste bags (provided free by BLM and required for the narrows section of the canyon). After receiving our human waste bags and getting an up to date report on conditions in the canyon, we returned to Page and checked into our motel before enjoying an early dinner at Strombolis. The next morning, Dolly and Donna at breakfast at the motel while Gordon and I ate at the Ranch House Grille. We then departed for the Paria Canyon Trailhead where we would leave Gordon’s vehicle in the long-term parking area until we completed our trip down the canyon to Donna’s vehicle waiting at Lees Ferry.

Several other Skyliners (Lila Wright, Kwi and Lynn Johnson and Daisy Williams) were camping and hiking in the area. We met them at the trailhead and Lila took the following picture (below) for us just before we started our hike.

Note that Dolly's backpack is so big and sticks up so far over her head that it appears she is being followed closely by another hiker. For the next three days, whenever I looked back to make sure there were still three hikers behind me, I invariably counted four.

Left to right: Gordon Bice, Ellis Price, Dolly Yapp and Donna Goodman – Photograph by Lila Wright

We left White House at 0820 (Arizona time) on 4 May and almost immediately found ourselves wading across the river. I had been told that this section of the river was likely to be dry; however, we found that it was at least ankle deep.

Donna, Dolly and Ellis fording the river – Photograph by Gordon Bice

Descriptions of Paria trips tend to pretty much start at the “narrows,” five to six mile section of the canyon that is very narrow with steep sides hundreds of feet high and no easy way to escape in case of a flash flood. However, we found some pretty spectacular scenery in the four miles leading to that section.

Random shot of the way ahead as we approached the narrows

By 0926 we were at mile 2 of our hike and by 0942 were passing under the power lines that cross the canyon before the start of the narrows. We continued for just over another mile to enter the narrows around 1100.

Near the beginning of the narrows – Photograph by Donna Goodman

The narrows is usually described as being five to six miles long, which would have it ending about ten miles from the White House Trailhead. On the other hand, one hike report that I read (www.arizonahikingtrails.com/hikingpages/pariacanyon.html) has it ending 16 miles below White House, making it 12 miles long. I am using the five to six mile figure and assuming the narrows officially ends somewhere around ten miles from the trailhead. In any case, it is a section of the canyon that is very narrow with steep sides hundreds of feet high and with (usually) no way to escape in case of a flash flood. There are a few places along the way where one could scramble to higher ground; however, being near one of these would be a matter of pure luck.

The Hikers Guide to Paria Canyon published by the Bureau of Land Management and available at the entry station for $9.00 also shows three possible camp sites in the narrows, one about one half mile below the Buckskin Gulch Confluence with no fresh water available, one just past the nine mile point with an intermittent spring and one just before the ten mile point with a reliable spring.

As we entered the narrows, wading back and forth across the ankle- to calf-deep river, we were awed by the overpowering grandeur of the scenes that unfolded before us. The sheer size of everything was overwhelming and it was mind boggling to see the shapes sculpted by water in the colorful rock.

One of the first sights pointed out in the BLM guide was Slide Rock Arch, a chunk of rock that broke off the wall above and now stands on the canyon floor forming an arch with the wall itself.

Slide Rock Arch – for perspective note Donna (tiny figure pointed out by red arrow) – Photograph by Gordon Bice

We arrived at the Buckskin Gulch junction, about a quarter of a mile downstream from the arch, at 1325 and lingered in the area for about thirty minutes.

Gordon standing in Paria Canyon at the mouth of Buckskin Gulch

We had no intention of camping in the narrows and I really did not notice any of the three suitable spots shown on the BLM Hikers Guide. I did, however, note the abandoned meander or oxbow (see photograph at right), which indicated that we were within about a mile from our intended camp-site at Big Spring. We reached the campsite at about 1730. We had traveled twelve miles on our first day of hiking and were right on schedule.

We found a party of six, traveling with three dogs, already at the campsite. However it was large enough to handle us all with no problem and we selected a comfortable spot away from the other group, dumped our packs, and set out to the spring on the other side of the river to collect water. We had enough containers, including my two-gallon nylon bucket (provided by my daughter, Diana) that we would have to make only one trip to collect enough water for the night and to take with us the next day.

Additionally, Donna and I each had carried a spare bladder; we filled these and treated the water with chlorine dioxide pills, letting them sit overnight for use on the trail the next day. I carried an extra liter of water in a Nalgene bottle all the way from the start of the hike, finally using it on the last day when the temperature reached ninety-five degrees. We were all carrying freeze-dried meals that could be prepared by dumping boiling water directly into the pouch. By eating these meals directly from the pouches they came in we eliminated the need for plates and, because the water had to be boiled anyway, we could use otherwise unpurified water.

Gordon and I were both carrying stoves. My stove burns propane while Gordon’s uses white gas. He was more adept at stove operation than I and also had a larger pot for boiling water. As a result he provided most of the boiled water. I did manage to use my stove enough to prepare my own meals and the hot tea that I drank at night and in the morning as well as the thermos and mug of tea that I normally carry with me when hiking. In short Gordon handled three people with his stove and I took care of myself.

Gordon and Ellis in camp at Big Spring – Photograph by Donna Goodman

Donna and Dolly in camp at Big Spring– Photograph by Gordon Bice

The weather was great for camping and I think we all slept pretty well. I climbed into my sleeping bag at dark, turned over a few times and thru the night.

We awoke at daybreak to a fairly chilly morning at our location deep in the canyon where the sun is late arising. My first thought was: “Oh no, it is really going to be chilly wading this morning.” However, by the time we had coffee (tea for Dolly and me), ate our breakfast and broke camp the sun was peering over the rim in places and the wet hike ahead didn’t look quite so bad. We got an earlier start than the other group camped at Big Spring and were on our way at 0740.

Gordon and I usually hiked ahead, taking turns leading, with Donna and Dolly lagging a bit behind. I learned that there is a disadvantage to leading a hike down Paria. The leader may step into a deep hole in the muddy water or get mired in the sand or mud. Those following then know to avoid that route across the stream. It was all rather a guessing game, as the water was a deep muddy brown color from all the silt it carried and it was impossible to see anything below the surface. This is where I found a hiking pole to be of great benefit; in addition to helping one to stay upright, it could be used as a sounding device to detect deep or otherwise treacherous spots ahead.

At one point, even after having carefully sounded the area ahead, my foot became stuck in a mud bank and I fell forward, barely catching myself to avoid complete immersion in the muddy stream. My fellow hikers gleefully declared me to be the winner of the “first to fall in the water” lottery. Luckily none of them were alert enough to get a picture of the event. In the below photograph I am shown later carefully sounding the water ahead as I pick a safe route cross the stream.

Ellis sounding his way across the river – Photograph by Donna Goodman

Below are a few examples of what we saw between Big Spring and Judd Hollow.

Donna and Gordon heading down the canyon below Big Spring – Photograph by Dolly Yapp

Looking ahead down the canyon below Big Spring

Not too far down stream, after we had stopped for a rest break, the other group that had camped at Big Spring caught up. Their three dogs (Photograph at left, by Donna Goodman) were trotting happily along carrying their own backpacks.

We paused for a few minutes to let the other hikers get ahead of us and didn’t see them again until we reached Judd Hollow. They were leaving there just as we arrived.

The canyon had widened somewhat and the Judd Hollow area seemed quite expansive after traveling through the narrows and the still rather restricted seven-mile section below Big Spring. I found a nice shady spot on the bank of the river and just relaxed, very nearly getting in a quick nap.

Judd Hollow in Paria Canyon

Judd Hollow is the site of an old pumping station (See photo at right), intended to pump water to the plateau above. Although we didn’t locate it during this trip we have been told that an old trail, built by the pump’s owners, leads up the north wall of the canyon somewhere nearby. From information gathered later, I suspect that the trail may be about a mile upstream. This is based on the belief that the pump was originally installed at that upstream location during a drought in the 1930s. Apparently the drought ended just as the installation was completed and the owners never used it. It is said that it sat unused until the late 1940s when it was sold to another party who moved it by horseback to its present location. It was tested, but never placed into service by the new owner. (This information was obtained from: http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23471)

The old pump in Judd Hollow showing the suction line – Photograph by Gordon Bice

We left Judd Hollow at 1135, having spent about half an hour resting and looking around. We were over seventeen miles into our journey down Paria Canyon and had another eight miles to go to reach our next campsite at Last Reliable Spring (both a name and a description) just beyond the twenty-five mile point. On the way there we planned to stop at Wrather Canyon and, perhaps, hike up to see the arch.

We were now seeing more and more areas where the canyon was wide enough that trees could grow alongside the stream (a fact also noted by beavers living in the area as evidenced by the gnawed off limb shown at left) and, although we were still spending much of the time wading, the hiking was now quite pleasant. Several additional photographs of this section of the canyon are shown below.

Looking down Paria between Judd Hollow and Wrather Canyon – Photograph by Gordon Bice

Looking down Paria between Judd Hollow and Wrather Canyon – Photograph by Dolly Yapp

We did find the Hole, located just downstream from mile point 19; however, no one thought to take a picture of the formation, and we continued on to Wrather Canyon, arriving about 1350.

Wrather Arch – Photograph by Gordon Bice

We lingered in the area for most of an hour while Dolly and Gordon hiked up Wrather to see the arch and Donna and I cleaned sand from our shoes and amused ourselves by watching the antics of a large lizard.

While we were at Wrather Canyon a young lady named Korinda arrived traveling upstream and asked whether we had seen her companions, an older couple. She had traveled on ahead to make some side hikes and was quite angry that they had not met her at the time and place she thought they had agreed on. In exasperation she had left her backpack alongside the trail at Shower Spring in case they arrived and hiked on up to see Wrather Arch. Amusingly enough we later met the “lost” older couple, also a bit irritated, and learned that from their perspective Korinda had not complied with the arrangements made when they separated.

Leaving Wrather Canyon we found at last a short section of real trail, a discernible trail with real soil instead of rock, sand or gravel, and with grass growing on both sides. It really didn’t last very long before we were once again wading the river. Nevertheless, after a day and a half of wading the river interspersed with short stretches of sand, gravel and rock, a bit of real trail, however brief, was a real pleasure and Donna rushed ahead to enjoy it.

A real trail at last – Photograph by Dolly Yapp

We arrived at Shower Spring at about 1530 and found the other group from Big Spring already there preparing to set up camp for the night. Since we planned to hike for another three miles and camp at Last Reliable Spring, we did not linger there for very long but pressed on. By camping at Last Reliable Spring we would have only thirteen and a half miles to go on our last day of the hike. We had considered going another mile and a half and camping for the night at Bush Canyon. But that would have required us to hike half a mile up the canyon to collect water and also would have meant setting up camp after dark. We decided it would be wiser to stop at Last Reliable Spring and turn in early for a good night’s sleep. We were all expecting the last day of the hike to be the most difficult. It would be about thirteen and a half miles as opposed to twelve miles the first day and thirteen the second. In addition, the temperature was expected to be in the middle nineties and we would need to carry extra water simply because of that. We also wanted to make sure we had a little extra in the event of an accident that required us to stay over an extra night.

In Paria Canyon between Shower Spring and Last Reliable Spring – By Donna

In Paria Canyon between Shower Spring and Last Reliable Spring – Photograph by Gordon Bice

In Paria Canyon between Shower Spring and Last Reliable Spring – Photograph by Donna Goodman

When pausing to look back and make sure that everyone was still with us, I was often confused by Dolly’s “bigger than she is” backpack. Protruding above her head as it did, it appeared at first glance to be an additional hiker (Photograph by Donna Goodman at right).

We arrived at Last Reliable Spring at 1755. The spring is across the river from the campsite, so we quickly selected a good spot to set up camp, dumped our backpacks, gathered our empty containers and headed across the river to collect enough water for cooking that night and to fill our containers for the hike out the next day.

The spring is no gusher; the water runs out of the cliff face in a series of small rivulets. With my nylon pail, I was able to catch two of the rivulets at once. Even so, it took me several minutes to collect a bit over a gallon of water. When I had collected all I could comfortable carry I could find no place at the spring to hang the collapsible bucket, so I headed back across the river to hang it on a branch at our campsite, leaving the others to finish filling the rest of the containers.

My spare bladder was still across the river with the others and knowing that they would have their hands full carrying everything back, I headed back to help. That was when I suffered the most embarrassing incident of the hike. I was carefully feeling my way across the stream with my hiking pole when I sounded a deep channel ahead, a channel that surely would have come up to my crotch. Donna was just approaching from the other side with a load of water and I stopped to direct her further downstream to a shallower crossing. I didn’t realize that my feet were slowly sinking into a mud bar until I started to back up to move down to the shallower crossing myself. My upper body backed up, but my feet remained firmly planted in the sucking mud and I sat down in the middle of the river.

Luckily I had placed my wallet and cellphone, carried in a zipped pants pocket, in plastic baggies and they were unscathed. On the other hand I was soaked to my waist, it was after sundown and getting rather chilly to be wearing wet clothes. Then, as we were returning to camp with the rest of the water inspiration struck. My pullover nylon windbreaker would make a perfect kilt. On reaching camp, I quickly retired behind a clump of bushes, removed my pants and underwear and slipped into my kilt, hanging my wet clothing up to dry in the gentle breeze. Everyone laughed at my attire, but no one thought to break out a camera. In short, I suffered some temporary discomfort and a bruised ego but escaped the ignominy of a permanent photographic record.

We quickly set up camp, prepared our meals and turned in for the night. My underpants were already dry and I restored my windbreaker/kilt to its normal place for the night … pulled over the bottom of my sleeping bag to keep my feet warm.

The camp photographs shown below were taken the next morning after everyone remembered that we had cameras.

Donna’s Tent – Photograph by Donna Goodman

Dolly’s Tent – Donna is just stowing hers – Photograph by Gordon Bice

Cooking area after a water spill – Photograph by Donna Goodman

Dolly eating breakfast – the spring is located at the bottom of the cliff across the river  directly above Dolly’s head – Photograph by Gordon Bice

It must be the Clampetts – Photograph by Gordon Bice

By 0620 we had broken camp and were headed on down the canyon.

Looking on down the canyon from the campsite at Last Reliably Spring

At the bottom of the small hill we had been camped on, shown in the lower right of the above photograph just at the dividing line between and shade and sun, we found a stream descending from a spring above. It had a much stronger flow than the spring we had used, although I don’t know whether that is always the case. Passing the spring we continued on a well-defined trail running along the bank above the river. A short distance downstream from our campsite Gordon went ahead and took the below picture looking back up the canyon. Donna and I were looking ahead trying to find a trail that would keep us on the bank.

Do we really have to cross the river again just yet? – Photograph by Gordon Bice

Our fears of getting wet again in the chill of the morning were soon relieved and we found that from this point the trail followed along the bank of the river, sometimes climbing high above it in order to navigate over old, weathered rock slides. We joined the high water route at mile point 28 without again crossing the river. The going was fairly rough in places requiring a good deal of climbing over the ancient rock slides along the way, and sometimes we looked back and found that we had taken the more difficult route when an easier one was available. Even so we still made pretty good time.

The canyon soon opened up enough that we had views all the way to the peaks on the other side of the Colorado. The country ahead was strikingly beautiful as we emerged into more open country from the confines of the canyon. In the photograph below the trail is crossing an old rock slide area and the river itself is to the left.

Looking ahead along the high water route – Photograph by Donna Goodman

Somewhere along the way we came upon the most gorgeous primrose I have ever seen.

Primrose growing in south Paria Canyon

Meanwhile the sun rose higher in the sky and, no longer sheltered by close canyon walls and with no trees for shelter, we began to feel the heat. Finally we found a large rock that offered enough shade and stopped for a snack.

Seeking shade for a snack break – Photograph by Dolly Yapp

Looking down the long, hot valley toward Lees Ferry – Photograph by Gordon Bice

Just past mile point 30 the trail crossed the river for the first time this day. This was the first of some fifteen to twenty crossings during the last eight or so miles to Lees Ferry, but now it was hot enough that we welcomed the crossings as a chance to cool off. Along the way I learned that there is at least one advantage to leading a hike down Paria Canyon. If the leader can manage to get ahead of the group when a crossing is coming up, he is able to stand in the cool water and wait for the rest of the group to catch up. We paused occasionally along the way to rest.

                               Ellis resting – Photograph      Donna resting –

                               by Dolly Yapp                            Photograph by Dolly Yapp

                               Gordon resting –                      Dolly resting – 

                               Photograph by DollyYapp      Photograph by Gordon Bice

Gordon and Dolly don’t seem to fully grasp the concept of resting. Gordon is busy marking up his map and Dolly is rearranging her pack.

Just past mile point 33 we came to the old Wilson Ranch. We found a solid stream of water flowing across the trail from a spring somewhere above. I looked closely at the National Geographic Topo Map loaded in Google Earth and found that it includes a spring at that spot. I then did a quick Internet search and found the following information at “AwayFromtheGrind.com:”

There is water at Wilson Ranch but it flows through soil and where it collects it is sitting out in the sun.¹

The water we saw was clear and looked quite fresh, so I think the author of the piece above may have been drinking pond water.

Wilson Ranch is only about five miles on to Lees Ferry and, refreshed by the frequent river crossings along the way, it didn’t take us very long to get there. Approaching the sign out box we found a couple of old buildings along the way, one apparently an outhouse, and following the sign out box, a sign pointing us to Lonely Dell Ranch.

                               Outhouse – Photograph          Sign pointing to Lonely

                               by Dolly Yapp                             Dell Ranch

As we approached the house and orchards at Lonely Dell Ranch we passed an old cemetery (Photograph below)).

Near the finish now – Dolly, Gordon and Donna at Lonely Dell Ranch and still standing

We made the trip right on schedule and were at the parking lot at 1640. As we had anticipated, GPS coverage was spotty in the canyon and I did not get a good track. However, since one cannot go wrong when hiking Paria, it really doesn’t matter.

We drove back to Page where Donna and Gordon dropped Dolly and me off so that we could clean up while they drove on to the Paria Trailhead at White House to retrieve Gordon’s vehicle. After they returned and Gordon had a chance to shower, he, dolly and I ate a late dinner at Bonkers Restaurant. We then got a good night’s sleep and were back in Cottonwood by noon the next day.

Finally, having found the following chart (next page) helpful in preparing this report I decided to include it for information:

Miles landmark

2.5 Power lines cross over the canyon

4.0 The narrows begin

7.3 Confluence with Buckskin Gulch

7.5 Camp

9.4 Camp and spring (river right)

10 Spring (river right)

11.3 Abandoned Meander (oxbow)

12.2 Big Spring (river right) and camps (river left)

12.8 Camp

14.7 Camp

17.4 Judd Hollow Pump (river left)

18.4 Spring (river right) and camp (river right just past the spring)

19.2 'The hole' (river right) and camp (river left)

20.5 Camp (river left) and mouth of canyon that leads to Wrather Arch (river right)

22 Shower spring (river left) and camp (river right)

25.3 Camp (river right) and last reliable spring (river left)

26.5 Camp (river right) at mouth of Bush head canyon. There is also a spring if you hike about 0.5 miles up the canyon.

28.0 Camp (river right) and start of high water route (river right)

30.3 Camp (river right)

31.5 Petroglyphs

33.5 Wilson Ranch

37.3 Trail register

37.6 Lonely Dell Ranch

38.4 Lees Ferry long-term parking area

From a Weekend Warriors posting on: http://www.arizonahiking.org/paria_main.htm

NOTE: After reading the conflicting opinions as to where the narrows start and stop I decided to query BLM and received the following response:

From: "ASFOWEB_AZ@blm.gov" <ASFOWEB_AZ@blm.gov

To: Ellis Price <ellisprice@ymail.com>

The Paria Narrows start at Slide Rock about 1 mile before the confluence and runs about 1 mile past the confluence.

David Hullum

Recreation Technician

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

1www.awayfromthegrind.com/blog/hiking/utah/4day-hike-from-wire-pass-to-leesferry-advice

Mitten Ridge Loop

Ten Skyliners (Lila Wright, Miriam Sterling, Donna Goodman, Daisy Williams, Dolly Yapp, Kwi Johnson,Gordon Bice, Colleen Maktenieks, the author and one other) hiked the Mitten Ridge Loop off Schnebly Hill Road On April 30, 2011. We drove north on Hwy 89A from Cottonwood, turned south on Highway 179 in Sedona, crossed the bridge across Oak Creek and turned left on Schnebly Hill Road. We proceeded 2.6 miles on Schnebly Hill Road before parking alongside the road in Bear Wallow Canyon. Schnebly Hill Road is paved for the first 0.9 miles, but the last 1.7 miles to where we parked is rough, unpaved road. Our parking area was a wide shoulder on the left side of the road. We started our hike by making a short, easy descent into the wash that runs alongside the road, crossing to the other side and joining Munds Wagon Trail leading upstream.

We followed Munds Wagon Trail for about 0.75 miles until it crossed Schnebly Hill Road. At this point we continued on uphill on the road for about 0.2 miles to the Cowpies-Mitten Ridge Trailhead. Note that Cowpies-Mitten Ridge is a descriptive name; I have no official name for this trail.

Following the trail we passed by the Cowpies, really just large, relatively flat rock formations that look rather like giant cow droppings when viewed from the ridge above. Viewed from the trail crossing they appear as just part of an expansive, bare rock outcropping in Bear Wallow Canyon. The below picture is a view looking out over the formation, across Sedona and Verde Valley to the mountains beyond.

The trail, after leaving the Cowpies formations, runs west along the south slope of Mitten Ridge, leading to a prominent gap in the ridge. It was distinct and easy to follow with no steep climbing except for a very short section immediately below the saddle formed by the gap.

When we arrived at the gap we found that it was very windy and immediately donned the jackets we had shed while hiking up Bear Wallow Canyon on the south side of Mitten Ridge. Although it was only about 11 AM we decided to eat our lunch at this spot and moved back to just below the ridge line on the south side for shelter from the wind. There were impressive rock formations on both sides of the gap; looking east along the south side of Mitten Ridge we could see the Merry-Go-Round formation and Munds Wagon Trail leading diagonally up the mountain to the Mogollon Rim. See the photographs presented on the following page.

The two faces (sides) of Mitten Ridge Gap are shown below.

The west face of Mitten Ridge Gap

The east face of Mitten Ridge Gap

The following photograph, taken on a previous hike in January 2009, shows the Merry-Go-Round formation and Munds Wagon Trail snaking up the mountain beyond.

Merry-go-Round formation and Munds Wagon Trail snaking up the 

mountain beyond - January 2010

Many of the group had hiked to the Cowpies and on to Mitten Ridge Gap before (e. g. our January 2009 hike); however most of us had not known that the trail actually continued through the gap and turned west along the north side of the ridge. We now knew that it did and, determined to follow it all the way, donned our packs after lunch and climbed back to the ridge line in the gap, pausing there for the view. Looking to the northwest from the gap, we had a clear view of Oak Creek Canyon and Midgley Bridge below.

Looking down on Midgley Bridge in Oak Creek Canyon

The trail leading west along the north side of Midgley Ridge is not easily discernible. It leaves at the east side of the gap, runs north (perhaps a bit northeast) for a few yards and then turns sharply back to head west along the north side of the ridge. This is illustrated in the below two photographs taken in January 2009.

The trail leaves the gap to the left of the hikers heading north/northeast. 

After a few yards it then turns back and heads west

After leaving the gap and turning west, the trail runs along the side of the 

ridge through the trees shown in the center of this photograph

Once we made the initial descent from the gap, the trail was well defined and basically level as we headed west along the north side of the ridge.

Lila leading the hike west along the Mitten Ridge

Looking back along the trail

We had good views from the trail down into Oak Creek Canyon. Shown below is a photograph looking up the canyon. Lila pointed out that the white dot visible just above and slightly left of center is where Thompson’s ladder Trail starts up the canyon wall on its way to the rim.

Looking down into Oak Creek Canyon from the trail along Mitten Ridge

Kwi, one of the few who had hiked this way previously, told us that we would find a window in a rock formation ahead. We kept looking and finally spotted it just as we were turning back through a gap ridge to return to our cars parked in Bear Wallow Canyon on the other side. As the formation (right) was located a considerable distance away, across a side canyon, and the climb to reach it would have been quite strenuous, we discarded any plans to go there and continued on our way through the gap.

After we crossed back to the south side of the ridge the trail became very faint as it went through an area of bare rock and we lost it, resulting in a precipitous climb down the steep slope to rejoin it below. (Note: We did learn later approximately where the trail runs, and I have included that route on the map included with this report. The route we took is shown separately as a yellow line.)

Hikers making their way carefully down the rocky slope after we lost 

the trail above.

While resting after rejoining the trail below, we observed two women hikers following the actual trail above and decided that we would schedule this hike again, hiking in the opposite direction and following the actual trail all the way.

After our steep descent the rest of the trail was easy and we rejoined Munds Wagon Trail less than 0.2 of a mile from where we were parked.

The hike turned out to be about 5.2 miles in length and the elevation difference was just over 600 feet. Except for the steep climb down the mountainside after we lost the trail, it was an easy hike.

The red track on the included map (below) shows the loop hike. The short green section shows where we got lost and wound up bushwhacking our way down the cliff.

Grapevine Trail

Thirteen Skyliners hiked the Grapevine Trail on 23 April 2011. We drove from Cottonwood on Hwy 260 to Camp Verde, took I-17 south to the junction of Hwy 169, turned right onto Hwy 169, drove to Dewey-Humboldt and turned left (south) on Hwy 69. We drove through Poland Junction on Hwy 69 and turned right onto FR 87A at about mile marker 273.9. Following FR 87A, a dirt road, we crossed Big Bug Creek and then headed up a hill. Along the way we passed turnoffs to a couple of less well-traveled roads and one well-traveled road before coming to a fork in the road beyond which FR 87A becomes very rough, definitely calling for a high clearance vehicle, preferably one with four-wheel drive. At this fork FR 87A bears slightly to the left, heading down the slope to a stand of trees visible along Grapevine Creek ahead. The other fork of the road leads on up the hillside, probably to a mine. A good-sized parking area is located at the fork, and that is where we parked. We were about 2.0 miles from Hwy 69. My truck is shown below in the parking area. The trees along Grapevine Creek are visible to the left of the truck. A small section of the rough road leading from here to the creek is shown just to the right of the truck.

Truck parked in paring area alongside FR 87A two miles from Hwy 69

Jan, having done the hike before, agreed to lead and I would bring up the rear so as to make sure we didn’t lose anyone. Hikers are shown below on the road from the parking area to the trees along Grapevine Creek.

Hikers strung out along the road. The trees along Grapevine Creek are 

visible ahead

About 0.7 miles from the parking area, just as the road entered the stand of trees along the creek, we came to a green gate – open at the time of this hike. This is where we parked the time we hiked Grapevine. However, it is not recommended unless one is comfortable driving on a very rough road for the last seven tenths of a mile.

The green gate where FR 87A enters the grove of trees along Grapevine 

Creek

Meanwhile, from my position bringing up the rear, it soon became apparent that we were becoming so widely dispersed that we might lose some of our party. Leaving my post, I ran to catch up with the leaders and we paused to let the rest of the group reach us. We then agreed that we would each keep the hiker immediately behind us in view at all times. Of course, being a rather loose group, we then soon modified that to allow John and Linda to go on ahead; they were, after all, used to hiking by themselves and could find their way back without assistance if necessary.

While we were stopped to regroup, we all gathered for a photograph.

Left to right (standing): John McInerney, Collene Maktenieks, Gordon Bice, 

Miriam Sterling, Name Withheld, Betty Wolters, Linda Tovar, Daisy Williams

(front), Marvin Alt, Jim Manning; George Everman; Sitting: Jan 

PreFontaine; Ellis Price and dolly Yapp not shown

About 0.4 miles from the green gate we came to a fork in the road, with the less well-defined branch (little more than a footpath, really) leading off to the left toward the creek and FR 87A continuing straight ahead. Choosing the left fork, we discovered that it soon devolved into a well-worn path that followed closely along the (dry at this point) creek.

Where we turned off FR 87A to follow the trail along the creek

The trail we were following was well worn by cattle and gaps had been cut in fallen tree trunks to permit easy passage. I wondered whether the work had been performed for the benefit of hikers or for the cattle … the cattle I suspect.

After following the cattle trail for about 0.35 miles, we rejoined FR 87A. (Actually, it would be more accurate to say we crossed it, as we joined it from one side and left it on the other side after only a few yards.) The forest road leads up the hill veering away from the creek at this point while we crossed the creek and continued upstream.

As we continued our way upstream we encountered our first rattlesnake of the season. He was a nice specimen apparently crossing he trail on his way back to his lair from the creek. I would guess that he was between four and five feet long.

Rattlesnake on his way back from a visit to the creek

Continuing on upstream we soon found that we could hear water running in the creek and about 1.75 miles from the green gate part of the group decided to leave the marked rail and follow the creek in search of a nice waterfall at which to stop for lunch. John and Linda had gone ahead on the marked trail and Gordon and I decided to follow them. We thus effectively broke into two separate groups.

The trail Gordon and I followed lead up the hillside to avoid the tangle of fallen trees in the creek. For part of the way, we could hear the group following the creek and at first they actually seemed to be keeping pace with us. The official trail left the trees and climbed into the scrub along the hillside. It then descended toward the creek again and soon after it reentered the trees we encountered a fenced area marked off by the Forest Service as a research plot (right).

Passing through the gate we followed the trail through the research plot, reaching the other side after only a short distance and leaving by another gate. We now found ourselves once again alongside the creek, and John and Linda were waiting for us there.

John took the following photograph as Gordon and I were leaving the research area.

Ellis and Gordon leaving the Forest Service research plot 

– Photograph by John McInerney

Believing that the rest of the group would soon arrive, Gordon and I settled in to nap while we waited. John and Linda, meanwhile were anxious to see the end of the trail with its sheer rock cliff and (sometimes) waterfall, and after asking a few questions about the distance, continued on to wait for us there. After we awakened from our nap and found that the rest of the group had not arrived, we contacted them by cellphone and found that they had stopped at a nice waterfall for lunch. At least one member of the group needed to be back in Cottonwood by 4 PM, so after lunch, they would head back to the cars. After some discussion it was agreed that Gordon and I would continue on to join John and Linda at the end of the trail and that rather than all meet at the parking area, the rest of the group would return to Cottonwood without us. That would allow us to take our time and do any explorations we chose.

Gordon and I then headed on to join John and Linda for lunch. The trail ends at a high rock cliff where a trickle of water falls from above, forming a damp area as it seeps into the rocks below and then emerging again from the rocks at the bottom of the debris pile below the cliff face to feed he stream. The flow is then augmented by two additional seeps that we crossed along the trail downstream from the high cliff.

Stream running over cliff face at the end of Grapevine Trail 4
- Photograph by John McInerney

John and Linda eating at the end of the trail

Gordon standing behind the damp spot caused by the trickle of water 

falling from the cliff above

After finishing our lunch, the four of us left to return to our cars. Gordon and I lingered along the way to take photographs and stopped for a nap while John and Linda continued on to the parking area. John checked in with us by cellphone before leaving and by the time they left the parking area we were in sight.

As it turned out even Gordon and I were back in Cottonwood by 4 PM.

According to my GPS, the hike was about 7.4 miles round trip. It would have been about somewhat less for those who turned back early. I recorded the lowest elevation as 5010 feet and the highest as 6447 feet, making the elevation gain over 1430 feet.

The GPS track for this hike is displayed on the included map (below). Note that the track shown is the way I hiked, the official trail, and not along the creek bed.

Mooney Trail

Because this trail is steep and rocky in for a large part of the way, we split it into two different sections. We hiked the lower part on 29 January 2011 and the upper part on 2 April 2011. Both hikes are combined for this report.

On 29 January, fifteen Skyliners (Miriam Sterling, Jim Manning, Marvin Alt, Jan PreFontaine, Linda Tovar, John MacInerney, Dolly Yapp, George Everman, Kwi Johnson, Daisy Williams, Lila Wright, Donna Goodman, Colleen Maktenieks, Ellis Price and one other) hiked the lower section, that is the part of the trail running from FR 525C at Black Tank to the entrance of the Red Rock Wilderness Area, located about three-tenths of a mile southeast of Sebra Tank. This entire section of the trail can be traversed by four-wheel drive vehicles, although extreme care is advised in a couple of spots. Our plan way was to drive to the Wilderness Boundary of this hike at a later date and hike the rest of the trail from there.

We left Cottonwood traveling north on Hwy 89A, turned left onto Forest Road 525 at the Sedona Water Treatment facility (just past mile marker 364) and followed FR 525 for two and eight-tenths miles before turning left onto FR 525C. On FR 525C (Sycamore Pass Road) we drove five and seven-tenths miles before turning right onto FR 9551 at Black Tank. We parked there and started our hike.

We stopped for lunch at the Red Rock Wilderness boundary. Several members of the group asked me where Sebra Tank was located and I was not sure of the exact location at the time. Since then I have checked the map; it is located about three tenths of a mile northwest of where we ate lunch.

My GPS read 6.13 miles when we returned to the vehicles. However, I made a couple of small side trips and when I removed those from the file in my computer, I found that the round trip hike was 5.8 miles and the elevation change was just 445 feet. I think everyone found it a nice break after last week's nine-mile, 2000-foot climb we did on the slopes of Mingus.

We returned to finish hiking Mooney Trail on 2 April 2011. Our party of thirteen, traveling in four-wheel drive vehicles, drove up the trail lower part of the trail (the portion we had hiked on 29 January) to the wilderness boundary near Sebra Tank.

We thought we had made the drive without mishap. But later learned that Gordon’s jeep lost a shim (or spacer) just as we were approaching the parking area. The spacer sits between the rear axle and the spring assembly, holding the axle in place.

Parking at the wilderness boundary, we set out along the trail up Mooney Canyon. We were parked on a ridge and at first the trail angled down the ridge coming ever closer to Spring Creek, mostly dry at the time, which runs down the canyon. To our right, across the mouth of Lincoln Canyon, we could see Loy Butte. The wash that carries Spring Creek toward its junction with Oak Creek near Cornville was visible below. After reaching Spring Creek the trail continues up the canyon, crossing the creek a number of times times, and we did see water at several locations in the bed of the creek. The trail at first ascends gently up the canyon and, although it was a bit rocky in spots, the going is generally easy for the first 2.5 miles or so. It then becomes steep and is strewn with loose rocks, requiring care to avoid a twisted ankle or a fall.

About two miles from where we parked, and about half a mile short of the start of the steep portion of the trail, we came to a generally flat rock ledge, over which Spring Creek flows digging a deep streambed below. We stopped there for a snack and a short rest before heading on up the trail. It is a natural stopping spot, lying as it does about halfway between the wilderness boundary and the end of Mooney Trail atop Casner Mountain. Everyone settled down for a rest except Daisy who spent the time wandering around taking pictures.

Hikers paused for rest and a snack. Daisy is still wandering 

around taking pictures.

About half a mile on up the canyon from our rest stop the trail became quite steep and was strewn with loose rocks. The next seven tenths of a mile was a tedious and unrelenting climb, with an elevation gain of almost 600 feet, over the loose rocks that littered the trail. Great care was required to avoid turning an ankle or tripping and falling. The below pictures, taken during a December 2010 hike, show the condition of this section of the trail.

On Mooney Trail 12

On Mooney Trail 12

The worst part of the trail ended about one mile from the top of Casner Mountain. From that point on the climb was gentler, with an elevation change of only around 400 feet, and loose rocks were not as prevalent.

Mooney Trail ends at Taylor Cabin Trail 35 just after passing under the power line to Sycamore Substation on top of Casner Mountain. Having reached our goal, we settled down on the slope overlooking Sycamore Canyon for lunch … and my nap, of course.

After lunch the party gathered for a group photograph with a large white rock formation in Sycamore Canyon as a background. From snatches of conversation overheard as I was drifting in and out of consciousness during my noon nap, I think the rest of the party spend much of our lunch break discussing various possible names for that formation.

Left to right (standing): Lila Wright, John McInerney, Linda Tovar, Kwi 

Johnson, Collene Maktenieks, Name Withheld, Fran Lind, Daisy Williams, 

Gordon Bice and David Beach; (seated/crouching): Dolly Yapp and 

Jan PreFontaine.

On the way back down the trail we stopped once again for a brief rest at the rock ledge where we had eaten our morning snack, and then continued to our cars at the wilderness boundary. We doffed our packs, climbed into our vehicles and were off for cottonwood.

Unfortunately, the loss of the shim in Gordon’s jeep soon manifested itself. Just as he approached the most perilous section of the road, the axle in his vehicle, no longer restrained by the shim, moved to the rear, locking his left rear wheel. The first vehicle was long gone with no idea that anyone had a problem. However, two of us were behind Gordon and stopped to assist. We attempted temporary repairs, jacking the axle back into place using a screw jack and tightening the clamp holding the axle to the spring assemble. However, it soon slipped again and we decided to leave the vehicle for retrieval the next day.

Gordon and I duly returned the next day with tools and equipment. Gordon had estimated that it take us around four hours to effect the necessary repairs to permit driving the vehicle home. We had also brought picnic lunches because we were determined to make the best of the situation and enjoy ourselves.

On arriving back at the jeep we parked and walked the road back toward the wilderness boundary looking for the missing shim, not finding it until we were almost there. With the shim in hand, repairs were straightforward and we were ready to start back shortly after noon. However, we first paused for our picnic lunch. The day was most pleasant and we found a nice shady spot under a juniper with just a whisper of a breeze to keep us cool. We finished eating and, after some struggle to overcome my desire for a nap in that most pleasant spot, we loaded up our gear and returned home without further incident.

According to my GPS file, the entire Mooney Trail is 7.6 miles one way, the maximum elevation is 6319 feet and the total ascent is 2154 feet. The entire GPS track for Mooney Trail is shown on the included map (below).