See http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/recreation.html for a list of hikes in the massive Coconino National Forest - it covers a large area from north of Flagstaff to north of Phoenix and many miles west and east of I-17.
Arizona Pictures (9 pictures)
Canyon de Chelly
Directions:
Trails:
Area:
Picture
When I did the hike:
November 1995
Recommendation:
A good work out, but not that exciting. Lots of people. The purpose
of the trail is purely to get to the ruins.
[pulled from an old letter: The canyon was gorgeous and I did hike down
to the White House ruin. I must say that it wasn't quite as impressive
after having gone to the Horsecollar ruins with the fence around the
ruin limiting what you could see.]
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Directions:
From Flagstaff, I40 East to Walnut Canyon exit (follow the signs).
$3 or National Parks Pass
Trails:
Just a short 3/4 mile loop that goes down a good number of steps and
then around a small mountain. The neat thing about this place is
the Sinagua Indian ruins that are right along the trail. You can
also see other ruins from the trail that are along the canyon wall.
To me, being able to get close to the ruins makes this a better
place to visit than Montezuma Castle Monument and Canyon de Chelly
(though the canyon is beautiful in itself and worth a visit). Even
though these ruins have been rebuilt, please be respectful and don't
climb on or damage the ruins.
Area:
Pretty snake canyon with a number of Indian ruins.
Picture
When I did the hike:
September 29, 2001
Recommendation:
If you are interested in seeing ruins, definitely. You only need
about 1/2 hour to an hour for this neat place.
Mt. Humphreys Trail
Directions:
From Flagstaff, take US 180 north to Forest Road 516, the Snow Bowl
turnoff. Take the road a ways to near the ski lifts. At the fork
in the road, take the lower branch and park near the end. The
trailhead is at the northeast corner of the parking lot (and despite
other reports I read, I didn't see a bathroom near the trailhead).
Free.
Trails:
Mt. Humphreys is the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet and
the trail goes 4.5 miles to the top. The trail starts at 9,300
feet so, obviously, you are going up the whole way, though there
were not too many switchbacks. The trail starts out wider, but
narrows to a 1 person width trail for most of the way. And there
are a lot of rocks on the trail. When you pass the sign listing
an elevation for 11-something thousand feet, note that the "easy"
part of the trail is over. The trail gets steeper and most of
the switchbacks are on this portion. Take a break and catch your
breath at the saddleback between the two mountains (the trail you
want is to the left). You are now above the tree line and may
want/need to pull out your jacket/sweatshirt - it gets windy and
cool along the ridge. The trail gets even more rocky along the
ridge (but no switchbacks - but that means it is steeper at
points). The false peak will probably fool you - my heart was
saying it was the real peak, but my mind was saying "not yet"; my
mind was right. You'll know when you've reached the peak - there
is a sign and a number of wind shelter spots. At the peak, you
have a spectacular 360 degree view of everything. As a bonus for
us, the leaves had started changing and the yellowing Aspen
provided additional beauty. We were going at a fairly slow pace
with lots of breaks (my dad was with me) and it took us 7.5 hours
(including a 30 minute break at the peak - good lunch spot) to
complete this hike. This is a popular trail and a surprising
number of people bring their dogs with them for the hike. Start
early to have some solitude. We started at 7:30 am and had the
trail to ourselves until near the saddleback, where later
starters had caught up with us.
Area:
Mountains, woods, peaks.
When I did the hike:
September 30, 2001
Recommendation:
If you are in shape, hiking to the highest point in any state is
a neat goal. But if you are not in shape, this trail will be
torture [my dad had a harder time with this trail than hiking
out of the canyon].
Wupatki National Monument
Directions:
From Flagstaff, I89 to Sunset Crater and take the loop until it
re-intersects with I89 (it is 36 miles); or come in from the
north (as we did - missed the Crater exit) and take the exit
off I89 for Wupatki National Monument and travel the loop road
to the visitor center before turning around.
$3 or National Parks Pass
Trails:
There are 3 short trails right off the road in this area to
Wupatki Indian ruins [looking at the park brochure, looks like
we missed one of the ruins where you have to drive a little
bit off the main road]. As with Walnut Canyon, this is a neat
place to visit in that you can actually get right up to the
ruins (again, please be respectful and do not disrupt or damage
the ruins). Coming from the Sunset Crater area, the first stop
for Wupatki National Monument is the visitor center. Pay the
fee (or show your pass) and pick up a brochure. There is a
1/2 mile trail behind the visitor center around a good sized
pueblo that has been excavated. This is the Wupatki Pueblo.
For the pueblo we missed, the turnoff is right before the
visitor center. The next stop is a number of miles away at
the Citadel Pueblo. The Citadel Pueblo is a short walk from
the parking lot to the top of a small mesa where there is the
rubble from the pueblo. The last stop, only a short distance
from the Citadel, is the Lomaki Pueblo. Also note the ruins
along ridge right next to the turnoff. Along the less than
1/2 mile (one-way) trail to the Lomaki Pueblo, you'll see two
smaller ruins next to the box canyon (these ruins are in much
better shape than the Citadel Pueblo).
Area:
Desert, canyon area. No shade.
Picture
When I did the hike:
October 1, 2001
Recommendation:
Definitely. If you are on your way to the Grand Canyon, take
an hour or two side trip to visit these ruins.
Grand Canyon - rim to rim
Directions:
From Flagstaff, I180 to the rim or I89 to 64 to the the lodge
area.
$20 per car for a week pass or National Parks Pass
Logistics:
Since there are so many things that need to be set up before
hand, I've added a special section for things that need to be
arranged to plan for this hike. The official Grand Canyon web
site is at http://www.nps.gov/grca/
You can find the phone numbers needed to make reservations at
that site (not listing them since the numbers can change).
Keep in mind that the canyon is in the desert and summer
hiking is not recommend. An added complication is that the
facilities at the North Rim are closed from October 16 to May
15. Hiking the canyon in one day is strongly not recommended.
Thus, you'll need a reservation at the Phantom Ranch or get a
back country permit to spend the night at the canyon floor
(need a back country permit for _any_ camping inside the
canyon). The Phantom Ranch takes reservations 2 years in
advances and sells out quickly - reservations for 23 months
ahead are opened on the first day of the month (I was able to
get a female bed when I finally got through that day, but the
male beds were already soldout). There are 2 male dorms and 2
female dorms for hikers with 10 beds in each. They don't
advertise these, but there are also a couple of hiker cabins
(don't know the number) and a couple of group cabins. They
don't have waiting lists until 24 hours in advanced - you can
get on the waiting list at 6 am the day before at the check in
station in the Bright Angel Lodge, but you won't know if
you've got a spot until 6:30 am the morning of the night you
want to stay there [we got _really_ lucky and got my dad a bed
this way]. If you are going to eat at the Ranch (and who wants
to carry extra food), you need to reserve your meals at the
same time you make the bed reservations. If you want to camp
outside at the Bright Angel Campground on the canyon floor, you
need to get a back country permit (don't need one for the
Ranch). These do sellout, so get it at least a month (if not 2
years) before you go - trust me, you don't want anything
unknown after 2 years of planning for a trip; it can make for a
very unpleasant couple of days praying for things to work out.
You can try for a last minute permit by going to the
backcountry permit office (in the lodge area) and getting a
wait number, showing up the next morning a little before 8
am and hoping that something has opened up for that night or
the following night. There is a limited number of campsites
and camping outside of the campsites is not allowed -
rangers do patrol, will fine you heavily, and will kick you
out of the park. Bright Angel Lodge at the South Rim is
the cheapest of the lodges and convenient. The Grand Canyon
Lodge is the only lodge at the North Rim (there is a camping
area). Trans-Canyon Shuttle offers a shuttle service
between the two rims and you need to make reservations (it
was $65 per person when I went). It is a 5 hour drive
between the 2 rims. The 1 pm shuttle gets to the North Rim
a little before sunset - if you want to see some of the
North Rim, you might want to spend two nights at the North
Rim. And if you can arrange it, an extra night at the canyon
floor would probably be neat for additional exploring and/or
a day of rest.
Trails:
After 2 years of planning, it was _finally_ time for the
great Grand Canyon hike. We were going from the North Rim to
the South Rim. From the North Rim, the North Kaibab Trail
goes from the rim down into the canyon to the Phantom Ranch
(the Bright Angel Campground is just after the Ranch). The
very dusty trail is two-person width except for narrower
portions along cliffs. The trail goes down, down, down for
almost 5 miles before leveling off (okay, very slight down
grade) for most of the rest of the way. Take a break near
Roaring Springs at the house where there are stumps to rest
on (don't take the side trip to Roaring Springs, though). Do
take that side trip to Ribbon Falls (8.4 miles in). The
falls are well worth it and it gets you around having to hike
over Asinine Hill. The falls also make for a wonderful lunch
spot - we spent a while there eating lunch, soaking our feet,
and exploring. Take the lower fork on the narrow trail on the
way back from Ribbon Falls and go across the stream back to
the real trail - it is a wet water crossing, though (taking
the lower fork gets you around the hill). After a couple of
hours you will start mis-guessing which is the final bend you
have to go around before you are finally done. It is 14 long
miles from the rim to Phantom Ranch (and another 1/2 mile to
the river). The rim is at 8,241 feet, Roaring Springs is at
4,800 feet, Cottonwood Campground at 4,000 feet, and the
Colorado River is at 2,425 feet. After 7 1/2 hours of
hiking, we were finally there. We showered, rested for a
short bit (and my dad had a beer - they have beer and wine,
but no soda pop), and then walked the 1/2 mile down to the
river - the Ranch and campground is in a side canyon.
After dinner, I went out an watched the gorgeous moonrise
(almost full - highlight of the trip). I was surprised
when I got back to my dorm and found the lights out and
others already asleep at 8:30 pm - apparently early nights
are the norm for the ranch. For the hike out of the canyon,
there is a choice. The South Kaibab Trail is the shorter
(6.9 miles), but steeper (4780 feet) trail and has no shade
but better views - it goes up along the ridge. There is no
water along the South Kaibab Trail. The Bright Angel is
longer (9.8 miles), not as steep (4460 feet) trail through a
canyon with shade. There are 3 water stops along the trail
(1.5 miles from the top, 3 miles from the top, and at Indian
Gardens). Oh how I wanted to go up the South Kaibab Trail.
But my dad was with me so the shade would be better for us
and the water stops would be needed as we would be going at
a slower pace. Alas, another trip is needed. The Bright
Angel Trail goes along the river for about 2 miles before
turning into a canyon and heading up along a (sometimes)
stream. The 2 person width, dusty trail stays in the canyon
before coming out at the Indian Gardens campground after 5.2
miles (from the Ranch). The Gardens is a good spot for a
rest. From here you can see the South Rim (in the canyon
you can't see the rim) - you'll groan with the thought of
having to hike up there. As the trail approaches the rim,
the switchbacks start. We had lunch and took a long rest at
the 3 mile water stop (3 miles from the top). We made good
time, even though we were going at a slow pace with lots of
short breaks and completed the hike 7 hours after we
started. Going from the North Rim to the South Rim is the
recommended way to go for a one-way rim-to-rim hike. If you
want to do a same-rim hike (again, don't try to do it in one
day unless you are one of those insane mountain joggers),
take the South Kaibab Trail down and the Bright Angel Trail
up. Note that mules use all 3 trails (though for the North
Kaibab Trail just from the rim to the Cottonwood
Campground). Also note that the rims tend to be about 20
degrees cooler than the canyon floor - I had my jacket on
for the first hour on the North Kaibab trail.
Area:
Spectacular, huge canyon. Desert area.
Picture
When I did the hike:
October 3-4, 2001
Recommendation:
Awesome. Pain in a neck to get it arranged, but not too many
people can say that they have hiked the canyon.
Grand Canyon - south rim
Directions:
From Flagstaff, I180 to the rim or I89 to 64 to the the lodge
area. Take the free shuttle to the visitor center and then
pick up the free green shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead
(trailhead is only accessible by the shuttle).
Chemical toilets at the trailhead and some spots along
the way. Flush toilets at the Ranch and Bright Angel
Trailhead. Water available at ranch and 3 spots along
Bright Angel trail, no water available along South
Kaibab Trail.
$20 per car for a week pass or National Parks Pass
Logistics:
See the Grand Canyon rim to rim Logistics above for Phantom
Ranch arrangements. [I was able to make a last minute
reservation (called early that morning) in part because I'm
female and in part because they had cancelled all mule
rides down to the ranch due to bad weather having damaged
part of the trail the previous Saturday. It is a gamble to
try to get last minute reservations and hiking down to the
river and back up in one day is strongly not recommended.
Having now actually done the down-and-up in one day, I can
personally say it is a very dumb, foolish, and dangerous
thing to do, even if you are in good shape.]
Note for day trips:
If you want to go below the rim and don't have reservations,
a hike along Bright Angel to Indiana Gardens is a good
full day hike (you'd also have to do the extra 1.5 miles
out on the Plateau Point trail to actually see the river).
But the best day hike with the best canyon views would be
along the South Kaibab Trail to about 1/2 mile past
Cedar Ridge (to the middle of the saddleback between the
2 peaks). Some do day trips to Skeleton Point and back,
but that's a lot harder and the only added benefit is a
brief glimce at the Colorado River. Bring lots of water
for a day trip on the South Kaibab Trail as there is no
water along the way and almost no shade.
Trails:
I made a return trip to the Grand Canyon so that I could
hike down the South Kaibab Trail and then up the Bright
Angel Trail (which I had hiked before). The dusty,
two-person width trail switchbacks down, down, down 4,654
feet to the Colorado River. The South Kaibab trail is the
more open of the 3 trails that go down the canyon with
great distance views almost the whole way. There is no
shade along the way (or water - so carry plenty). The
Cedar Ridge area is a small open flat area with a couple
of trees to provide shade to rest under - there are also
pit toilets here. From this area, go to the left and out
as far as you can for some more spectacular views and a
peaceful resting spot. Back at the main area, the trail
continues down and along the ridge to Skeleton Point. And
then it turns the corner and starts switchbacking down and
down again. Then comes the a short jaunt across the Tonto
Plateau (pit toilets right before you head down again) and
then the river becomes part of your view (you can see it a
couple of spots above, but you have to look over ledges).
The last section of the hike down does have some shade
spots from the cliff walls. At the end of the down, the
trail goes through a short tunnel and then across the long
Kaibab Suspension Bridge (not as scary as the Bright Angel
Suspension Bridge as there is a black tarp across it and no
spots beneath your feet where you look down and see the
river). The ranch is a short ways ahead and up a side
canyon. Take a break at the river to soak your feet (and
watch out for slippery mud) and rest. If you are foolishly
doing a down-and-up day hike and not staying at the ranch,
the water and toilets are on the left just after going over
the small bridge over the creek from the side canyon as
you are heading towards the Bright Angel Suspension Bridge.
You should have plenty of time for this hike (both up and
down - plan for a day for each hike), so don't rush and
stop a lot to rest and enjoy the views along the way.
There is a canteen at the ranch that servers beer and wine,
but no soda (they also have toilets, phones, water, and
food - meals need reservations). The ranger services puts
on an afternoon and evening talk that may or may not be
interesting (boring on my first trip, interesting on this
one). Most people go to bed early (and breakfast is
early). A trip to the river for the moonrise should not
be missed. The Bright Angel Trail crosses the icky Bright
Angel Suspension Bridge (can see the river beneath you as
you cross) and then heads 2 miles, fairly level along the
river before heading up a side canyon. There is a hut for
shade, but no water, right as the trail turns into the side
canyon. It is a fairly gentle up (but an up) for a while,
but once the switchbacks start, it's a hard, long up to
Indian Gardens. The gardens is a green area with trees and
a good resting spot - there are toilets and water there. I
took the 3 mile (round-trip) side trip out to the Plateau
Point (most thought I was crazy as they needed all their
energy for the hike up, but I knew I was in very good shape
and not in a rush to get to the rim). It is a fairly level
hike to a view point of the river. Not anything exciting
compared to what has come before, maybe worth it for those
are doing a tough day hike and want to see the river (you
don't get a view of the river coming down the Bright Angel
Trail until you are almost next to it) - but don't feel
you're missing much if you skip it. Back at Indian Gardens,
the trail is a gradual up the canyon to the wall and then it
is up, up, up as it switchbacks the rest of the way. There
are 2 rest stops along the way with toilets and water. Note
that mules use both trails and hikers need to step to the
side to let them pass (which also means you get mule smells
the whole way). Also note that the rims tend to be about 20
degrees cooler than the canyon floor.
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total: 16.7 miles
South rim is at 7200 feet/6785 feet, Ranch is at 2,546 feet
[distance listed is one-way]
South Kaibab Trail: 7.1 miles, 4,654 feet
.75 miles, 880 feet rim to Ooh-Aah point
.75 miles, 260 feet Ooh-Aah point to Cedar Ridge (Cedar
Ridge has toilets)
1.5 miles, 860 feet Cedar Ridge to Skeleton Point
1.4 miles, 1190 feet Skeleton Point to Tonto Trail Junction
(toilets at junction)
1.9 miles, 1610 feet Junction to Colorado River Bridge
.8 miles, 146 feet Bridge to Phantom Ranch
Bright Angel Trail: 9.6 miles, 4,239 feet
1.7 miles, 146 feet Phantom Ranch to branch up from
Colorado River
3.3 miles, 1400 feet river to Indian Gardens (toilets and
water at Indian Gardens)
1.5 miles, 30 feet Indian Gardens to Plateau Point
(side trip)
1.6 miles, 960 feet Indian Gardens to 3 Mile Resthouse
(toilets and water at resthouse)
1.5 miles, 960 feet 3 Mile Resthouse to 1.5 Mile Resthouse
(toilets and water at resthouse)
1.5 miles, 1,065 feet 1.5 Mile Resthouse to rim
[For a round trip, it is recommended to go down the South
Kaibab Trail and up the Bright Angel Trail]
Area:
Spectacular, huge canyon. Desert area.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday and Saturday, September 22-23, 2004; Tuesday, July
17, 2007 (dumb one-day down-and-up hike)
Recommendation:
Wonderful. A hike all the way into the canyon is worth
the effort - you don't get the full affect from just the
rim. If you can't stay in the canyon, a day hike along
South Kaibab to Cedar Ridge (1.5 miles, 1,140 one-way)
would be nice. [Indian Gardens along Bright Angel (4.6
miles, 3,060 feet one-way) would be a long, hard day
hike.]
Slide Rock State Park
Directions:
Highway A89 to just north of Sedona.
$5.
Trails:
There is a short (less than a mile) Clifftop Nature Trail along
the short cliff above the creek (don't let the trail name fool
you, you aren't hiking up to any of the massive rocks above
you). And lots of places to walk and rock scramble next to
the creek.
Area:
Red Rock area. This is a swimming area - people slid down the
rocks in the creek (thus its name).
Picture
When I did the hike:
October 5, 2001
Recommendation:
Nice little short break. Would be great for soaking the feet
and relaxing at the creek after doing a longer hike in the area
(see http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/rec_redrock.html for a good
list of hikes in the area).
Brins Mesa Trail - Red Rock Country
Directions:
Highway A89 to Sedona to Jordan Road in the middle of town. If
you were heading south on A89, take a right; if you were heading
north on A89, take a left on to Jordan Road. Go to the end of
the road and take a left onto the next road. After a little
bit, the road will turn to dirt. Park near the gate that is
across the road.
$5 for a Red Rock Pass (only need it for a parked vehicle -
pick one up at a Gateway Visitor Center)
Trails:
There are a number of interesting sounding trails in the
Red Rock Country and we chose the Brins Mesa Trail for our
one day stop. The Brins Mesa Trail is a 3 mile one-way dirt
trail with a number of impressive Red Rock formations visible
along the way. The trail is fairly wide and does not have
much elevation change. We only hiked for an hour before
turning around (we were still worn out from hiking the Grand
Canyon the day before).
Area:
Beautiful Red Rock area. Massive Red Rock formations. Thin,
deserty forest. Little to no shade.
Picture
When I did the hike:
October 5, 2001
Recommendation:
The Red Rock area is really pretty. I wouldn't want to hike
here in the summer, though. Even in October it was still a
warm hike.