Grubbs - Best Easy Day Hikes Flagstaff

Best Easy Day Hikes Series

Best Easy Day Hikes Flagstaff

Second Edition

Bruce Grubbs

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Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, facilities come under new management, etc.

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Thanks for your input, and happy trails!

Copyright 2001, 2009 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

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Falcon and FalconGuides are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Maps 2009 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file.

ISBN 978-1-4930-0508-6

The author and The Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my many hiking companions over the years, who have put up with my incessant trail mapping and photography. Thanks to Duart Martin for her support and encouragement. And finally, thanks to my editors at The Globe Pequot Press, Scott Adams, Jan Cronan, and Josh Rosenberg, for making a book out of my rough manuscript.

Ranking the Hikes

Although all of the hikes in this book are relatively easy, some are longer and have more elevation change than others. To help you decide which hike works best for you, I have provided below a list of all the hikes ranked from easiest to most challenging.

Easiest

Most Challenging

Introduction

Visitors arriving in the Flagstaff area are often surprised to find themselves in a beautiful, green forest in the middle of what is commonly thought of as desert country. High peaks, often snow-capped, tower above the forested plateau, and the cool mountain air beckons the traveler to stay a while. Surely such a landscape must have some fine trails to hike. It does indeedand this book is your ticket to the easiest and most accessible day hikes in the area.

Flagstaff, a small city of about 60,000 residents, lies on the southern section of the Colorado Plateau, a vast area of high desert and forested mountains that encompasses most of northern Arizona and southern Utah, as well as portions of Colorado and New Mexico. The public lands of the Coconino National Forest surround the city, and the Kaibab National Forest adjoins the Coconino National Forest to the west. Horizontal layers of sedimentary rocksmostly sandstone, shale, and limestoneunderlie the plateau, and lava flows darken the plateaus surface here and there. Hundreds of volcanic mountains and cinder cones, some over 12,000 feet in elevation, dot the landscape. There are several designated wilderness areas in the region, and an expanding network of urban trails connects Flagstaff to the surrounding Forest Service trail system.

During the summer and fall, when most people visit Flagstaff, the climate is mild and inviting. Daytime high temperatures average in the mid-80s F at 7,000 feet, and are cooler at higher elevations. Summer nights are chilly, with temperatures dropping into the 50s or even 40s F. Summer thunderstorms may brew up in the afternoons, but the rain showers soon pass and the moisture helps bring out the mountain wildflowers.

Crisp fall days are delightful for hiking, and the mountain slopes are slashed with gold as the aspen trees change color in anticipation of the winter to come. Daytime high temperatures in autumn are in the 70s F, but nights can be quite chilly, often dipping below freezing by dawn.

The first heavy snowfall usually comes in late November or in December, and the Flagstaff area is often snow covered until March or April. Winters are highly variable. In dry years many of the hikes in this book can be done in midwinter. Snowstorms commonly last a day or two, and are followed by several days or a week of clear, dry weather. See the section on Road and Trail Conditions later in the introduction for a list of trails that dry out soon after a storm.

This pocket-sized book contains a selection of the easiest day hikes from my more comprehensive FalconGuides, Hiking Northern Arizona and Hiking Arizona . This book should serve as an introduction to day hiking in the Flagstaff area for those with limited time, or for those who prefer easier hikes. These hikes provide a generous sample of the great hiking we enjoy in northern Arizona. The twenty hikes described here range from 1 to 14 miles in length. Most of the hikes are just a few miles long and have gentle gradients and moderate elevation changes. All of the hikes are on established, easy-to-follow trails.

Zero Impact

Despite its sometimes lush appearance, northern Arizona is a dry region. It can take dozens to hundreds of years to recover from damage done by humans. Soils in this high plateau region are thin and easily eroded. Evidence of ignorant and careless recreational use is all too evident along forest roads in the form of litter, trampled campsites, and massive fire rings. Fortunately, most backcountry users are better informed and more conscientious than vehicle-based recreationists are, and most trail sides reflect this care. A few simple guidelines will help you leave the land and the trail as you found it.

Waste

Pack out all garbage and trash. If you can carry items in when they are full, you can carry them out empty. After your hike, dispose of trash at trailhead receptacles, if available, or in waste containers at a campground, rest area, or other facility.

Do not feed wild animalshuman food is very bad for them, and animals that become used to human handouts lose their fear of humans and become nuisances that may have to be killed.

Human waste must be disposed of carefully or it becomes a health hazard. Select a site at least 100 yards from streams, lakes, springs, and dry washes. Avoid barren, sandy soil, if possible. Next, dig a small cat-hole about six inches down into the organic layer of the soil.

Some people carry a small plastic trowel for this purpose. When finished, refill the hole, and make the site look as natural as possible. Land managers now recommend that all toilet paper be carried out. Use double zipper bags with a small amount of baking soda to absorb odor.