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Es werden Posts vom Juni, 2020 angezeigt.

Brandis Trail

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BRANDIS TRAIL Survivor pines near the Deer Hill Trail junction Ten years ago this month, the Schultz Fire was ravaging the eastern slopes of Flagstaff’s San Francisco Peaks. Trailhead gate on the Brandis Trail The human-caused blaze, ignited from an abandoned camp fire on June 20, 2010, went on to burn more than 15,000 acres of Coconino National Forest before being contained 10 days later. The fire was followed by one of the wettest monsoon seasons on record which lead to devastating flooding. Without trees and other vegetation to stabilize and absorb runoff, heavy rains created rivers of debris that further eroded the landscape leaving behind a charred moonscape of sludge and an eerie wilderness of torched tree trunks and ashen gullies. Evidence of the 2010 Shultz Fire come early in the hike Extend the hike on the Deer Hill Trail Mountain gromwell sprout tiny white flower heads Sunset Crater (left horizon) seen from Brandis Trail Pollinators swarm around Rocky Mountain beeplants Pine

Gooseberry Springs

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GOOSEBERRY SPRINGS The old trough at Gooseberry Springs Since prehistoric times, the fertile forests around Mormon Lake have served Native peoples, wildlife, commerce and recreationists. The geologically complex area of volcanic landforms and natural lakes is situated among historic travel corridors that have been used for centuries by early inhabitants, loggers and ranchers. Gooseberry Springs, which sits at the base of 8,532-foot Hutch Mountain 30 miles south of Flagstaff, offers a glimpse into a time in the late 19 th and early 20 th century when homesteaders ran sheep and cattle in the forests and meadow on the Mogollon Rim. Arizona honeysuckle grow near Gooseberry Springs Aspens and pine trees shade the road to Gooseberry Springs Water lingers in a catchment at Gooseberry Springs Mountain vistas peek through dense tree cover Today, the area is a prime destination for outdoor enthusiasts interested in camping, riding and hiking opportunities.   Passage 30 of the Arizona Trail, an

Mount Baldy Crossover Trail

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MOUNT BALDY CROSSOVER TRAIL Mount Baldy Wilderness. Mt.Baldy Crossover trails moves through forests & meadows Tethering the West Baldy and East Baldy trails that make grueling ascents to a saddle near the 11,403-foot summit of Mount Baldy at the edge of the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation, the Mount Baldy Crossover trail No. 96 is much more than a means to an end. Crossover Trail is in the Mt. Baldy Wilderness The woodsy 3.5-mile connector route is often used as part of the 16.7-mile three-trail loop that traces the slopes of the extinct stratovolcano that’s been silent for 2 million years, but it also delivers a classic White Mountains experience when done alone as an out-and-back trek. It’s a great way to get acquainted with the high country terrain and acclimate before taking on the mountain. Although this trail trifecta isn’t especially difficult in terms of technical challenge, the thinner, high elevation air can cause huffing and puffing that slows down progress. Tha

Deep Lake

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DEEP LAKE The woodsy approach to Deep Lake Located roughly 20 miles southeast of Flagstaff, the windy plains of Anderson Mesa are home to a cluster of Arizona’s rare natural lakes. Conspicuous among the bodies of water that are collectively known as the plateau lakes are Ashurst, Kinnikinick and the massive, yet sometimes dry Mormon Lake—the state’s largest organic puddle. Along with nearby Upper and Lower Lake Mary, these high-county lakes are popular with anglers, boaters, campers and hikers trekking the adjacent Arizona Trail Passage 30. A residual puddle in Als Lake attracts wildlife Besides the obvious behemoths, dozens of smaller much less crowded lakes are scattered across the dynamic landform in Coconino National Forest. Storm clouds build above Anderson Mesa These secluded natural basins formed between 1 and 5 million years ago when subterranean hollows caved in to form surface depressions that fill with snowmelt water during high-precipitation years. Turkey vultures and raven