Corner Lake

CORNER
LAKE

Gate at the north end of Corner Lake points to Mormon Mtn.

The lone
coyote skulked among clumpy grasses and stunted trees barely 30 yards from the
degraded two track where I was hiking. 
Creeping, crouching, sniffing the air and casting wry glances in my
direction, it was clear the stealth beast was on the hunt. Coyotes are
Arizona’s most common predator, but they will eat just about anything. Their subsistence staples include juniper
berries, mesquite beans, eggs, insects and even garbage and small pets where their
territories intersect human populations.  But this day on
Anderson Mesa, the coveted item on the menu was pronghorn.

Hike is in the Anderson Mesa Wildlife Protection Area

A tank near Corner Lake sustains wildlife

Located
southeast of Flagstaff along Lake Mary Road, the mesa is home to several popular
fishing lakes including Ashurst and Kinnikinick in Coconino National Forest.  While the elongated land mass has a few densely-wooded
areas, most of the 25-mile-long tableland is a mix of sparse pinyon-juniper
woodlands, ephemeral wetlands and expansive grasslands—prime habitat for
pronghorn.

Pronghorn (center right) graze on the mesa

The Arizona
Trail passage 30, part of which wanders through the northern end of the mesa
near Marshall Lake and popular recreation sites northeast of Upper and Lower
Lake Mary, provides an excellent introduction to the
breezy environs.

But if
your objective is wildlife viewing, seek out the maze of back roads that lead to
isolated watering holes.  One productive
location is Corner Lake. To get there, begin hiking on Forest Road 9483G where
a sign indicates entry into Anderson Mesa Wildlife Protection Area.  Within a short walk, the pine-shaded, sometimes
dry depression of Corral Tank sits off to the left.  It’s a great place to spot pinyon jays and
squirrels that feed on the berry-producing shrubs that grow around the water
hole’s perimeter.

At just
under a mile, pass through a rustic gate (as with all gates on this hike, close
it behind you) and continue a few yards to the Forest Road 9116S junction where
the route veers right. Here, what scant shade had been present on the first leg
of the hike dissolves into treeless prairies punctuated with isolated junipers
with mountain peaks bookending the horizons. About a half-mile ahead, a group
of pronghorns grazed lazily on rabbit brush on the wide-open mesa. With nowhere
to hide, Wile E. Coyote—who had apparently been following me at a distance—shot
me a parting look of contempt before bolting off, abandoning his intended prey.
Somewhere, an anvil dropped.

Corner Lake is often dry

Even from
a distance, pronghorns are easy to identify by their white rumps and
distinctive spiked horns. Outfitted with enormous, wide-set eyes a la Baby Yoda,
their vision has

scoping power roughly equivalent to eight-power binoculars. It’s not easy to
sneak up on them. As I slowly walked the road hoping for a perfect photo opp,
the group of four had me on their super-vision and soon made a charge for a
ridgeline. Watching the elegant creatures run was worth the trip. Light-boned
and built for agility, pronghorns can reach sustained speeds of 40 miles per
hour. Their sprints are more like 60 miles per hour.

The hike around the lake follows a fence line

Pine Mountain (center horizon) over Corner Lake

Following
the route to and around Corner Lake is simple, as long as you pay attention to
the ground. Deep fissures and chunks of volcanic rock make for mildly
challenging footing. 

Approaching Corner Lake

The road meets the
lake at the 1.75-mile point.  Like most
of the “lakes” on Anderson Mesa, this one’s capacity depends on snow melt and
rainfall, two things that are so far lacking in 2020.

Signs at the south end of Corner Lake

The site is augmented
with two created wildlife water tanks that, judging from footprints in the
muddy fringes, serve dozens of species besides pronghorns. The lake/wetland is
enclosed by a post-and-wire fence to protect the sensitive environment. 

The stark beauty of Anderson Mesa

FR 9116S leads to Corner Lake

Although it’s advisable to stay out of the
protected area, it is possible to hike around the perimeter fence without
disturbing the marshy interior. There are two options for making the 2.2-mile
circumference hike. The first is to hike along the outside of the fence where
you’ll need to duck under the wire at the two north corners. I am 5’3” tall and
small so after removing my pack I was able to crab walk through without harming
the fence.

Rabbit brush is a favorite pronghorn food.

Those who prefer to stay upright will want to use the gates located
on the west, north and east sides and hike the fence line from the inside.
Either way, minimize your impact by sticking close to the enclosure border and
never cutting or altering the fence or gates.  Initially, the stark, sun-washed terrain
surrounding the lake feels harsh to hikers accustomed to Northern Arizona’s green
aspen-and-pine mountain climes. Yet, the utter exposure and what a friend
described as “nothingness” embodies what many hikers say they seek—solitude in
the middle of nowhere.

Look for birds and squirrels at Corral Tank

Wildlife depend on stock tanks in dry years

Rocky,
weedy and windy, the walk around the lake unpacks a panorama of views. Mormon
Mountain, O’Leary Peak, Pine Mountain and the San Francisco Peaks stand out
over acres of golden grasses while the shallow gorge of Anderson Draw makes an
abrupt riffle at the lake’s north end. With its who-knew character and
unexpected appeal, Corner Lake is an odd, yet intriguing trip. Not quite
desert, not quite forest and not quite a lake, it’s perhaps Arizona’s most
beautiful adaptation of nothingness.

San Francisco Peaks seen from FR 9483G

LENGTH:
5.7 miles roundtrip

RATING:
moderate

ELEVATION:  7,113 – 7,248 feet

GETTING
THERE:

From
Flagstaff, go 24.2 miles south on Lake Mary Road to Forest Road 125 signed for
Kinnikinick Lake past milepost 320. Turn left and continue 4.7 miles to a
junction where the road to Kinnikinick Lake veers right. Park in the turnout on
the left where there’s a sign for  Forest
Road 9483G and the Anderson Mesa Wildlife Protection Area. Forest roads are
maintained dirt that are slightly bumpy but suitable for most vehicles. 

WILDLIFE VIEWING TIPS:

https://www.azgfd.com/wildlife/viewing/viewing-tips/