Posts

Es werden Posts vom September, 2020 angezeigt.

Blowout Wash Trail System

Bild
BLOWOUT WASH TRAIL SYSTEM Bear grass & ocotillo on the Bullseye trail #557 Occupying a hilly slice of high desert below the east flanks of Mingus Mountain, the new Blowout Wash trail system is shaping up to become a prime Verde Valley hiking destination. The remediation project is a multi-agency collaboration of local, state and federal land agencies working together to improve recreational opportunities in the section of Prescott National Forest southwest of Cottonwood.   View from Campus trail #559 Before trail construction began in 2019, the wash-riddled foothills that are surrounded by popular recreation hubs in Sedona, Jerome, Dead Horse Ranch State Park and the Woodchute-Mingus Mountain complex of routes, the area was rife with wildcat user-created paths, shooting and dumping that was disrupting the ecosystems and decimating native vegetation.   The Bullseye-Campus loop was completed in early 2020 Cacti and grasslands on Bullseye trail #557 The destructive anything-goes arena

Red Mountain Trail #43

Bild
RED MOUNTAIN TRAIL #43 In the space between Lynx Lake Recreation Area and State Route 69 in Prescott Valley, a mountainous back country laced with trails provides a diverse haven for shared-use recreation. View from the switchbacks on Red Mountain Although it’s lodged between two busy areas, the canyons and hills adjacent to the communities of Dewey-Humboldt have a remote feel, rugged character and more appeal than the view from the highway suggests.   Red Mtn. trail traces Green Gulch One of the most scenic hikes in the area is the Red Mountain Trail #43, an internal trail which can only be accessed by way of connecting routes that begin either near Lynx Lake to the west or at the Green Gulch trailhead which provides access to the Blue Hills Trail System at the east boundary of Prescott National Forest.   The less crowded and more direct option is the latter.   From the roomy parking area, begin hiking on the Charcoal Gulch Trail #9419 which is open to hikers, equestrian and ATV use

Antelope Mountain

Bild
ANTELOPE MOUNTAIN View from the saddle of Antelope Mountain near Greer A drive along State Route 260 in the White Mountains between Pinetop-Lakeside and Springerville is a tour of extremes. Fish Creek Corral frames a view of Antelope Mountain The scenic byway begins in dense woodlands replete with lakeside retreats that comes to an abrupt end near the turn off for the town of Greer where the landscape jumps from piney to pastoral.   Ellis Wiltbank Reservoir sits at the base of Antelope Mtn. Like a splash of cold water, the terrain suddenly changes into sprawling grasslands and isolated pine-covered knolls. Figuring prominently in the landscape are hundreds of lumps, bumps, slumps and conical hills--welcome to the complex geology of the Springerville Volcanic Field.   This swath of cinder cones and lava flows sits at the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau, a roughly 130,000 square mile collection of some of the country’s most remarkable landforms (think: Zion, Capitol Reef and the Gr