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Posts mit dem Label "Anderson Mesa" werden angezeigt.

Corner Lake

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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 j uniper 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...

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,...

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...