After checking out the roads in the lower elevations of the Monument Fire in the Huachuca Mountains, it was time to hike in there and see some of the areas I couldn't drive to. We went up Miller Canyon to the Crest Trail, then over around Carr Peak and down past Sawmill Spring to the Reef Townsite Campground. From there we planned on walking the down the Carr Canyon Road to the Clark Spring Trail, which connects the roads between Carr and Miller Canyons. As we started walking down the Carr Canyon Road, we encountered a crew working on the road. They happened to be heading down the mountain, and gave us about a 1.5 mile ride down to the Clark Trail. That was nice, and appreciated, since it had been a warm and tough day going through the burn areas. The final 2 miles back to Miller had some serious washouts to navigate as well.

Miller Canyon, especially the lower sections has suffered serious flood damage, including the historic Tombstone pipeline. But what I was most curious about was the section from Carr Peak down to the campgrounds. Turns out the trail in that section wasn't too much different than before, except near Sawmill Spring to the Townsite Campground. The upper campground (Ramsey Vista) at the end of the road was spared, but the fire burned with authority over the Reef formation and all around the Townsite CG. Fortunately, most of the campground survived, but the group ramada and tables were torched. I was relieved to see that I will be able to continue to enjoy a couple of my favorite places.

In mid to late August every year, one of the finest wildflower displays you will see in southern Arizona is along the trail to Carr Peak. Nothing stops the flowers, not even a fire, as they were still putting on a great show!