Reno Trail #62, AZ

Overview
The Reno Trail is a gentle hike down to the heart of the Bear Wallow Wilderness that avoids most of the burn scar, so perhaps it is a better way to get into the canyon than from the Bear Wallow Trailhead. It is a good trail, mostly through Ponderosa Pine, Douglas-Fir, and scrub oak.


Hike
From the trailhead, the trail immediately begins switchbacking gently down the canyon through young aspens that have probably come up in the wake of the Wallow Fire. Fall seems to come quite late on this trail. Even on the first of November, there was still a Queen Anne’s Lace in bloom and woolly mullein just past flower.The top of the trail is cobbled with porous volcanic rock, but overall, the walking is easy. After the switchbacks, the trail makes a sweeping curve to the right, traversing along the side of the canyon above the unnamed and dry creek, all the way to the bottom, where it meets Bear Wallow Creek at about 2 miles.

From here, the wandering is good. Go a short distance left to a good campsite, or head down canyon to more good camping around the Schell Canyon Trail #316 and beyond. There is no water on the trail until Bear Wallow Creek.

2023-11-06 GrangerGuy