HikeArizona.COM

The Arizona Republic Sunday, March 31, 2002, issue contains a trail description of sorts. It appears on Page T2 (That's the Travel Section). The article by Roger Naylor combines some personal issues with a 'fair to middlin' description of he Black Canyon Trail. No, this is NOT the Black Canyon you are all thinking of. (There are probably as many Black Canyon's in Arizona as there are Sycamore Creeks!) This Black Canyon is just outside of Cottonwood in the Verde Valley. The TH would be roughly two hours from the metroplex. It is a very interesting trail, no doubt, but you probably wouldn't want to drive up from Phoenix just for this trail alone. This is what we call 'a local trail.' What's a 'local trail?' Pretty simple. A 'local trail' is a trail well-known to all the 'locals' but one that hasn't been written up in anybody's guide book. A lot of 'headliner' Arizona trails were once just 'local trails' until somebody 'discovered' them and they made the cover of Arizona Highways or got written up in some list of 'the last great places,' you know, stuff like that. The Black Canyon Trail is such a trail. The locals have been hiking it for as long as we can remember but it seems to have escaped media attention until now. It's OK with us to publicize it. It can stand a lot of use. That's pretty 'hard country' up there and any crowds won't hammer it like they do West Fork in Sedona. Anyway, we know some of you don't regularly read The Rep's Travel Section because you are already on quite a journey yourself! You might want to peruse this article or clip it out and save it. There was no email to contact the writer but it would be nice if someone would clue him into HAZ and get the decription properly posted here where it belongs.

J&S in RR