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Anyone know the status of autumn leaves at Inner Basin (near Flagstaff) or Escudilla Mountain (near Springerville)? There hasn't been any recent hike postings or photos from these trails. General literature suggests fall colours are at their height last week of September, first week of October...

RANDAL

We were up at the Nordic Center in Flagstaff last weekend and the leaves were just changing green with yellow spots on them. The only thing was that there were leaves already off the trees and on the ground barely changed. I think that the wind is causing them to come off the aspens faster than normal. There is also a wind advisory out for the northern part of the state tomorrow Saturday that is. We are going to the North rim of the Grand Canyon next week and will see how they are then.

I have some AOTC friends that are camping up at Lockett Meadow this Fri & Sat nights and will be hiking the entire Inner Basin Trail up to Humphries TH on Saturday. I will try to post the "skinny" from them sometime Monday.

From the Coconino NF Website:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/recrea ... lors.shtml

September 27, 2007

Along the Inner Basin Trail about two-thirds of the aspen have changing colors evident. On Hart Prairie Road (FR151) people have spotted the very earliest stages of color change.

Take the drive from Hwy 180 to Hwy 89 on either FR418 or FR 514 and/or FR 523 for patches of yellow/gold.

Color is just beginning to express itself on the Mogollon Rim. Plan your trip for sometime in the next two weeks!

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The Sunrise webcam can sometimes give you a good idea as to how things are doing at the 9000+ foot level in the White Mtns. It may only be updated on weekdays during the offseason (look for the time/date stamp to verify)
http://www.sunriseskipark.com/webcam2.shtml

Last year, Escudilla's peak was in the middle of October. I don't know about Inner Basin, but I could imagine it's a zoo on the weekends.

Did a day hike up at Inner Basin. Autumn colours are starting to take hold within the Inner Basin.

See triplog and posted photos...


http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=299&EXT=T#14982


Appreciate tip on Escudillia Mountain - have it pencilled in for 10/19...

RANDAL

Judging by the five day forecast today it all might get accelerated a tad now...

The north slopes of Escudilla are a bright yellow. I could see this from my hike on Sat. and my bike ride on Sunday in the Murray Basin/Flat Top area.

The main trail up Escudilla usually does not have colors as soon as the north slope. (The trail goes up the south side.) I am going to hike it next Sunday and will take my camera.

I drove up the Big Lake road (261) yesterday afternoon. The aspens are just barely hinting at making their change at the elevation where I stopped to hike, near FR 8070A, at a little above 8,000 elev. So it seems the color change is happening above 9,000 or 10,000.

I also plan on hiking East Baldy trail. Either the 13th or 14th. Or the 20th or 21st. If you care to join me send me a pm. It is a 14 mile r/t hike. Hopefully there will still be colors by then.

Got a quick question somewhat related...

I am planning on heading up to Flag this weekend to go to the Inner Basin but I've heard about another trail that parallels the official IB trail but is much nicer. Anyone know about this specific trail and if so, how do you get to it?

gcrough writes: http://hikearizona.com/photocodeZOOM.php?ID=1686

Instead of taking the road (main trail) up to Jack's Spring we took a trail we found to the east (perhaps 3/4 mile from trailhead?). It was more scenic than the road.

zonagoph writes: http://hikearizona.com/TLOG-PF.php?NV=5664

for real adventure, stay off the jeep road and instead follow the hiking trail at the north end of the day-use parking area... strolls through some BEAUTIFUL aspen stands, and parallels the wash for a while... you'l pop out on Weatherford road, just follow the road up and atch onto the jeep road the rest of the way.. in my humble opinion, a top 5 hike in Flagstaff

anybody hitting Abineau and all the other hot spots?

KP Rim Loop next week for me, then West Fork of Oak Creek the following weekend. Unfortunately, pictures will be film, so it will be a little while before I get them developed, scanned, processed, then posted.

I'm aiming for Hart Prairie this coming weekend...

http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=952/

Heading up to the Grand Canyon tomorrow. Oct 3rd and to the north rim on the 4th. Last year we went the second weekend in Oct and all the leaves were gone off the aspen trees. My husband is doing his second rim to rim to rim of the year. (with one day rest on the north rim to take advantage of the fall colors) He has been doing it for about 8 years now twice a year.

Randal Schulhauser wrote:I'm aiming for Hart Prairie this coming weekend...

http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=952/

We are leaning towards this one as well for this weekend.

Hope to see you there. Stop to say hello if our paths cross...

There's an awesome photo of Hart Prairie colours on pp 8-9 of this month's Arizona Highways. Wonder if that scene can be replicated?

Also hope to take in the Nature Conservancy tour on Sunday morning

http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=952&EXT=F

Not to toot my own horn, but I've just put up some shots from the Kaibab, north of the Canyon. Everything is changing, except at the lowest elevations on the forest right now. Awful pretty!
http://hikearizona.com/photocodeZOOM.php?ID=4113

I did see that write up in Arizona Highways, but I am wondering how many other folks have that same idea too?

Coconino NF Website has the following report today:

Fall Colors: On Hart Prairie about 50% of the quaking aspen are starting to put on their fall color show. The palette ranges from a pale green to a hint of orange.
Lockett Meadow is in the early stages of change, but views into the Inner Basin are great with more than 75% change.
On the North Side of the Peaks, it's mostly yellow, about 70% changed. Should "peak" sometime this week.
The South Side of the Peaks is just beginning (about 45% changed) and could "peak" as early as this weekend.
Take the drive from Hwy 180 to Hwy 89 on either FR418 or FR 514 and/or FR 523 for patches of yellow/gold.
The Mogollon Rim is following with a rainbow of colors (about 40% changed).

Which makes this weekend a potentially perfect time to make a trip up north. As a bonus, the forecast looks frosty for the higher elevations (check out the screenshot below):
http://newweb.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/Map ... 3&map.y=98

We're doing Kendrick Peak on Saturday if weather permits. Will post an update & pictures afterwards.

PageRob wrote:Not to toot my own horn, but I've just put up some shots from the Kaibab, north of the Canyon. Everything is changing, except at the lowest elevations on the forest right now. Awful pretty!
http://hikearizona.com/photocodeZOOM.php?ID=4113

We just came back from the north rim and the Kaibab and the colors were awesome on Thurday and early Friday BUT there was so much wind on the North Plateau that most of the leaves blew off on Friday afternoon, evening and this morning. I got my own pictures with lots of clouds and shade. It also rained very hard on Thursday about morning thru just afternoon. There were also lots of tree guts in hwy 64 on the way to Jacob Lake. (Where the wind had knocked down the trees in the road and someone took out the trees but all their guts were still in the road) They weren't there yesterday afternoon. It even knocked out the power to everything on the north rim lodge for awhile on Friday night. We had just eaten our dinner. There were prediction of 55mph winds and more and I believe it. Also say some snow on the San Fransisco Peaks as we drove back from the south rim of the canyon this afternoon.