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| | Bear Canyon Lake Alternate Loop, AZ | | | |
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Bear Canyon Lake Alternate Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 4.20 Miles |
406 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.20 Miles | 3 Hrs 13 Mns | | 1.31 mph |
| 406 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This hike started from the FR208 Trailhead at the south end of Bear Canyon Lake and followed the Bear Canyon Lake trail north around the west side of the lake but used a forest road as an alternate return route going around the east side of the lake on the return. I wanted to check out car camping sites along this road which does not have a Forest Road number on the HAZ FS2016 map. According to the Apache Sitgreaves NF website, motor vehicles may only use roads that have numbers posted. However I would find during the several days I stayed in this area that this "rule" is ignored, not enforced or maybe has a special variance in the area around Bear Canyon Lake.
The hike started with views of early morning fog rising off the surface of the lake and the sunlight just starting to light up the trees along the shoreline. This was the forth time I'd been to the shoreline around the south end of the lake in the last four days but I just never got tired of its scenic beauty. After crossing the dam at the north end of the lake I hiked up the hillside to the road I would be taking on the return route. This road leads from the closed dam access road to FR84. There were a number of camp sites along this road which is approved for dispersed camping up to 300 feet off the road. Only three of the campsites were occupied. After noting that they all seemed to be quiet campers and seeing the availability of several campsites, I picked up my pace for the return to my camp so I could pack up and move to one of these sites. The hike along the road was not as scenic as the rough trail along the east shore of the lake but enabled a faster hiking pace. The off-trail shortcut from the road back down to the south end of the lake where I was camped required some careful switch backing down a steep hillside taking advantage of animal trails. Back at the end of FR208 I noted that even more people had showed up in the short time I had been gone and all the campsites were occupied. Note to self: Never go camping anywhere near a lake in AZ on a weekend and especially not on a three day holiday. |
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