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| Hiking | 10.00 Miles |
800 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.00 Miles | 7 Hrs | | 1.43 mph |
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| no partners | | West Fork Oak Creek
Following a rather cold motorcycle ride from Joseph City on the morning of October the 12th 2008, my daughter Morgan and I arrived at the parking area and fee station for the West Fork of Oak Creek. The parking area was already almost full. The first frost of the season had darkened the leaves on the trees nearby. There were quite a few people milling about, gathering hiking gear and photography equipment from trunks and back seats for the hike up the canyon. This was Morgan and my first visit to this canyon and while I was disappointed in the large number of people we were seeing, I was looking forward to seeing the canyon that I had heard and read so much about.
We headed down the trail through the old apple orchard and spent some time wandering through the ruins of the old lodge and out-buildings at the mouth of the canyon. The remains of the old fireplace were very cool! If only those rocks could tell the tales of years gone by and the stories of people who had warmed cold bones in front of countless crackling and popping fires laid upon its hearth over the years…
We started down the trail and quickly found out why this canyon is such a popular destination. The leaves on the trees were starting to turn and the canyon was ablaze with color and filled with the happy voices of those who had ventured out to see the sights Mother Nature had in store for them. The gently flowing stream formed countless reflecting pools and magnified the beauty of the Eden like setting.
Shooting photos without people in them proved to be very challenging, but not impossible. Morgan and I continued along the trail and stream, enjoying every twist, turn and new view the canyon offered. After hiking upstream for a couple of hours we arrived at the end of the trail where the canyon narrows down and requires wet feet of those that continue on via the canyon bottom. There were several people there resting and talking prior to beginning their decent out of the canyon. We were quickly informed that we had made it to the end of the canyon and must turn back at this point. Morgan and I just looked at each other and smiled! We were at the end of the crowds not the end of the canyon! We chose not to get wet and quickly climbed up above the canyon bottom on creek left and bypassed the narrow pool that halted the less adventurous at it’s edge. In about a hundred yards we found a route back down to the bottom of the canyon and continued upstream, alone now as the quiet of the now much less populated canyon enveloped us.
We continued on for about another 2 miles before the time and Morgan’s wisdom overcame my desire to continue pushing forward to see what was around the “next” bend! We headed down canyon back to our 2 wheeled ride home through a still beautiful canyon that was now mostly our own to enjoy. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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