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| Hiking | 6.54 Miles |
3,279 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.54 Miles | 5 Hrs 24 Mns | | 1.26 mph |
| 3,279 ft AEG | 13 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I hiked Sterling Pass in mid-March. I arrived early, just at daybreak, to make sure to find parking, as parking consists of just a roadside sliver, just wide enough to fit a short line of cars single file. Once parked, you should find no issues locating the trail head, as it is marked (when I hiked) with one of those iconic historic iron signs. Similarly, no issues with the trail itself. Easily followed. Note, Sterling Pass trail does climb steep and rugged, but I found that more invigorating than challenging, and did not hit any places requiring hand scrambling.
As you hike, I would say stop and look around for views out, up and down, as these will appear at various and different points along the trail, but not everywhere, given the tall pine forest. Also, be on the lookout for short spurs and ledges branching off the main trail, as they can lead to awesome and amazing overlooks. Of some interest, the forest surrounding the trail, mainly on the way up, shows evidence of past fires, and a good bit of tree removal/cutting looks to have been done to keep the trail clear (relatively, downed trees still crossed the trail at times, during my hike.)
Now, on the side trail up to Vultee Arch, I again found no issues finding the trail head, as a sign clearly marks the start of the branch up. The side trail up to the arch does runs a good bit steeper and more rugged than the main trail, but not a real issue. One issue involves coming back down – spur legs run off the arch trail at times. I needed my GPS track to check I was going down from the arch in the same way as I climbed up.
The arch itself sits majestically on the mountain side, visible at different points as one approaches. Quite enchanting, with the arch sweeping out majestically from the mountain itself. A nice sight. Worth the effort. Of course the hike offers many other views besides the arch. Great views and scenes appear throughout, from enormous spires and long vistas, to the tall pines and sheer rock faces, down to the intricacies of the strata lines and jutting rock towers.
Another note/caution on the parking. Route 89A curves and sweeps, with traffic coming fairly fast in both directions. I found coming southbound, with my cell phone directions on Sterling Pass Trailhead, useful in know when the parking was coming up, so I could pull in smoothly without issues. It is not clear to me one can readily (safely) come northbound and make a U-turn, nor if one could stop and readily (safely) hunt around stopped looking for a spot. |
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