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| Hiking | 35.60 Miles |
2,734 AEG |
| | Hiking | 35.60 Miles | 18 Hrs | | 1.98 mph |
| 2,734 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | We hope you enjoy our Housholder Family adventure hiking the 800 mile Arizona Trail from Sonora Mexico to the Utah state-line. We are hiking it together as a family attempting to finish 20 to 30 miles each month; normally taking a two truck shuttle and usually camping overnight for free along the way in our RV trailer (Boondocking).
Our 4th segment is in the Beautiful "San Francisco Peaks AZT #34!" We had a fantastic time over the Labor Day Weekend Holiday camping out Boondocking Style along the Bismarck Trailhead Road #627. Our camping spot on the south side of the road even had a rock wall for the kids to climb and was large enough for our South African friends to park their rigs also!
DAY 1: Total Miles 6.5
We used the Bismarck Lake trail-head access point and first made the trek with friends to the "Cow Puddle" of a Lake? After snapping a few pics around Bismarck Lake we headed out to join the AZT section 34 going north from the Bismarck Junction where a cool sign points the way to Mexico and Utah! From there it was all downhill to Forest Service Road 418 near White Horse Hills. This part of the trail was fantastic and had numerous gentle switchbacks leading into a GIANT stand of Aspen Trees near the end! We enjoyed this ending section very much and were looking forward to the next day's adventure!
Day 2: Total Miles 5.5
What an exciting day! The plans were to hike from Snow Bowl Ski Resort along the Aspen Loop Access trail north towards our Boondocking spot along the Bismarck Lake Road. Some awesome friends from South Africa were our trail support crew and taxi drivers setting us down at the Snow Bowl ski area while they went off to hike the Lava River Tube. There were fantastic photo opps from the parking lot where we got a huge group picture of our three families and then set out for the Aspen Loop Access Trail right next to the Humphrey's Peak trail-head. A ranger was there with displays and stickers for the kids and we hit the trail running downhill through some beautiful Aspen Trees until we junction-ed with the AZT #34 once more. I loved seeing as far as the eye can see west towards Bill Williams Mountain and Kendrick Peak! The trail was gentle and enjoyable. Once on the Arizona Trail we could see back towards the Snow Bowl ski lifts and after a mile or so north of the Aspen Loop junction there was THE VERY BEST STAND OF ASPENS EVER! We ate our snacks and took plenty of family pictures, I feel when the entire 800 mile hike is finished this will rank right up there as the best of the best gems. The kids and Karolien loved this section as much as I did to! After the Aspen Adventure a little further north were those sweeping views westward across Hart Prairie and Fern Mountain underneath us where I shot some landscape panorama pictures. A short mile or so after that the trail crossed a nice meadow and then joined up with the Bismarck Lake Trail at the Utah/Mexico sign. It was an enjoyable mile and a half back to our camp from there.
Day 3: Total Miles 6 - Saturday October 10, 2015 - Snow Bowl Ski Resort to Snow Bowl Road:
We started the day taking some more family pictures with both of our Grandma's in them, they make for the best Trail Support Team! From the Snow Bowl parking lot at 9400 FT. we hit the trail, there were beautiful changing leaves all around especially as we made our way along the Aspen Loop Trail. In no time at all we were once again at the AZT Junction roughly 9000 FT. this time we turned left and left the crowds behind as we hiked downhill to the south, our end destination was the Snow Bowl Road crossing 6 miles from the parking lot and roughly 1,600 Feet elevation decline.
It was still very, very, very busy with the swift moving mountain bikers but we only had one near run in with Ben listening to his headphones too loud when a biker closed in from behind! Around one and a half miles we came upon a fantastic grove of Aspens in Golden Fall mode at the Alfa Fla Tank junction. This grove was not as good as the one a mile or so north of the AZT / Aspen Loop junction but never the less it was impressive, and just after entering the stand there were logs downed inviting us to rest upon them, it made for the perfect snack stop.
After scarfing down some yummy GORP we made our way in no time to a 2 mile junction where hikers were coming up from the 151 road and down from the Snowbowl Road. There were great views out across Hart Prairie just before the stand of Aspens and at this trail junction. After a few quick pics we headed further away from the crowds of Leaf Chasers into what was the thickest and shadiest part of the forest. Contouring along at 8600 to 8400 feet this made for a relaxing stroll. A couple miles further we started hiking slightly uphill before coming around the corner and then sharply downtown we went starting at MP 606 to 604 we declined some 1100 feet! This ridge line had some nice views below of Fort Valley our eventual destination. Our brakes were worn out by the time we arrived at the power-lines and we made out way another half mile to the Snow Bowl road while listening to the mobs of Fall Leaf Chasers driving home! All in all the kids had fun but our breaks were so worn out by the steep decline in elevation from 9400 to 7600 ft. that we decided to rest it easy the next day planning on hiking our close the gap segment from the Snow Bowl Road to Schultz Creek AZT 33 junction some 4 more miles away the next time!
Day 4 Snow Bowl Road to Schultz Creek July 7, 2016
A year later we were back in Flagstaff take on this missing middle segment from the Snow Bowl Road towards Schultz Creek that would connect us to the Flagstaff Resupply Route which we had already finished!
We started out staging our truck at Schultz Creek where the AZT Resupply Route passes over the backroad. There is enough space to park a couple cars there. After staging our truck we headed out towards the Snow Bowl Road. We last hiked to where our vehicle was staged cross country off Forest Road 6051 at Forrest Valley. To get there slow down just before arriving at the Snow Bowl Road and take a right onto FS 6051. There are some good Boondocking spots perhaps two or three on this road for camping at large. The 6051 ends in about a mile at a large spot as there is a T Junction. This is where we parked and hiked due north until reaching the AZT at near Milepost 603 marked Rocky Moto. From here we hiked east towards our truck and Schultz Creek. This hike covers the segment between Milepost 603 to 600 and a bit more towards Schultz Creek, only 4 miles from where we staged vehicles. This was an extremely enjoying segment completely flat the entire distance, with views of the Peaks looking over the tops of pine trees. Ben read a book, Bryce and Bianka enjoyed finding a friendly lizard and we had some great family pictures taken at sunset before arriving at the junction with the Equestrian Route and the Resupply Route. From there it is downhill all the way rather sharply back to the Schultz Creek Backroad, and our snacks.
Day 5 Schultz Tank to Schultz Creek July 8, 2016
Our next hike was to start segment 34 and complete Milepost 596 to 599 at the Resupply Route another easy hike this time we treated our visiting relatives Bob and Chase from Alaska. The start of Passage 34 was easy going by Schultz Tank, there were logging operations happening along the first half mile or so, then the trail started heading downhill with great views along the way. We were following above the Schultz Backroad in and out of some side drainage or two then alongside a ridge towards the junction with the Equestrian Bypass Signage and Flagstaff Resupply Route, and easy sunset three and a half miles!
Day 6 Forest Road 418 White Horse Hills to Kelly Tank 7/9/16 Total Miles 3.25
This segment was awesome! Well I love the Aspens so for me it was top notch! There is nearby camping at White Horse Hills for our Trailer so this makes the location all the more better!
We started by driving our truck up to Kendrick Park then out east a few miles to Kelly Tank. Then we drove back to the 418 and hiked it together as a family. Another option would have been to drive up to Kelly and swap keys in the middle. All in all this hike was downhill from the 418 almost all the way. There were fantastic views of the San Francisco Peaks and thousands of Aspens in the beginning! Hardly any others out here as well, we saw only a couple other mountain bikers and that was it, compared to the trails around the Peaks where the mountain bikers are running rampant! This trail heads due north past Walker Lake's Cinder Cone Mountain and joins a double track for awhile, then climbs gently up on a ridge line where you look west towards Kendrick Peak and NW towards Saddle Mountain Fire Lookout Tower, before it curves NE towards Kelly Tank. There were some off road campers with a prime location we found along the way. Their views towards the San Francisco Peaks was fantastic. We might have to find out how they got out there, but it must have been accessed via Kelly Tank somehow????
The next time back to this area we will start at Kelly Tank and continue north! |
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