Bear Canyon (Middle) - Mogollon Rim • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Rock Crossing Trail #18B - Blue Ridge

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chumley

John9L

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

I received an invite to hike with the Moe, Curley and a couple of their friends Ryan and Hillary.

I met them at their campsite just south of CC Cragin at the crack of 8:30am. After setting up the shuttle, we started hiking a bit after 9:00am. 9L, Ryan and Hillary were just doing Long Draw, General Springs Canyon with us. They were going to float around on the lake after that.

Chums and I headed up Bear Canyon. We'd actually seen quite a bit of bear sign to this point. We opted to add a couple of miles and hike up Quien Sabe Draw (Translated - Who Knows Draw) to the Fred Haught #141 at the spring.

After lunch at Pinchot cabin, we headed down Houston Draw. Easy walking to begin with, and the draw turned more canyonlike the closer we got to the lake. The only semi tricky portion was the 100 yards when the lake started, on the sidehill traverse to get to the ridgeline going up.

Chums took a dip in the lake and chatted up the campers fishing there.

Up Telephone Ridge from the lake for the steepest climb of the day. Down Rock Crossing 8C to 8B and up to FR123 to finish a fun day in Rim Country.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Well Tank

Wildflowers Observation Light

Bear Canyon

Pools to trickle

Quien Sabe Spring

Quart per minute

	Well Tank	1-25% full	1-25% full

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Oct 13 2020

markthurman53

Guides 187
Routes 989
Photos 12,068
Triplogs 864

72 male

Joined Jun 27 2015
Tucson, Arizona

Bear Canyon Middle Loop, AZ

Hiking		Oct 13 2020
		markthurman53 • Triplogs 864

Hiking	9.13 Miles	714 AEG

Hiking	9.13 Miles	3 Hrs 59 Mns	2.37 mph
	714 ft AEG	8 Mns Break

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On our second day of hiking in Payson we went up on the rim and did a section of Bear Canyon I had not been on before. We thought our plans to do the middle section of the canyon were going to fall through when we got to a sign at the junction of the Rim Road and FR95 saying that FR95 was closed. Looking past the road closed sign was another sign saying road closed 6 mile ahead. I took this as a sign that I could go past the first sign and drive to where I needed to go. Just before hitting Bear Canyon there was a sign and blockade that definitely closed the road. The bridge across Bear Creek was washed out. I'm assuming the sign near the rim road was just telling you that FR95 was not Passable if your intentions are to go all the way to Highway 87 across East Clear Creek.

We hiked the .5 miles to the washed out bridge (actually I believe it was not a bridge but large metal pipes under the road) and entered Bear Creek there. It was fairly easy walking along the creek especially since there was no waterflow, just intermittently scattered pools. Walking was along the rocky creek bed at times, along Elk user routes and at one section climbing up the east bank to avoid a narrow section of the creek with a large pool. We walked the 4.5 miles of the creek to the junction of Little Bear creek. We took a short break there before heading up the west wall of the canyon and took FR95 back to the start point.

As mentioned before the creek was dry with some pools of yucky looking water. There were a few trees changing color but nothing spectacular. We opted to take the road back rather than the creek because it would be easier but the 3 mile road walk while faster is extremely boring.

	Bear Canyon	Dry	Dry
	Occasional pools

_____________________

Jun 13 2019

Grasshopper

Guides 48
Routes 510
Photos 9,555
Triplogs 578

79 male

Joined Dec 28 2006
Scottsdale, AZ

FR95 Closure at Bear Cyn - Mogollon Rim, AZ

Hiking		Jun 13 2019
		Grasshopper • Triplogs 578

Hiking	1.00 Miles

Hiking	1.00 Miles	45 Mns	1.71 mph
		10 Mns Break

no routes

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Oregon_Hiker

On my recent 6nt/7day Mogollon Rim- Camping/Hiking trip (6/12 to 6/18), for my first full day outing this was Oregon_Hiker and my third planned hike stop to check out the announced Mogollon Rim Ranger District FR95 "Road Closure" due to a serious Spring'19 road washout at the intersection of FR95 at Bear Canyon.
It is serious!

[ photo ]

This FR95 closure has been in effect now for a couple of months with no indication of any reconstruction efforts to date. It is now estimated that this "Road Washout Closure" will be in effect for the remainder of CY2019 at a minimum.

Also, it should be noted that this closed road section of FR95 at Bear Canyon effects trail/route hiking for two HAZ Hike Guides:
Fred Haught Trail #141
Bear Canyon (Middle) - Mogollon Rim

(both of these HAZ Hike Guides include a hike section of FR95 at this washout location. Presently, it appears that hikers are just bypassing the washout by leaving FR95 and decending into the Bear Canyon wash drainage then up the other side (which may or may not be legal?).. but eventually when heavy equipment arrives and reconstruction begins, hiking through here may be a mandatory 90 days in jail)

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ - Hike HAZard

_____________________

(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")

2 archives

Aug 22 2018

markthurman53

Guides 187
Routes 989
Photos 12,068
Triplogs 864

72 male

Joined Jun 27 2015
Tucson, Arizona

Bear Canyon Middle Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 22 2018
		markthurman53 • Triplogs 864

Hiking	2.50 Miles	438 AEG

Hiking	2.50 Miles	1 Hour 33 Mns		1.88 mph
	438 ft AEG	13 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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Once again the weather changed my plans for me. I was headed to the U Bar Trail Head but was stopped by a fallen tree along the Rim Road. It had rained about 2.5 inches over the evening and a tree had been hit by lightning and fell across the road. The lightning traveled down the center of the tree and heated the water to steam and it literally exploded, there were tree parts all around for 40 feet. would of been neat to see from a safe vantage point. If I had my tow chain with me I could of pulled the tree out of the road but I didn't bring it. Well luckily there are plenty of other options. Bear Creek was a good choice and with today's weather it was an ideal time to see this canyon.

I took FSR 95 to where the junction of Bear Creek and East Fork Bear Creek meet and headed down the hill. From the moment I entered the Canyon until I exited I was amazed at the scenery, could not have picked a better time to see this canyon. There was a slight drizzle for most of this hike and the water was down about a foot from earlier in the morning. There was a game trail on the west side of the creek and for most of the hike I followed this trail just behind an elk, never saw the elk but the tracks couldn't be too old or the light rain would of altered them. Eventually the elk headed up the side of the hill (or crossed over). Probably knew what I would find out soon that the canyon narrows and west side passage along the stream was not doable. I continued down stream until walking along the west side of the stream became too difficult and required climbing up the west slope to avoid obstructions. Crossing the stream was possible due to some logs crossing over or you could wade across but I did not feel like getting wet (it was in the low 50s in the morning).

Overall a great time to do this hike. Will definitely be back in this canyon when the water is a bit lower or do small sections like this if the water is high. Sometimes you make plans but life happens and the new plans turn out to be blessings. I saw lots of mushrooms during the two days I was up here but I usually leave them alone because I don't know much about them (not sure which one make you taller or which ones make you small, I do know the ones that mother gave me do nothing at all). On my return walk along FSR 95 I meet a couple that were collecting mushrooms and he gave me a little lesson on them. I still just leave them alone, sometimes a little knowledge is dangerous. I wonder if any of them will cure my knee?

_____________________

May 18 2018

arizona_water

Guides 9
Routes 118
Photos 1,079
Triplogs 118

35 male

Joined Mar 06 2016
Salt River Valle

Bear Canyon Drop-In, AZ

Hiking		May 18 2018
		arizona_water • Triplogs 118

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Hiking

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While waiting for some friends to arrive at the vehicle drop-off point for the AZT #26, I wanted to see if Bear Canyon was flowing. I figured this route would make for a quick access point. There are some fairly steep drop offs, but you can work around the cliffs and descend to the canyon bottom without great effort. As I neared the creek, I immediately verified that it was dry. I chose to just turn around at that point, since my only interest in reaching the bottom was the possibility of flowing water. This is a decent route that I would use again in the future!

_____________________

- there's nothing like finding Water in the Desert -

Apr 22 2018

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 22 2018
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Hiking	8.59 Miles	902 AEG

Hiking	8.59 Miles	4 Hrs 14 Mns		2.28 mph
	902 ft AEG	28 Mns Break	60 LBS Pack

no routes

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[ checklist ] Cadastral Survey Marker Unknown VV Triangle Marker

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Sunday funday at its best, not sure what it is but these mellow high country rim canyons just soothe the soul.
The abundance of water, wildlife and cooler weather is just a plus!

Started near the head of East BC and casually made my way downstream and just before I made it to where Buford and I dropped in last Sunday I came across yet another surprise find!

I made it to the confluence and headed down BC with of course no other human in sight, spooked two young bulls already growing their antlers back that were getting a drink and came across numerous big ol’ fresh piles of bear scat dropped earlier that morning.

After a few more miles of more of the same I decided to bounce out of the canyon up a doable but nearly vertical cliff route up.
Grabbed a good hiking stick and began the quick but hearty 200ft ascent and on the way up I couldn’t believe what I found!

It was another Deadhead!
This time I’m certain it was a lion kill because of the crunched nose, upside body and obsure cliff side location.

Made my way back to the 7400’ level and walked through the woods until I hit the barren FR 139 and looped back to my truck.

Great afternoon in the woods!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Elk

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bear Canyon

	East Bear Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	3/4 of a mile from the headwaters, clear flowing water is found and continues intermittently to the confluence with the BC mainstem.

_____________________

1 archive

Aug 19 2017

Tough_Boots

Routes 67
Photos 2,708
Triplogs 755

89 male

Joined Mar 28 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Bear Cyn Fred Haught Figure 8, AZ

Backpack		Aug 19 2017
		Tough_Boots • Triplogs 755

Backpack	10.06 Miles	1,465 AEG

Backpack	10.06 Miles	2 Days
	1,465 ft AEG

no photosets

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Quick overnight with a friend and the dogs. We dropped into Bear Canyon from FR95 and headed downstream. There was lots of water the whole way. The fire didn't get too close to the bottom except for in a couple short spots. We hit the spot with the long swimmer and bypassed left. Quickly we decided we were ready to leave the canyon and figured since we were already a quarter of the way up, now would be a good time. I caught a very healthy coyote watching part of our ascent. We made it up to the ridge, worked our way cross country most of the way (with a bit of road), and hit 95 again. We headed over to Fred Haught and camped for the night at the ruins of Fred Haught Cabin.

We already planned on having a short hike out. We both wanted to get back to the valley fairly early. We bushwacked straight out of camp up to the ridge on our north and walked the roads back to the car. I was home by noon

_____________________

Jul 09 2016

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Bear Canyon - Cabin Loop via Washington Park, AZ

Hiking		Jul 09 2016
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	18.93 Miles	3,318 AEG

Hiking	18.93 Miles	9 Hrs 25 Mns		2.32 mph
	3,318 ft AEG	1 Hour 15 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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6 linked trail guides

Colonel Devin Trail #290

Railroad Tunnel Trail #390

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joebartels

Headed off to Cyle Kountry for some cooler temps and tall pines.
Temps on the day ranged from 71 to 91, The Coolest in the morning after the climb to General Spring Cabin. The warmest at the Railroad Tunnel in the late afternoon. It was in the 80's most of the day and perfect in the shade and with a breeze.

First time driving to the Washington Park TH and any vehicle could easily make it there.

Colonel Devin Trail #290, is as steep at the top as I remembered from doing AZT #27. We took a cool down snack break at the cabin and then headed SE through the woods to Bear Canyon Upper. I'd done this portion before. There are quite a few areas that the game have provided a nice path to follow. It's a lush area with tall cliff walls that is very picturesque. The places where the game had not left a trail was slow going and takes a toll on you. After 5+ miles we cut our track short and scrambled straight up and out of the the creek bed.

On to the ridge line, we ran across a long ago tree cleared roadbed, that made navigating the forest to FR719 a breeze.

Once on the Fred Haught Trail #141 it was clear sailing in the pines. Here we ran into HAZ Lurker Samantha, who gushed about the Web Site and an unlikely member. "Do you guys know AZChumley" :sl:

On the way down, we decided to check out the Railroad Tunnel Trail from the top. Neither of us had been on this section before. Some might want to use this as an alternate route to the top, as it is a less steep alternative.

On the way home, while gassing up, we ran into the before mentioned AZ-Chumley, one of his partners little Johnny 8K, Jackie who was watching after the Leemobile that had be commandeered, and Linda aka Lindaagm. Great to meet you. Be careful of the company you keep.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Unknown VV Triangle Marker

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Bear Canyon Creek - Mogollon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Places to Filter

East Bear Canyon

Pools to trickle

	East Verde River - Source	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Good, Clean, Cool flow. Yum

East Verde River @ Highline

Medium flow

	Fred Haught Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Plenty in the area

	General Springs	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	There waster in the Concrete Spring area (along with other stuff), but there are better sources in the area.

Tank 719

Gallon per minute

West Bear Canyon

Light flow

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Jul 09 2016

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Bear Canyon - Cabin Loop via Washington Park, AZ

Hiking		Jul 09 2016
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	18.90 Miles	3,318 AEG

Hiking	18.90 Miles	9 Hrs 26 Mns		2.00 mph
	3,318 ft AEG		14 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Colonel Devin Trail #290

Railroad Tunnel Trail #390

Partners

partners

The_Eagle

Upper 70's looked refreshing so the adventure was on. Devin is a straight shooter and gets you to Kyle/Hank country quick. Stopped at the first cabin heading in and out to rest and enjoy the cool breeze.

The meat of the hike was Bear Canyon. It's nice. Big pines, occasional water and such. Nearing six miles negotiating downed trees with no prize on the horizon was losing it's lure. We agreed to forego the next two miles and jump out. It was steep. We stumbled upon an old long gone road on a finger of a ridge. Based on the stumps and trees in the road it looks like it was logged back in the 50s.

Then onto FR719 thinning is obvious in areas that include countless slash piles. Semi amazing as this is a blip of an iota in a sea of canyons and ridges on the rim.

Out General Springs with a stop to the Railroad Tunnel utilizing the upper trail we've never hiked. Ran into the gossip wagon heading home...lol

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pea Soup Tank

Wildflowers Observation Light
a few nice specimens are out, several large areas of Wild Bergamot

Pea Soup Tank

76-100% full

_____________________

- joe

Jun 11 2016

hikeaz

Guides 6
Photos 346
Triplogs 225

69 male

Joined May 13 2002
Tempe, AZ

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Jun 11 2016
		hikeaz • Triplogs 225

Hiking	6.60 Miles	805 AEG

Hiking	6.60 Miles	4 Hrs	1.65 mph
	805 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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Hiked from our camp on FR 398 down into Bear Canyon and downstream to where it intersects FR 95. Easy going for the most part and really scenic. A couple of small pools were encountered both with easy work-arounds on the right (LDC).
Found prolific wild hop plants as well as a mass quantity of wild roses and maple trees. Water in the canyon was intermittent, sometimes on top and sometimes underground. http://hikearizona.com...

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw

Aug 31 2015

AZWanderingBear

Guides 27
Routes 61
Photos 2,620
Triplogs 700

69 male

Joined Jan 23 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Aug 31 2015
		AZWanderingBear • Triplogs 700

Hiking	4.83 Miles	721 AEG

Hiking	4.83 Miles	4 Hrs	1.61 mph
	721 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

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Day 2 of my 4-day camp above Bear Canyon.

Dropped down into East Bear Canyon from my camp up on FR 300G via a steep drainage. Lots of water at the bottom. Slowly worked north to the confluence with Bear Canyon. Foraged along the way on the last of the season's wild raspberries. Also sampled some salad greens growing in abundance (common plantain and dandelion).

The confluence with Bear Canyon has a very large pool. Just north of the confluence I found a huge dead pine along the eastern slope that groaned with each gust of wind. The roots of this ancient giant grew straight out of a sandstone wall. The roots had split the rock. That is gonna be some kind of a crash when this thing comes down.

Back tracked south and took an unnamed drainage that would lead me back fairly close to my camp. Quarter mile in or so I got cliffed out by a 30 foot waterfall. Took a sketchy route along the western slope instead of surrendering. Found a matched elk shed in the drainage. It was several years old and partially deteriorated, but the upper third of one was still solid and will make some nice handles on some future craft projects. Scared up two elk, a cow and yearling, about 500 feet from my camp.

I do love the Rim!

Link to the camp trip report: http://hikearizona.com...

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Common Dandelion Red Raspberry

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Sister Butterfly

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Unknown VV Triangle Marker

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bear Canyon Bear Canyon East Bear Canyon

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

	300G Tank	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	90% full

	East Bear Canyon	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Plenty of water to filter. Large pools and good flow.

	East Bear Canyon Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Lots of water

	East Bear Canyon Tank	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	90% full

_____________________

All you have is your fire...
And the place you need to reach

3 archives

Jul 12 2015

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Houston Brothers Trail to Aspen Spring

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 12 2015
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	10.66 Miles	1,453 AEG

Hiking	10.66 Miles
	1,453 ft AEG

no routes

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Houston Bros Trail #171 / McFarland Spr Loop

[ checklist ] Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly Weidemeyer's Admiral Butterfly

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FOTG

slowandsteady

Great hike in Bear Canyon with Lee and the dogs. We had been working on getting out there with the pups and Bear Canyon with all the water was perfect hike. Bruce did this hike recently and it looked like a winner especially for Cup...she loves the water! Bear Canyon is definitely the nicest of the rim canyons I've seen so far with some rocky cliffs and interesting pools to navigate.

After exploring Bear we linked up with Houston Brothers Trail which is cool in it's own right. Lunch was at Aspen Spring with large meadows and an old cabin site. We continued up Houston Brothers enjoying more meadows and tall ferns along the way before dropping back down into East Bear Canyon. Once in the bottom we followed it downstream back to where we hiked out at the Bear Canyon - East Bear Canyon confluence. On top it was short hike back to the vehicle and some beverages to finish off a great day of hiking

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Houston Draw

	Aspen Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	decent flow out of the rock source

	East Bear Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow
	good flow...plenty of water with numerous pools

	Houston Draw Head	Dripping	Dripping
	small pool that could work in a pinch

	McFarland Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	a bit muddy but the spring had some flow

_____________________

1 archive

Jul 12 2015

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Houston Brothers Trail to Aspen Spring

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 12 2015
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	10.66 Miles	1,453 AEG

Hiking	10.66 Miles
	1,453 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Houston Bros Trail #171 / McFarland Spr Loop

Partners

partners

BiFrost

FOTG

We were going to do Bruce and Kyle's loop, but after Kathy, full of grace, fell in immediately and was slow going down the canyon, the guys took a few miles off.
It's always fun to hike with Cupcake and Blanco, and Lee too!

_____________________

Jul 09 2015

Tough_Boots

Routes 67
Photos 2,708
Triplogs 755

89 male

Joined Mar 28 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Bear Canyon Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jul 09 2015
		Tough_Boots • Triplogs 755

Hiking	13.70 Miles	1,969 AEG

Hiking	13.70 Miles
	1,969 ft AEG

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The_Eagle

Good hike with Lily and The Eagle. We parked on 95 at the intersection with a road that only exists on the map and as a sign. The signed but non-existent road took us on a bushwack down into Bear Canyon. Bear is probably more scenic, larger, and contains more water than Dane and Barbershop Canyons but is also is little slower to get through. With that said, we only had one major bypass to avoid a swimmer. We took Bear north to where 95 crosses and then over to Pinchot.

Soon after reaching 95, it began to rain. It was no big deal and perfect timing. We were able to take lunch at Pinchot Cabin sheltered under the overhang and wait for the rain to end. The rain ended and we were in and out of blue skies for the rest of the day. We then headed south on Houston Brothers until just before the Barbershop intersection. Here there lies another road that only exists on maps that takes you down to the canyon. We found a good route and bushwacked back down into East Bear Canyon.

We then took the canyon the 2.5 miles north back into Bear Canyon proper and bushwacked back up to my truck. This was a good day and we got to see a lot of Bear Canyon.

_____________________

Jul 09 2015

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Bear Canyon - Houston Draw Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jul 09 2015
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	13.88 Miles	2,000 AEG

Hiking	13.88 Miles	7 Hrs 35 Mns		2.10 mph
	2,000 ft AEG	58 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Houston Bros Trail #171 / McFarland Spr Loop

Houston Bros Tr Loop via U-Bar Tr-FR139G

Partners

partners

Tough_Boots

Kyle invited me for a walk in one of his favorite areas. Do I want to spend the day at 106 or 76 degrees. Duh.

We dropped into Bear Canyon off of FR95 at FR9737M (as depicted on the TOPO maps) There was actually a Forrest Service sign for this road, but no road. We picked a pretty good route just making our way down the side of the canyon.

The Bear Canyon drainage was flowing pretty good the entire length we were in it. It was green, green, green! You can find game trails to navigate most of the way, but still need to cross over the drainage many times. It's easy making your way down there, but slow going.

We crested a bit of a rise in the drainage, to a small grassy meadow. We were both surprised to stumble on a huge Bull Elk, still in velvet, feeding in the grass, not more than 50' away. He was gone before I could get the camera going.

We only had one spot where we had to go up to avoid a swimmer. Would have been a good swim if it was warmer.

Out of the drainage and on our way to Pinchot Cabin, it started to rain lightly. Perfect timing as we'd planned to stop at the cabin for lunch anyway. It rained and thundered while we ate lunch under the awning of the cabin. It was actually a bit cold.

On the Houston Brothers trail we made up some time.

We dropped into East Bear Canyon following a side canyon down. The Elk have made a decent path to the hill. A few more miles in the canyon and I was ready for the climb out.

A pretty hike, in great temps. Lots of tiny strawberries along the entire hike. Lilly did great on the hike. Even all the off trail stuff. Thanks for the hike and driving Kyle.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dog

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Unknown VV Triangle Marker

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Aspen Spring

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Aspen Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Plenty to filter

	East Bear Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	Plenty to filter

	Houston Draw Head	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Plenty to filter

	McFarland Spring	Dry	Dry
	Did not get off trail to check it, but plenty of water in the area

	Pinchot Spring	Dry	Dry
	Did not get off trail to check it, but there was plenty of water in the area

	West Bear Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Plenty to filter

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Jun 20 2015

OdinWiski

Photos 2,351
Triplogs 99

53 male

Joined Jan 31 2015
Chandler, AZ

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Jun 20 2015
		OdinWiski • Triplogs 99

Hiking	7.50 Miles	735 AEG

Hiking	7.50 Miles	4 Hrs 40 Mns	1.84 mph
	735 ft AEG	35 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I parked at the recommended TH at 139A and Fred Haught. Got down into the canyon after a short walk on Fred Haught and FR95. The canyon was filled with lush green and beautiful! It was in the upper 80's and the gnats were quite annoying.

The swamp cooler vest worked really well for Wiski. Someone had asked how often you'd have to re-soak it in water. I noticed it became fairly dry only after half an hour perhaps. But water was easily available down in the canyon

I do think even if you did not have water readily available to soak it in, the dry vest still would create a very good barrier and would be so much better than having the sun directly beat down on a dog's back.

Saw a pair of eagles in the canyon, which was pretty cool! I didn't go through the entire section and started turning back just shy of 4 miles in because I didn't want to get completely wet getting through one section. Saw one solo backpacking girl at the TH when I started and a family with kids heading out to Aspen Spring to backpack when I got back to the TH. No one else was in the canyon. It was definitely a pretty little spot if you are doing the cabin loop.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] False Hellebore (Corn Lily)

_____________________

May 15 2015

The_N

Routes 54
Photos 1,508
Triplogs 325

39 male

Joined Mar 18 2015
Payson, AZ

Payson, AZ

Hiking		May 15 2015
		The_N • Triplogs 325

Hiking	10.60 Miles	805 AEG

Hiking	10.60 Miles
	805 ft AEG

no routes

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no linked trail guides

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no partners

Set out this a.m. for a hike on the rim with hopes of beating the impending weather, I failed to do so. It was 36 degrees when I started the hike and 44 degrees when I arrived back at the vehicle. I was hit with rain, freezing rain, snow and even a couple brief moments of sunshine. The wind was the real killer but once I was down in the canyon it wasn't as bad. One thing the weather did provide was complete solitude. Finding the way down and back out of the canyon is fun. Just find an elk trail and follow it as best you can. Doing so on cold, wet terrain is even more fun. There is plenty of water in the canyon right now. The "trail" itself is pretty easy to follow as you're just walking along the creek.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] False Hellebore (Corn Lily) Moss

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Toad

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If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

1 archive

Sep 30 2012

Grasshopper

Guides 48
Routes 510
Photos 9,555
Triplogs 578

79 male

Joined Dec 28 2006
Scottsdale, AZ

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Sep 30 2012
		Grasshopper • Triplogs 578

Hiking	3.40 Miles	536 AEG

Hiking	3.40 Miles	2 Hrs 35 Mns	1.85 mph
	536 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

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no linked trail guides

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partners

Oregon_Hiker

My and Larry's hunt for early Autumn :FG:

Big Tooth Maple colors

This was my second hike (since June'12) up into this lower end of Middle Bear Canyon. I had high hopes for Autumn colors for this section but was somewhat disappointed due to first needing to hike in approximately 1.5 miles prior-to viewing the first early season Big Tooth Maple colors.

This lower canyon section is quite scenic with established animal routes but also quite rocky with some thick grasses which along with the hidden rocks can impede ones progress for standing upright if not careful 8-[

Our hike up canyon this trip was only ~1.7 miles (due to still present.. http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=288654 ). This total middle Bear Canyon hike is actually 5.3 miles one way with the balance of the 3.7 miles being the most rewarding section to hike in my opinion. Access this upper Middle Bear Canyon hiking section via the FR300G ending road TH Start for the Bear Canyon (Upper) hike desc..http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=16669 .

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

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(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")

Jul 29 2012

Dave1

Routes 29
Photos 1,548
Triplogs 1,802

49 male

Joined Jan 25 2009
Phoenix, AZ

West Cabin Loop w/ bailout-Mogollon Rim, AZ

Backpack		Jul 29 2012
		Dave1 • Triplogs 1,802

Backpack	16.14 Miles	2,265 AEG

Backpack	16.14 Miles	2 Days
	2,265 ft AEG		37 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

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General Crook Trail #130 - Coconino NF

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Did Chumley's "West Cabin Loop with bailout" route over a 2 day backpack with my wife.

At the crack of four pm, we began our hike in the general area of General Springs, generally speaking. We went north on Fred Haught Trail and followed it to what would become our camp site near the intersection of FR95 (with a detour to Fred's cabin site along the way). We had just finished setting up the tent and dove inside as the sky opened up with a huge down-pour! Thunder, lightning and heavy rain continued for about an hour. Fortunately our tent held back the elements pretty well. The tent also seemed to please the local mosquitoes as they found refuge between the tent's fly and inner body. At least one thousand of them. Buzzing all night. And into the morning.

We finally crawled out of our nylon cave around 10am to a beautiful morning...and one thousand hungry mosquitoes. With one hand each, we furiously prepared our breakfasts, wolfed it down, and broke camp. The other hand, of course, was used for scratching mosquito bites.

With not much sleep between the two of us, we picked up Fred Haught Trail and slowly made our way to the Houston Bros Trail. Stopping at Pinchot Cabin (I'm thinking it was not named for 80's sitcom actor Bronson Pinchot) and then at an un-named cabin (in one of the most awesome places you could put a cabin) on the way to a meadow restoration area where the bailout part of the hike begins. I wasn't paying attention to my GPS at this point and we walked right passed our turn-off. We only had to backtrack for about ten minutes though. And then the fun began. Up to the rim of Bear Canyon, down 300 almost vertical feet, crossing a lush creek, and then back up 300 feet. Did I mention the humidity caused by last night's storm?

After Bear Canyon we eventually made it back to FR95 and a long and uneventful walk back to the truck along 95 and 300. The well-groomed forest roads are nice for traveling by Prius but quite boring to walk along. Its ok though because the bailout route shortened the hike to a nice distance for my wife and for me carrying gear for two.

Highlights for me were huddling in a tent in the pouring rain (seriously!), the un-named cabin and the views into Bear Canyon.

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Jul 12 2012

Oregon_Hiker

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ