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| Hiking | 11.51 Miles |
752 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.51 Miles | 4 Hrs 28 Mns | | 2.58 mph |
| 752 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Slowly, but surely, I am working my way through the canyons on the Mogollon Rim.
At the end of May, I hiked Box Canyon [ photoset ] , near General Springs Canyon. Today, I decided to skip east twelve miles to hike Beaver Canyon, which is between Knoll Lake and Bear Lake.
The topo shows FR 92 as gated, but I swear I read on Haz somewhere that it was open. (Maybe for a Camp Grasshopper?) Not only are motor vehicles banned on FR 92, but apparently all along Turkey Beaver Ridge — that is its name — and in Beaver Canyon. Instead I found a nice viewing spot off Rim Rd., but with a great view of the Mogollon Rim and points south. So, I parked there. (See the attached GPS route.)
I walked east a few hundred yards on Rim Rd. I saw a jeep trail on the north side of Rim Rd., that I thought was FR 92D, but is one of many unnumbered jeep trails that are not even noted on the topo map. From the anonymous jeep trail, I soon down a steep, debris strewn slope, to Beaver Canyon. I hit the canyon bottom a ¼ mile from Rim Rd.
The second corral is where it struck me that the corrals seemed intended to protect the riparian / creek area. Not that the broken down gates & half-collapsed fences were doing much good.
The Beaver Park powerline clearance is unfortunate, but necessary, to reduce the chance of wildfire as those powerlines were buzzing. (Crossing back under the powerlines on FR 92, later, I was so close I would have been worried about The Boys had I not already had my children.) The best part of Beaver Park was finding some elk antlers, that I carried the next 8+ miles. 
Down canyon from the third corral, there were some decent pools of water, but no flow.
in the woods at the tip of Rattlesnake Ridge, I spotted the wreck of the Dodge pickup. One of the Haz routes show two wrecks, but I could not find the second. (Back at home, after an hour of google image searching, I ID’d the pickup as a 1949/50 Dodge B-Series, based on the arrangement of its grill and headlights.)
Crossing the prairie just north of Rattlesnake Ridge, I found an elk skull, which I stuck on a nearby post as warning to any nearby predators. (Or my enemies.) 
After taking a lunch break at Turkey Crossing, it was 12:30 p.m. If I went further, all the way to Turkey Creek, I would be on the trail probably another four hours. Instead, I decided to take advantage of the presence of FR 92, and hike that out of Beaver Canyon.
I did not see any bears along FR 92, but twice I encountered elk: First a herd of eight females, and later a single large antlerless elk. Judging by the size a male, but I’m not an elkologist. I also saw a coyote that was so large, I at first thought it was a wolf. (Twenty years ago, Mexican Grey Wolves were introduced to the Mogollon Rim; surely they can’t still be around?) Either way, I kept my head on a swivel for the rest of my hike.
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/487842433 |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
What few flowers there were were mostly either yellow coneflower or lupine. I did spot one yellow columbine and a few western yarrow. |
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Beaver Canyon - Upper |
Pools to trickle |
Pools to trickle |
| | | Some small pools, but no discernable flow, below Beaver Park. | | _____________________
| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
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Had to jump on the brakes on the way up to miss a 
So close! Bruce was a little grumpy but Joe and I did our best to cheer him up. Nice area. Lots of flowers, ferns, and greenery. We did get rained on after lunch but we were prepared. Nice hike, weather, and company. Thanks gents, you rock!
