Kaibab Plateau South - AZT #40 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Arizona Trail

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Started off a week long trip at the North Rim with my wife, eventually meeting up with my Dad, two brothers and the Desperados to finish off the week camping. Completed this mellow loop solo on the seventh day. Beautiful canyon!

2 archives

Jul 12 2022

pseudalpine

Guides 59
Routes 1,100
Photos 1,191
Triplogs 1,290

male

Joined Jan 01 2023
Arizona

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Jul 12 2022
		pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,290

Hiking	17.06 Miles	3,344 AEG

Hiking	17.06 Miles	6 Hrs 45 Mns	2.71 mph
	3,344 ft AEG	27 Mns Break

no photosets

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Arizona Trail

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3 archives

Jul 11 2022

pseudalpine

Guides 59
Routes 1,100
Photos 1,191
Triplogs 1,290

male

Joined Jan 01 2023
Arizona

Sinkhole Stroll, AZ

Hiking		Jul 11 2022
		pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,290

Hiking	2.71 Miles	185 AEG

Hiking	2.71 Miles	1 Hour 14 Mns	2.43 mph
	185 ft AEG	7 Mns Break

no photosets

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linked

Arizona Trail

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1 archive

Oct 06 2021

corwinwilkins

Routes 9
Triplogs 47

55 male

Joined Jul 30 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 06 2021
		corwinwilkins • Triplogs 47

Hiking	20.77 Miles	2,268 AEG

Hiking	20.77 Miles	8 Hrs 7 Mns	2.92 mph
	2,268 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

no routes

no photosets

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Done as a day hike. Some rain in morning and a little cold. Very cool section though. Aspen for days. It was a long day, but worth the work.

_____________________

Oct 02 2021

johnlp

Guides 1
Routes 14
Photos 7,202
Triplogs 5,208

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

North Rim AZT, AZ

Backpack		Oct 02 2021
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Backpack	77.00 Miles	5,600 AEG

Backpack	77.00 Miles	4 Days
	5,600 ft AEG

no routes

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Kaibab Plateau North - AZT #42

Buckskin Mountain - AZT #43

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trekkin_gecko

Kelly and I planned a 3 1/2 day backpack, that includes 5 AZT passages from the north rim to the terminus at the Utah border. Setting up the shuttle and caching water took us a full day. The dirt roads in to Stateline (AZT terminus) are not suitable for low clearance vehicles. We left Kelly's vehicle near the Utah border. My wife drove us south from there to the north rim where we all spent the night in a NPS campground.
We got started on segment #39 Saturday morning to cool clear weather with an aggressive schedule of three consecutive 21+ mile days. The final day would only be 10 miles so we could finish up early enough to drive home at a decent hour.
The aspen trees are at peak now. Vivid golds and some reds mixed in. Beautiful. We hiked 19 miles to our first water cache, then a couple more miles and found a campsite for the night. Temps got down into the upper 20's. Cold, but we survived just fine.
Day two we hiked through more aspen including up to a lookout tower at 9100 ft, then through an old burn full of young aspen.
We started bumping into south bound through hikers. It was fun to chat with them and trade info. As we hiked north we slowly dropped in elevation. Our camp the second night was in the pines with a few aspen around. Nice sunset.
In the morning we set off towards our next cache at Hwy 89A and were eventually out of the colorful aspens. Soon we hiked into more burned landscape where part of the AZT is bypassed. We eventually worked our way into juniper and pine forest towards the end of passage 42. We filtered water and found a nice campsite a half mile into the final passage.
During the night thunder, lightning, and rain finally hit. The weather had been threatening for a day. After 3+ hours the rain stopped so we broke camp and headed out to finish our trip. Before long we were back in burn which would last all the way to end of the trail. Hopefully the area will recover soon. It got hit pretty hard. It felt good to reach the monument signifying the end of the Arizona Trail.
This was a long wonderful, at times grueling, trip. Had a great time. I only have 5 more passages to finish the AZT. Many thanks to Kelly and Janie for making this happen.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Hoary Tansyaster Littleleaf Globemallow Quaking Aspen Wright's Buckwheat

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

Oct 02 2021

trekkin_gecko

Guides 10
Routes 673
Photos 7,281
Triplogs 4,660

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

North Rim AZT, AZ

Backpack		Oct 02 2021
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Backpack	77.00 Miles	5,600 AEG

Backpack	77.00 Miles	4 Days
	5,600 ft AEG		20 LBS Pack

no routes

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Kaibab Plateau North - AZT #42

Buckskin Mountain - AZT #43

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partners

johnlp

a four day backpack to complete the north rim sections of the azt with @johnlp
john originally wanted to finish with this, but timing and shuttle made it possible to do this fall
janie picked us up off of 89 friday afternoon after we cached water in two places
had dinner at jacob's lake lodge on the way to the north rim
i had secured a spot at the north rim campground after someone cancelled for friday night, making for a convenient start saturday morning

saturday, october 2nd
aspen were the theme for the next two and a half days - prime time

janie dropped us off at north kaibab trailhead just after 0800
chilly temps as we set off, passing widforss trailhead
we started seeing a few southbound thru-hikers
kinda fun to chat with some of them; not everyone wanted to stop
alternating forest and meadow, we arrived at the north rim entrance station
water was available there, and we had also cached a half gallon across the road
we stopped at the lookout tower - great views
hit the park boundary where we took a short break, then mostly meadow until a moderate ascent to the east rim viewpoint
another break, then picked up our cache at forest road 610
it would have been nice (and warmer) to camp up there, but we wanted to get in a little more distance
found a good campsite in an aspen grove just above tater canyon
the coldest night, with temps probably in the uppers 20s
i survived, even without the fleece i accidently left in my car

21.9 miles

sunday, october 3rd
i don't function well in the cold, so a sluggish start around 0720
we both wore all of our clothes and set off through tater canyon
beautiful aspen lined meadows on this passage
eventually the trail parallels highway 67
we stopped at telephone hill for a bit
just before that, the pine/aspen forest ended and an aspen filled old burn area began (warm fire?)
several miles of this
it was overcast and threatening rain for awhile
the aspen made this section much better than it might have been
again saw a few thru-hikers
we had planned to filter at the cement tank, but learned there was plenty of water available at murray lake trailhead two miles further
back in pine forest, ended up going another mile to camp
sitting on a rock watching a beautiful sunset while eating dinner in the forest was one of the highlights of the trip
much warmer temps this night
21.3 miles

monday, october 4th
six miles downhill to orderville trailhead, where we had cached water
even had a cup of coffee during our break

three passages done!
crossed 89a, still in pine forest until the edge of the mangum fire
the devastation went on for miles, and even the northern part of this passage wasn't very nice
half beautiful, half tied for least favorite segment
we arrived at winter road and went over to the wildlife tank to filter water
camped a mile into the last passage in pinyon/juniper terrain
our longest day at 24.3 miles

tuesday, october 5th
we knew there was a good chance of rain overnight
were rudely awakened by a nearby lightning strike and loud round of thunder about 0330
started raining around 0400 and went on until 0700
we quickly packed up, and just got light sprinkles on the hike out
the first part of this passage is great, again in junipers on good trail
more mangum fire damage in a completely toasted canyon wasn't as fun
dropped down the switchbacks to stateline campground for a successful finish to our trip
john was fighting some it band issues, so were happy to get a ride to my vehicle at buckskin gulch trailhead
headed home, stopping for lunch in page then enjoyed the series of storms on the drive back
9.5 miles

we crossed paths with 30-40 thru-hikers along the way, which was cool
plenty of water availability - only really needed the cache at forest road 610
wished (out loud) for my forgotten fleece a few times
packed the right amount of food, and we have our gear dialed in pretty well
this was our longest backpack, and the first time i've done three consecutive twenty mile days
held up well enough
we took a lot of photos the first two days, then not so many in the burned areas
mileage is from guthooks, aeg from the haz official tracks
special thanks to janie for the shuttle, and it was nice to camp together, too
thanks for another great trip, lp - good times!

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage

_____________________

hazhole

1 archive

Aug 27 2021

alexofaz

Routes 12
Photos 11
Triplogs 46

male

Joined Jul 10 2011
Peoria, Az

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Aug 27 2021
		alexofaz • Triplogs 46

Hiking	20.77 Miles	2,268 AEG

Hiking	20.77 Miles	9 Hrs 30 Mns	2.52 mph
	2,268 ft AEG	1 Hour 15 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

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This is an amazing late summer hike. I did this a few days after torrential monsoon rains which made for a lush, green hike with mushrooms the size of my head exploding out of the cool, loamy soil.It's a long hike full of ridlelines, saddles, meadows and valleys.
This was part of a series of day hikes, passages 40 thru 43, to finish the AzTrail. 40 and 41 were definitely my favs as 42 and 43 both had extensive burn scars and erosion from the Magnum Fire. I will likely return in a few years to see the recovery.

_____________________

Aug 22 2021

clyde_joelle

Triplogs 43

70 female

Joined Jan 01 2019
Sierra Vista

Northwest, AZ

Mtn Biking		Aug 22 2021
		clyde_joelle • Triplogs 43

Mtn Biking	20.77 Miles	2,268 AEG

Mtn Biking	20.77 Miles	10 Hrs	2.08 mph
	2,268 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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Completed 8.5 miles hiking on 8/20/21 and 12/2 miles on mountain bike on 8/22/21. Met fossil collectors retired USFWS/NPS Roger in meadow. Beautiful views from East Rim Viewpoint

Wildflowers Observation None
Abundant and vivid wildflowers in broad meadows.

2 archives

Oct 10 2020

desertadapted

Photos 117
Triplogs 23

48 male

Joined Apr 25 2017
Phoenix, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Backpack		Oct 10 2020
		desertadapted • Triplogs 23

Backpack	175.00 Miles

Backpack	175.00 Miles	8 Days

no routes

no photosets

Linked

8 linked trail guides

Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38

Grand Canyon - South Rim - AZT #37

Coconino Rim - AZT #36

Babbitt Ranch - AZT #35

San Francisco Peaks - AZT #34

Flagstaff - AZT #33

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I'm continuing my project of trying to section hike the AZT. Much of Passages 42 and 43 (From UT to Jacob Lake) are closed due to fire activity, so I'm leaving those final two passages for the spring/summer of 2021. This report will be succinct.

Day 1. Light day with a late start and early camp. There is substantial historical fire damage (I'm not educated enough to know how much of the damage was from clear cutting). I was just glad to be on the trail.

Day 2. Made a big push to complete Passage #41 and #40, camping about 1/2 mile from the park boundary. It was one of my top ten favorite days hiking. After leaving behind burn/clear cut, I got to enjoy fall color, lovely forest, meadows, etc. Although I may have just hit it at the right time of year, Passage #40 is easily one my of favorite AZT Passages.

Day 3. Woke up to a frozen water bottle and proceeded into Passage #39 (GCNP North Rim). After kicking around the North Rim for a bit, I hiked down to Cottonwood Campground. Hiking Rim to Rim in the past, I'd never thought much of the campground. How wrong I was! Tastefully located with excellent spacing between sites, I'm looking forward to going back.

Day 4. Had an alpine start to avoid too warm a hike up the South Kaibab trail, given that it's so sun exposed beginning at the Tonto. I was sad to miss as much of the Canyon interior as I did, but I'd gotten my fill a few weeks before, and wanted to make sure I was safe. After a successful resupply at the very friendly post office, I walked into Tusayan for a late lunch. The trail to Tusayan is on a bike path and is no fun at all. After some beer and vittles, I hiked out of Tusayan a few miles before collapsing.

Day 5. AZT #36 is just too pretty. I hadn't registered how many GC views it provides. The Grandview Tower was well worth the stop (along with cached water). I tuckered out near Moqui Stage Station, wanting to get some rest before a big push across Babbitt Ranch.

Day 6. AZT #35 was a study in contrasts. The ATA appears to have completed some amazing re-routes that have eliminated historical road walks (only a few miles of road remain). They did a great job - the trail is very well done. But Passage 35 is still exposed and dry as all get out. I spent most of it hiding under my umbrella and mumbling. Were it not for Tub Ranch, where there is a critical water source, I think I'd have cried. I also fell in love with the local dog. After a brief road walk out to the Coconino NF boundary, I crashed, glad the day was over. Beautiful trail, but that's tough country to love.

Day 7. AZT #34 is famous, and rightly so. The San Francisco Peaks are a real treat. I could hike that Passage over and over. If you were in the area and saw some strange dude hugging a pine tree, it wasn't me. I swear. I crashed out a few miles past Alfa Fia tank (is a tank really a tank without cow dung all over?). Alfa Fia itself was crowded with hikers out to see the sunset. The energy was great.

Day 8. I've got lots of love for the ATA and there are major limits on where trail can be sited, but I am not a fan of the Flagstaff urban bypass route. The first stretch you're in significant competition with mountain bikers who really really really want you to get out of the way. The second stretch, there's a fair bit of uphill, which was a bit of a bummer given that all I had on my mind was a shower, pizza and beer. But I finally got my whiney self to a motel, where I accomplished all three. To glorious excess.

As a parting note, the trip would not have been nearly as fun were it not for the dedicated ATA volunteers who provided water caches at critical points along the trail. Manna from heaven. Interestingly, during my week on trail, I only encountered three NOBO and no SOBO backpackers (other than within the GC), so the SOBO flow was not substantial enough for me to overtake/be overtaken by anyone else. Not sure if that's par for the course or whether COVID and fires have done their number on trail volumes.

I'm looking forward to Passages 42 and 43 next year and really hope that in the next ~6-7 years I'm able to find time to do the whole trail as a thru-hike. Thank you ATA!

_____________________

Jul 29 2020

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Jul 29 2020
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	7.33 Miles	1,679 AEG

Hiking	7.33 Miles	4 Hrs 44 Mns	1.77 mph
	1,679 ft AEG	35 Mns Break

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I had aspirations of a third summit on my last day on the north rim, but I was beat up and this area had left a great impression on me two days before, so it was not a hard decision to opt for this pleasant and scenic loop vs another hot sufferfest below the rim. I also had the ulterior motive of taking another look for my hat that I inexplicably lost on the North Canyon Trail on my first day up on the north rim.

I found the scenery and the loop in general to be spectacular. Apart from a little locust on the East Rim Trail, the trails were all in immaculate shape. The perennial section of North Canyon is a nice little gem and you can’t beat the hiking along that section of the AZT.

I did not find my hat, which I found odd. I have been wearing a hat religiously hiking for several years now and have never lost one. This will certainly go down as one of the Canyon´s great mysteries, right up there with the disappearance of the Hydes.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Crystal Spring

	Crystal Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	A significant amount of water in the concrete box, a little algae on top, but water looks good.

North Canyon Spring

Gallon + per minute

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Sep 01 2019

tibber

Guides 21
Routes 1,182
Photos 36,858
Triplogs 1,570

69 female

Joined Feb 26 2004
Phoenix, AZ

Kaibab Plateau AZT 40 to 41 - S to Teleph Hill, AZ

Hiking		Sep 01 2019
		tibber • Triplogs 1,570

Hiking	2.89 Miles	272 AEG

Hiking	2.89 Miles	1 Hour 20 Mns	2.48 mph
	272 ft AEG	10 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Goldeneye Redroot Eriogonum Scarlet Bugler Unidentified Flora

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	desertgirl	desertgirl
	Paintninaz	Sredfield

Day 3, Part 2 of our five day hiking barrage of the AZT. We decided to make tomorrow a much easier day, we would hike the last 3 miles of the AZT 40 southbound this afternoon. This was very smart planning on Tracy's part! The only problem was is the road we were supposed to take to this part of the trail that shows up on the map, does not show up in person. We reached that conclusion after driving back and forth and decided at this little pullout on the east side of the road that we would hike to see if we could find the road. We could see the trail.

So off we went, cross country looking for the road that seemingly has vanished. A little bit of bushwhacking got us to the trail and we set a way point to come for tomorrow's hike. The trail was in pretty nice shape and it is indeed thru the burn area that is slowly coming back to life with many thick groves of small to medium aspen. The Warm Fire in 2006 sure did its damage.

The Warm Fire began by a lightning strike and was initially managed for the health of the forest. Then a storm cell moved in and high winds carried the fire across SR67. A back burn was lit and ultimately almost 60,000 acres burned. The North Rim was closed and evacuated for almost a week.

Here is the rest of the write up about a former seasonal ranger's drive on FR 241 which is near where we were hiking: https://geogypsytraveler.com/2017/05/30 ... -road-241/

There was a rather tall bush that was leaning over the trail but it was demolished by the Big Kahuna (Shawn), see photos. In this same area, where not much has come back to life, there were quite a few wildflowers and some budding thistle. As we got thru the aspen lanes and a little higher, we could see the smoke from the wildland fire to the WSW of us. I got some pics and video.

Soon we would be heading in a more easterly direction and you could see the trunks of some of the very tall trees that once stood here. They were pretty massive. A couple hawks also flew by to entertain us for a few moments. Going down Telephone Hill the topography changes dramatically as you're in the forest and there is some large rockery around. We enjoyed the trek through here as the sun seemed to dip behind the clouds for most of this. Eventually we came out of the forest at the bottom of the hill to the meadow where we hung a right to head back to the shuttle. It was a nice double for the day.

[ youtube video ]

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled.

1 archive

Sep 01 2019

desertgirl

Guides 20
Routes 13
Photos 3,189
Triplogs 451

female

Joined Mar 31 2002
Chandler, AZ

Kaibab Plateau AZT 40 to 41 - S to Teleph Hill, AZ

Hiking		Sep 01 2019
		desertgirl • Triplogs 451

Hiking	2.89 Miles	272 AEG

Hiking	2.89 Miles	1 Hour 20 Mns	2.48 mph
	272 ft AEG	10 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	Paintninaz	Sredfield
	tibber	tibber

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

Aug 31 2019

tibber

Guides 21
Routes 1,182
Photos 36,858
Triplogs 1,570

69 female

Joined Feb 26 2004
Phoenix, AZ

Kaibab Plateau South - AZT #40 610 Teleph Hill, AZ

Hiking		Aug 31 2019
		tibber • Triplogs 1,570

Hiking	10.17 Miles	1,607 AEG

Hiking	10.17 Miles	5 Hrs 35 Mns	2.16 mph
	1,607 ft AEG	53 Mns Break

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Cushion buckwheat Kaibab Plateau Beardtongue Redroot Eriogonum Showy goldeneye Unidentified Flora Wax currant

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partners

	desertgirl	Paintninaz
	Sredfield

After another cold morning, we set up a pretty short shuttle as we decided to shorten day 3 and leave Telephone Hill for either of the next two days. That plan would get revised again which is the great thing about shuttling up here, there are lots of roads or near roads to use as a base. Day 3 of 5, northbound from FR 610 to Telephone Hill.

The first 3/4 mile was thru the forest and down pretty quickly in elevation. The trail was in really nice shape for this slightly steep downhill. Almost to the bottom you see the canyon before you.... well meadow actually. Tater that is. We head northbound for quite a few miles enjoying the bits of changing landscape and flora. We saw a coyote out for his morning feast. He was undecided how he wanted to handle this crowd of 4 but decided to retreat back from whence he came.

We would soon be hiking in the forest again and when we turned this one corner we ended up hiking in what was like a tunnel of aspen. It was so cool. Today, in fact, would definitely be aspen day. Yesterday was meadow day. We seemed to be lane hiking for a good portion of this part of the hike as it was tree-lined on both sides, mostly aspen but then sometimes the aspen would change out for fir. Anyway, it was great fun weaving in and out of these lanes.

We next came to a valley that was loaded with wildflowers; though small and hard to photograph they were everywhere and quite a nice variety. As we went up the hill to the other side the Showy Goldeneyes were almost carpeting the ground. The view from a top the hill of Pleasant Valley was really spectacular so we enjoyed that for a bit before finishing our little climb back into the forest. Once again the forest was throwing up these very tall trees before Little Pleasant Valley appeared with the corral in the background. These little Valleys are so sweet. We had lunch at the corral, a very nice corral system if I do say so myself.

A little ways after leaving the corral you skirt another little valley, no name with a no name rather large pond. Next you head up hill a bit with more traipsing thru the forest. As you pass by another small corral system and out of the forest you get to see Crane Lake. Looks a little different from this AM when we passed by and there was steam coming off of it from the cold. There were all sorts of ravens flying about and over to the SW you could see the smoke from the wildlands fire we had see signs for. Shawn went and checked on something and then we finished hiking thru this meadow and yep, you guessed it, back into the forest. It was getting a little warm once again as it had the past two afternoons and that's why we started early.

We come out of the forest one more time to do a little more meadow walking near Hwy 67 where we can see Shawn's truck in the distance. In front of us is Telephone Hill which we had decided to save for another day.

We unwound the shuttle. I took Ambika's car, stopped at the store and picked up Stella Rosa Rose wine and some ice before heading back to camp. Our plan was to move camp over to FR 205. Once the others came back from their N Rim showers we were packed up and at the new camp in less than 2 hours. This new campsite was very nice as I had a view, it was warmer and there was a bathroom.

[ youtube video ] to about 4 miles in
[ youtube video ] 4 miles to Little Pleasant Valley
[ youtube video ] Little Pleasant Valley to Telephone Hill

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Crane Lake Little Pleasant Valley Upper Tater Canyon

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

_____________________

For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled.

Aug 31 2019

desertgirl

Guides 20
Routes 13
Photos 3,189
Triplogs 451

female

Joined Mar 31 2002
Chandler, AZ

Kaibab Plateau South - AZT #40 610 Teleph Hill, AZ

Hiking		Aug 31 2019
		desertgirl • Triplogs 451

Hiking	10.17 Miles	1,607 AEG

Hiking	10.17 Miles	5 Hrs 35 Mns	2.16 mph
	1,607 ft AEG	53 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

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	Paintninaz	Sredfield
	tibber

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

_____________________

Aug 30 2019

desertgirl

Guides 20
Routes 13
Photos 3,189
Triplogs 451

female

Joined Mar 31 2002
Chandler, AZ

Kaibab Plateau South - AZT #40 to FR 610, AZ

Hiking		Aug 30 2019
		desertgirl • Triplogs 451

Hiking	9.51 Miles	1,631 AEG

Hiking	9.51 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	2.35 mph
	1,631 ft AEG	1 Hour 12 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	Paintninaz	Sredfield
	tibber

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

_____________________

Aug 30 2019

tibber

Guides 21
Routes 1,182
Photos 36,858
Triplogs 1,570

69 female

Joined Feb 26 2004
Phoenix, AZ

Kaibab Plateau South - AZT #40 to FR 610, AZ

Hiking		Aug 30 2019
		tibber • Triplogs 1,570

Hiking	9.51 Miles	1,631 AEG

Hiking	9.51 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	2.35 mph
	1,631 ft AEG	1 Hour 12 Mns Break

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Arizona rubberweed Cushion buckwheat Dwarf Goldenrod Hills Lupine Kaibab Plateau Beardtongue Leafybract Aster Princely Daisy Showy goldeneye Spreading sandwort Unidentified Flora Yellow Owls Clover

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partners

	desertgirl	Paintninaz
	Sredfield

Day Two of Five: we rose a little earlier after another very cold nite. We could see our breath. I think Shawn made us pancakes so that's always a nice way to start our day.

After setting up the shuttle, a little shorter today, we once again headed across the little meadow but instead of turning right like yesterday, we turned left. We followed next to a road for just a bit before crossing it. This Passage is definitely a meadowy passage as we hit our first big meadow that stretched out in front of us and then curved to the left as we hiked in what is called Upper North Rim Canyon. We were lucky that the wildflowers were still out enforce. It's been a banner wildflower summer for me between Glacier and these five days on the Kaibab Plateau. I threw in a few more flora photos so the photo set is larger than normal

.

As we got closer to a tree line when the meadow narrowed, I started seeing all these mounds. I had no idea what they were but there was a whole town of them. Shawn informed me they were gopher holes. We continued between tree lines for awhile passing by Sourdough Well and FR 400 (altho it didn't look like much of a road). There is a dry grassy pond just past there but it is not the Well. In about 1/4 mile from there we head out of Upper N Rim Cany and into the forest with mostly aspen. We cross over yet another FR, 612 and join up with the Kaibab Plateau Trail which we will be on for the rest of our days up here. Once again the meadows were showing off their flowers altho it's very hard to photograph; especially when you can't stop and really take the time to show and tell.

We will be hiking on an old road for a bit. I was still seeing lots of flowers (and just a few of them made the photoset otherwise there could easily have been 75 photos at least). We came to a big tree across the road not too far from Crystal Spring; a waypoint was posted so that we could come back to tackle this tree with the proper tools. As Chums noted, the spring box was full of water. Soon we would be into the forest again. We took a break as the preliminary climb before the climb to the East Rim was starting.

Once we more or less leveled out you could get glimpses east to the Canyon and Marble Canyon. On top of that, the trail had wildflowers on both sides. It didn't photograph well but trust me, it was pretty awesome

plus the aspen were so very tall! We had passed another couple earlier and then another couple that was trying to get pictures with their dog and the flowers. We had lunch at one of the picnic tables at East Rim Viewpoint. That was so cool. While there a drone flew over and into the Canyon area. We hoped he wouldn't crash as there would be one heck of a hike to retrieve it.

After crossing over FR 611, our next photo op was Dog Lake with its surrounding corral. I didn't realize until I looked at the topo today that it is just off of Dog Canyon because I didn't know there was even a Dog Canyon (obviously I didn't do sufficient beta). We would cross over Dog Canyon's very large meadow as we went past this little lake. Once again, the wildflowers were all over the place. They aren't the biggest wildflowers but there were a lot. This one wildflower was very perplexing and we would see it again for the rest of our hiking. I think I have IDed it as a Sulphur-Flowered Buckwheat

[ photo ] , it's very short. It was prolific.

This was a pretty long meadow and it was just a little warm. Fortunately there was a bit of a breeze. It was interesting that the trees were in layers along the right flank of the meadow; like someone had planted them that way. And into the forest we went with about 3/4 miles until we were glad to be done with the trail.

But now, it was time to cut the tree. It was a bit of a project as they also had to cut off the side branches in order to roll it off the road/trail. We took the residual and threw it on the old road/path that had been created. And then it was off for showers and Ambika and me opted for dinner at the Lodge (it was great).

[ youtube video ] to just past Sourdough Well
[ youtube video ] to about 1 1/2 from East Rim
[ youtube video ] to FR 610, drive to cut the tree, cutting the tree

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ Food

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Crystal Spring Dog Lake

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
substantial but small. Don't know if that's the norm up there.

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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled.

Jul 29 2019

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Jul 29 2019
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	6.00 Miles	1,500 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles	3 Hrs	2.00 mph
	1,500 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Buckskin Mountain - AZT #43

Partners

none

no partners

Fine loop, short but steep, with great views along the rim, thick forest below and a very short creek. Overgrown, long pants recommended.

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Jul 04 2019

BiFrost

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

AZT Utah to South Rim Grand Canyon, AZ

Backpack		Jul 04 2019
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Backpack	105.89 Miles	18,762 AEG

Backpack	105.89 Miles	5 Days
	18,762 ft AEG

Linked

8 linked trail guides

Kaibab Plateau North - AZT #42

Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38

South Kaibab Trail

North Kaibab Trail

Partners

partners

slowandsteady

On July 4th, 2015 we finished section hiking the AZT northbound to Stateline Campground on the Utah Border. Fast forward to 2019 and we decided to hike the AZT southbound and start from the same Stateline Campground on same July 4th weekend. However, this time our plan was to do multi-day backpacks instead of day hikes to complete the trail.

We had a shuttle pick us up at South Rim of Grand Canyon visitor center and drive us around to Stateline Campground where we camped July 3rd. Next morning on the 4th we started about 545am up the trail. Our goal, 5 days to make the South Rim by Monday afternoon.

Day 1 - Good start in the morning as the trail climbs out of House Rock Valley and up onto the Kaibab Plateau. We ran into 2 hikers in the first 2hours but then nobody else rest of day. Up on the plateau it’s lots of Juniper, Pinyon Pine, Sage brush and gates. Several AZT gates have been new additions since our 2015 hike. We passed Joes and Government Reservoir before the trail finally climbs into the Ponderosa Pine. With a few side trips in search of water (Umbrella Tank and Ponderosa Trick Tank were good) we covered about 23 miles first day and camped near FR 249.

Day 2 – Now in the pines the trail gradually climbs higher and the scenery gets better with the addition of aspens and Douglas fir. We only had 5 miles to reach Hwy 89A crossing. We ran into a retired couple who was on the last part of their AZT trip northbound and interesting to talk with them for a bit. Moving on we headed up to Buffalo Tank where I found decent water in the metal tank (not the cow tank). Continuing the trail heads above 8,000 feet so it was nice until we hiked into the burn section. There is an 8 mile long burn area but we did find good water at a wildlife cement trough before finding camp in a cluster of Ponderosa. 19.5 miles

Day 3 – We finished crossing the burn area and passed Crane Lake (water not very accessible but we didn’t need any). We continued onto Little Pleasant Valley which did have water but again we didn’t need any. Really enjoyed the section from Crane Lake to Dog Lake and East Rim area. Lots of meadows and thick forest crossings. Near Dog Lake there is a wildlife cement trough which had great water. Filtered four liters before hiking to East Rim to take in some views of Saddle Mountain Wilderness and Marble Canyon in the distance. We continued on to Crystal Spring which also had excellent ice cold water. Filtered another 5 liters before hiking another 2.5 miles to our nights camp. We found a nice spot in the aspens and mixed pines. 23.8 miles

Day 4 – Only objective was to make the North Rim Lodge where we had a reservation. Shower, cold beer, and something other than trail food was a good motivator. We only had to cover about 17.5 miles our shortest day yet. Being motivated we made the lodge by 145 and fortunately they let us check in early. After getting cleaned up we headed over to the bar for some beverages and grabbed something from the deli. Great way to spend the afternoon and evening before crashing for the night!

Day 5 – We arranged for the 4am shuttle back to the North Kaibab Trailhead. The shuttle was quick so we started shortly after 4am with headlamps for the first 45 minutes. North Kaibab trail is still one of my favorites despite lots of people. From the Supai Tunnel down there are no mules allowed so the trail below that is always great. Was able to turn off the headlamp just below the tunnel as we descended to Supai Bridge. Favorite part is the switchbacks through the Red Wall and down to the Pumphouse where we took the first break and got some water. We encountered maybe 10 people on the way there which wasn’t too bad. After the break we headed for Cottonwood Camp but continued on with our next stop at Phantom with the exception of a short break in The Box which always a nice section even as things started to get warm.

Eventually we made it to Phantom and stopped for an ice cold lemonade and some salty potato chips at the cantina. Took a fairly long break to get ready for the hot hike out. Once we were all hydrated and ready to go we pressed on across Black Bridge and started the long hot hike up South Kaibab. The bottom part felt like an oven especially since it was almost noon. We stopped in the shady spots for a breather when we could and there is a good spot just below Tip Off that is there probably all day. After Tip Off we continued up through the Red Wall and found another nice shady spot just below Skeleton Point where we took a break. Once past Skeleton it was noticeably cooler and we were able to keep going to the rim. We hit the rim just before 4pm and happy to be done with about the first 105 miles of AZT sections 43 to 38.

We took the shuttle over to the visitors center to a waiting vehicle and then much earned Mexican food at Plaza Bonita in Tusayan!

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bridge Tank Crystal Spring Dog Lake Little Pleasant Valley Ponderosa Trick Tank

	Big Ridge Tank	Dry	Dry
	just grass growing no visible water

	Bridge Tank	1-25% full	1-25% full
	small pool. would not filter unless absolutely necessary

	Buffalo Trick Tank	26-50% full	26-50% full
	good water at the metal tank (not the cow tank). I just had to slide to port hole on top of the metal tank to access the water

	Crane Lake	1-25% full	1-25% full
	looked decent but was hard to access and we didn't need any

	Crystal Spring Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	great ice cold clear water. The concrete box tank was completely full

	Dog Lake	51-75% full	51-75% full
	good clear water

	Government Reservoir	Dry	Dry
	dry as a bone

	Ponderosa Trick Tank	26-50% full	26-50% full
	large tanks with access bins on one side. clear water

	Sourdough Well	1-25% full	1-25% full
	2 small pools but could be filtered

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2 archives

Jun 19 2019

screeslider5267

Triplogs 52

73 female

Joined Jun 24 2015
Tucson, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Jun 19 2019
		screeslider5267 • Triplogs 52

Hiking	20.77 Miles	2,268 AEG

Hiking	20.77 Miles
	2,268 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Did #39, #40, and #41 together over 5 days. Only one day of any real rain and that was just a few minutes in length. Water sources plentiful, Sourdough Well, Crystal Spring, Little Pleasant Valley Tank, Crane Lake, and more. Saw more cows than wildlife, but, man, is this beautiful country! One really cold night for me at around 8800 feet, but the rest was just cool enough for my sleeping bag to feel really lovely.

_____________________

2 archives

Sep 03 2018

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Sep 03 2018
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	30.00 Miles	1,000 AEG

Hiking	30.00 Miles	11 Hrs 30 Mns	2.61 mph
	1,000 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked