Little Bear Trail #112 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Basically a last minute plan with two of the more daring hikers I know. A lengthy loop + off trail peak. One of the few accessible dirt roads in Flag rn. Blocked off immediately after TH.

7 am meet, hiking by 10. Our norm

Connector trail to loop. Little Elden at start and end. Old Heart is clearly disappearing.

You will need to be determined to stay on it.

The off trail isn't that difficult. Although RF clearly slows it down. Can go around the barriers till the very end. Final scramble to old Sierra Club registry. We ended up leaving the track on the way down for a more direct path down. Shed a bit of blood along the way.

Lil Bear seemed like it took forever to finish on the way back. Will look to continue to climb higher from here.

Jun 23 2024

bjonson

Routes 255
Photos 8
Triplogs 261

54 male

Joined Feb 19 2015
Phoenix

Little Elden Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 23 2024
		bjonson • Triplogs 261

Hiking	20.19 Miles	2,763 AEG

Hiking	20.19 Miles	5 Hrs 40 Mns	3.58 mph
	2,763 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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Sandy Seep Trail #129

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Jul 08 2023

ScaredyCat

Guides 2
Routes 208
Photos 93
Triplogs 205

male

Joined Aug 08 2020
Phx az

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jul 08 2023
		ScaredyCat • Triplogs 205

Hiking	11.71 Miles	1,727 AEG

Hiking	11.71 Miles	5 Hrs 36 Mns	2.43 mph
	1,727 ft AEG	47 Mns Break

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One person from Meetup joined up with me for this adventure. This is becoming my norm. Meet 8:30, arrive to Little Elden at 11. Leave TH 5 pm.

In-between visited Schultz Tank. Then struggled to stay on Climb 3 trail while avoiding a suspicious number of downed trees. Next signed registry at highpoint 8842.

2 car wrecks on return trip caused massive delays. Also FR 556 is closed part way down. Many unmarked junctions, know before you go.

Sep 17 2022

mt98dew

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,010
Triplogs 2,387

55 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Sep 17 2022
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	10.00 Miles	1,118 AEG

Hiking	10.00 Miles	5 Hrs	2.00 mph
	1,118 ft AEG

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Very belated triplog. Did this hike last year and stats (mileage and time) is just a best guess. Got to the Elden TH around 5:30am. Had the trail to myself as I went up Elden Lookout trail. I remember that I was happy with my effort going up. I had done Little Elden about two months earlier and I knocked about 10 minutes off my climb time. Hit the peak and then returned to Sunset trail. Then took Sunset trail over to the Little Bear Trail. Sunset trail is an interesting trail. Elevation change is minimal and is more down than up to the Little Bear. The first part is immersed in young growth aspens. It’s great to have seen the growth over the last 10 plus years. After emerging from the aspens I came upon a scattering of cones along the mountainside. Sometime in the last two months they had started a reforestation program. All the cones protected young small pines. Two months ago I did a loop with the Heart trail. Today I continued past it and went on to the Little Bear trail. The trail between Heart and Little Bear has changed a lot since my last time on it. This was my first time back to this stretch of trail since the fire and the change is heartbreaking. This had been an incredibly forested area 10 years ago. I remember the feeling of seclusion and closeness to nature. That is just a memory now. This stretch is now very exposed. Recovery has started. Mainly weeds and small shrubs with an occasional young aspen. All very green, but a shadow of its former self. Little Bear Trail is a sweet trail, especially at the beginning. Some nice views initially. The trail incline is very gradual itself, but the slope above and below the trail cut is very steep at the start. It’s been years since I’ve been on the Little Elden trail. Feel like parts of it have changed but I couldn’t say for certain. I was on a time crunch so I actually took a shortcut (a user trail) as I approached the Christmas Tree trail. It wasn’t until I got to this section that I stated to encounter others. Took the Christmas Tree back to the Elden TH.

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Jun 27 2020

azbackpackr

Guides 27
Routes 518
Photos 5,861
Triplogs 883

72 female

Joined Jan 21 2006
Eagar AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jun 27 2020
		azbackpackr • Triplogs 883

Hiking	8.76 Miles	1,246 AEG

Hiking	8.76 Miles	5 Hrs 37 Mns	2.41 mph
	1,246 ft AEG	1 Hour 59 Mns Break

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Little Bear is my new favorite trail in this area. Great views, incredible variety of plants in the Shultz Fire burn area (10 years ago this month), plus there's some old growth forest along the route at at the top of the trail. It's not super crowded early on a Saturday. I saw one trail runner on my way up. I started about 6 a.m. I parked as close to the junction of Little Bear and Little Elden as I could, on Shultz Pass Road, and bushwhacked through the woods to get to the trail. I didn't want to bother with the Little Elden Trail, as I had hiked along it the day before.

On the way down, hours later, I saw 3 mountain bikers and two gorgeous Arabian horses with their riders. All were super polite and friendly. The mountain bikers saw the horses before I did, and alerted me and another cyclist, and we all got off the trail to let them by. So, everything was working the way it is supposed to, as far as who is yielding to whom.

Lots of flowers, and developing berries, such as serviceberry, Blueberry Elder, and blackberries.

Once I was up on the Sunset Trail there were a lot of mountain bikers. I had thought I might hike up to the top of the ridge to the junction with the Heart Trail, but will save that for another day, preferably a weekday. Again, the mountain bikers were very polite and friendly, but you do have to watch for them bombing downhill, and coming around blind corners, and it takes a bit of the peacefulness out of the hike, for me. I do feel they have a right to be there. I myself would be doing that kind of riding if I were capable. (I just do easier rides.) But I am also glad there are trails where they aren't allowed, such as in national parks.

Anyway, I really like Little Bear Trail. 5 stars!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mexican Elderberry

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ Gear

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

_____________________

There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.

1 archive

Sep 15 2018

Nightstalker

Routes 189
Photos 7,244
Triplogs 1,742

57 male

Joined Apr 25 2011
Goodyear, AZ

Little Bear Loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 15 2018
		Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,742

Hiking	9.00 Miles	1,444 AEG

Hiking	9.00 Miles	4 Hrs 31 Mns		2.73 mph
	1,444 ft AEG	1 Hour 13 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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Gallydoll

SCA

Did a loop starting at Schultz Tank east on Little Elden to Little Bear and returning on Sunset. Took a little detour to peak 8843, great views into the burn area and well worth the trip.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gallydoll Pose

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

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Jul 21 2018

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Christmas Tree Trail #160

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jul 21 2018
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	18.00 Miles	3,000 AEG

Hiking	18.00 Miles	8 Hrs	2.25 mph
	3,000 ft AEG

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Elden Lookout Trail #4

Fatmans Loop Trail #25

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_____________________

Aug 19 2017

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,798
Photos 14,514
Triplogs 5,895

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Dry Lake Hills Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 19 2017
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,895

Hiking	16.86 Miles	2,658 AEG

Hiking	16.86 Miles	8 Hrs 48 Mns		2.42 mph
	2,658 ft AEG	1 Hour 50 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

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Rocky Ridge Trail #153

Oldham Trail #1

Brookbank Trail #2

Schultz Creek Trail #152

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The_Eagle

Tortoise_Hiker

This typically easy for me hike was among my most difficult, in the end it was among the most rewarding.

2.9 mi on Rocky Ridge Trail #153
Appropriately named compared to other tails in the area. I'd imagine some mountain bikers enjoy the course as the rocks have a firm hold making it more fun than irritating.

left 0.25 mi on Oldham Trail #1

left 3.5 mi on Brookbank Trail #2
Immediately climbs up into the Dry Lake Hills. The only good ascent picking up 700 ft in 1.25 mi. Lots of courteous mountain bikers passed by announcing their presence and the number remaining in their group.

right 0.35 mi on Sunset Trail #23 - Flagstaff
Pines thinned for this short 200 ft descent. Passed several runners throughout the day. Two chicks at the top of this trail got our attention minutes after passing. We realized how impressive their pace was considering they just topped out a 200 ft ascent.

left 3.55 mi for the entire Little Bear Trail #112
Dense pines returned. Then they thin before what looks like a monster descent. Views of NE Flagstaff are scenic, especially now with fields of yellow wildflowers.

I deemed this trail the "find" of the day 1.55 mi in, the next 3 miles slapped back hard. The monster descent joke was on us. This trail drops 1,118 feet in the subtle fashion. There was no quick drop. The grade is steady throughout. Most will enjoy, the dragged out switchbacks were just wearing on me.

Anyone that has hiked with me knows I can whine like no other. This slow down grade just wasn't pumping blood thus amplifying every ache along with lack of sleep. B & D absorbed more of my nonsense than any human should fall victim.

left 4.9 mi on Little Elden Trail #69
Bruce thought this would be a 500 ft ascent to Schultz Tank. It turned out to be a ridiculously subtle 350 ft. In all fairness these trails are designed for mountain bikers and ascending period was better than slow descending.

I mentioned earlier our friendly mountain bikers would give way to afternoon riders. Less announced their approach, none notified group number remaining and their speed was blazing at times. No issues, we're friendly aware hikers. Just pointing out morning nets better results in my experiences when hiking popular mountain bike areas.

continue 4.2 mi / -920 ft for the entire Schultz Creek Trail #152
This is a cool trail weaving next to the dry creek and nearby road. Pines provide shade throughout.

Synopsis
Bruce knew I needed an easy course. As much as it dragged out and amplified various pains the net result was monumental. After the hike my left fist which had been clenching for months is now sometimes at ease. I can move my fingers outward for the first time. Albeit ever so slow, this new hope is a lot to take in. Huge thanks to B & D for putting up with the world's biggest baby. They monitor me, the footing, among other tasks helping me sit, stand and the constant struggle with my pack.

One improvement on hydration was a success. I have an idea that should put pack stress to rest and we believe a little change in nutrition will make it easier too.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Throwing a Wendy

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
Substantial in areas with an excellent variety. Extreme fields of yellow looking down at NE Flagstaff.

Schultz Creek

Dry

	Schultz Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	near full

_____________________

- joe

Aug 19 2017

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,627
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,763

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Dry Lake Hills Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 19 2017
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,763

Hiking	17.21 Miles	2,652 AEG

Hiking	17.21 Miles	8 Hrs 48 Mns	2.38 mph
	2,652 ft AEG	1 Hour 35 Mns Break

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Rocky Ridge Trail #153

Oldham Trail #1

Brookbank Trail #2

Schultz Creek Trail #152

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joebartels

Tortoise_Hiker

Up to the High country to enjoy the Temps.
53 degrees to start, mid 70's most of the day, hitting the low 80's in the exposed sections

Along the Rocky Ridge #153 trail there has been a lot of thinning going on. This trail roller coasters up to the Lower Oldham Trail, that we were on for just a stones throw.

Brookbank #2 climbs to the NW, affording good views of Mt Elden. Once you get up around peak 8747, the views open up to "The Peaks". On the Sunset #23 Trail for a snippet of time, we made our way over to the Little Bear #112.

This was my first time on Little Bear #112 and it had some big pluses and minuses. It goes through the old burn area, so you loose the trees. For me at the top, this was actually a plus. The views are huge as the trail follows on the side of the mountain. There of signs of reforestation, with scads of cone protected, 18" tall pine saplings planted everywhere. This trail drops almost 900', taking more than 3.5 miles, through exhausting switchbacks. I say exhausting, because the JBM was in full force once again.

The Little Elden Trail #69 / AZT, is a pleasant trail making its way up to Schultz Tank and the Sunset TH. We passed Thelma and Louise on Horseback.

The Schultz Creek #152 Trail is a gentle downward grade, in the pines, taking us back to the truck. We saw 5+ elk on the way down.

I couldn't count the number of mountain bikers we saw on this hike. They were out in full Fource...

The phrase that pays, two weeks in a row.
"What I meant to say was, Thanks"

Did we have a good time,
There's no Talon.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Nodding Thistle

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Red Tachinid Fly

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
Substantial in pockets. there was a cornucopia of color.

	Schultz Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Appeared close to full.

_____________________

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

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Aug 19 2017

Tortoise_Hiker

Guides 1
Routes 148
Photos 9,928
Triplogs 3,655

63 male

Joined Apr 02 2005
Mesa, AZ

Dry Lake Hills Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 19 2017
		Tortoise_Hiker • Triplogs 3,655

Hiking	17.21 Miles	2,652 AEG

Hiking	17.21 Miles	8 Hrs 48 Mns	2.38 mph
	2,652 ft AEG	1 Hour 35 Mns Break

no routes

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Rocky Ridge Trail #153

Brookbank Trail #2

Schultz Creek Trail #152

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joebartels

The_Eagle

Another nice outing with Bruce and Joe. Thanks gentlemen. Like Haz, you rock!

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Schultz Tank

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

Tortoise Hiking. Stop and smell the Petrichor.

Mar 21 2016

flagscott

Guides 1
Routes 1
Triplogs 22

male

Joined Jan 03 2016
Flagstaff, AZ

Big Elden Loop, AZ

Hiking		Mar 21 2016
		flagscott • Triplogs 22

Hiking	1.00 Miles	2,400 AEG

Hiking	1.00 Miles
	2,400 ft AEG

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7 linked trail guides

Fatmans Loop Trail #25

Christmas Tree Trail #160

Elden Lookout Trail #4

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We did a nice long loop of sorts around Mt. Elden (no idea how long--we don't really care). I'll just summarize conditions by trail:

Elden Lookout - Nice and dry; almost no snow except two small patches. Feel free to hike in your dress shoes, flip-flops, or blue suede shoes if you want.

Sunset Trail - There is still lots of snow between the intersection of the Elden Lookout Trail and the road. We road walked from the top of the mountain and picked up the trail on the snow-free ridge to the west. Once you enter the trees, there is patchy snow for a few miles, and then the last mile or so to Schultz Tank is almost continuous snow. No trouble with navigation or walking. Snow was solid in the morning, posthole-y (is that a word?) in the afternoon.

Little Elden Trail between Schultz Tank and Little Bear trail: lots of snow, mostly solid.

Little Bear Trail: So, there are signs at either end saying you may encounter blowdowns and washed out trail. Hiking up from the bottom, we only saw a few blowdowns, and they were no problem. The real trouble was that the upper end of the trail is still completely snow covered in a few places on very steep slopes. We bypassed the first obstacle by going down into a gully. The second snow-covered slope was steeper and much longer. We decided that the easiest thing to do was go off trail, straight up the ridge and pick up the Sunset Trail north of the intersection with the Little Bear. Not easy but not too challenging. If anyone is thinking of doing this trail--wait a few more weeks for the snow to melt! (A quick rant: it's been 6 years since the Schultz fire, and the Forest Service still hasn't finished rehabilitating this trail! Unacceptable!)

Heart Trail/Christmas Tree Trail: nice and dry. We got a good look at a northern pygmy-owl on the way down.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Saw a few phlox on the Heart Trail. Way, way more butterflies than flowers are out now! The early spring here has thrown off the butterflies' timing (thanks, climate change).

	Schultz Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Quite full. Actually looked pretty clean.

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Jul 10 2009

Jim

Guides 73
Routes 176
Photos 10,174
Triplogs 2,324

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jul 10 2009
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	7.20 Miles	950 AEG

Hiking	7.20 Miles	3 Hrs 20 Mns	2.16 mph
	950 ft AEG

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Went back out with my local friend to do the mirror image loop of Wednesdays hike. Today we did a Sunset-Little Bear- Little Elden Springs loop. It was really nice again, and the weather stayed dry for one more day. It really is a shame the FS never did any burns in the area, or any follow up burns from the one they did 3 decades ago that prompted them to post 2 signs talking about prescribed fire and how they planned to conduct more in the area. There are lots of large old trees over dense grass for a good part of the hike. Now, because they haven't burned in 30 years and the wet conditions of the 1980s, there are tons of young trees filling in lots of the open space. With out management this area will eventually look just like the crappy forests that are everywhere else around here: dense dogs hair thickets with dead and dying old growth trees. Its not uniformly bad, and there are still nice open areas, but there are plenty of areas that are headed down the path, especially along the Little Elden.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Fescue Bracken Fern

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

_____________________

Aug 01 2006

redwing

Photos 5
Triplogs 93

59 male

Joined Nov 22 2004
casa grande az

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Aug 01 2006
		redwing • Triplogs 93

Hiking	9.30 Miles	1,080 AEG

Hiking	9.30 Miles	3 Hrs 53 Mns	2.39 mph
	1,080 ft AEG

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Included this trail in a pleasant moderate loop hike on the north side of the Mount Elden trail system. Began from the Little Elden Trailhead. Hiked on the Little Elden to the Little Bear up to the Sunset Trail. Up and mostly down the Sunset to Schultz Tank and back to the trailhead on the Little Elden. There is a very good mixture of aspen, fir, oak, and pine trees along the whole route. There are also a few good views and scenic meadows to make it interesting. My favorite part was the upper Little Bear and the first part of the Sunset that I hiked. Ran into three mountain bikers and one horseback rider along the way but no other hikers. A little overcast at first but it turned into a beautiful day to be outside in Flagstaff.

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Sep 29 2005

Photos 317
Triplogs 493

60 male

Joined Sep 17 2004
Tempe, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Sep 29 2005
		az420dude • Triplogs 493

Hiking	9.10 Miles	1,080 AEG

Hiking	9.10 Miles	3 Hrs 15 Mns	2.80 mph
	1,080 ft AEG

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Good job by the forest service clearing the trail.

Colors are a little ways off. Everything should be golden in around 10 days.

Did the loop via Schultz Tank.

-peace

_____________________

May 13 2005

Photos 317
Triplogs 493

60 male

Joined Sep 17 2004
Tempe, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		May 13 2005
		az420dude • Triplogs 493

Hiking	12.00 Miles	1,080 AEG

Hiking	12.00 Miles	4 Hrs 30 Mns	2.67 mph
	1,080 ft AEG

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Little Bear is probably one of the best kept secrets in Flag. Its a great alternative to the top of Elden. (Lookout Tower).

Lots of snow still in spots (east facing shade areas had up to 3 feet!) This is a popular mountain bike trail and be advised - lots of fallen trees blocking through out the trail. It will need some TLC after a very wet winter.

Did the 12 mile loop that connects the Little Elden, Little Bear, Sunset & The Heart. Didn't see a soul!

-peace

_____________________

Oct 04 2004

Photos 317
Triplogs 493

60 male

Joined Sep 17 2004
Tempe, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Oct 04 2004
		az420dude • Triplogs 493

Hiking	11.00 Miles	1,080 AEG

Hiking	11.00 Miles	4 Hrs 30 Mns	2.44 mph
	1,080 ft AEG

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ok....told myself I'd do this trail again in the fall - and glad I did. I also discovered my new favorite "loop" to do in Flag.

Begin at the Horsecamp T.H. (7400') then catch The Little Elden for 0.6 miles then hop on the Little Bear for 3.4 miles (oh, at 8330' there is a kickass place to chill over looking Doney Park) then the trail ends at The Sunset - hop on that and take that till it ends to the Heart Trail(0.

At this point you can turn back or go all the way up to Elden Lookout. (another 3.5 miles round trip)

On the return take the Sunset past Schultz Tank to the Little Elden Trail then back to the Horesecamp T.H. Total distance is 10.7 miles w/ an 1600' gain in about 4.5 hours.

The time is now - end of Oct. - The colors are awesome!

-Peace

_____________________

Sep 10 2004

Photos 317
Triplogs 493

60 male

Joined Sep 17 2004
Tempe, AZ