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| Hiking | 2.35 Miles |
1,178 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.35 Miles | 1 Hour 40 Mns | | 1.41 mph |
| 1,178 ft AEG | | 10 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Based on other triplogs, there seems to be quite a discrepancy of the true elevation gain. For me, I use Trimble Backpacker with GPS and it gave me an elevation gain of 1178, which seems to be very similar to a recent log but far different than others. Go figure.
Regardless, it was a beautiful clear day of 80 degrees and as most have previously mentioned, I was the only one on the trail. I did not see any wildlife today, though the cicadas were out in full force (no doubt because of the light rain we had here in Flagstaff yesterday). In all, it was a great hike on a Sunday afternoon, not overly challenging but the panoramic views were well worth the trip.
FR191 to the trailhead is passable with a car, but there are a few spots to be overly cautious around if you do not have high clearance. One note though - it was previously noted that the turnoff to FR191 is exactly 20 miles from Snowbowl Road. It is not. It is just under 18.9 miles, so if you go 20 miles you will be just about to Red Mountain. The best recommendation is to reset your trip right at Snowbowl Road, and when you hit 18.6 mile or so you should see a clearing ahead from the trees you have driven through. FR191 is immediately to the left at the end of the trees and at the beginning of the clearing. If you miss it, there is another FR about 1/4 up the road you can turn around. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
We arrived at the Bill Williams trail about 7am and it was nice and cool out. There were no clouds in the sky but the hike through the trees was completely shaded. We stopped to visit Mark in the tower. Mark has been on HAZ and expressed some interest in Cactus to Clouds after some trail talk. We passed several people on the hike down and it had started to warm up at the bottom. Next Denny drove over to the Red Mountain trail while I relaxed. 
It was warm at the start but shortly after the start clouds moved in and the hike was nice. Denny and I explored the rock formations before turning back. There was talk of a future summit attempt but nothing planned. Next it was on to Slate Mountain to complete the turkey. (not the one who didn't show) 
The drive in was slow in the car as Denny avoided the mud holes and rocks. Once at the trailhead I could hear thunder claps in the distance. We proceeded up the trail but kept watch of the sky. The trail is well groomed and the slope is gradual so you can maintain a good pace. There are flora labels along the way but some of the plants have seen better days. The summit was windy and we didn't stay long with possible thunder storms around. On the hike down (& up) we noticed a section that we could smell smoke and the air felt warm but could see no sign of fire? We finished the hike and got back on the road. While Denny was driving down I17 we saw a HAZ sticker on an SUV. I said it looked like Kyle's ride but wasn't sure. We caught up in the rain caused traffic slow down and made contact. A good day hiking in northern AZ. Thanks for driving Denny.
