Overland Road Historic Trail • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

[ checklist ] Historical Marker Miscellaneous Survey Marker

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It was the third day of an eight day camping trip to the rim area west of the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. On this day I decided to go check out Bear Canyon starting at Bear Springs. I drove from my camp at the soon-to-be-location of the Spring 2017 HAZFest on FR110 then south on State Route 73 where I exited on FR175 to take the Bear Springs Rd (FR180) to the spring. FR180 had a road closed sign which I confirmed by checking the S Kaibab MVUM so parked the car and started hiking the 1.7 miles to Bear Springs. There were large rock cairns spaced at intervals along the road which only mildly puzzled me until I noticed on my GPS map that the road was following the course of the old Overland Road Historic Trail. The trail diverged from the road before it got to Bear Springs but I decided to explore the divergent section of the trail on my way back from exploring Bear Canyon. The linked Overland Road Historic Trail description has a short history of that road which once connected the Flagstaff area with Prescott.

Bear Spring had a small flow of water connecting a number of pools upstream from where the road crosses the creek. Downstream from the road the canyon becomes deeper with cliff walls on each side. I chose to hike along the canyon rim rather than attempt to follow the canyon bottom. That worked out well because there were good views down in to the canyon and did not require down climbing water falls. The bottom of the canyon had small pools of water scattered along its length. I followed the canyon for about a half mile before turning back.

On the way back I headed off road to find the Overland Rd trail where the map showed it crossing an un-named side canyon. The map had the crossing location misplaced by about 500 yds and it took some wandering around to find it. But once I found one of the large rock cairns marking its location it was easy to follow the closely spaced cairns marking the trail. I followed the trail of cairns until it converged with the trail on the map and then turned around to follow it back to my car. Either the old road bed has disappeared in this area or the string of cairns do not accurately follow its path. I expected to see cuts in the hillside where the old road had descended into the canyon and back up the other side but could not find a trace. It was a pleasant but warm hike back to my car while I pondered what it must have been like to drive a freight wagon with a team of horses over the Overland Rd back in the late 1860s.

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[ checklist ] Bear Springs

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Mar 11 2017

arizona_water

Guides 9
Routes 118
Photos 1,079
Triplogs 118

35 male

Joined Mar 06 2016
Salt River Valle

Paradise Forks, AZ

Hiking		Mar 11 2017
		arizona_water • Triplogs 118

Hiking	1.00 Miles	237 AEG

Hiking	1.00 Miles
	237 ft AEG

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Spring runoff goes a long way in northern AZ...before it hits those alluvial basins in central AZ ;)
I was really happy to see this area flowing for the first time. We spent some time relaxing and listening to the sound of the water. There was only one other group the whole time we were here, on a Saturday!

Willow Spring

Gallon + per minute

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

2 archives

Jun 18 2016

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

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Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jun 18 2016
		John9L • Triplogs 1,647

Hiking	11.41 Miles	1,311 AEG

Hiking	11.41 Miles
	1,311 ft AEG

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clairebear

Claire and I headed up to Flagstaff for a night and started with the Sycamore Rim Loop hike. We parked on the northeast side of the loop and started with climb up KA Hill. It was a warm and sunny day as we made the climb. After we topped out it was smooth sailing as we descended towards Pomeroy Tanks which proved to be a really cool area with several pools of water. We continued on and reached the start of the canyon which is really cool. We took a variety of pics and took a break as we hiked along the rim. The views are nice and it’s very easy hiking. We eventually turned away from the canyon and headed north and made our return to the jeep at our trailhead. This was a really nice hike and we were off to a good start. Afterward we headed over to Williams for beers and lunch.

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Jun 18 2016

clairebear

Photos 188
Triplogs 163

43 female

Joined Oct 26 2011
Tempe, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jun 18 2016
		clairebear • Triplogs 163

Hiking	11.41 Miles	1,311 AEG

Hiking	11.41 Miles
	1,311 ft AEG

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John9L

Cool area. ~I had been here before to the area known in the climbing community as Paradise Forks. This is a circumference hike with good views of the climbing area. Along the hike we stopped to watched some trad climbers in Sycamore Canyon( Paradise Forks) below us from the trail.

This is a fun loop. Great views that range from pine forest, canyon walls, pools of water and other such nature that one finds in Northern Arizona.

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Sep 07 2014

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Sep 07 2014
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	11.49 Miles	1,268 AEG

Hiking	11.49 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	3.11 mph
	1,268 ft AEG	1 Hour 33 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] HAZ - Hike HAZard Informational/Interpretive Sign Railroad Right-of-Way

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FOTG

Sunday we took a lazy start to the day before heading over to the east trailhead for the Sycamore Rim Loop trail.

We started by climbing KA hill, and promptly lost the trail on the north/west descent due to an incredible amount of elk use. I've never seen so much destruction. Not even from cattle. The poo was fresh and pungent, and the use trails were everywhere. This had to be the result of one of those huge elk herds that roam the prairies up here.

The tanks in Isham Spring canyon were a nice surprise as was the Pomeroy Tanks area and the impressive (though dry) Sycamore Falls. That would be a sight to see running, though I imagine it is quite rare.

The miles across the rim were a bit warm as the 80% chance of rain was nowhere near close to happening. It was 80% sunny all day long. Which was nice in a way, but we were prepared to be hiking in the rain that ended up hitting Phoenix 12 hours later. It's the first time I've had rain pants in my pack on a simple dayhike as nice and warm as this one!

The hike got a little tedious and I was ready to be done when the ruins of the old sawmill site, railroad, and Overland Trail near the end offered a little bit of interest to get me back to the truck.

This is a nice trail with lots of trailhead options. It makes it a versatile option for people of any hiking ability or skill level.

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[ checklist ] Agassiz Peak Garland Prairie Humphreys Peak Isham Spring Canyon Kendrick Peak Pomeroy Tanks San Francisco Mountains - Kachina Peaks Wilderness Sitgreaves Mountain Sycamore Canyon Wilderness

	Dow Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Didn't see the actual source of the spring. The entire valley is full of water.

	Isham Spring Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	No real flow, but huge, deep, clear pools exist here. The small fish indicate this is a perennial source of water.

	L O Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Didn't see the source of the spring. The entire valley is full of water.

	Pomeroy Tanks	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Tons of water here. This is a perennial source of water.

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May 18 2014

azbackpackr

Guides 27
Routes 518
Photos 5,861
Triplogs 883

72 female

Joined Jan 21 2006
Eagar AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		May 18 2014
		azbackpackr • Triplogs 883

Hiking	2.59 Miles	500 AEG

Hiking	2.59 Miles	33 Mns	5.18 mph
	500 ft AEG	3 Mns Break

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Note: Miles and AEG don't agree with my GPS route due to combining two hikes. Okay, I thought I was on the Sycamore Rim Trail. I don't find that here on the HAZ list. I find Overland Road Historic Trail and Sycamore Canyon Rim Loop. Take your pick. We went to Sycamore Falls. There's no water in them, duh. But they would be pretty spectacular if there was water. The canyon is spectacular anyway. We also stopped at another trailhead and hiked, so I am going to add in the miles for that, but I forgot to save it in my GPS. We were looking for the trailhead to do a short walk to the falls, so we went back and drove down and found the correct trailhead.

Main thing is that I was wearing my new boots. After hiking a couple miles or so total my feet were fine in these boots. I will have to now do a 4 mile hike to see what happens. Maybe I can be a hiker again after all. I'll post photos later. I have time for a hike before I go to Grand Canyon today for my job. Yeah, life is tough.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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Nov 26 2010

ssk44

Guides 20
Routes 12
Photos 2,343
Triplogs 298

51 male

Joined Mar 31 2008
Gilbert, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

4x4 Trip		Nov 26 2010
		ssk44 • Triplogs 298

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Bear Spring Segment

Explored a short segment of the Overland Road during my visit to Bear Canyon. Saw some nice evidence of early Arizona history. I'm surprised at how much I found in a short amount of time. The area near Bear Spring must have been a key point along the route. Pretty cool!

:GB:

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[ checklist ] Pioneer Industry

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MATTHEW 11:28-30 / PSALM 84:1-2

Nov 26 2010

ssk44

Guides 20
Routes 12
Photos 2,343
Triplogs 298

51 male

Joined Mar 31 2008
Gilbert, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Canyoneering		Nov 26 2010
		ssk44 • Triplogs 298

Canyoneering	1.60 Miles	300 AEG

Canyoneering	1.60 Miles	2 Hrs	0.80 mph
	300 ft AEG

Basic Canyoneering - Scrambling; easy climbing/downclimbing; frequent hand use; rope recommended; easy exit

A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit

I - Short 1-2 hours

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Friday was my hike day while on our yearly Unit 8 elk hunt campout. It seems like someone always gets drawn within our group every year so the trip is almost guaranteed. I never truly had high expectations for this canyon. I've just always had a feeling that something good was down in there. Topo and Google Earth research was inconclusive, however I still had to satisfy my curiosity. The hike started out average at best. I was pleased to find that canyon flow from Bear Spring was very good with numerous large pools. I rounded a corner about a 1/2 mile down from the trailhead and viewed the canyon immediately drop into a deep gorge with multiple drops. WOW!! I never imagined this was coming. I get so exited when I find an obscure hidden gem that few have experienced. Exploring has its perks.

The first waterfall, although steep and nasty had a manageable down climb route. The second waterfall dropped into a deep beautiful grotto with sheer cliffs and all sides. The lower grotto was stuffed with large oak trees. This setting would be sooo nice in the summer! Getting down this big waterfall was not an option without rope. There were zero safe bypass routes. I wanted down there so bad that I didn't care if it took me the rest of the day to find a way in. I backtracked to the first waterfall and scrambled up to the canyon rim. I began to look for a way in from above. The options were limited, however I spotted a manageable way down that was within my comfort zone. I noticed some skid marks in the ground from deer. If they can make down, so can I... Before reaching the canyon bottom, there was a lower bench with a nasty cliff that needed to be dealt with. The deer found a steep narrow notch between two cliff faces lined with spindly oak and mud that worked just fine. I was in!! I hiked and scrambled no more than about 200 yards up canyon and arrived at my destination. I just love this stuff! The setting was so special and the waterfall was a beautiful combination of running water and ice sickles. I had so much fun with the upper gorge that I didn't even bother to finish my hike into the lower canyon. My day was complete.

Bear Canyon likely has more to see. That will be saved for another day. I'm personally really looking forward to a summer revisit. Adding thick summer foliage should be irresistible. Not having to slip and slide down icy boulders and rock faces will be a welcome bonus also. Arizona has so much to offer. I love this state!

Warning: Do not drive to this trailhead after heavy rain or snowmelt without four-wheel drive! You might not make it out. I barely did...

Note: Following the primary canyon route is class 3, however with some ambition, most obstacles can be managed without rope and specialty equipment .

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MATTHEW 11:28-30 / PSALM 84:1-2

Jul 12 2008

Randal_Schulhauser

Guides 71
Routes 98
Photos 9,967
Triplogs 1,009

65 male

Joined May 14 2003
Ahwatukee, AZ