big man tips

PUMPHOUSE WASH TRAIL The north leg of the trail overlooks a sprawling marsh. Pumphouse Wash is a tributary gorge of Oak Creek Canyon that runs between Sedona and Flagstaff, roughly paralleling State Route 89A. The trail wanders through moist meadows. Its rugged, lower channels�that can be accessed from SR 89A just south of the switchbacks 12 miles north of Sedona �are popular destinations for backcountry hiking and technical canyoneering. From the looks of the tangled corridor�s boulder-choked base, vertical walls, slots and pools of dubious depths, it�s difficult to imagine that its headwaters are located 600 feet uphill in unassuming meadows around the tiny community of Kachina Village. Four O'Clock flowers are plentiful in summer. Located 9 miles south of Flagstaff off Interstate 17, the mountain hamlet is an idyllic residential area of log cabins, A-frame summer homes and a hub of nature trails in the Pumphouse Wash County Natural Area. The trail stays on the brown and out of t...

STAGE STATION LOOP Cow Tank on the Stage Station Loop Long before the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, Route 66 and ultimately, Interstate 40 drastically altered the travel corridors of Northern Arizona, a maze of backcountry dirt wagon roads south of Williams connected the town with surrounding communities. Although they�re no longer used as primary routes, the roads that remain now mostly lead to ranches and popular recreational sites. Ruins of an historic stage coach rest stop.  Stage Station Loop, a rough 4x4 road that spins off the Bill Williams Mountain Loop�a 30-mile scenic drive that�s also called Forest Road 108�gives a taste of what long distance travel was like back in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Natural water tanks near the stage station site. Kaibab National Forest calls it a bike route and its rutted, crooked course tests the skills of Jeep enthusiasts, but the shady trail that follows old Forest Road 41 also makes for a moderately challenging hike with s...

ANT HILL LOOP A shady spot on the Ant Hill Loop Trail For a few precious days each summer, monsoon rains cool the air just enough to make hiking in Sedona bearable.   A slick rock bend on Ant Hill Loop Although sweltering temperatures rarely scare determined hikers away from Red Rock Country trails, the exposed, stony terrain of the high-desert trekking hub amplifies heat, making for an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous journey.   After a good monsoon soaking, though, lingering moisture offers brief respite. Newborn frogs emerge from a monsoon puddle. Summer is also an ideal time to try some of Sedona�s shorter, lesser-used trails.   The Ant Hill Loop resides in a shady pocket south of the hyper-popular Soldier Pass-Brins Mesa route  that features a set of famous natural arches, the Seven Sacred Pools and Devils Kitchen sinkhole.   Desert frogs & toads grow from eggs to fledglings in days With nearby attractions like those diverting traffic, it�s likel...

LAND OF THE PIONEERS This box canyon is a highlight along the north leg of the trail. The bucolic pastures and quiet backwoods of Vernon, Arizona--population 122--is the last place you�d expect to be the scene of a vile triple homicide. It happened, though and the sad story is standard fare in local lore. Ruins of a pioneer homestead. Pioneers began settling the rural community in the eastern White Mountains in the 1890s, making a living on the surrounding lumber-rich forests.   The ruins of an infamous pioneer cabin. Legend has it that among the early pioneers were three women who lived in a log cabin just south of town. Section 31 Tank attracts swarms of dragonflies. Back-fence chatter about the women hiding a large amount of money on their property eventually reached the ears of criminals.   The women were murdered and their homestead ransacked. No riches were found.   Today, all that remains of the tragic scene are crumbling stone foundations and piles of rusty-nail p...