big man tips

RECTOR CONNECTOR The Rector Connector opened in January 2018. Silverleaf nightshade grows in sunny spots on the trail. Scenic spot on Rector Connector. A new trail has debuted in a hub of Red Rock Country old standards.   Lodged in the middle of the Big Park Trails system just north of the Village of Oak Creek, the Rector Connector fills a void in the loop-centric routes that orbit iconic Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte.   Rector Connector spins off Courthouse Butte Loop. For years, trail users who were unhappy that the Coconino National Forest trails went around, but not between the massive rock formations along State Route 179 had been blazing their own routes creating unsustainable, dangerous paths that damaged the sensitive environment.   View of Bell Rock from Rector Connector. In January 2018, Friends of the Forest�a non-profit Sedona organization that promotes stewardship of area public lands through financial and volunteer labor support --under the tutelage of the ...

ABINEAU-BEAR JAW LOOP Aspens line Waterline Road on Abineau-Bear Jaw Loop. With fall foliage season right around the corner, I�m already feeling the tug of the Abineau-Bear Jaw Trail.   Its location high on the north flanks of Flagstaff�s San Francisco Mountain means it�s one of the first places to show Autumn color.   Anxious hikers who can manage the rugged, 1,870-foot, thin-air climb in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness can get a jump start on aspen overload. San Francisco Peaks seen from Abineau Canyon. Aspens abound on the Abineau-Bear Jaw Loop A short access path leads to a junction where the loop begins. You can go either way, but using the Abineau Canyon leg for the uphill climb affords the best views of the peaks without having to stop and turn around all the time. Aspen color peaks early in Abineau Canyon Abineau Canyon's deep woods. View from the top of Abineau Canyon. Damp and chilly, the moss-laced mixed conifer woodlands of Abineau Canyon is reminiscent of the alpine...

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...

ROGERS TRAIL Rogers Lake Natural Area Southwest of Flagstaff, two recreation areas with divergent personalities are now linked.   The recently completed 5.4-mile Rogers Trail tethers the event-centric, party atmosphere of Fort Tuthill County Park with the subdued wilds of Rogers Lake Natural Area. Switchbacks on Rogers Trail The non-motorized, flowy trail that straddles the open space between the two Coconino County properties has several access points and many opportunities to create short day hikes, long loops or car shuttle excursions.   A bee harvests nectar from Butter and Eggs One convenient out-and-back circuit begins at a trailhead on Forest Road 532.   From the roomy dirt parking lot, pick up the Flagstaff Loop Trail heading west and follow it 0.9-mile to the beginning of Rogers Trail.   Roughly paralleling Woody Mountain Road, the meandering, single track holds steady at around 7100 feet, sweeping easily through wildflower meadows, and shady glens.   T...

PIVOT ROCK CANYON & WILDCAT SPRING Iconic Pivot Rock is the hike's keystone. Lodged between the epic wilderness areas of West Clear Creek and Fossil Creek, the woodlands around Pivot Rock Canyon provide a quiet transition between the two recreational juggernauts.   Although it lacks the deep gorges, waterfalls and hiking challenge of its surrounding destinations, the unassuming little space on the Mogollon Rim holds fascinations of its own.   Limestone slabs in Pivot Rock Canyon Easily accessible off State Route 87 just south of the community of Clints Well, the area can be explored using a 1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps campsite as a base. From the no-frills dirt clearing, two short treks with distinct flavors head out in opposite directions.   Butterflies congregate near the springs. The woodsy, informal routes located just outside of the wilderness boundaries use abandoned roads and footpaths to explore an array of human artifacts and bizarre geology. Often ...