big man tips

LaBARGE NARROWS LaBarge Narrows in the Supes. Hike begins near Canyon Lake. LaBarge Creek route. Not for the novice hiker, this combination hike and cross-county exploration leads to a breathtaking, secluded box canyon with that harbors a cloistered riparian ecosystem in the Superstition Wilderness near Canyon Lake. Hiker at the base of Narrows walls. The adventure follows Boulder Canyon Trail #103 along a desert ridge above Canyon Lake Marina before making a steep descent to where LaBarge Creek flows across the trail at the 2.9-mile point. LaBarge Creek terrain. Boulder Trail crosses the stream and veers right, but to get to the box canyon, leave the trail, veer left and follow the creek bed heading southeast. (Note: this route may be impassible after heavy rains.) From this point on, the hike is a cross-country boulder scramble. Heading down Boulder Trail. Do not attempt this hike if you are not in shape or lack basic route-finding skills.   Battleship Mtn. flanks the rough rout...

COLONEL DEVIN TRAIL #290 View from near the top of Col. Devin Trail. For casual travelers, the East Verde River is synonymous with water play destinations along Houston Mesa Road north of Payson. The Water Wheel, First, Second and Third Crossing recreation sites offer walk-up access to the canyon-bound water course. The trail ascends through the E. Verde River watershed. A tributary of the mighty Verde River, the slim waterway begins as trickling springs that emanate from rugged escarpments below the Mogollon Rim. Boxelder trees thrive along the E. Verde River. Bigtooth maple leafs float in the E. Verde River The river�s enchanting watershed area can be explored by way of the Colonel Devin Trail #290 that follows its course from Washington Park to the springs that feed it. Named for Colonel Thomas C. Devin who used the route for military endeavors in the 1880s, the dirt trail that alternates between a rutted two track and slender path also makes up the last two miles of Highline Passag...

THE BACK ROADS TO POTATO LAKE Thistles around Potato Lake attract pollinators. Whether called crayfish, crawfish, crawdads or aquatic cockroaches, there are two sure things about the prolific freshwater crustaceans--they harm native species and they love bacon. With few natural agents to control them, the population of non-native crayfish released into Arizona lakes and streams via bait bucket dumps or other means, has exploded. Potato Lake is surrounded by pine forests. Their voracious appetites and territory-hogging talents are decimating indigenous aquatic wildlife. They consume the eggs and larvae of native fish, amphibians and reptiles and gobble up critical food supplies. Invasive crayfish threaten native species. Plus, their nearly year-round reproductive cycle means they can commandeer a waterhole in no time flat. They need to go. Forest Road 9362T serves as the trail. The best way to help eradicate them is to prevent their introduction in the first place. The second-best way i...

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 ...