big man tips

BOYLE-DeBUSK OPEN SPACE PRESERVE Prescott One of three primary trails in the preserve If you weren�t looking for it, you�d probably zip right past this miniscule hiking destination tucked amid the suburbs 1.5 miles south of downtown Prescott. The Boyle-DeBusk Open Space Preserve is a project of the Central Arizona Land Trust, a non-profit corporation dedicated to protecting sensitive western landscapes. The property was donated to the City of Prescott in 2003 and is now part of the city�s public open space holdings. Canyon grapes grow wild in the preserve's riparian zone  Located in the space between expansive national forest land and a community with tin roof cabins and porches decorated with wood-whittled critters, the 9.7-acre natural area has been enhanced with hiking trails that explore its ecologically diverse terrain.   Three primary trails---DeBusk, Boyle and Talcott�wander through a woodsy mix of pine, oak and juniper trees that provide shade along much of the intert...

WALNUT CANYON TRAIL Walnut Canyon Trail Flagstaff�s Walnut Canyon, which splits the landscape southeast of town, is the work of an ancient river that carved its way through dolomite-rich limestone and sandstone.   The geological wonder is rife with history and recreational opportunities. Think prehistoric Sinagua dwellings at Walnut Canyon National Monument, that grueling staircase, hikes along the rim and a scenic passage of the Arizona Trail. As if these attractions weren�t enough, there�s another place tucked into a tributary at the canyon�s western edge that explores its wilder side. To get to this surprisingly green destination, begin on the popular Sandys Canyon Trail, hike two miles through the wide, pine-fringed valley to the equestrian bypass post and veer right heading toward a hub of signs and activity where the Arizona Trail branches into various options for hiking and riding through or around Flagstaff. Petrified sand dunes on Walnut Canyon Trail Just around a bend, fi...

MILK RANCH POINT Pine-Strawberry  Highline Trail Back in the 1880s, Rial Allen ran cattle along the East Verde River and operated a dairy on Milk Ranch Point. The Mormon settler, who was also a founder of the town of Pine, produced cheese, butter and milk for the locals and crews working on the Atlantic & Pacific railroad. The Allen family left the area in 1891 and today, there�s nary a trace of the dairy that helped sustain waves of hardy pioneers who came to establish communities in the Tonto Basin. Milk Ranch Point promontory, which hovers above the hamlets of Pine-Strawberry, is part of the Mogollon Rim, a 200-mile uplifted shelf that marks the division of the Colorado Plateau and Arizona�s Basin and Range zone. The imposing geological feature is a scaffold of pine and fossiliferous sediments squeezed into fractured vertical cliffs that rise to over 7000 feet. There are two popular ways to get to the wind-ravaged peninsula---the hard way and the harder way.   With a ve...

THOMAS POINT TRAIL #142 Oak Creek Canyon viewed from Thomas Point Trail West Fork, West Fork, West Fork!   Like a beleaguered middle sister who covets the attention lavished upon her prettier sibling, Thomas Point Trail suffers in uncelebrated fabulousness.   Both routes share Sedona's Call of the Canyon trailhead, so why is one so precious and the other not so much?   It�s probably because Sedona�s dramatic West Fork Trail, is the glitter-dusted flying unicorn whereas Thomas Point Trail is more like a pack horse hauling an apple cart.   But if you appreciate the kind of trek that holds its treasures in remote, thorny places-- this is your trail. The lower part of the trail runs through pine-oak woodlands Back in the days before the completion of State Route 89A and Interstate 17, the journey between Flagstaff and Sedona was made on ridiculously steep and precarious routes like Thomas Point Trail. The aggressively vertical path is one of four that climb to the top of...

MUD TANK TRAIL, BRAD'S TRAIL & FROG TANK LOOP Munds Park Trail System Mud Tank Just off Interstate 17 a few miles south of Flagstaff, a mix of Coconino National Forest roads and footpaths have been adopted by the Munds Park Trail Stewards-- a non-profit organization that maintains and builds recreational routes around the mountain community. The Munds Park Trail System offers a varied menu of both ATV and hiker options enhanced with a plethora of eye candy and points of interest. Typical scene on the Mud Tank Trail The Iron Springs Trailhead serves as the system�s nerve center with a map kiosk showing an overview of the entire matrix as well as providing a launch point for the Mud Tank Trail, Brad�s Trail and Frog Tank Loop. A good way to get warmed up before exploring the system�s longer routes is to step out on the Mud Tank Trail.   This effortless walk among Ponderosa pines is open to hikers, bikers and equestrians and culminates at a stock pond. The watering hole is a quiet...

NASH POINT Coconino National Forest. Hikers approach the Calf Pen Canyon overlook Forest Service road maps can burn the eyeballs. Black tentacles sprawled across paper maps or smart devise screens bearing nondescript numbers and letters give clues about road conditions, where you can take a motorized vehicle and nearby towns and landmarks. But, where do the roads go? Why would a road end abruptly at no particular destination? The best way to find answers is to park and hoof it. Forest Road 9365R north of the town of Strawberry is a good one to try because its terminus-- marked only by an �X� on most maps-- is a memorable sight.   View from Nash Point Located on the Mogollon Rim just outside of Fossil Springs Wilderness Area, the road begins as a typical backwoods Jeep route. On a base of sandstone, smothered in a forest of Alligator junipers and Ponderosa pines, hikers pass through a pinecone cluttered corridor bolstered by massive rock slabs. At about a mile into the trek, the roa...

CORNVILLE NON-MOTORIZED TRAILS View of Mingus Mountain and Jerome from Backbone Trail Spanning the space Northeast of the Verde River between the communities of Bridgeport and Cornville is a system of trails that just got a shot in the arm. Although the trails have been around for awhile, a recent influx of grant dollars has helped fund new trailheads, signs and fresh trail construction. The Cornville Non-Motorized Trails project is being coordinated by Yavapai County and the Cornville Community Association in partnership with the Forest Service. The overall goal is to establish a 12-mile network of routes to link the two towns. The work-in-progress is coming together quickly and is now open to hiking, biking and equestrian use. New signs were installed in March 2017 The trails located between Zalesky and Tissaw Roads are mostly complete, signed and easy to follow. This segment of the system is anchored by the Backbone Trail which passes through a wash-riddled high desert with views o...