Frye Canyon #36

Because there are usually plenty of songbirds to watch along Frye Canyon Trail, and good views of both desert and mountain scenery to enjoy, it is one of the more popular trails on the Safford Ranger District. For much of its length the Frye Canyon Trail follows an old road bed along a gently sloping course through a pleasant riparian setting. Sycamores, cottonwoods, willows and other water-loving trees and shrubs hug the creek, while just beyond the area nourished by the stream’;s flow the bristling and brittle plants of the Sonoran desert hold sway. As you wander along you may occasionally lose the trail among the rocks; however, if you remember that the route basically follows the streambed and keep a watchful eye out for traces of a pathway, you can usually find it again rather easily. As the canyon steepens nearer the mountain, the trail crosses onto the ridge for the last few yards of climbing before it intersects the Round the Mountain Trail #302. A now abandoned ranger station named Inception was once located here and the area still retains that name on Forest recreation maps. The Ash Ridge Trail #327 also intersects the Frye Canyon Trail about two thirds of the way between the trailhead and the Round the Mountain junction. Both of these trails provide alternate access to Frye Canyon and possibilities for extended trips.