Backpacking

Backpacking Areas

• Alpine Ranger District

  *NOTICE*

  Many trails and dispersed camping areas across the Alpine Ranger District have been affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. Most areas are currently open to public use and entry, HOWEVER - Many trails and dispersed areas may not be maintained for hazards associated with the fire.  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

• Bear Wallow Wilderness

  *NOTICE*

  The Bear Wallow Wilderness was the origin point of, and has been severely affected by, the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry, HOWEVER - The trails may not yet been assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire.  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  The Bear Wallow Wilderness is home to some of the largest acreage of virgin ponderosa pine in the Southwest, venerable reminders of a once extensive forest of these giants. Along the length of the area, through a blanket of pine, fir, and spruce, Bear Wallow Creek flows year-round and is shaded by green riparian hardwoods during summer. The creek provides a habitat for the endangered Apache trout; anglers can try for other species in the creek and its north and south forks. Early explorers were impressed by the large number of well-used wallows, which revealed how plentiful the area's population of black bears was. Black bears still abound, and you may see elk, deer, and a diverse community of smaller mammals, birds, and reptiles. Wildflowers bloom in profusion, especially during the summer rains. Poison ivy is present and can be dangerously abundant in places.

  Five trails offer foot and horse access to Bear Wallow. The Reno Trail #62 (1.9 miles) and the Gobbler Point Trail #59 (2.9 miles) drop into the canyon of the creek from easily accessible trailheads on Forest Service roads. The Bear Wallow Trail # 63 follows the rocky stream bed 8.2 miles to the boundary of the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. The Schell Canyon Trail #316 (2.8 miles) connects the Bear Wallow Trail and the canyon floor to the Rose Spring Trail #309 (4.5 miles), which skirts the southern boundary along the precipitous Mogollon Rim, the southern edge of the vast Colorado Plateau. From atop the Mogollon Rim the views to the south are tremendous. Visitors to the San Carlos Reservation must have an advance permit. For information and permits, contact the San Carlos Tribal Office, Box O, San Carlos, AZ 85550. Recreational use of Bear Wallow is light. 

  Bear Wallow Wilderness is part of the 110 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. This System of lands provides clean air, water, and habitat critical for rare and endangered plants and animals. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities like hiking, backpacking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, horse packing, bird watching, stargazing, and extraordinary opportunities for solitude.
  You play an important role in helping to "secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness" as called for by the Congress of the United States through the Wilderness Act of 1964.
  Please follow the requirements outlined below and use Leave No Trace techniques when visiting the Bear Wallow Wilderness to ensure protection of this unique area.

  Leave No Trace

  1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
  2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
  3. Dispose of Waste Properly
  4. Leave What You Find
  5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
  6. Respect Wildlife
  7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

  For more information on Leave No Trace

• Bear Wallow Trail - # 63
• Gobbler Point Trail - # 59
• Reno Trail - # 62
• Rose Spring Trail - # 309
• Schell Canyon Trail - # 316
• Black River Mainstream Trail - # 61

  **NOTICE**

  The area where this trail is located has been affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  Below Buffalo Crossing, the Black River and the road part company as the stream begins to drop more steeply toward its confluence with the White River, deep within the Fort Apache and San Carlos Apache Indian Reservations.

   

  Click here for printable information and map.

  The river enters a large canyon here, and the streambed becomes more rocky with fewer pools and longer riffles. Forested slopes close in to narrow the streamside riparian zone and access becomes more limited.

  This area is popular with trout anglers trying to find better fishing along more remote stretches of the stream, but it also attracts other forest recreationists as well. The scenery is great and there is a good chance you will see some interesting wildlife, including black bears, which are relatively plentiful here.

   

  Drive south from Alpine 14.5 miles on Hwy. 191 to Forest Road (FR) 26 and turn right (west), then about 9.5 miles to FR 24. From this point you can turn left (southwest) about 1.5 miles to Bear Creek for that access route, or turn right (northwest) 3 miles to the trailhead across from the entrance to Buffalo Crossing Campground.

  From Buffalo Crossing, FR 25 continues west 12.8 miles to where you may access the trail at Wildcat Bridge.

  Notes: This section encompasses the East Fork below Buffalo Crossing and the mainstem of the river from the confluence of the east and west forks to the reservation boundary.

  Trail Log:

  • 0.0 Buffalo Crossing, trail heads downstream.
  • 5.0 Bear Creek confluence, junction with Bear Creek Trail (# 66).
  • 11.0 Centerfire Creek confluence.
  • 11.4 Junction with Fish Creek and Fish Creek Trail (# 60).
  • 12.9 Wildcat Bridge
  • 15.0 Junction with McKibbons Pond route.
  • 19.0 San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation Boundary.

  USGS Maps: Buffalo Crossing, Hannagan, Hoodoo

• Bear Creek Trail - # 66
• Blue Crossing Campground
• Blue Range Primitive Area - Alpine District Parcel

  

   

                                                   **NOTICE**

  The northwest portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area  has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry, HOWEVER -  trails may not yet been assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire.  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  In 1540, the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was the first European to travel through the area, and his journal writer described it as a huge trackless wilderness.  In 1825 Mountain man James Ohio Pattie visited the Blue Range trapping beaver and marveled at the number of clear running streams, the lush vegetation of the canyons, and the plentiful wildlife. In 1905 Forest Service Employee W.H.B. Kent described the Blue Range as “no discernible mountain range, but rather a chaotic mass of very precipitous hills”.

  In 1933 the Secretary of Agriculture proclaimed that the Blue Range should be managed for primitive uses to maintain the wildness of that area. In 1971, the President of the United States forwarded a recommendation for the Blue Range Wilderness in New Mexico and Arizona to Congress, who acted in 1980 on a portion of it, designating the Blue Range Wilderness in New Mexico. 

  The Blue Range Primitive Area is the last designated primitive area in the National Forest System. The Blue Range and the presidential recommendation additions together total 199,505 acres and by law are managed the same as congressionally designated wilderness.

  Located on the edge of the Mogollon Rim and the breaks of the Blue River, this is a land of rugged mountains, steep canyons, and stark ridges that is at the same time remote and accessible through an extensive trail system. Elevations range from 4,500 feet in the southern portion to 9,100 feet along the rim. This rapid change in elevation results in interesting and unique ecological associations.

• Blue Camp Trailhead

  Trailhead for Lanphier Trail (# 52), Largo Trail (# 51) as well as the lower end of the Foote Creek Trail (# 76). 

• Lanphier Trail - # 52
• Largo Trail - # 51
• S-Canyon Trail - # 53
• Blue Peak Trailhead

  **NOTICE**

  The Northwest portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area where this trailhead is located has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

• Blue Cabin Ruins Trail - # 321
• Blue Lookout Trail - # 71
• McKittrick Trail - # 72
• Blue River Trail - # 101
• Bonanza Bill Trailhead

  Trailhead for the Bonanza Bill Trail (# 23) and Tige Rim Trail (# 90), providing access into areas of the eastern Blue Range Primitive Area as well as the Blue Range Wilderness in New Mexico.

• Bonanza Bill Trail - # 23
• Tige Rim Trail - # 90
• Cow Flat Trail - # 55
• Franz Spring Trail - # 43
• Grant Creek Trail - # 75
• Hinkle Trail - # 30
• Horse Ridge Trailhead

  **NOTICE**

  The Northwest portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area where this trail is located has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  This is the trail head for the Horse Ridge Trail # 38, which joins with Foote Creek Trail # 76 at its terminus and access to throughout the northwestern Blue Range Primitive Area via links to Tutt Creek Trail # 105, Red Hill Trail # 56 and Grant Creek Trail # 75. See the web page for each of these trails for more information.

• Horse Ridge Trail - # 38
• KP Trail - # 70
• North Fork/KP Rim Trailhead

  **NOTICE**

  The Northwest portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area where this trail is located has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  Identified by signs along 191 indicating access to Trails # 93 and # 315, this trailhead is the starting point for the North Fork KP Trail and the KP Rim Trail, as well as secondary access to other trails within the Blue Range Primitive Area.

  No mechanized vehicles (including mountain bikes) are permitted in the Blue Range Primitive Area.

• KP Rim Trail - # 315
• North Fork KP Trail - # 93
• P-bar Lake Trailhead

  **NOTICE**

  The Northwest portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area where this trail is located has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  The P-Bar Lake Trailhead provides access into the north-western portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area via the P-Bar Lake Trail (# 326). This is a shorter, though steeper, access to the P-Bar Lake and Paradise Park area.

• P-bar Lake Trail - # 326
• Red Hill Trailhead

  **NOTICE**

  The Northwest portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area where this trail is located has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  Access into the northern-most area of the Blue Range Primitive Are via the Red Hill Trail (# 56), which connects to the Tutt Creek Trail (# 105) at its south-eastern terminus.

• Red Hill Trail - # 56
• Sawmill Trailhead

  Provides access into the eastern Blue Range Primitive Area via Sawmill Trail # 39.

• Sawmill Trail - # 39
• Steeple/Foote Creek Trailhead

  **NOTICE**

  The Northwest portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area where this trail is located has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  Access to a large number of trails covering the northwestern portion of the Blue Range Primitive Area.

  Trails with direct or indirect access from Steeple Trailhead include but are not limited to:

  • Foote Creek Trail - # 76
  • Long Cienega Trail - # 305
  • Paradise Trail - # 74
  • Steeple Trail - # 73
  • Upper Grant Creek Trail - # 65
  • Grant Creek Trail - # 75

  Additionally connections through other trails provide links to other areas and trailheads, including P-Bar Lake, North Fork KP Rim, KP Cienega, and Blue Peak.

• Foote Creek Trail - # 76
• Grant Cabin Shortcut Trail - # 306
• Long Cienega Trail - # 305
• Paradise Trail - # 74
• Steeple Trail - # 73
• Upper Grant Creek Trail - # 65
• Telephone Ridge Trail - # 42
• Tutt Creek Trail - # 105
• WS Lake Trail - # 54
• Three Forks Trail # 64
• Escudilla Wilderness

  **NOTICE**

  The Escudilla Wilderness has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry, HOWEVER - The trails may not yet been assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire.  The Escudilla Lookout was severely damaged by the fire, and there are overhead hazards to being in the area below - the lookout and the fenced area below it are closed to all public entry due to safety concerns. 

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  You can see towering Escudilla Mountain from just about anywhere in the neighborhood (the neighborhood of eastern Arizona, that is). The Wilderness encompasses the upper reaches of the mountain, which at 10,912 feet is the third highest in the state of Arizona. It was this mountain that Aldo Leopold referred to in his article "Thinking Like a Mountain" where he arrived at the side of a wolf he had shot "in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes," an experience that he grew to regret and which forever changed his life. The last known grizzly bear in Arizona was killed here, and Leopold wrote: "Somehow it seems that the spirit of the bear is still there, prowling the huge meadows, lurking in the thick stands of aspen and spruce, wandering the steep slopes that looking down from is like looking out of the window of an airplane." 

   

  Two trails give access to Escudilla Wilderness. The three-mile, maintained Escudilla National Recreation Trail #308, approaches the summit from the Terry Flat Loop Road and leads to a fire lookout tower, the highest tower in the state. The Government Trail #119 starts at the base of the mountain and also climbs to the summit as it ascends Profanity Ridge. You will find little water along these trails, but views that reach to Flagstaff 100 miles away.

   

  The Wilderness Act requires management of human-caused impacts and protection of the area's wilderness character to insure that it is "unimpaired for the future use and enjoyment as wilderness." Use of the equipment listed as prohibited in wilderness is inconsistent with the provision in the Wilderness Act which mandates opportunities for solitude or primitive recreation and that wilderness is a place that is in contrast with areas where people and their works are dominant. 

   

  Leave No Trace Principles

  1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
  2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
  3. Dispose of Waste Properly
  4. Leave What You Find
  5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
  6. Respect Wildlife
  7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

  For more information on Leave No Trace
• Hannagan Meadow Recreation Area

  Hannagan Meadow Recreation Area is a high-country four-season sporting paradise for a wide range of outdoor pursuits.

  • Historic Hannagan Meadow Lodge
  • Rustic campgrounds
  • Access to the Blue Range Primitive Area
  • Breathtaking views from the edge of the Mogollon Rim
  • Hunting, fishing, and winter trails

  Hannagan Meadow is currently the highest point in Arizona to be inhabited throughout the entire year.

  History of Hannagan Meadow

  The explorer Coronado and his expedition passed through the area in the 1540s on their way from Mexico to Zuni, but it is unknown whether they passed by this site, although some have speculated that they may have.

  Local legend

  The meadow was named after Robert Hannagan, a Nevada miner and cattle rancher. One local legend is that Hannagan was chained to a tree by the meadow until his debt of $1,200 was paid off. Fortunately, it was promptly paid by his son, but the name stuck.

  Another story suggests that Toles Cosper, a rancher from nearby Luna, New Mexico was riding with the young Hannagan when they came across the meadow during the 1870s. They flipped a coin to see which man they would name it after, and Hannagan won.

  Toles Cosper's son, DeWitt Cosper, built a lodge here in 1926.

  Winter trail highlights

  The groomed ski trails at Hannagan Meadow are narrower and generally more challenging than those at Williams Valley. However, all levels of skiers are likely to find suitable skiing from the 14 kilometers of groomed trails.

  Remote skiing

  For those in search of solitude, the back-country trails leading into upper elevations of Blue Range Primitive Area provide some of the best remote skiing in the Southwest. Skiers who possess advanced skiing abilities and snow camping experience should find this area very rewarding.

  It is recommended that skiers in this area obtain the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests’ visitor map from any Forest Service office.

  Trail grooming notes

  Please note that Hwy. 191 south of Alpine may not be plowed on evenings, weekends, holidays or during snowstorms. Trail grooming is likely to be delayed following winter storms.

• Fish Creek Trail - #60

  **NOTICE**

  The area where this trail is located has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  Fish Creek Trail (# 60) drops into the narrow forested canyon from a high bench that overlooks both the Black River and Fish Creek drainages.

  Click here for printable information and map.

  Once on the floor of the canyon it wanders downstream along Fish Creek past pools, riffles, and stepping-stone stream crossings to the point where this tributary and the Black River join. Along the way it passes an area where what is reported to have been a tornado left its mark on the forest. Dozens of downed trees make the point that nature can bring change to the forest in a number of ways.

  Travelers along this trail should know that they have the Arizona Chapter of the Sierra Club to thank for the considerable sections of it that are in good to excellent shape. Although the Fish Creek Trail has been used by the Forest Service for over 50 years for moving fire fighters and other personnel through the backcountry, it fell into disrepair after 1970 when maintenance was discontinued for lack of funds and use. At that point the task of keeping the trail open was left to ranchers who continued to use it to move cattle between Fish Bench and the Fish Creek drainage. The trail stayed open but became quite rough in a number of places. During the summers of 1990 and 1991 three volunteer work groups, consisting of two Sierra Club and one American Hiking Society trips, were successful in restoring and reconstructing the entire 5.5 miles from the junction with Fish Bench Trail # 320 to the Black River.

  Fish Creek harbors a pure population of Arizona's state fish, the Apache trout. The Arizona Game and Fish Department has installed a barrier across the creek to keep introduced rainbow trout from swimming upstream from the Black River and hybridizing with the population of threatened natives. You'll find this pleasant path an excellent place to enjoy a day trip or an overnight hike.

  Trail Log:

  •  0.0 mile:  Depart Hannagan Campground or Trailhead.
  • 1.5 mile:   Junction with Fish Creek Bench Trail (# 320).
  • 4.5 miles:  Tornado damage
  • 5.5 miles:  Old cattle camp.
  • 6.4 miles:  Confluence of Fish Creek and Black River.

  USGS Map: Hoodoo Knoll

• Double Cienega Trail - # 319
• Fish Bench Trail - # 320
• Hannagan/Aker Lake Trailhead

  **NOTICE**

  The area where this trailhead is located has been severely affected by the Wallow Fire of June 2011. The area is currently open to public use and entry - HOWEVER trails may not have been recently assessed or maintained for hazards associated with the fire, so plan your trip accordingly.

  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  Located just past the entrance to Hannagan Campground, the trailhead provides access to the Aker Lake and Hannagan cross-country skiing and mountain biking trails, and provides an alternative access to the Blue Range Primitive Area.

• KP Cienega Campground
• General Crook Trail #140
• Clifton Ranger District

  Clifton Ranger District

• AD Bar Trail #14
• Highline Trail #47
• Lakeside Ranger District

  Lakeside Ranger District

• General Crook Connector Trail #140
• Juniper Ridge Trail #640
• Los Caballos Trail #638
• Los Burros Trail #631
• Los Caballos Trailhead
• Springerville Ranger District

  Springerville Ranger District

  *NOTICE*

  Many trails and dispersed camping areas across the Springerville Ranger District were affected by the Wallow Fire in June 2011. Most areas are currently open to public use and entry, HOWEVER - Many trails and dispersed areas may not be maintained for hazards associated with the fire.  Please keep in mind that any area affected by the wildfire can be prone to hazards such as falling trees, flooding and burned out stump holes. The environment you are entering is highly susceptible to rainstorms and wind events. Any time you enter the forest, you should be aware of your environment and changing weather conditions. You are responsible for your own safety! Always look up, look down, and look all around.

  At this time the South Fork Campground is open for day use only.

• East Baldy Trail #95
• Railroad Grade Trail #601
• West Baldy Trail #94