Amazing, Spectacular Arizona Trail: Blue Ridge Ranger Station-Clear Creek

In the land of Arizona
Through desert heat or snow
Winds a trail for folks to follow
From Utah to Old Mexico

It’s the Arizona Trail
A pathway through the great Southwest
A diverse track through wood and stone
Your spirit it will test

Oh, sure you’ll sweat and blister
You’ll feel the miles every day
You’ll shiver at the loneliness
Your feet and seat will pay

But you’ll see moonlight on the borderlands
You’ll see stars on the Mogollon
You’ll feel the warmth of winter sun
And be thrilled straight through to bone

The aches and pains will fade away
You’ll feel renewed and whole
You’ll never be the same again
With Arizona in your soul

Along the Arizona Trail
A reverence and peace you’ll know
Through deserts, canyons, and mountains
From Utah to Old Mexico
-“The Arizona Trail,” Dale R. Shewalter

Welcome back to Aspen’s Tracks, thruhiking the Arizona Trail southbound from Utah to Mexico. Today’s route covers backpacking the initial stretch of Passage 28, the Blue Ridge, between the northern passage boundary at the AZ-87, the Blue Ridge Ranger Station and Clear Creek Reservoir. You can find today’s hiking logistics below the photo documentation and trail journal of the route.

If you missed my last entry covering the leg through the last segment of the Happy Jack passage, that can be found here. The next entry will cover the continued journey across the Blue Ridge passage from Clear Creek to the Mogollon Rim. If you enjoy these accounts, please do subscribe to follow along to make sure that you don’t miss out on here or any future accounts to come!

In the land of Arizona
Through desert heat or snow
Winds a trail for folks to follow
From Utah to Old Mexico

It’s the Arizona Trail
A pathway through the great Southwest
A diverse track through wood and stone
Your spirit it will test

Some will push and pedal
And some will hike or run
Others will ride their horse or mule
What else could be more fun?

Oh, sure you’ll sweat and blister
You’ll feel the miles each day
You’ll shiver at the loneliness
Your feet and seat will pay

But you’ll see moonlight on the borderlands
You’ll see stars on the Mogollon
You’ll feel the warmth of winter sun
And be thrilled straight through to bone

The aches and pains will fade away
You’ll feel renewed and whole
You’ll never be the same again
With Arizona in your soul

Along the Arizona Trail
A reverence and peace you’ll know
Through deserts, canyons, and mountains
From Utah to Old Mexico

“The Arizona Trail,” Dale R Shewalter

Arizona Trail: Blue Ridge Ranger Station-Blue Ridge

Managed to push through the entire Blue Ridge Passage today, one of my best days on the trail so far. I left the Blue Ridge Ranger Station this morning and headed south for the Mogollon Rim. Saw a herd of elk near the Blue Ridge Campground. The trail also passed through an active prescribed burn, though it was low intensity so probably not considered a public hazard at this point. I’m familiar with them anyway, having worked as a PIO (public informations officer) on one over the summer at Grand Canyon.

Arizona Trail: Blue Ridge-Clear Creek

Another herd of elk pop up along the trail, at the aptly named Elk Tank, as it climbs Blue Ridge to views back north to the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff and south to the Mazatzal Mountains south of Pine, one of my upcoming objectives. Soaking in the views, the trail crosses Blue Ridge and dips across the steep valley of East Clear Creek, dry at the crossing. Someone did mention that if needed, water could be found just off the trail in this area, however, I did not need it at the time and therefore did not look for it.