Backpacking the Arizona Trail, Passage 32: Elden Mountain, Part 3
AZT Day 24, Part 3
Trans Arizona/Utah Hike Day 31, Part 3
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 from Utah to Mexico.
US-89 to Picture Canyon Preserve
Exiting the shadow of Elden Mountain, I hike across US-89 through a tunnel, entering the Painted Canyon Preserve. Sunset clouds glow in the sky as I hike south. I’ll return for the petroglyphs here tomorrow. The trail continues through scrubland to a small trailhead off of old Route 66 east of Flagstaff. After 14.3 miles in about 4-5 hours, one of my best paces yet, I Uber back to Flag for dinner. I’ll come back out here afterwards, or in the early morning if I opt to spend the night at the Grand Canyon Hostel in downtown, which given the time, might be likely.
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Passage 32 (Elden Mountain)
Passage 32, Elden Mountain
Passage 32, Elden Mountain
Passage 32, Elden Mountain
Arizona Trail Passage 32, Elden Mountain
Passage Logistics and Ecology
| Passage 32 (Elden Mountain) | |
| Trail Surface | Dirt singletrack |
| Length (Mi) | 13.7 |
| Season | Spring-Fall. Snow can be significant in winter. |
| Potential Water Sources | Schultz Tank (590.3 NOBO, 198.5 SOBO) Little Elden Horse camp (587.8 NOBO, 200.9 SOBO) Flagstaff East (583.7 NOBO, 205 SOBO) |
| Trailheads | North: Schultz Pass South: I-40 (Cosnino Road Exit) |
| Trailhead Access | North: Vehicular access via gravel road South: Foot/bike access. Vehicular access to Painted Canyon or Walnut Canyon near south terminus of passage. |
| Wilderness | No |
| Possible resupply points | Flagstaff East Flagstaff |
| ATA-Rated Difficulty | Moderate (south end is easier) |
| Potential campsites (mileages S to N) | Best on east side of Schultz Pass, outside of Painted Canyon. Can also easily use Flagstaff as a base and shuttle in and out of town. |
| Ecosystems Traversed | Rocky Mountain Montane Conifer Woodland |
| Major Features of Interest | Schultz Pass Picture Canyon |
| Pet Friendly? | Yes |
| Bike Friendly? | Yes |
| Rocky Mountain Montane Conifer Woodland | |
| Common Trees/Shrubs | * Ponderosa Pine * Southwestern white pine * Subalpine fir * White fir * Rocky Mountain maple * Bigtooth maple * Grey alder * Red birch * Red osier dogwood * Cliffbush * Mallow ninebark * New Mexican locust * huckleberry * bilberries |
| Common herbaceous plants | * fringed brome * Geyer’s sedge/elk sedge * Ross’ sedge * Bronze sedge/dry land sedge/hillside sedge/hay sedge/Fernald’s hay sedge * screwleaf muhly * bluebunch wheatgrass * Spruce-fir fleabane * wild strawberry/Virginia strawberry * Small-flowered woodrush * mountain sweet Cicely * bittercress ragwort * western meadow-rue * Fendler’s meadow-rue |
| Common succulents |
scottandloristravels
Beautiful sunset!