Backpacking the Arizona Trail, Passages 31 (Walnut Canyon) & 33 (Flagstaff South)
AZT Day 27
Trans Arizona/Utah Day 34
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
Walnut Canyon
Day 34 of this hike that started in Arizona and has passed through the canyon country of southern Utah and high plateaus of northern Arizona to reach this point. At the end of today I will be about 1/3 done. I slept well last night on a bed of pine needles near the trail. Early start this morning. The trail continues to follow the rim of Walnut Canyon west and south, through the ponderosas and oaks glowing in the morning light.
AZT Passage 31, Walnut Canyon
Coconino National Forest
AZT Passage 31, Walnut Canyon
Coconino National Forest
AZT Passage 31, Walnut Canyon
Coconino National Forest
AZT Passage 31, Walnut Canyon
Coconino National Forest
AZT Passage 31, Walnut Canyon
AZT Passage 31, Walnut Canyon
Coconino National Forest
Coconino National Forest
AZT Passage 31, Walnut Canyon
Walnut Canyon Rim-Fisher Point
It then eventually passes Fisher Point and drops off the rim to the bottom of Walnut Canyon.
Arizona Trail Passage 31 (Walnut Canyon)
Coconino National Forest
Coconino National Forest
Arizona Trail, Passage 31 (Walnut Canyon)
Arizona Trail, Passage 31 (Walnut Canyon)
Coconino National Forest
Arizona Trail, Passage 31 (Walnut Canyon)
Coconino National Forest
Walnut Canyon Floor-Flagstaff
After maybe a half mile or so in the canyon, the trail comes to a junction. The AZT itself continues straight toward Anderson Mesa, following the Canyon. The route into Flagstaff turns right and heads north. I will be heading straight in a day or so, but for now I have a few more things to take care of in town, and some things to pick up that I did not need over the last few days. So I take the right, up a broad side canyon with occasional pines and cliffs rising above.
The trail eventually connects to the Flagstaff Urban Trail System, and I slowly encounter more people as it nears town. It crosses back under Interstate 40, and emerges near the REI. It is about midday when I reach this point. I pick up something to drink at the mall, then head there to start my resupply before grabbing some dinner with my friend and repacking before continuing south.
Arizona Trail Passage 31 (Walnut Canyon)
Coconino National Forest
Arizona Trail
Coconino National Forest
Arizona Trail
Coconino National Forest.
Arizona Trail Logistics and Ecology: Passages 31 and 33
| Passage 31 (Walnut Canyon) | Passage 33 (Flagstaff) | |
| Passage Map | Passage Map | Passage Map |
| Elevation Profile | Profile | Profile |
| Trail Surface | Dirt singletrack | Dirt singletrack |
| Length (Mi) | 18.5 | 15.5 |
| Season | April-October. Snow can be significant in winter. | April-October. Snow can be significant in winter. |
| Potential Water Sources | Walnut Canyon Visitor Center | Various |
| Trailheads | North: I-40 at Cosnino Road South: Marshall Lake | North: Schultz Pass South: Fisher Point |
| Trailhead Access | Vehicular access via paved road | Vehicular access via paved roads (Schultz Pass on north end is unpaved, but various paved access points exist in between) |
| Wilderness | No | No |
| Possible resupply points | East Flagstaff Flagstaff | Flagstaff |
| ATA-Rated Difficulty | Easy | Moderate (south end is easier) |
| Potential campsites (mileages S to N) | Various points throughout; terrain is not a limitation here. However, camping is not allowed on the west end below Fisher Point. | N/A |
| Ecosystems Traversed | Rocky Mountain Montane Conifer Woodland | Rocky Mountain Montane Conifer Woodland |
| Sites of Interest | Walnut Canyon National Monument Fisher Point | Historic Flagstaff |
| Pet Friendly? | Yes, but will impact a visit to Walnut Canyon National Monument | Yes |
| Bike Friendly? | Yes | 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 |
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