The Sycamore Canyon hike located in the Sycamore Canyon Campgrounds is another great choice for a morning of hiking in Malibu. There are public restrooms and a $12, all-day parking lot. The beautiful canyon was once home to Native Americans, and later, western cowboys. The former homes of both inhabitants can still be found in the canyon. Parsons Trail is pretty popular, especially in summer, because of a large deep swimming hole about a 1/4 mile past Summers Spring. Those Cottonwood and Sycamore trees should have gorgeous colors in the Fall. Sycamore Canyon is a place sufficiently unique to have been one of the first areas protected as wilder- ness in Arizona. Sycamore Canyon Wilderness is the oldest wilderness area in Arizona. Sycamore Rim Trail is an 11-mile (18 km) loop in the Kaibab National Forest. Clarkdale, AZ 0 5.4 mi 8.7 km #8 Dogie Trail #116. The hike up the Parsons Trail is a pleasant stroll along a cool, clear desert stream set in a magnificent red rock canyon. Sycamore Canyon extends from just south of Williams, Arizona down to Clarkdale and Cottonwood, Arizona which is near Sedona, AZ. There were a multitude of icy-cold river crossings, scenic views of aquamarine pools, and the never-ending encounters with Arizona’s beautiful red rocks. Easy. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. A guide takes care of all the logistics, navigation, and driving—leaving you free to … Trail Run Project is built by runners like you. Parsons Trail #144 Easy/Intermediate. Dogs are also able to use this trail … Sycamore, locust, cottonwood, and other leafy trees and plants put on a colorful show in late October to early November. ... 3.9 mi 6.3 km #6 Parsons Trail #144. From the trailhead, pick up the Parsons Trail #144 as it drops down a hill to Sycamore Creek to an unsigned, left branching junction (the Parsons Trail continues straight). Trails in Sycamore Canyon Wilderness - 15. Clarkdale, AZ 0 17.1 mi 27.6 km #7 Sycamore Basin Trail #0063. Backpacking into Sycamore Canyon via Parsons Spring Trail As we continued to walk, we came across a rushing stream which stayed with us for almost the rest of the hike. Sycamore Canyon is a 21-mile scenic Canyon that begins in the thick Ponderosa Pine forests near Williams and ends in the desert landscape of Verde Valley. Run to Point Sublime (Grand Canyon) » We will be driving to Sycamore Canyon near Cottonwood for a fun day of hiking and cooling off in the swimming hole At Parsons Trail. Sycamore Canyon is the second largest canyon in Arizona (after the Grand Canyon). Take a peek: 2.4 mi 3.8 km #1 Dorsey Trail. Getting across the creek during low water is fairly easy. Sycamore Canyon – Parsons Trail Skyliners Mark Purcell, Daisy Williams, Ruth Frazier and the author hiked Parsons Trail in Sycamore Canyon on 7 September 2013. This is north of Clarkdale and the Verde Valley in the Sycamore Canyon … Sycamore Creek is a perennial stream fed by Summers Spring and Parsons Spring and supports a lush riparian habitat. Clarkdale, AZ Easy. The first five miles of the cruise north on the paved Sycamore Canyon Rd from Clarkdale is a little deceiving. The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness area offers 15 trails to explore -- ranging from the remote Taylor Cabin Trail, which offers a bit of cowboy history, to the Sycamore Rim Trail, a 12-mile route that follows the rim of the canyon and passes by the seasonal Sycamore Falls, to the Parsons Trail, a scenic creek-side route near the Verde Valley town of Clarkdale. Intermediate. Accessing Parsons Creek via Parsons Trail isn’t exactly easy. ... 3.9 mi 6.3 km #7 Parsons Trail #144. Sycamore Canyon is a place sufficiently unique to have been one of the first areas protected as wilderness in Arizona. We’ve discovered a trail boasting not just one, but four little-known natural springs with crystal-clear water and hardly any tourists. Take PCH north until you spot Sycamore Canyon Campgrounds on the left of the highway. Visitors to Sycamore Canyon can enjoy a wilderness experience far from crowds and roads. Box 20429, Sedona AZ 86341, (928) 203-2900 The hike up the Parsons Trail is a pleasant stroll along a cool, clear desert stream set in a magnificent red rock canyon. Visitors can enter Sycamore from the north or south ends of the canyon depending upon a particular preferred trail. The main path at the north end of Sycamore Canyon is the Sycamore Rim Trail, an 11 mile loop along the north rim of the two upper forks, the circuit completed by a crossing of wooded land and ascent of a … To drive to Sycamore Falls, take exit 178 off of I-40 just east of Williams. Leaving from the Safeway parking lot in Cottonwood, we drove through Old Town Cottonwood on Main Street heading toward Clarkdale. Hiking Project is built by hikers like you. https://www.sedonamonthly.com/2019/sycamore-canyon-parsons-trail The trail leads 4 miles to a large pool called Parson Springs where this considerable stream springs to the surface from the underground course it has followed through the majority of the canyon. 2.4 mi 3.8 km #1 Dorsey Trail. Point Mugu State Park, located in the Santa Monica Mountains, features five miles of ocean shoreline with rocky bluffs, sandy beaches, sand dunes, rugged hills and uplands, two major river canyons and wide grassy valleys dotted with sycamores, oaks and a few native walnuts. Clarkdale, AZ Easy. Sycamore Canyon is one of the oldest designated Wilderness Areas in Arizona, originally being a Forest Service "Primitive Area" prior to the Wilderness Act of … This area is sufficiently unique to have been the first in Arizona to be designated a Wilderness Area in the 1972. Beautiful swimming holes abound here in Arizona, but most of them are packed all spring and summer long. Lush cottonwood trees and willows provide shade. For more information contact: Red Rock Ranger District, P.O. The Little-Known Hiking Trail In Arizona With 4 Enchanting Natural Springs. If you yearn for a last gasp of fall, hike the Parsons Trail though the Sycamore Wilderness. It is half way up the Parsons Trail and the water is clear and deep. Overall, the canyon’s steep sides provide a cross-section look at about 290 million years of sandstone and limestone deposits, capped by a volcanic layer of basalt. A high clearance vehicle is helpful to reach the trailhead. Fall color on Parsons Trail, November 8, 2017. The Sycamore Rim Trail (Kaibab National Forest) skirts the canyon's upper reaches through an area of secluded pools and tall forests. Sycamore Canyon Wilderness is a 56,000-acre (22,662 ha) wilderness area in the Coconino, Kaibab and Prescott national forests in the U.S. state of Arizona. Parsons Trail is located at the lower end of the 56,000 acre wilderness area, reached by traveling north from Cottonwood, AZ. Along one side there is a dramatic 200-foot canyon wall with red-rock ledges for diving and sunbathing. Encompassing Sycamore Canyon and its surrounds from south of Williams to the confluence of Sycamore Creek with the Verde River, the wilderness is about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Flagstaff. Up canyon … However, just before I came to the Verde River I turned onto a road, Sycamore Canyon Road, for the drive to Sycamore Canyon and the Parsons Trail. At its widest point, Sycamore Canyon stretches 7 miles from rim to rim. Hike the Parsons Spring Trail, which winds its way through a rare desert riparian area. Sycamore Falls can be reached by car and is located at the upper head of the canyon at Paradise Forks. Parsons Trail meanders up a fertile desert riparian area, a habitat as rare as it is productive. Easy. Parsons Spring Trail #144 - Sycamore Creek - Sycamore Canyon Wilderness This is the view on the short descent/ascent near the trailhead. Parsons Trail along Sycamore Canyon is a 7.3 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Clarkdale, Arizona that features a river and is rated as moderate. Several trailheads provide access to the loop, which is relatively flat, ranging in elevation from 6,700 to 7,287 feet (2,042 to 2,221 m). Intermediate. 5.0 (1) ... in Sycamore Canyon Wilderness #2865 Overall. The most popular access is via the Parsons Spring trail, upriver from Tuzigoot National Monument. Add Your Trails. The trail starts at the end of Sycamore Canyon Road (Forest Road 131) and enters Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. Combine visits to the Grand Canyon and Route 66 on this tour from the Phoenix-Scottsdale area. Turn left and walk across the cobbles (the path disappears) to locate a route across the creek. The road got increasingly rougher the farther along I drove and ended at the trailhead parking area and a nice overlook of Sycamore Canyon. Trails in Sycamore Canyon Wilderness - 15. It’s when you venture on to the last five miles of the rugged, suspension-mashing dirt stretch of the road that you begin to wonder if it’s worth the drive. A hike or bike ride on the Sycamore Point Trail culminates at a breathtaking overlook that rivals those along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon — without the crowds and concession stands. Add Your Trails. The campgrounds are located on the north end of the city. 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