Hit the Trails … With Us

Along the Bell Trail | Susan Cole

Join Arizona Highways and our team of experts as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act through a series of summer hikes in some of Arizona’s most pristine wilderness areas.

Bell Trail
Wet Beaver Wilderness, Sedona
Date: Saturday, June 28
Time: 8 a.m.
Distance: 6.6 miles round-trip (to Bell’s Crossing)
Rating: Moderate
Details: Join Arizona Highways Editor Robert Stieve and experts from the Arizona Game and Fish Department to explore this popular trail, which crosses Wet Beaver Creek and meanders along the stream bed until it climbs to a narrow bench along the canyon’s north wall. From there, the trail drops to the canyon’s bottom, where it finally fords the creek at Bell’s Crossing.

West Baldy Trail
Mount Baldy Wilderness, White Mountains
Date: Saturday, July 26
Time: 7 a.m.
Distance: 14 miles round-trip
Rating: Moderate
Details: The easy-to-follow trail traces the West Fork of the Little Colorado River as it winds into a thick forest of spruce, firs and aspens and climbs to its junction with the East Baldy Trail. This hike, led by Editor Robert Stieve and U.S. Forest Service experts, will begin from the Sheep’s Crossing parking lot.

Humphreys Peak
Kachina Peaks Wilderness, Flagstaff
Date: Saturday, August 23, 2014
Time: 7 a.m.
Distance: 9 miles round-trip
Rating: Strenuous
Details: This challenging trail beings at the lower parking lot for Arizona Snowbowl ski resort and climbs through ponderosa pines, spruce, corkbark firs and aspens as it approaches Agassiz Saddle and Arizona’s only tundra region. From there, the trail climbs for another 1.5 miles to the summit of Humphreys Peak, which, at 12,633 feet, is the highest point in Arizona.

Group sizes for each hike will be limited to 10 people on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no charge for these hikes. To register, email Kelly Kramer at kkramer@azdot.gov. Include your name, telephone number, email address and preferred hike. Registration will be confirmed and further details provided upon completion of a signed waiver. Details are subject to change.