Young to Winona - The Mogollon Rim is Closed | AZBDR Stage 4

As our tires hit pavement in the outskirts of Young, it was time to start thinking about Stage 4. Climbing - and then traversing the Mogollon Rim - this was where satellite imagery, which I'd been watching on a daily basis for several weeks prior to our departure, suggested that 5-19" of snow still blanketed the ground.

This didn't look promising.

Still, my copilot - having spent the last half hour looking through the road conditions page for the Coconino National Forest - thought we stood a chance, at least in part. Though she confirmed closure of the Forest Service Road 82 leading off the rim to Winona, she noted that "about half the route is paved" - something we suddenly found ourselves thankful for. Something that might allow us to at least do part of the route as an out-and-back, and then re-route around the remainder of the stage.

Or at least, that was the idea as we skirted the four blocks of downtown Young and headed north on AZ-288.

A sign promptly informed us - less than a mile out of town - that we'd reached the end of AZ-288. From here, the 100% dirt Chamberlain Trail would lead us up to an elevation of 6,762 feet - some 1,800 feet higher than we'd been snowed on throughout the night - to AZ-260, where the pavement would pick up again for our climb to the top of the Mogollon Rim.

Whoops. Guess we shouldn't have aired up! And maybe we won't be completing half of the stage before re-routing around!

I have to admit, the snow on the trees - and thankfully not on the road at this point - was quite beautiful, even if it wasn't what we'd hoped for.

Two miles from pavement, and at an elevation of 5,640 feet - a full 1,100 feet below where we were headed - things were looking a lot whiter than we'd hoped.

Undeterred, we pushed on. While the road was wet - and in some places a little sloppy - we could see that we weren't the first to travel it since the storm had come through. One other vehicle - a full-size truck on highway tires - had navigated this stretch in one way or another, so if for no other reason than to save my ego, we weren't giving up yet! We continued to climb.

Even the beaver tailed cactus were wearing little white hats.

The higher we went, the more snow we encountered. It really was a beautiful sight, and one that I'm sure many AZBDR riders would prefer to the normally hot temperatures.

This snow-filled agave caught our attention on the side of the road.

Ultimately, with some careful driving and a little luck, we reached the highest point in the road before descending down the north side toward highway 260. Things were looking up, and for a quick minute, the diabolical plan to run half the stage as an out-and-back was once again on the table as we climbed up the southern face of the Mogollon Rim toward the visitor center.

We probably should have taken it as a bad sign when the visitor center was closed, but with a newfound sense of hope from our previous success, we simply ignored the obvious and turned our American Hiking Machine toward the entrance to the Mogollon Rim Road.

Well, that didn't last long.

Less than a quarter mile up the road, we ran into a bit of a situation. While the road surface appeared to be clear, a steel gate and two big stripped barriers warned us that the rim remained closed for the winter and that anyone caught suggesting it was spring by driving around would be subject to a $5,000 fine and a minimum of 9 months in prison. A small price to pay in my opinion, but my better half was having none of it. The stage was over, and it was time to find a way around.

The way around - it seemed - was to backtrack along AZ-260 to Payson, and then make our way to Pine, where we could follow AZ-87 to the end of Stage 4 at Winona. It'd be a few hours on pavement, putting us even further ahead of schedule, but there wasn't much we could do, so we headed to Payson.

Payson turned out to be larger than either of us expected, and with the sun out and our elevation now low enough that it was no longer below freezing, it seemed like a great place to fuel up the Tacoma and then dry out the tent while we made chicken-tender-wraps for lunch.

We always get a good number of looks when we have to deploy the tent in civilization, but no matter - with a light breeze and plenty of sun, the whole thing was dry in less than 20 minutes!

Headed north on AZ-87, at least the scenery was nice and the clouds were cooperating.

Across Mormon Lake, the San Fransisco Mountains sparkled in the distance.

As we neared Winona, it was still only a little after 1:00pm in the afternoon - so as we noted signs for Walnut Canyon National Monument, we knew it was the perfect opportunity to check it out!

There were a lot more people here than we expected.

Walnut Canyon was inhabited by the Sinagua people - a pre-Columbian cultural group - from about 1100 to 1250 AD.

Spanish for "without water", the Sinagua were able to live in such a dry region by becoming experts at water conservation and dealing with droughts. They were also believed to have been active traders whose activities and influence stretched to the Gulf of Mexico and even as far as Central America.

The Sinagua built their homes under limestone ledges, deep within the canyon, sometime between 1125 and 1250 – taking advantage of the natural recesses in the limestone cliff walls which were eroded over millions of years by flowing water. The dwellings themselves were small, but large enough for the inhabitants to cook and sleep. A typical room - a dwelling for a single family - generally measured approximately 6-7 feet high by 18-20 feet long by 10 feet deep.

Because of the area's dry climate, the water present in the canyon was essential for its inhabitants over 700 years ago as it is for animal and plant life today. The plant life is very diverse in Walnut Canyon, with more than 387 different plant species, including the Prickly Pear cactus and the Arizona Black Walnut. The biodiversity of the area includes high concentrations of sensitive plant species that probably contributed to the decision made by prehistoric people to settle in the area.

It is thought that the Sinagua left around 1250 AD out of fear of neighboring tribes, but it is not certain.

wikipedia

A beautiful canyon, and in a rare blanket of snow.

Descending along the main loop trail, inaccessible ruins - on the opposing walls of the canyon - were visible everywhere.

I'd have loved to check out some of these ruins, but any exploration off the main trail is prohibited.

Along the main trail, all of the ruins have been rebuilt, stabilized, or both in order to preserve them as educational tools for the hundreds or thousands of people who visit each day. Information boards describe each ruin - the original purpose, construction, and techniques used to preserve them over time - a great introduction to those who've never seen or given much thought to those who came before us.

Most of the ruins weren't in very good shape, but this long house was reconstructed into a reasonably complete representation of the original structure.

Sometimes, the "restoration" wasn't done with much thought to the materials being utilized.

Inside many of the structures, small serial numbers marked what I imagine were archeological artifacts that have since been removed.

The one mile hike along The Island trail, even with the 736 steps that shuttled us down - and then up - the 185-foot path, only took us 90 minutes to complete and with little fanfare we climbed back into the Tacoma to finish out the stage.

Or, rather, our route around the stage. It was a bummer to miss the Mogollon Rim - a place that seemed to hold a lot of promise - but I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time before we return for views that must stretch into eternity. For now, though, it was time to get lost in a field of volcanoes!

 

 

 

 

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