TOP LEFT: Hiking in upper Abineau Canyon, below Humphreys Peak. TOP RIGHT: The San Francisco Peaks tower above the Sunset Trail. BOTTOM LEFT: Thanks to the old Radio burn, Fatmans Loop offers 100-mile views. BOTTOM RIGHT: Hard to believe that Buffalo Park is in the middle of a city of 70,000 people.
as the observatory where Clyde Tombaugh discovered the planet Pluto in 1930, Lowell has always been on the cutting edge of research. The visitor center and hands-on museum should not be missed. And if you have the time, take a guided tour or observe the nighttime heavens through one of the six telescopes on the Giovale Open Deck Observatory. They’re open to the public. MUSEUM OF NORTHERN ARIZONA If you want to learn more about the Colorado Plateau, this is the place. Permanent exhibits and scheduled events will provide a good feel for the natural and human history of the plateau. You can view the extensive indoor and outdoor exhibits on your own or with a guided tour. There is also a half-mile nature trail which is great for families with small children. HIT THE TRAIL BUFFALO PARK This two-mile easy trail is set in an open ponderosa pine forest and grassland atop Switzer Mesa located in the heart of the city. Until the late 1960s, visitors could drive the loop through the park and watch bison from the safety of their cars. With the bison gone, the park is now part of the urban trail system, which is popular with walkers, runners and mountain bikers. The high mesa features great views of the mountains north of the city, including Elden Mountain, the Dry Lake Hills and the San Francisco Peaks. For an urban trail, it feels almost like wilderness. Access is via Forest Avenue and North Gemini Drive. FATMANS LOOP Set on the eastern slopes of Elden Mountain, this 2.2-mile trail on national forest land climbs through rugged remnants of the lava flows that formed the mountain. From the high point of the trail, about 500 feet higher than the trailhead, you’ll have great views of the Cinder Hills volcanic field. You’ll see the youngest volcanic cinder cones on the Colorado Plateau and one of several local sites where the lunar astronauts trained in the 1960s and 1970s. If you want a much longer trek, you can hike the Mount Elden Trail, which climbs 1,500 feet to the summit of the mountain. Access is via U.S. 89 to the Elden Mountain Trailhead on the northeast side of town, just past the Peaks Ranger Station. SUNSET-BROOKBANK LOOP This beautiful 5.3-mile loop climbs the gentle northern slopes of the Dry Lake Hills through a pleasing mix of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, limber pine and
quaking aspen, as well as alpine meadows. The trail starts from the Sunset Trailhead, accessed via U.S. 180 and Schultz Pass Road, which becomes the graded dirt Forest Road 420. This trail, and many others in the Dry Lake HillsElden Mountain trail system, are popular with both hikers and mountain bikers. AUBINEAU CANYON If you want to get away from the crowds, this beautiful 7.4-mile loop is the hike. From the trailhead, follow the Abineau Canyon Trail .5 miles, then turn left on the Bear Jaw Trail. The trail climbs through groves of quaking aspen and meadows set in the alpine forest on the north slopes of the San Francisco Peaks. Watch for historic carvings on the aspen trunks, left by Basque sheepherders who grazed their flocks on the
mountain until about 1970. After crossing Bear Jaw Canyon, the trail ends at the Abineau Canyon Road. Turn right and follow the old road west to Abineau Canyon. The road ends at Abineau Canyon in an open meadow with a great view of the north slopes of Humphreys Peak. At 12,633 feet, Humphreys is the state’s highest mountain. The loop continues on the Abineau Canyon Trail, which descends through uprooted trees and avalanche debris, then enters the cool, alpine forest. Reach the Abineau Canyon Trailhead from Flagstaff by driving north on U.S. 180. About 18 miles from town, turn right on Hart Prairie Road, FR 151. Drive 1.6 miles, then turn left on Hostetter Tank Road (FR 418). Continue 3.1 miles, then turn right into the trailhead. BRUCE GRUBBS lives in Flagstaff and is the author of numerous outdoor books and guides, including Best Easy Day Hikes Flagstaff and Hiking Northern Arizona, published by Falcon Guides. S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
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