The Superstition Mountains have a diverse variety of trails for any degree of hiking. This trail combined a little of everything. We hiked approx. 8.5 miles with approx. 1000' of elevation gain. We hiked the extra half mile to the Weavers Needle viewing area. There are lots of interesting rock formations and a variety of desert cacti. We had expansive views of the Superstitions as we reached the highest point.
After hiking at The Wave and Antelope Canyon in December, 2015, Paul and I discovered this 6 mile trail to Birthday Arch, about 17.3 miles West of the Page Visitor Center. We parked along side the road and followed the trail to a gate. After passing through the gate we walked almost 2 miles up a sandy wash until we saw footprints leading to a trail to the right. We could see Birthday Arch in the distance. From the arch we had beautiful views. We took our time exploring before heading back the way we came. Here is a link to a great website with more detailed information on this trail. http://www.gjhikes.com/2015/06/birthday-arch.html
Below is a great description of this trail. This is an easy and enjoyable hike through a meadow. Unfortunately the lake was dry in October.
Located off FR 151 (Hart Prairie Road) on the west flank of the San Francisco Peaks. Bismarck Lake Trail is 1.5 miles long and terminates into the Arizona National Scenic Trail to the east. Bismarck Lake is an important water source for wildlife in the area but is often dry during the driest months of the year. The trail and lake are located in a large meadow and have excellent views of the San Francisco Peaks. It is at an elevation of approximately 8500'. It's about 3 miles northwest of Snowbowl. Elk, deer and raptors are common sights here. This a fairly easy hike, making a gentle uphill climb from the trailhead to the Arizona Trail.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/ohv/recarea/?recid=55068&actid=50
The Wave is a beautiful, unique and special place that we were fortunate to visit in December of 2015. The Bureau of Land Management has a daily lottery where they select 20 people per day, 10 online and 10 from the BLM office in Kanab, 4 months in advance. We tried from the Kanab office in August but did not get selected so we tried online. I selected 6 dates for December and our date of Tuesday, Dec. 6 was picked! December and January are less popular due to the cold temps.
The temperature was around 34 degrees when we started the 3 mile hike but it warmed up nicely after the sun was out awhile. It was fun following the picture map that the BLM sent to find this treasure called "The Wave". It was not hard to find and not a hard hike. Once we arrived we were all smiles and couldn't stop taking pictures! We walked all over and saw another wave like area and a frozen water fall. It was magical, spiritual and just plain AMAZING!
The Inner Basin Trail is named for it's destination which is the heart of an extinct volcano that exploded many years ago, changing the entire area similar to Mt. St. Helens in 1980. This is one of the most beautiful trails we have ever hiked! The aspen tree forest is amazing and peaceful to walk through. The well maintained 3.9 mile trail starts off at Lockett Meadow at 8,600' and tops off at 10,500' at the Weatherford Trail. The lush vegetation includes aspen, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, a variety of shrubs and wildflowers. The dirt road up to Lockett Meadow is one lane both directions and has a steep drop off making for a slow and steady also nervous ride but well worth it! We will definitely do this trail again.
The Superstition Mountains have a diverse variety of trails for any degree of hiking. This trail combined a little of everything. We hiked approx. 8.5 miles with approx. 1000' of elevation gain. We hiked the extra half mile to the Weavers Needle viewing area. There are lots of interesting rock formations and a variety of desert cacti. We had expansive views of the Superstitions as we reached the highest point.
After hiking at The Wave and Antelope Canyon in December, 2015, Paul and I discovered this 6 mile trail to Birthday Arch, about 17.3 miles West of the Page Visitor Center. We parked along side the road and followed the trail to a gate. After passing through the gate we walked almost 2 miles up a sandy wash until we saw footprints leading to a trail to the right. We could see Birthday Arch in the distance. From the arch we had beautiful views. We took our time exploring before heading back the way we came. Here is a link to a great website with more detailed information on this trail. http://www.gjhikes.com/2015/06/birthday-arch.html
Below is a great description of this trail. This is an easy and enjoyable hike through a meadow. Unfortunately the lake was dry in October.
The Wave is a beautiful, unique and special place that we were fortunate to visit in December of 2015. The Bureau of Land Management has a daily lottery where they select 20 people per day, 10 online and 10 from the BLM office in Kanab, 4 months in advance. We tried from the Kanab office in August but did not get selected so we tried online. I selected 6 dates for December and our date of Tuesday, Dec. 6 was picked! December and January are less popular due to the cold temps.
The Inner Basin Trail is named for it's destination which is the heart of an extinct volcano that exploded many years ago, changing the entire area similar to Mt. St. Helens in 1980. This is one of the most beautiful trails we have ever hiked! The aspen tree forest is amazing and peaceful to walk through. The well maintained 3.9 mile trail starts off at Lockett Meadow at 8,600' and tops off at 10,500' at the Weatherford Trail. The lush vegetation includes aspen, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, a variety of shrubs and wildflowers. The dirt road up to Lockett Meadow is one lane both directions and has a steep drop off making for a slow and steady also nervous ride but well worth it! We will definitely do this trail again.
