Summer in the Mountains

Summer in the Mountains by Norm, Peg, and Terri Mead

Each year there're two summers in Arizona. The one in the lowland valleys and our three largest cities is remarkable for its single-digit humidity and parching daytime temperatures (but with nearlyuniversal air conditioning, things are quite bearable). Then there's Arizona's other summer, the summer of sparkling waters, seasonal rainshowers on cabin roofs, refreshingly crisp nights, and cooling breezes bearing the scent of pine woods. Each weekend and holiday throughout the summer months (and for some, each vacation) many Arizonans join visitors from other states in the mountains of Arizona's central and eastern high country. Coleridge summed it up nicely when he wrote 'Tis sweet to him who all the week Through city-crowds must push his way, To stroll alone through fields and woods, And hallow thus the Sabbath-day.

Favorite spots for these seasonal migrators are scattered in a broad arc from the Prescott area in north central Arizona to sites easily reached from the spectacular Coronado Trail highway which winds through the mountainous eastern part of the state adjoining New Mexico.

Encompassed in this high-country arc are mountains more than two miles high, the world's largest stand of ponderosa pine (many are surprised to learn that timber and lumbering is one of the state's largest industries!), the home of the first rodeo held anywhere, the most-used routes to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, red-cindered remains of ancient and not-so-ancient volcanoes, a quaint "ghost town" with a steadily-growing population, spectacular red-rock cliffs and canyons made famous round the world by the many motion pictures made there, long-deserted cliff dwellings inhabited by The Ancient Ones and today's reservations populated and managed by enterprising and forward-looking American Indians, hundreds of square miles of unspoiled wilderness, intriguing trails and back roads which invite and soothe the unhurried traveler, some seldom-fished streams and dozens of crystal lakes, and perhaps most important of all to summertime visitors from hot valleys and crowded cities the invigorating, fragrant, cool mountain air. Even if the vacation season could stretch to a dozen months, one would still not have time enough to explore the many facets of Arizona's mountain summer.

Many visitors again and again head directly for Arizona's White Mountains Searching for quiet and relaxation. There's a certain undefinable something -a certain feeling about the White Mountains that means summer magic. Maybe it's the crisp, zestfully cool climate, maybe it's the scenic grandeur that inspires a serene mood; the green-carpeted meadows, the placid mountain lakes, the fresh trout streams, the shimmering aspens, the perfection of the blue spruce; maybe it's the magical combination of all these things.

Quite understandably, what attracts the desert dweller and out-of-state visitor to Arizona's high country the most is the refreshing temperatures and the abundance of water. As far as the fisherman is concerned, the White Mountains were created solely for him. With 500 miles of trout streams and over 50 well-stocked lakes, who's to argue? Rainbow trout are stocked in these waters, while German browns and Brookies are native. To stroll along a stream, picking wild gooseberries and strawberries as you cast in and out of the tumbling water, sounds like something out of Huckleberry Finn.

Lakes and ponds in the White Mountains offer a wide variety of activities in

addition to fishing. Frog gigging is excel-lent; if you've never tried it, you're in for a real treat. There's hardly anything tastier than Southern fried frog legs!

For ideal fishing, one should point his rod and reel westward. The Mogollon Rim area (“the Rim”) provides a variety of fishing environments with plenty of lakes and streams. The lakes are especially beautiful, as the tall pine and fir trees march right down to the water's edge. Like most of the White Mountain lakes, large and powerful motorboats are not permitted on Rim lakes; such restric-tion provides an excellent opportunity for sailboaters and canoers to enjoy the moodiness of these mountain waters (small, quiet electric trolling motors are allowed, though).

In addition to the lakes, East Verde, Christopher, and Tonto Creeks near the Rim satisfy the avid stream angler. Fight-ing trout are stocked regularly. Nearby campgrounds and picnic areas provide facilities to help you to savor your catch as soon as you can get it out of the water and onto the coals.

Lake Mary in the Flagstaff area is both a fisherman's and boater's delight. Divided into two parts, Lower Lake Mary is pri-marily for the angler, while on Upper Lake Mary waterskiers have plenty of room to make maneuvers. Fishermen also find Mormon Lake (Arizona's largest natural lake), Ashurst Lake, and White Horse Lake greatly rewarding. Catches range from northern pike to 14-pound catfish! To the southwest, Lynx Lake, Watson Lake, and Willow Creek Reser-voir accommodate fishermen in the Pres-cott area.

The fishing and the relaxing are especially good along Oak Creek (just south of Flagstaff) where scarlet sand-stone cliffs tower protectively over the lush growths of mighty sycamores and delicate fern. It's hard to say whether today's anglers go out for the sport or simply for the scenery.

A treat is in store for campers and hikers in Arizona's summer mountains. Campgrounds abound throughout the mountain country, along with wilderness areas for hiking that are unequalled any-where.

There are miles and miles of virgin woodland in the White Mountains where backpackers can hike for days and not come upon modern civilization. A walk alone through the White Mountain forests gives one the strange feeling that he's the first person to ever trod this ground the feeling of discovering a virgin area. For the adventurous backpacker, 11,590-foot Mt. Baldy provides ample challenge, especially for the short-winded.

North of Flagstaff, the majestic San Francisco Peaks are favorite tramping grounds. True adventurers take on Mt. Humphreys, Arizona's highest peak. From this 12,670-foot vantage point, hikers get a panoramic view of the sur-rounding area the slash of the Grand Canyon across the Kaibab Plateau, Oak Creek Canyon, the extinct volcanic cone of Sunset Crater, the Painted Desert stretching away toward the Petrified Forest and Navajoland.

Camping in Arizona, as well as through-out the nation, is one of the most popular forms of family recreation today, not only because it is fun, but because it's also the least expensive form of family recreation. Planning a camping trip, packing, select-ing the perfect campsite, setting up camp, cooking meals in the out-of-doors, spend-ing evenings around the campfire toasting marshmallows, washing up in water scooped from a clear and icy stream, chilly nights cuddled in a bedroll under touching-close stars, the aroma of coffee brewing over an open fire, the smell of pine and the dew-covered grass all are indelible memories of camping vacations. Of such pleasant times are the associa-tions made that lastingly unite families and friends. Arizona's mountains have hundreds of beautifully-improved campsites located in the high, cool forests near streams and lakes. Each one beckons a family to picnic or to participate in and enjoy a whole-some and unforgettable camping experi-ence.

Nothing for the golfer is as refreshing and exhilarating as a round in the cool mountains a land refrigerated by Mother Nature herself. Pinetop is one center of prime golfing; three exceptional and challenging courses at an elevation of 7000 feet, each carved through dense growths of tall ponderosa pine. If you stay in the fairways and play it straight, your ball will really fly through the lighter air however, if you hook or slice into the woods or rough, you're in real trouble! The first golf course in the White Mountains, the White Mountain Country Club, was built over 20 years ago on Forest Service land at extremely small cost. Its tremendous success prompted a building boom in the area, spawning summer homes and land development. Today there are six golf courses near Pinetop offering an infinite variety of exciting holes to test the skill of the most avid golfer. In addition, Show Low, Alpine, and Concho Valley offer exciting facilities. Over to the northwest and west, Flagstaff, Sedona and Prescott provide majestic settings for challenging 18-hole layouts. You'll find lake and water hazards, sand traps, "trees on top of trees" in the forests, and roughs that are really rough with rocks, high grass, oak thickets, and more rocks. But it's refreshing to don a sweater to play golf in Arizona during June and July! Tennis buffs, too, have discovered the advantages of taking to our forested mountains in the summer. Excellent courts are available at most of the country clubs, and many communities provide public facilities. There's nothing like a brisk set or two played in the refreshing mountain air.

Now, it's a well-known fact that at least half of Arizona's population is comprised of frustrated cowhands, and the high country has fulfillment even for these folks. Imagine the look on your neighbor's face if you tell him you spent your summer vacation slopping hogs, feeding chickens, branding calves, and herding livestock! At working cattle ranches like Sprucedale Guest Ranch near Alpine in the White Mountains, you can pay to do just that, and think you've made the best of the bargain. Or, if your idea is relaxation a little more subdued, some of the most elaborate resorts are right next door to pamper you at places like Sunrise on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Kohl's Ranch on Tonto Creek under the Rim, and a number of plush retreats along Oak Creek in the Sedona area. Mountain summers have just as much to offer to the "less active" visitor. With a wide variety of restaurants and night clubs, you can enjoy dining and dancing at some of Arizona's finest places. There's also bowling, movie theaters, art shows, college activities, cultural exchanges, and music festivals.

Below and south of the Mogollon Rim lies the Tonto National Forest and to the north lie the Coconino and Sitgreaves National Forests. Vistas from this 7000-foot escarpment are always spectacular.

The annual Summer Festival in Flagstaff is one of the most popular cultural events in the Southwest. Throughout the summer, internationally-known artists perform in all fields of art; last year, for example, the music of country-Western singer Marty Robbins and the erudite lectures of Alexander Scourby were on the schedule. There's something of interest for every taste at the Festival.

Sightseeing is always a favorite pastime of northland visitors, and this year should be extra special. Our nation's Bicentennial has made people more interested in our national as well as local history. Because Arizona's Indians have played such a major part in shaping the state's history, a visit to mountain Indian reservations will prove rewarding; the more one knows about Indian culture, the more it can be appreciated. Located in the high country are the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in the White Mountains and the San Carlos Indian Reservation farther south. Not far to the northwest lie the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations; visitors are welcome at all reservations. Anyone interested in the Native American's culture will surely want to be on hand for Flagstaff's annual Fourth of July All-Indian Pow Wow. This is a time for Indians from all over the Southwest to gather together. In addition to competing in daily rodeos, the various tribes perform ritual dances and bring their handcrafted wares for sale in the colorful marketplace.

With literally hundreds of visitor attractions in Arizona's high country, it would be impractical to mention them all here. Among the favorites are Fort Apache, in the White Mountains, home for a time of the infamous warrior Geronimo. The fort itself bears no resemblance to the stockade of Hollywood movie fame (in fact, few Arizona forts were ever built with high walls). The actual fort at Fort Apache was isolated naturally on two sides by verticallywalled gorges and, being situated atop a hill, no attacker could approach the front without being observed; it never was successfully attacked. Remains of the barracks and commander's home still stand.

Take another step back in history this time on the White Mountain Scenic Railroad. You'll easily get caught up in the feeling that you've actually traveled back in time as you chug, rumble, and whistle your way through the beautiful White Mountain countryside aboard an old-time train powered by a genuine steam-and-smoke-belching locomotive.

This is probably the world's slowest passenger train, seldom exceeding 12 miles an hour, with stops in the wilderness to take on water, and to allow passengers to take pictures, study beaver dams, or pick wildflowers. The ride originates in McNary and takes passengers through Pinetop Lakes, by Porter Mountain, and into the Show Low elk country what a way to see the "Whites."

Also of interest in the White Mountains is the winding Coronado Trail (paved U.S. Route 666), the ancient Pueblo Indian ruins of Kinishba, and the lumber mills at McNary and Whiteriver.

In the Mogollon Rim country, you'll find that the Rim itself is a spectacle to see. Atop this 200-mile-long pine-covered escarpment which juts suddenly upward 2000 feet (the south-facing Mogollon Rim), fossilized remains of ancient sea life can be found. Back during the violent geologic history of our earth, an ocean floor was elevated some 7000 feet above today's sea level; it's now the top of the Rim.

Near Payson is Tonto Natural Bridge, the world's largest natural arch. The arch itself is formed of white limestone and red coral, and soars 185 feet above a stream bed. Many stories are told of the early-day Indian fights that took place near the "bridge." Under it stand the remains of ancient Indian dwellings.

The Flagstaff area is well supplied with national monuments and scenic attractions. There's Grand Canyon National Park just 80-odd miles to the north, scores of Indian pueblo ruins, the famous

A pastoral setting below the rugged old volcanic fields known as San Francisco Peaks. Esther Henderson Meteor Crater, extinct volcanoes and tumbled lava beds, and ice caves.

Travelers and visitors happily discover that small-town friedliness isn't a thing of the past, and also find that many of our high-country communities have a rather colorful history.

Just west of Flagstaff lies Williams, a town located at the base of Bill Williams Mountain in a beautiful green valley on the main line of the Santa Fe Railway. The settlement was named after a rugged mountain man of the area, William Sherley Williams. In the nineteenth century Bill Williams trapped and hunted his way through the Southwest's mountain country, and gained popularity as a guide in the Southern Utah area. Bill Williams and other early mountain men like him are remembered today for their courage and stamina; a group of men calling themselves the Bill Williams Mountain Men get together on special occasions to dress up in the authentic mountainman leather apparel and participate in cross-country rides and to hoot and holler in parades.

A visit to the present small town of Williams is a refreshing change from bigcity hustle. The townspeople pride themselves on their genuine Western hospitality. Williams is the gateway to the Grand Canyon, America's most popular national park. It's but an hour's drive north of town, just 20 minutes by plane.Surrounding the town is some of the loveliest countryside in the state. Just 20 miles away by graded road is White Horse Lake, situated in an area of nearly virgin woodland bordered by the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area. Broad meadows splashed with multicolored wildflowers, tall pine trees rustling in cool breezes, and majestic pearl-trunked aspens add to the picturesque setting of the lake. Wildlife is abundant; deer are frequently seen during drives through the countryside pleasant surprises for the sightseer, nature lover, and photographer.

Seventy miles to the south over multilane highways, Prescott (capital during Arizona's Territorial days) really comes alive during the summer season. July is the period when Frontier Days activi-ties get started. “Old West” fronts are erected throughout the town and mock shootouts on the streets are not uncommon. Those not attired in Western garb are “apprehended,” thrown into a makeshift sidewalk “jail,” and allowed to purchase freedom by buying a one-dollar bola tie. (It appears, by the way, that the prettier a woman is, the better her chances of being jailed!) The annual Smoki Snake Dances are held just a month later. These ritual dances are performed by a group of business and professional men (and a tattooed U.S. Senator) who dress in Indian-style costumes. The ceremonies take months of preparation and are eagerly awaited by Prescott residents.

Not only a visitor's retreat, Prescott has a habit of also catering to its own residents; here you can see small-town friendliness at its best. Something is always going on in the center of town at Courthouse Plaza art shows, benefits, slide presentations, square dancing activities are planned for most every summer night. And if you're a softball enthusiast,

Visitor information can be obtained from the following high country chambers of commerce:

Flagstaff area: Post Office Box 1150, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Greer area: Post Office Box 254, Greer, AZ 85927

Payson area: Post Office Box A, Payson, AZ 85541 Pine-Strawberry area: Post Office Box 41, Pine, AZ 85544 Pinetop-Lakeside area: Post Office Box 266, Pinetop, AZ 85935 Prescott area: Post Office Box 1147, Prescott, AZ 86301 Sedona-Oak Creek area: Post Office Box 478, Sedona, AZ 86336 Williams area: Post Office Box 235, Williams, AZ 86046 Prescott is probably one of the biggest promoters of that sport. From local teams to league champions, there's exciting play at the town's municipal ballpark.

Meanwhile, other activities are taking place to the east in Payson, situated just below the Mogollon Rim. In addition to holding the annual Payson Rodeo, the world's longest-running rodeo (Payson can claim this title, because Prescott discontinued its rodeo during the Second World War), Payson becomes Arizona's summer music capital. Throughout the summer, strains of almost every kind of melody drift up from Payson. It all begins in May with the Gospel Music Festival, followed by the Country Music Festival, and finally brought to a foot-stompin' close with the Old Time Fiddlers Contest in September.

East of the town of Payson is the home of Zane Grey just under the Mogollon Rim. It seems like anyone who can read is now, or has been at sometime, a fan of this famous Western author, whose home is open to visitors.

If a prize were given to the town with the most original name, Show Low in the White Mountains would surely win. The name came about because of a longstanding feud between two early-day ranchers in the area. Being partners and owning large tracts of land thereabouts, they decided to settle their differences once and for all with a card game of seven-up. The winner would "show low" and take all. To this day, the name has stuck.

Arizona is not known as an alpine area, but there is a settlement called Alpine. The village, in the center of Bush Valley, lies just south and at the foot of Escudilla Mountain. The climate at the town's 8500-foot elevation is especially fine in summer. Days are drenched in warm sunshine, the air is cool, clear, and dry, and the crisp-enough-for-a-blanket nights guarantee restful sleep. Quiet and peaceful, you wake rested and refreshed, ready to tackle or just enjoy the world. Exploring, riding, hiking, hunting, or driving, you'll find the country surrounding Alpine to be unbelievably beautiful with tall pines, bubbling trout streams, shimmering aspens, quiet wildflowercovered meadows, clear deep lakes, and forests of blue spruce. The awe-inspiring drive south of Alpine over the famous Coronado Trail through Hannagans Meadow is thought by many to be the most pleasant scenic drive in the West.Summer fun comes in such a variety that there's something there to satisfy everyone. Boating, fishing, hiking, camping, sightseeing, golfing, tennis, discovering the Indian cultures there's every reason to visit Arizona's mountain country.

Additional information may be obtained from:

White Mountain Apache Enterprise Post Office Box 26, Whiteriver, AZ 85941 White Mountain Recreation Enterprise Post Office Box 218, Whiteriver, AZ 85941 Arizona's U.S. Forest Service Offices Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest Post Office Box 640 Springerville, AZ 85938 Coconino National Forest Post Office Box 1268 Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Coronado National Forest Federal Building 301 W. Congress Tucson, AZ 85701 Kaibab National Forest Post Office Box 817 Williams, AZ 86046 Prescott National Forest Post Office Box 2549 Prescott, AZ 86301 Tonto National Forest Post Office Box 13705 Phoenix, AZ 85002 Reflections of a perfect day (right) at Big Bear Lake in the White Mountains. Trevor Stanley Horseshoe Lake (below) is a camper's delight. Earl Petroff