Back Road Adventure

One of the innumerable things I like about Tucson is the San Francisco Peaks. No, I'm not claiming the peaks for Tucson; they belong to Flagstaff, some 260 road miles north.

DRIVING ROUND THE MOUNTAIN IN FLAGSTAFF

But in midsummer, when the thermometer beneath my backyard ramada begins to nail 100° F. with oppressive frequency, and monsoon winds shove currents of warm, muggy air into southeast Arizona; when weather forecasters begin to talk about something called the "discomfort index," and even the most caliche-hard desert rats are too embarrassed to say, "Yeah, but it's a dry heat," that's when I escape to the San Francisco Peaks. In the morning, I can stroll among cholla cactus, paloverde, and summer poppies in the desert around my Tucson home. Later the same day, I can hike past wind-gnarled bristlecone pines, among the oldest living plants on Earth, on my way to the treeless arctic-alpine tundra zone atop 12,643-foot Humphreys Peak. It's like traveling from Mexico to Alaska in a single day.

Two recommendations before you travel into the range. (And these are based on years of experience; not just mine but others as well.) First, stop at the Peaks Ranger station on U.S. Route 89, across from Flagstaff Mall and just north of Railhead Avenue. There you can purchase maps and get information on trails, road conditions, weather, and seasonal highlights, such as periods of peak wild-flower bloom or fall colors.

Second, drive up the paved Snowbowl Road (Forest Service Road 516), seven miles north of Flagstaff on U.S. Route 180. The 13.3-mile round-trip to Humphreys Peak Trailhead, elevation about 9,300 feet, is a great visual orientation to San Francisco Peaks terrain. You pass through a dense belt of ponderosa pine, groves of aspen, then spruce and fir trees as you approach the high meadow at the trailhead. Watch for wildlife along the road. I always see deer, occasionally turkeys, and once an elk.

The views from the meadow are splendid. To the west are rolling prairies, forests, the Hochderffer Hills, and 10,418-foot Kendrick Peak. With binoculars you can scan the horizon above the treetops along the north side of the meadow to catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon.

Turning to the mountain-side, you see the succession of forested belts: spruce-fir interspersed with aspen, the timberline zone, and the arctic-alpine tundra zone where only hardy ground-hugging plants survive.

My first back-road excursion into the peaks was a 42.5-mile loop around the mountain. The drive starts at Forest Service Road 420, just north of the Museum of Northern Arizona on U.S. 180. From there it's 12.1 miles northeast on FR 420 to U.S. 89. A left turn (north) takes you 2.9 miles to FR 418. Another left at FR 418, returns you 13.6 miles along the north side of the peaks to U.S. 180, where a final left turn 14 miles from Flagstaff closes the circle.

Any high-clearance automobile can handle these roads in fair weather. In rough weather, it's a good idea to avoid all back roads.

The San Francisco Peaks are the eroded crown of an extinct volcano with the crown jewels - Humphreys, Agassiz, Fremont, and Doyle peaks arranged around the rim from northwest to southwest.

It was once believed that the city of San Francisco, more than 600 miles away, could be seen from the summit, and that the peaks were therefore named after the California city. Not so.

In 1629, more than 200 years before Americans took Yerba Buena from the Spanish and renamed it San Francisco, friars established a mission at the village of Oraibi on the Hopi mesas. Those friars christened the peaks, looming on the horizon 65 miles away, in honor of their patron, Saint Francis.

Let's drive round the mountain. The first few miles along FR L420 parallel Schultz Creek, an ephemeral stream that carries water during spring snowmelt or after summer thundershowers. You begin to see the creek, and the footpath beside it, after about a mile. There's a shaded parking area, a pleasant rest stop, at Schultz Tank, about 5.5 miles up. Actually a small pond, the tank is a good place to observe wildlife.

Through the ponderosa pine forest along the 6.5 miles from Schultz Tank to U.S. 89, you can see a vast field of volcanic cinder cones, called the Cinder Hills. Spreading over more than 60,000 acres to the east, the Cinder Hills include Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and the Strawberry Crater Wilderness.

About two miles after you have turned onto U.S. 89, heading north toward FR 418, you will notice a cinder mine on the left side of the road.

The mine is actually a cinder cone half gobbled up by large earth-moving machines, dwarfed by the immensity of the cone itself.

Back Road Adventure

As you travel west on FR 418, you will again see cinder cones in the distance to the north, giving you some impression of the vastness of the San Francisco volcanic field. The peaks now lie on your left, and, as FR 418 climbs to higher elevations, you will be afforded several excellent perspectives of the range. Seven miles up, FR 9123J enters FR 418 from the south. A one-mile detour here will take you to hiking trails that climb 6.5 miles to the Inner Basin. Now a lush alpine setting dense with shimmering aspen and vivid wildflowers, the Inner Basin was the epicenter of the savage explosion that split this mountain open millions of years ago. This is your last chance to wander in the woods before driving the few miles to paved road. You needn't go far. Just far enough to hear the whisper of aspen leaves. To feel on your face the cool mountain air. Or to listen to the liquid evensong of the solitary hermit thrush.

mile detour here will take you to hiking trails that climb 6.5 miles to the Inner Basin. Now a lush alpine setting dense with shimmering aspen and vivid wildflowers, the Inner Basin was the epicenter of the savage explosion that split this mountain open millions of years ago. This is your last chance to wander in the woods before driving the few miles to paved road. You needn't go far. Just far enough to hear the whisper of aspen leaves. To feel on your face the cool mountain air. Or to listen to the liquid evensong of the solitary hermit thrush.

TIPS FOR TRAVELERS

Back-road travel can be hazardous if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Whether traveling in the desert or in the high country, be aware of weather and road conditions and make sure you and your vehicle are in top shape, and you have plenty of water. Don't travel alone, and let someone at home know where you're going and when you plan to return.