Rim Country Sampler: from Camp Verde to Payson

TAKE OFF FROM CAMP VERDE FOR THIS SCENIC RIM COUNTRY SAMPLER

Text by Michael Richie

Photographs by Nick Berezenko

I can't remember who first taught me the pon-derosa pine's little secret, but I've since shared it with others. The next time you travel the Mogollon Rim, forget your dignity for a moment. Place your nose against a ponderosa's deeply fur-rowed bark and take a big breath. The unmistakably sweet vanilla scent will be a pleasant surprise. The Mogollon Rim holds the largest continuous stand of ponderosas in North America, a giant swath of elevated forest across Arizona's midsection, creating a realm of great scenic and biological diversity. The fragmented, fractured, highly dissected volcanic-capped Mogollon escarpment also holds the most beautiful oases in the world. I discovered the well-watered Mogollon canyons too late in life to play hooky or Huckleberry Finn. But the

RIM COUNTRY SAMPLER

sheltered, crystal clear rivers and creeks pouring through the d desert with their accompanying broadleafed forests offer the ideal place to do either. One of the best ways to sample the Rim's variety and access two of its most beautiful canyons is to do what I'm doing: drive State routes 260 and 87 from Camp Verde to Payson. The approach first ascends and then partially descends from the Rim for an excellent cross section of uniquely Arizonan natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and even reminders of colorful territorial times. I spied the pleasant little town of Camp Verde sitting atop a knoll overlooking the broad Verde River Valley. Settlers first began irrigation farming here in the late 1860s and quickly had to ask the federal government for protection from hostile Indians. A military post called Camp Lincoln resulted but was later abandoned. The new fort, Fort Verde, was created farther south along the Verde River. It is now a state historic park and museum. It reached its present form in the 1870s. Walking the parade ground and looking inside the authentically furnished barracks and officer's quarters gives me a vivid sense of the frontier soldier's spartan life-style. At the edge of town, State 260 crosses the Verde River and follows its valley southeast. About 5.9 miles from Camp Verde, I see a sign indicating Bull Pen Road, which branches north to the mouth of West Clear Creek Canyon Wilderness Area. I drive the reasonably well-maintained road five miles down to a streamside camping ground and trail that follows the river upstream. This is my favorite hike in the state. Limpid reflecting water flows past rugged canyon walls covered with ocotillo and prickly pear thickets. The shady green riparian zone, or riverside forest, so unique to Arizona holds huge old cottonwoods and sycamores, along with black walnut, box elder, and willow trees. Nine miles from Camp Verde, State 260 begins the long steep climb up to the world of the rimtop. The canyon-clinging route parallels the old General Crook Trail of the 1870s, from Fort Verde to Fort Apache. Views expand out past the maze of foothills and steep, rocky gorges as the vegetation gradually changes from desert to conifer forest.

(LEFT) Fort Huachuca's 4th Cavalry, Troop B, delights spectators at Fort Verde Days, held each fall. (BELOW) Seen from the General Crook Highway bridge, the Verde River flows past Camp Verde. (RIGHT) In autumn, golden cottonwoods, orange sycamores, and green junipers populate the terrain around Bullpen Campground, on West Clear Creek.

Century plants form splashes of color with golden blossoms and ruby-red fruit held like banners atop 10-foot-tall stalks. The pungent smell of ponderosa pine replaces the musky scent of riverside mesquite. Numerous forest roads branch to secluded meadows and unlimited camping. State 260 joins State 87 some 30 miles from Camp Verde and turns southward. The color spectrum here comes from blinding white clouds, an arching azure sky, luxuriant green foliage, pumpkin-colored ponderosa trunks, and lemon-yellow wild mustard blooms crowding the right-of-way. About eight miles from the Routes 260 and 87 junction, the paved Strawberry Village Road branches to the right for 1.6 miles past hayfields and orchards to the oldest standing one-room schoolhouse in the state.

RIM COUNTRY SAMPLER

(OPPOSITE PAGE) Near the hamlet of Pine in early autumn, the scarlet sumac contrasts with the cool greens of ponderosa pines, Arizona white oaks, and alligator junipers.

(ABOVE, LEFT) Carl Garrison of Chandler acclimates his 15-month-old son, Fletcher, to the cool waters of the Fossil Springs Wilderness.

(ABOVE, RIGHT) “Stunning” is what our author calls his first view of Tonto Natural Bridge, the largest travertine span in the world.

(LEFT) A waterfall plunges from the top of the Tonto bridge to a lush riparian domain below.

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Continued from page 38 Built in 1885, the log structure has been preserved down to the tiniest interior detail. Rows of desks polished smooth by numberless students, frayed yellow-edged readers, and a mute blackboard create a nostalgic scene. A schoolteacher by profession, I can almost hear the bell clanging and see the kids laughing and jostling as they return from recess.

The paved Strawberry Village turnoff ends another mile past the schoolhouse, but the dirt road continues 2.7 miles to an overlook on the south rim of Fossil Springs Wilderness Area, another of my favorite hiking places. A three-mile trail switchbacks down from the parking area at the overlook to a hidden world of tall trees, bubbling springs, and turquoise pools connected by silvery cascades and surrounded by glistening banks of watercress. At Strawberry the descent from the Mogollon Rim begins. State 87 leaves the ponderosa behind as the views soar out over chaparral-covered hills to distantSonoran Desert flats. About eight miles farther on the right, the one-mile turnoff to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park descends quickly to a green meadow on the canyon floor. The old road, which was narrow and unaccommodating to RVs and could become treacherous when it rained, has been paved and widened and new parking lots added.

My first view of the bridge is stunning. Formed from water-deposited limestone, or travertine, it is the largest of its kind in the world. A massive 183-foot-high, 400-footlong tunnel, it measures 150 feet at its widest point. Stalactite formations cover the walls. A waterfall leaps off the bridge top and fragments into refreshing mist as the trail plummets down a series of crevices and stone steps to a beautiful riparian corridor at the bridge's mouth. Clear, cold pools make for great wading on a hot afternoon. A stately old lodge, built in 1927 andnow on the national historic register, showcases fine woodwork and antiques.

(LEFT) At Strawberry, a bell tops Arizona's oldest surviving one-room schoolhouse. (BELOW) State Route 87 snakes through a sea of ponderosas as it drops off the Mogollon Rim to Strawberry Valley.

Past Tonto Bridge, State 87 continues to lose altitude until 4.5 miles from Payson, the thick riparian forests along the East Verde River signal the approaching end to my engaging, easygoing Rim country sampler.

WHEN YOU GO

The area between Camp Verde and Payson offers many attractions and places to spend the night.

Fort Verde State Park is two miles off Interstate 17 (Exit 285). Watch for the signs. The park is open daily except Christmas from 8 A.M. to 4:30 Р.М. Admission is $2. For more information about the park, call (520) 567-3275. To ask about other attractions, accommodations, and restaurants in the area, contact (520) 567-9294.

After driving up the spectacular Zane Grey Highway, State Route 260, stop at the Strawberry Schoolhouse, the oldest of its type in the state. It's open weekends and holidays, April to September, 10 A.M. to 4 P.M., and there is a small gift shop. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. To inquire, contact the Pine-Strawberry Chamber of Commerce, (520) 476-3547.

The 183-foot-high Tonto Natural Bridge is the largest travertine span in the world. There's a historic one-time lodge that was built on the site in 1927, as well as picnic areas. Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is open daily except Christmas, October to March, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.; April to September, 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. For more park information, call (520) 476-4202. To inquire about the area, contact the Payson Chamber of Commerce, (520) 474-4515.