HIKE OF THE MONTH

hikethemonth Little-known POTATO PATCH LOOP TRAIL in the Hualapai Mountains A Secret Worth Telling

LOCATION: 190 miles northwest of Phoenix. GETTING THERE: Take Exit 53 off Interstate 40 and proceed south on Andy Devine Avenue 2 miles to Hualapai Mountain Road.

Turn left and drive east 11.2 miles to the Hualapai Mountain Park Ranger Station to pick up a trail map. For an alternate route east of Kingman, take Exit 59 south to Hualapai Mountain Road, then drive east to the ranger station. Continue 2 miles south into the park, bearing right at every junction. There is ample parking below the trailhead.

TRAVEL ADVISORY: The best time to go is early spring through late fall.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Hualapai Mountain Park, (928) 757-3859.

CONSIDER THE POTATO PATCH

Loop Trail in the Hualapai Mountains southeast of Kingman is a secret worth sharing. Those already in the know might question drawing attention to this beautiful trail, but they needn't worry: With its 1,000-foot elevation change, the trail requires strenuous effort. The switchbacks alone will cull the herd.

The Hualapai Mountains, named for the Indians-the "pine tree folk" - who have occupied the region for more than a thousand years, run generally north and south for 40 miles. Granite boulders and gneiss and schist spires and outcroppings make up the range. Hualapai Peak, at 8,417 feet, rises 5,000 feet above the surrounding valleys.

The 4-mile loop forms the trunk of a 10-mile trail system in densely for-ested Hualapai Mountain Park, which also encompasses rental cabins, a lodge and opportunities to see a lot of wildlife, including mule deer. Signs and numbered markers along the trail coincide with waypoints on the free map available at the ranger station near the park entrance. The markers also indicate levels of difficulty for sections of the trail. Strategically placed benches await the weary, and wooden storm shelters offer protection from bad weather that could surprise any hiker too pooped to keep an eye on the sky.

ested Hualapai Mountain Park, which also encompasses rental cabins, a lodge and opportunities to see a lot of wildlife, including mule deer. Signs and numbered markers along the trail coincide with waypoints on the free map available at the ranger station near the park entrance. The markers also indicate levels of difficulty for sections of the trail. Strategically placed benches await the weary, and wooden storm shelters offer protection from bad weather that could surprise any hiker too pooped to keep an eye on the sky.

The trail begins at an elevation of 6,750 feet with a steep 20-minute half-mile climb up switchbacks between thick manzanita bushes to the granite stairs leading to the Stone Step Lookout, which is about as far as most people go. From there, on a clear day, you can see the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, 140 miles away.

For the intrepid, another 10 minutes of huffing and puffing past ponderosa pine, blue spruce and white fir trees leads to the Potato Patch Loop junction. The choices are to go south or west around looming Aspen Peak, elevation 8,167 feet; either way returns fullcircle to this junction.

Shady groves of Gambel oaks, thorny New Mexican locusts and, occasionally, Arizona maple trees, help keep the trail cool, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. Most of the old-growth ponderosa pines have succumbed to bark beetles, but younger ponderosas and aspens dominate the landscape. House-size granite boulders rest like a giant's lost marbles along the path. The scents of honeysuckle and dusty pine waft with the hum of bees on the welcome breeze. Turkey vultures ride thermals overhead.

The Pine Lake Overlook, 1.4 miles from the trailhead at an elevation of 7,450 feet, gives another panoramic view to the east. The lake, appearing the size of a postage stamp from a half-mile away and almost 1,500 feet above, is privately owned now. But a long time ago, I earned my canoeing merit badge on it, hiking there and back from our campsite in the potato patch every day for a week.

The patch, elevation 7,500 feet, lies another half-mile beyond the overlook. The name refers to a commercial potato farm that operated in the narrow valley around 1910, when mining in these mountains still flourished. For more than 40 years, the patch has been the site of a summer camp for area Boy Scouts.

From the patch, the route swings north then east. On the western summit of the loop, elevation 7,450 feet, awaits another bench. The trail gets steep in places, and loose gravel and pine needles create slippery spots.

Around-trip on the Potato Patch Loop Trail takes about two hours for this semisedentary, middle-aged man with a penchant for stopping to watch birds and butterflies. For all that exertion, though, the reward is handsome-dappled sunlight, solitude and clean mountain air. To enjoy this hike with the Friends of Arizona Highways, contact the organization at (602) 712-2004. The number of participants will be limited.