Big Lake and Black River Arizona Adventure

East of Show Low/Pinetop, Sunrise Ski area and the Mt. Baldy Wilderness lies countryside so wild and pristine, you'd think you were in Yellowstone National Park. Along with the Ponderosa Pine we are all accustomed to seeing around Payson, this piece of heaven in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest hosts vast meadows, big sky and deep forests that also include Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce and the ever so beautiful Aspen that bring fall colors to our State.

The forests are abundant in wildlife.  Black Bear, Mexican Grey Wolves, Cougar, Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Deer and Turkey (to name a few) flourish in this wilderness.  In our recent campout at the Aspen Campground along the East Fork Black River we came across this 75-100 pound black bear. 

The bighorn below were hanging out across the river from our campground along the cliff wall.

This turkey (with babies) and Heron were hanging out right along the forest road.

The fishing is great along the East Fork Black River.  The kids spent most of their time in or around the river catching rainbow trout, snakes and crawdads. 

These mountains are a great place to recharge and find solitude.  Driving the forest roads around Big Lake and the Black River wilderness yields plenty for the eye and the soul. 

These ancient paths have been used by explorers, ranchers, hunters and Native Americans for hundreds of years.  Check out that primitive wagon from 2004 below...

Anyone interested in camping in this wonderland will find plenty of designated camp sites with facilities along the East Fork Black River and the Big Lake Recreation Area.  Tent and trailer camping seemed plentiful.  We chose the Black River so the kids could play in the shallow water all day and then finished the trip with a fishing excursion (boat rental) to Big Lake on the way home.  Be prepared to drive upwards of 5+ hours from Phoenix - with that distance, 2-3 nights minimum make the most sense.  Remember half the drive is sight seeing and wildlife viewing!

Wide open spaces for some target practice with the Browning Lever Action 22 Rifle (BL-22).

For more pictures and places to explore around Arizona, visit:  Arizona Excursions @ Blaze-A-Trail.com

Check out Yellowstone, Alaska, Washington and others here:  Adventure Archives @ Blaze-A-Trail.com

The three maps below show the routes to Big Lake and the Black River area campgrounds.

Grand Falls, Arizona (aka "Chocolate Falls")

My daughter and I spent 3 Incredible Days Exploring Canyons and Iconic Views of the Southwest - This is the sixth and final post of our adventure

As a photographer, I’ve read about these falls on the internet and always wanted to explore them.  We had to burn rubber from Canyon de Chelly to make it to Grand Falls just before the sunset.  The last 9 miles off the back highway were on forest road.   The last mile was a rough one but it was well worth the exploration.  

The Little Colorado River leaves its headwaters in the white mountains near Mt. Baldy (Sunrise ski resort) and meanders through the back ways to join the mighty Colorado River  in the Grand Canyon.  Along the way, not too far outside Flagstaff, are the Grand Falls.  The river bottom is extremely wide and one can picture in his/her mind how these falls would look after a heavy winter with the snow melt.  The entire width would be one massive, Niagra-style waterfall and the churned up water would look like chocolate milk.  With the light winter we had, the river was low but this created it’s own beauty as several cascades were falling along the width of the cliff.  The sunset brought out some extraordinary colors.

Using her iPod, my daughter shot the panoramic picture above of the entire canyon and sunset.  Despite the low light, this picture really shows the enormity of this rugged and remote landscape.  After this photo and while waiting for her Dad, she found some really interesting heart-shaped porous lava rocks.  The entire drive off road and this location is a lava field from ancient volcanos.

See more photos here:  Arizona Excursions @ Blaze-A-Trail.com

See Part 1 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Slot Canyon Adventure - Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch
See Part 2 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Horseshoe Bend - A Memorable Sunrise
See Part 3 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Antelope Canyon

See Part 4 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Monument Valley
See Part 5 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

My daughter and I spent 3 Incredible Days Exploring Canyons and Iconic Views of the Southwest - This is the fifth post of our adventure

Having only a little time to spend here, we picked the White House Indian Ruins overlook for our view of the canyon.  We were greeted with breathtaking views of this ancient place.  The clouds rolled through casting shadows and changing the colors of the canyon walls at times.

My daughter helped me find the location of the famous White House indian ruins.  Built into the cliff face, the White House and it’s village below really give a sense of how the ancient indians lived in this canyon.

The cliff face above the White House is stunning with its sheer size and variety of colors.    

The photo below was taken with my daughter's iPod using the Pano option. 

Next time we visit, there are 4x4 tours into the canyon and one non-guided hiking trail to the bottom to visit the White House.  It would be a wholly different experience being in the canyon and looking up at the ruins and cliff walls. 

See more photos here:  Arizona Excursions @ Blaze-A-Trail.com

See Part 1 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Slot Canyon Adventure - Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch
See Part 2 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Horseshoe Bend - A Memorable Sunrise
See Part 3 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Antelope Canyon

See Part 4 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Monument Valley

See Part 6 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Grand Falls, Arizona (aka "Chocolate Falls")

Monument Valley

My daughter and I spent 3 Incredible Days Exploring Canyons and Iconic Views of the Southwest - This is the fourth post of our adventure

We found an old tree whose branches framed the photo above.  The mix of lighting between shade and sunlight with clouds in the distance make it one of my favorites.

This picture above really needs no title as most of the world has seen this landscape in the movies (John Wayne!) or photos of the Southwest.  My daughter hadn’t seen it nor I in person.  It’s stunning to pull up to the visitor center and  peer out over the valley floor  and the formations called the Mittens.  The winding road pictured is the 17 mile loop that takes one through this unbelievable terrain.

When we first arrived there was not a single cloud in the sky.  Needless to say I was bummed as the landscape shots would be missing the much needed contrast from blue skies.  Still, we began our trek down the 17 mile loop to explore the Valley.  We were mesmerized around every corner with unique formations, huge boulders, wild horses, red canyons and never ending vistas.  

As we were on the back end of the loop, the clouds started rolling in.  We were getting out of the car more frequently to capture the changing light that brought the formations to life.  

See more Monument Valley photos here:  Arizona Excursions @ Blaze-A-Trail.com

See Part 1 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Slot Canyon Adventure - Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch
See Part 2 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Horseshoe Bend - A Memorable Sunrise
See Part 3 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Antelope Canyon
See Part 5 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Canyon de Chelly National Monument

See Part 6 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Grand Falls, Arizona (aka "Chocolate Falls")

Antelope Canyon - Famous Slot Canyon of the Southwest

My daughter and I spent 3 Incredible Days Exploring Canyons and Iconic Views of the Southwest - This is the third post of our adventure

March and April are the peak times to visit Antelope Canyon, especially between 10:30 am and 2 pm.  Being in the canyon around 11 am provided the best light and sun rays. The canyon’s walls were a sea of colors around every turn.

Elyse was enthralled with the texture and shape of the walls, especially if there was sand involved.   With hundreds of photos taken between the two of us, the next several photos showcase the best of Antelope Canyon, both Lower and Upper.

See if you can locate the several hearts in the upcoming photos, along with other formations including: The Sphinx, The Lion Head, Rocky Mountain Sunset, Twin Peaks, Bruce the Shark, Dragon’s Breath and a ferocious mountain lion.

See more upper and lower Antelope Canyon photos here:  Arizona Excursions @ Blaze-A-Trail.com

See Part 1 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Slot Canyon Adventure - Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch
See Part 2 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Horseshoe Bend - A Memorable Sunrise

See Part 4 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Monument Valley
See Part 5 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Canyon de Chelly National Monument
See Part 6 of our Northern Arizona Adventure:  Grand Falls, Arizona (aka "Chocolate Falls")