Seeking Higher Ground

Today Carolyn and I took our first hike into the Granite Basin Recreation Area. This area is about 8 miles from our house. It is at the foot of Granite Mountain which we see from our back deck.

We took Balancing Rock Trail (#349) and West Lake Trail (#351) to make a 4.2 mile circuit contouring around a hillside just south of Granite Basin. The trek provided great views of Granite Mountain, huge boulders strewn across its south face, an open pine forest of evergreen oaks, manzanita, scrub oaks, and a variety of wildflowers. The weather was a perfect 74 degrees with a light breeze and sunny skies.

We also took a side excursion to Granite Basin Lake.




Here are some pictures from our day:



Granite Mountain is seen here from our back deck (about 8 miles away). The peak is over 7600 feet. It is not the highest mountain in our region but it looks so because of its isolation from other peaks.








The Balancing Rock Trail is a relatively easy 4.2 mile trail. It changes elevation only by 220 feet, topping just under 6000 feet.

There are stretches, however, that get your attention. At that altitude, a long uphill section can get your heart pumping.










Carolyn set a brisk pace.

Most of the day we had the trail to ourselves. We met a couple on horseback and later a couple on mountain bikes.















Boulders crop up here and there on the trail.












The trail varies from deep forrest to open areas with long range vistas. (Granite Mountain is on my right.)









You can see on the distant horizon the San Francisco Peaks. They are more than 90 miles away near Flagstaff, AZ.

They are a part of the southern Colorado Plateau. Some geologists believe they are the remains of a large strato-volcano (similar to Mt. St. Helens). They rise over 12,000 feet.



Further along the trail we saw ...


cactus in bloom,










towering pines,


















and gorgeous wildflowers.












Although not on the trail, we took a side excursion to Granite Basin Lake, a small lake at the base of the mountain.










We had a great day. But it gets dark early in Arizona. (We're not on daylight savings time.)

As the sun tipped toward the west, it was time to head home, so we didn't get lost in the woods.