Another rainy day so we decided to try heading west towards Prescott. We have never travel through this part of Arizona and hoped the weather would improve. It didn’t. Watson Lake looked like an interesting area to hike. The rock formations remind of Joshua Tree National Park. The lake and rocks are amazing and this area is an easy hike although navigating through the boulders can be challenging during a rain. I was surprised to see Frisbee Golf baskets so near the lake. I imagine you have to be pretty good not to lose all your discs in the lake. I did a short hike along the east bank. Carol was cold and burned out on hiking in the rain so she stayed in the car. Most of the photos I took were with my iPhone since I wanted to keep my camera gear dry.
We have friends who have lived in Phoenix for quite awhile and visit Sedona often. During Spring Training post-game dinner, we asked them what is their favorite hike in Sedona. They said “West Fork of Oak Creek Trail, so we added it to our list of hikes to do this trip. Oak Creek Canyon is ~5000ft just 14 miles south of Flagstaff, 40mi from Camp Verde. The weather was holding, with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. Not a big deal but this trail has about a dozen creek crossings so any rain could affect the trail. This hike was amazing and reminded us of Utah and Zion National Park. Forested, cool to cold, and narrow into the canyon. The creek crossings were slightly more challenging because the recent rains had elevated the normally dry rock & log crossings. It did start to rain lightly but it turned to hail then snow. So we ended up hiking the deepest part of the canyon in the snow – it was wonderful. During warmer parts of the year, you can continue the hike up the creek. Hiking through the water like Zion’s the Narrows, up the narrow canyon. In March, with our gear, we were happy to just do the 3.1mi in then back. Six miles on such terrain is a really good workout.
Our second day in the Camp Verde area was rainy. We hoped the weather would improve as we drove north toward Sedona. Most of the earlier part of the day was scattered showers so we were able to enjoy some time in the late morning exploring & hiking Crescent Moon Ranch. Unfortunately, it began to rain too hard for our hike to be enjoyable so we figured we’d grab some lunch and come back. Since there is a $12/vehicle day use fee, I asked the ranger at the entry booth is reentry was possible. He gave me a dated day pass that I could show when we got back. The afternoon was clear so we were able to finish this short 2mi easy hike. The road and hiking trail to Cathedral Rock and Red Rock Crossing Vortex were closed. So we considered crossing Oak Creek here and taking the trail. But with the muddy conditions and lateness of the day, we were happy to explore Crescent Moon Ranch.
Wednesday was a great weather day – clear and cool – so we drove to Sedona, stopping at the Visitors Information Center. Sedona was really busy while we were visiting since our trip happened to coincide with Spring Break. We asked the docent of which popular trail we should hike and she recommended a less crowded trail. We agreed and ended up heading toward Courthouse Butte & Bell Rock Loop. As much as we wanted to take her advice, we found parking and that dictated our hiking route.
The majority of the trails around Lake Havasu are for mountain biking or quads. There is a commuter bike path that parallels the highway and takes you into town. But we wanted to a more scenic bike ride, away from traffic so we picked the Havasu Island Trail. It’s a popular ~3.5mi walking and biking trail that circles the island.
The pavement is riddled with cracks so most of the bike ride was pretty rough & bumpy. Our Zizzo folding bikes do not have suspension so we appreciated the smoother areas near the residential sections. There are dozens of lighthouses along Lake Havasu. They are 28 scaled down replicas of well-known US lighthouses from all over the country. All of the lighthouses on the west side of Lake Havasu are replicas of famous West Coast lighthouses. The East Coast replicas are on the east side. The lighthouses around the island are replicas of lighthouses from the Great Lakes. We stopped at the Mudshark Brewery after our short bile ride. It is kind of out of the way but definately worth finding – beer, food, and the view were excellent. When we got back to the campground, we brought the pups back to the dog park. At Thanksgiving, they light-up the bridge ceremoniously – like the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center, so a crowd started to build around Bridgewater Channel & the London Bridge shoreline.
London Bridge from the Island sideBike Trail northsideFishing pier, parking lotLake Havasu lighthouseRough bike trailAfter Bike Ride LunchAfter Bike Ride LunchEvening in Lake Havasu CityBridgewater Channel Paddleboarders
There are plenty of things to do around Lake Havasu but most are boating or other water-sports on the lake. We wanted to hike at least once during our stay so we chose the Sara Crack Slot Canyon Trail. Sara Park is only a few miles north from Cattail Cove just off the road to Lake Havasu City. There are several good hiking trails of different difficulties. Lizard Peak Trail is more challenging than the slot canyon yellow trail.
This recreation area is wonderful with off-leash dog parks, lake access and boat launches, and a variety of trails for both hiking and mountain biking. The slot canyon portion of the Sara Crack Trail is pretty short but challenging with some small drops that require a short rappel, ladder, &/or sliding down the rock face. Unlike the soft earth walls of Anza-Borrego’s slot canyon, these canyon’s walls are smooth stone. The majority of this trail is gravel river bed which can be sidetracked by taking the Red Trail instead of staying on the Yellow Trail. Once we were through the slot canyon, we could continue another mile to the lake on the winding riverbed trail. But we chose to head back, lessening our time away from the dogs. Instead of hiking back up the slot canyon, we took the Blue Trail which climbs a few hundred feet above the slot canyon, towards Lizard Peak. It’s a great alternate route back since you climb several hundred feet and have a beautiful panoramic view of Lake Havasu. You can also look down into the slot canyon to see other hikers working their way down & where you were.
Sara Park Trailhead SignSara Park Trailhead SignSara Park Yellow TrailSara Crack TrailSara Crack TrailSara Crack TrailSara Crack TrailSara Crack TrailSara Park Blue TrailSara Park Blue TrailSara Park Blue Trail
Cattail Cove State Park Thanksgiving Potluck
During an early morning Thanksgiving-eve walk, I was told about the Cattail Cove Thanksgiving Potluck. A tradition at this campground that regulars know about. We would have heard about it too if we had stopped into the Ranger’s Office when we arrived. But since we arrived after hours, we had not made it to the campground office till yesterday. Being short-notice, we went into town to find something to bring. Not much was available so we opted for a charcuterie platter. The rangers and campers laid out a pretty impressive spread at the Cattail Cove Amphitheater. We missed having Thanksgiving with our family but were thankful to participate with a great group of rv’ers.
About 12mi north of Cattail Cove State Park is Lake Havasu City. It is a sprawling town spread around the eastern shore of the lake formed by the Colorado River & Parker Dam. The lake is definitely the main attraction of the area. There are many lake resort communities especially on the ‘Island’. Many of the businesses focus on lake users and tourists. This is a great place to winter. We drove around to get our bearings, have lunch, and buy some groceries. As close as Lake Havasu is to Oceanside, we’ve never visited this part of Arizona.
The main landmark in Lake Havasu City, other than the beautiful lake, is the London Bridge. It spans the Bridgewater Channel that connects the town with Lake Havasu Island. It’s a somewhat fascinating idea by developer Robert P McCollugh to add something unique to his lake development. Read the history on Wikipedia’s Lake Havasu City page here.
London Bridge Original LightpostView of the Bridge from Barley Bros BreweryLondon BridgeLake Havasu Bridgewater ChannelLake Havasu Bridgewater ChannelLake Havasu Bridgewater ChannelParker Dam
We wanted to hike a cooler, more forested trail so we headed up Mt Whitney Portal. The trails around Mt Whitney and the eastern Sierras here are hard with lots of elevation change. But we thought we’d give the 6mi Lone Pine Lake Trail as try.
I came to Lone Pine and the Eastern Sierras in search of fall colors to photograph. I didn’t realize the eastern side of the Sierras was high desert at ~4000ft. I’ve always pictured Bishop and neighboring towns as having lots of trees and fall colors. But you have to get to higher elevations to find trees and autumn colors in this part of California. Mammoth Lakes is roughly 8000ft so Mt Whitney Portal was our nearest option.
We started at 10am and it was cold at Mt Whitney Portal Store (8360ft). The day was sunny but unless you were in direct sun, it’s was cold. Fortunately, once on the trail, there were long breaks between shade so we warmed up quickly. In fact, the shade became a great stopping point as the day grew warm. The trail to Lone Pine Lake climbs 1771ft so the trail elevation gain over 3mi is pretty steep. Hiking from 8400-10,000ft is hard and Carol had a chest cough. We decided to turn back at ~9500ft (500ft below Lone Pine Lake). The switchbacks and climb at this point of the trail were grueling. We did see patches of fall colors and the hike was beautiful. But we were really disappointed we didn’t make it to Lone Pine Lake. It one of the few hikes we’ve been unable to complete. We’ve always been aware of our limitations, so rarely pick trails rated hard. All the forested, mountain trails in this area are rated hard so we picked one of the shortest. But the combo of hiking at over 9000ft plus the steep elevation gain, stopped us for making to the lake. It’s the journey, not always the destination, right?
The Alabama Hills &/or Mt Whitney are why you visit Lone Pine. Many highway 395 travelers stop here for lunch as they head to Bishop, Mammoth Lakes, or Lake Tahoe. But Lone Pine has a lot to offer, mainly hiking/climbing Mt Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, and the Alabama Hills Movie Road & arches. The Alabama Hills is renown as a movie filming location particularly for westerns. So much of it’s history is from the heyday of movie and TV westerns. Movies or shows starring Roy Rogers, John Wayne, the Lone Ranger, Gene Autry; movies such as Gunga Din, Star Wars, Tremors, Gladiator, Ironman, Django Unchained were all shot here. It’s close proximity to Los Angeles and unique topography and open rugged spaces. Make it a great spot to make movies or TV shows. There’s even a Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine that’s worth a visit, admission is only a $5 donation.
The landscape of the Alabama Hills reminds me of Joshua Tree National Park. Driving, biking, or hiking Movie Road is the main route through the many unique aggregations of boulders, movie locations, and arches. It’s dry, dusty, and often hot – definitely a Spring or Fall destination even though at an elevation over 4000ft. You can spend a few to several days hiking to all the arches and movie locations. All the arch and movie location trails are short, level, easy hikes. Some movie sets have plaques describing the film or show shot on the location. The hike to one of the best arches, Mobius Arch, is short, easy with very few people in October. I got up before sunrise to take photos of Mobius Arch at sunrise and I was by myself. The sunrise hitting the Eastern Sierras and Mt Whitney makes for a wonderful background.
We visited the Alabama Hills over a few days, hiking to the different arches and movie locations. We paced ourselves, only doing a few hikes each day. You can see most of the arches in one day but we were in no rush. Our RV park was only a few miles from the Movie Road and Mt Whitney Portal. So our only long drive was to Bishop & the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.
Various Alltrails Trail Maps of Movie Road Loop & the Arches
We drove to the trailheads since it was pretty hot mid-day/mid-afternoon. Having maps of the arches or movie set locations is a good idea since many sites are not clearly marked. If you are driving the Movie Road, they are pretty hard to miss since they have parking areas. But having a map will help you figure out which stop you are at & there are many.
If you are a classic film buff, enjoy westerns, or movies in general, a short but worthwhile stop in Lone Pine is the Museum of Western Film History. It a relatively small museum but with plenty of memorabilia and information about the hundreds of films and shows filmed in the Alabama Hills. Admission is a $5 donation but you can contribute more if you really enjoy the place. I grew up watching the Lone Ranger and many of the classic western films they have on display.
