Photo by Mare Czinar

HIKE OF THE MONTH

Once upon a time in old Arizona, camels worked side-by-side with horses and mules blazing wagon roads across the western territories. Today, wooden posts bearing chiseled images of dromedary profiles pay homage to the beasts that (kind of) helped construct the Beale Wagon Road. Under the direction of Navy Lieutenant Edward Beale, this historic causeway was commissioned by the military to provide a route from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to the California border at the Colorado River. Following this route today requires good sleuthing skills. The trail is marked only by a series of wooden posts, cairns and metal markers that leapfrog over the Kaibab plateau among windswept junipers and shards of 4-million-year-old volcanic glass, which were deposited during the era when nearby Bill Williams Mountain was actively spewing lava. Still, history buffs and hard-core hikers alike will relish the great views and relative solitude along this obscure path.

Length: 19.5 miles one way
Rating: easy-moderate
Elevation range: 6,200–7,200 feet
Driving distance from Phoenix: 185 miles one way
Getting there: Go west on Interstate 40 from Flagstaff and take exit 171. Go north on Forest Road 74 for about 6 miles, turn right at a “T” intersection, then take the next left on Forest Road 730. Go to Laws Spring and use the easy-to-follow signs.
Info: 928-635-8200, www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai/recreation/trails/wil_beale.shtml