Fall Colors in Arizona - 2015 Edition

Published on October 13, 2015

Every year I've lived in Arizona, I've made time to head up to Flagstaff to see the leaves change. There's some great deals to be had at the ski lodge between seasons and the gold looks pretty amazing mixed in with the evergreens on Humphreys Peak.

This year, I picked a different part of the mountain. I'd been to Lockett Meadow and all over the Western face of the San Franscisco Peaks, so I grabbed my Flagstaff trail map and looked for some options. I found what looked like a nice trail (though it looked a bit steep) on the north face called the Bear Jaw Trail. Why not. Before we even left the trailhead, we decided we would make a loop of it and come back down Abineau. At the time, I hadn't realized it would be another 700 vertical feet and two miles on the trail. When we made it to the top, though, it didn't matter.

This is not a beginner hike. Bear Jaw is very steep in spots and the Abineau Trail descends very quickly. If you're willing to dedicate four to five hours for the 6.8 mile loop hike, do it. You won't regret it.

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