Sycamore Canyon Wilderness

Protected area in northern Arizona

Sycamore Canyon Wilderness

IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)

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Location| Coconino and Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States
Nearest city| Clarkdale
Coordinates| 34°59′17″N 111°59′18″W﻿ / ﻿34.98806°N 111.98833°W﻿ / 34.98806; -111.98833
Area| 55,937 acres (22,637 ha)
Established| 1972
Governing body| U.S. Forest Service
Parsons Trail in Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Sycamore Point, on the Rim Trail

Sycamore Canyon Wilderness is a 56,000-acre (22,662 ha) wilderness area in the Coconino, Kaibab and Prescott national forests in the U.S. state of Arizona.[1] Encompassing Sycamore Canyon and its surrounds from south of Williams to the confluence of Sycamore Creek with the Verde River, the wilderness is about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Flagstaff.[2] The canyon is one of several in Arizona that cut through the Mogollon Rim.[1] Relevant United States Geological Survey (USGS) map quadrangles are Davenport Hill, White Horse Lake, May Tank Pocket, Perkinsville, Sycamore Basin, and Clarkdale.[3] Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness borders Sycamore Canyon Wilderness on the east.[1]

Ring-tailed cats, black bears, mountain lions, elk, deer, rattlesnakes, scorpions, canyon wrens, hermit thrushes, and many other creatures frequent the wilderness. Vegetation, which varies with elevation and the availability of water, includes stands of pine, fir, sycamore, walnut, and cottonwood.[1] The canyon walls include exposures of red sandstone, white limestone, and brown lava.[1] Parts of the wilderness are open for dispersed camping; many trails are open for horseback riding as well as hiking.[2]

## Trails

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A group of trails—Kelsey, Dorsey, Winter Cabin, Little Lo, and Hog Hill—with a combined length of 11.3 miles (18.2 km) wind through the upper parts of the wilderness. The longest of these is Kelsey Trail, 5.6 miles (9.0 km), which descends through a forest of ponderosa pine, Gambel oak, and juniper into chaparral at lower elevations.[4]

The upper-canyon group of trails intersect with others further downstream. Among these is the 2.9-mile (4.7 km) Taylor Cabin Trail, which leads to a cabin formerly used by cowboys who grazed cattle in the canyon. The cabin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5] It may also be approached from downstream along the Sycamore Basin Trail, which intersects other trails such as the Dogie Trail that descends about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) into the canyon from Sycamore Pass, northwest of Sedona.[6]

Sycamore Rim Trail is an 11-mile (18 km) loop in the Kaibab National Forest. Several trailheads provide access to the loop, which is relatively flat, ranging in elevation from 6,700 to 7,287 feet (2,042 to 2,221 m). Much of the trail passes through ponderosa pine forests; in other places the path crosses meadows or traverses mesas with desert plants like agave. The southern part of the loop follows the rim of the canyon along the northern boundary of the wilderness.[7] The sections of trail outside of the wilderness are open to mountain biking as well as hiking.[8]

Parsons Trail follows lower Sycamore Creek for about 4 miles (6 km) from near the Verde River upstream from Clarkdale and Tuzigoot National Monument to Parson Spring. Vegetation varies from cottonwoods to mesquite and includes plants such as columbine and watercress near seeps. Colorful rock formations, some bearing caves, form the canyon walls.[9] The perennial flow of water in this part of the creek provides habitat for wildlife that includes otters and great blue herons.[10] Camping is prohibited in the wilderness downstream of Parson Spring.[10]

## See also

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* Sycamore Canyon (Yavapai County, Arizona)
* List of Arizona Wilderness Areas
* List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
* Wilderness Act

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Wilderness Institute. "Sycamore Canyon Wilderness". University of Montana. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
2. ^ a b "Sycamore Canyon Wilderness". U.S. Forest Service. Archived from the original on June 26, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
3. ^ "Sycamore Canyon Wilderness". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. February 8, 1980. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
4. ^ "Kelsey (Springs) Trail #3". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
5. ^ "Taylor Cabin Trail #35". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
6. ^ Warren, Scott S. (2007). 100 Classic Hikes in Arizona (3rd ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. pp. 102–04\. ISBN 978-1-59485-025-7.
7. ^ Warren, pp. 83–86
8. ^ "Sycamore Rim Trail". National Park Service. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
9. ^ "Parsons Trail #144". National Forest Service. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
10. ^ a b Warren, pp. 105–06

## External links

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* Media related to Sycamore Canyon Wilderness at Wikimedia Commons

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Protected areas of Arizona

Federal|

| National Conservation Areas|

* Gila Box Riparian
* Las Cienegas
* San Pedro Riparian

|

National Forests|

* Apache–Sitgreaves
* Coconino
* Coronado
* Kaibab
* Prescott
* Tonto

National Historic Sites and Historical Parks|

* Fort Bowie
* Hubbell Trading Post
* Tumacácori

National Memorials|

* Coronado

National Monuments|

* Agua Fria
* Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon
* Canyon de Chelly
* Casa Grande Ruins
* Chiricahua
* Grand Canyon–Parashant
* Hohokam Pima
* Ironwood Forest
* Montezuma Castle
* Navajo
* Organ Pipe Cactus
* Pipe Spring
* Sonoran Desert
* Sunset Crater Volcano
* Tonto
* Tuzigoot
* Vermilion Cliffs
* Walnut Canyon
* Wupatki

National Parks|

* Grand Canyon
* Petrified Forest
* Saguaro

National Recreation Areas|

* Glen Canyon
* Lake Mead

National Trails|

* Arizona
* Butterfield Overland
* Juan Bautista de Anza
* Old Spanish

National Wild and Scenic Rivers|

* Fossil Creek
* Verde River

National Wildlife Refuges|

* Bill Williams River
* Buenos Aires
* Cabeza Prieta
* Cibola
* Havasu
* Imperial
* Kofa
* Leslie Canyon
* San Bernardino

Other|

* National Historic Landmarks
* National Natural Landmarks
* National Register of Historic Places
* Wilderness Areas

State|

| State Parks|

* Alamo Lake
* Boyce Thompson Arboretum
* Buckskin Mountain
* Catalina
* Cattail Cove
* Dankworth Pond
* Dead Horse Ranch
* Fool Hollow Lake
* Fort Verde
* Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial
* Homolovi
* Jerome
* Kartchner Caverns
* Lake Havasu
* Lost Dutchman
* Lyman Lake
* McFarland
* Oracle
* Patagonia Lake
* Picacho Peak
* Red Rock
* Riordan Mansion
* River Island
* Roper Lake
* San Rafael
* Slide Rock
* Sonoita Creek
* Tombstone Courthouse
* Tonto Natural Bridge
* Tubac Presidio
* Verde River Greenway
* Yuma Quartermaster Depot
* Yuma Territorial Prison

|

Wildlife areas|

* Becker Lake
* Cluff Ranch
* Luna Lake
* Mittry Lake
* Powers Butte
* Santa Rita
* White Mountain Grasslands
* Willcox Playa

Municipal|

| Nature parks|

* Papago Park
* Phoenix Mountains Preserve
* South Mountain Park

|

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

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