2018 Arizona Official State Visitor's Guide - 7

SECTION 31 SHORT VERSION
Enjoy wildlife viewing at Marshall Lake with a
stroll across Anderson Mesa. Or hike in on Sandys
Canyon Trail to the scenic heart of the passage.

Walnut Canyon, Flagstaff
PHOTO BY @MAGGIEGARNET

ARIZONA TRAIL

SECTION
WALNUT CANYON
17.9 MILES
Starting from Marshall Lake,
which is more marsh than
lake, keep an eye peeled for
wildlife. This crucial wetland is a popular hangout
for deer, elk, bald eagles, osprey and a slate of waterfowl.
Enjoy an easy jaunt across
Anderson Mesa, a gently
sloping tableland with scattered timber framing views
of the San Francisco Peaks.
The trail drops into Lower
Walnut Canyon with wildflower-streaked meadows

Explore the past at Walnut Canyon
PHOTO BY NICK BEREZENKO

beneath cross-bedded
sandstone cliffs in soft sunset hues. Shallow caves are
gouged out along the base
of the angled and contorted
stone walls. Past the Sandys
Canyon Trail junction, turn
right and continue through
Walnut Canyon.

A few hundred years ago, Walnut Canyon was a
thriving population center for the Sinagua culture.
Prehistoric cliff dwellings are secreted away in the
natural contours of the gorge. They're now protected
as part of Walnut Canyon National Monument.
The trail climbs steeply out of Walnut Canyon at
Fisher Point. From there it follows the rim, dipping
in and out of a tributary gorge before reaching the
trailhead near Interstate 40.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2018 Arizona Official State Visitor's Guide

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/madden/az_ovg18
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/madden/az_ovg16
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/madden/az_ovg15
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/madden/az_ovg14
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/madden/az_ovg13
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/madden/az_ovg12
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/madden/az_ovg11
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/madden/az_ovg10
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