Saturday, October 20, 2007

Hike #14: Granite Mountain Trail, Prescott National Forest

Length: 4 miles (only a portion of the trail)

After my last rather disappointing visit to the Prescott area, I was a little hesitant to return to the area. However, when a colleague recently mentioned she was organizing a group to attend a nature hike in that area, I said 'what the heck' and added my name to the list.

Fortunately, I can say my second visit to the Prescott National Forest was much better than the first. While the forest along the south side of town seemed to be little more than overly-developed shrubland, the forest north of Prescott was full of majestic granite mountain cliffs and areas of rather diverse forest vegetation (which in late October provided some rather nice fall foliage.)

Granite Mountain Trail is actually relatively easy to follow. Starting near the Granite Basin Lake, the trail follows and easy path for the first mile until you come to a large wooden fence. After the fence, the trail begins a quick assent with a series of rather steep switchbacks. Although it may be a bit of a workout, the view from above is well worth the effort! I will definitely be planning a return trip to the Granite Mountain for more exploration of the many trails this area has to offer.

To see more photos of Granite Mountain Trail, click here.

2 comments:

  1. Isn't it starting to get cold in the mountains, yet? Gorgeous pics as always.
    Miss ya!

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