It seems that I forgot to update my blog after last weekend, so here we go! I decided to go ahead and move on from Flagstaff on Friday, although I wasn’t entirely sure of what I wanted to do. After finding the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was still closed for the season, I opted to head into the Navajo Nation and visit Navajo National Monument. I then continued on to also check out Canyon de Chelly National Monument before heading to New Mexico.
Flagstaff National Monuments: Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki
This last weekend, I left my campsite at McHood Park and headed into Flagstaff. I spent a day exploring the three national monuments just outside of the city before spending a night in a hotel in town. Finally, just outside of Walnut Canyon National Monument, within Cococino National Forest, I found a wonderful campsite which I have been spending the week at.
Boycott Utah
I have been struggling with the idea of whether or not to go to Utah, more-or-less all of 2017 so far. Utah is a state that I love. The opportunities in that state are nearly unrivaled; they even have what I consider to be probably the most underrated hike in the entire national park system that I have seen to date (Druid Arch in Canyonlands). The people are wonderful people. It’s always a joy spending time in Utah for me. But with the state government and federal representation going on an all-out dishonest attack on our public lands–our birthright as US citizens–I have had to question if I want to contribute tax money to support them. The answer is a resounding NO.
Petrified Forest NP : Onyx Bridge
This morning, I headed into Petrified Forest National Park once more. I ended up hiking the “off the beaten path” adventure to Onyx Bridge from the Painted Desert Inn, before driving south to see Agate Bridge as well; the latter being immediately off of the road.
Petrified Forest NP : Devils Playground
Today, I had the pleasure of securing a permit to go hike around Devils Playground in Petrified Forest National Park.
Goldstrike Canyon, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest NP
After a week at Lake Mead and finally getting all of my car registration stuff done in Vegas, I was more than ready to leave and head to better adventures somewhere else. As I was preparing to head out, a friend hit me up and invited me on a backpacking trip in Goldstrike Canyon, just south of the Hoover Dam. That turned into one awesome adventure before I set off into Arizona, where I visited the Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest.
Amboy Crater Super Bloom Instameet
Time to catch back up on the blog! After my weekend backpacking in Joshua Tree, I stayed in the area for my sister’s wedding nearby the following weekend, before spending the next week in LA. Alas, time came to hit the road again, and I kicked it off with an official Instameet put on by the Bureau of Land Management at Amboy Crater in Mojave Trails National Monument, where an excellent super bloom of wildflowers is taking place. I even spent the night at a small parking area adjacent to the crater before heading on to 8 Mile Road in Lake Mead National Recreation Area for the week to take care of my car registration in Las Vegas.
Joshua Tree Camping and Backpacking at Black Rock
On Friday afternoon, I packed up from Arizona and headed towards Joshua Tree with plans to spend a couple of weeks in the general area. After one night at a free spot on the South end of the park, I drove to the Black Rock area on Saturday and did a single overnight backpacking trip into the park’s wilderness. Getting back to the trailhead on Sunday, I went immediately to a campsite at the Black Rock Campground that I had previously reserved for the week.
North Maricopa Mountains (Sonoran Desert NM), Apache Trail
With one more whole weekend to spend in the Phoenix area, I decided to visit Sonoran Desert National Monument for a hike in the North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness on Saturday. Feeling quite hiked out after an 11.6 mile hike, I then took Sunday to drive the Apache Trail (Arizona State Route 88) through the Superstition Mountains.
Motezuma Well and Bradshaw Mountain Adventures
Although I already went to Montezuma Castle, I realized that I skipped past Montezuma Well, so I decided to go see that on Friday, and also ended up taking a brief drive through the Red Rock Scenic Byway. However, as a heavier rainy storm came through, I didn’t get to do much else with my weekend until Monday, when I was able to go out and adventure around the Bradshaw mountains. Finally, I also scoped out a new campsite during my adventures, with some absolutely lovely views!