With temperatures, finally, of three-digit numbers, milder temperatures and many warm sunny days in the autumn and winter months in Arizona attract many tourists and winter visitors from all over the country and around the world. The months of October and November are especially beautiful and the best months here in Arizona are to go out and enjoy nature, not traveling long distances to reach higher heights. A great place to stay if you are going on a day hike a little along the way to a very picturesque red rock oasis to explore the canyon in a remote province and an easily priced hike without a crowd of tourists and traffic like found in Sedona and then visit the Parson Spring Trek, in the Sycamore Canyon Desert, Cottonwood, Arizona.
Starting from North Phoenix, I met my good friends and fellow travelers on a beautiful morning weekend at the end of October, and then by 9 o'clock we set off on our day’s hiking adventure, heading north on Interstate I-17 for about 72 miles until we get before leaving Cottonwood / Payson 287, Route 260. After a short stop at Starbucks, we headed west for 260, following the signs for Cottonwood and driving about 12 miles. By 10:45 am, we arrived at Cottonwood and headed for the AZ-89A junction. We followed the 89A, hanging on the right on the main street through the “Old City Cottonwood”, until we reached the sign and disconnected the Tuzigut national monument. At the Tuzigut National Monument, an ancient archaeological site of Native Americans, we did the right, crossed the Verde River, and then turned left onto FR 131 or Sycamore Canyon Road.
The Sycamore Canyon, FR 131 road begins as follows along a stretch of beautiful Verde river and is paved, but only for very short paths, then it will become a muddy, gravel road for the next 12 miles until you reach the head of the trail. We continued on FR 131, noting how distant it was, but also noticed how the gorgeous landscapes became with the red rocks of Sycamore Canyon in the distance directly in front of you. The FR 131 washboard road wraps around, narrows in some places, and with the exception of a few spots along the way where it seemed a bit rough and oddly bumpy, on the whole I thought the road was in good condition. We drove an SUV, but I say that the road runs on ordinary cars, if you do it very slowly. In addition, if you try to drive it into a regular car, you will need to take into account the additional time it takes to get to the trail and include it in your travel plans and route of the day.
By 12 o'clock in the evening, and after a short rest stop on the way, we finally arrived at the Parson-Spring-Trail and at Sycamore Canyon, where we parked in a small parking lot on the right. The view from the top of the hill, looking down into the Sykamor Canyon below where we were heading, is absolutely beautiful! We quickly got our gear together, and after taking a few shots and a group shot, we were ready to start our day and explore the canyon at Sycamore Canyon.
Sycamore Canyon is the second largest Red Rock Canyon of Arizona after Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona, and its vast and remote wilderness area consists of approximately 58,000 acres extending all the way from Williams in the north, in its upper course, up to the Valley Verde in the southernmost, lower part. Sycamore Canyon is as picturesque as the famous Oak Creek Canyon, but much less well known because most of its wildlife is undeveloped. As a result, you have all the magnificent red rocky cliffs and breathtaking landscapes, like those found in Sedona, but without all the crowds or crowds of tourists, which makes it a very picturesque, but much more relaxed, hiking experience in the country.
As indicated in the descriptions of the most expensive descriptions, Parsons Spring Trail begins with crossing the old wooden gate, and then through a series of steps, making a serious decent, about 200 foot drop to the bottom of the canyon. Along the way, you will pass a sign for Parson Spring Trail & Packard Mesa Trail, just stay left for Parson Spring Trail. Once at the bottom of the canyon, the trail begins along the next beautiful bay of Sykamor, a dense and densely populated coastal habitat that at this time of year, from late October to November, began to change color, making it a great opportunity to see some magnificent autumn landscapes.
Carefully enjoying the beautiful wooded coastal landscapes, set against the magnificent red rocky cliffs of Sycamore Canyon, we continued our hike along the Parsons trail, following the winding Sycamore Bay, and also noticed how peaceful and soothing sounds of waterfalls were on the way from the rushing water that hit the rocks and boulders in perennial flow. On that day, when practically no one was walking along the path next to us, and with a magnificent solar temperature of 70-80 degrees, it seemed like a wonderful, serene escape into the desert, we were all looking for. Great!
After about 1.5-2.0 miles, and after stopping for a picture that was passing along the way, we crossed a rocky stream, looked up and were completely stunned and were speechless on what we saw. We came to the conclusion that, as a red oasis of rock with a large crystal clear pool of water below. Wow, great! In the summer months, when the temperature soars, this is a very popular terrain and hike to cool off by climbing rocky cliffs above and jumping into the cool swimming hole below. Although we were not interested in rocky jumps that day, we could not help but climb the cliff on the other side to check it ourselves. From the top, it looked like a pretty fall down, perhaps 20 feet or more, guessing. But it seemed to be a lot of fun to come back and sometimes do when the summer season comes back again.
After a short break in order to take a few more photos in the oasis of red rocks, we returned to Parsons Trail and continued our journey and exploration of the magnificent red rock Sycamore Canyon. By this time, we really felt that we had gone somewhere far away in the rear when we were making our way along the path passing by many small caves and through narrow rocky rocks carved on the sides of the canyon. stone walls. Wow, really awesome!
Like most descriptions of traces and record states, Parsons Trail lasts for a total distance of about 3.7 miles, continuously crossing the rocky Sycamore Creek, some speak as much as 5 times. We have lost track of the number, but we will be ready for numerous crossroads in the streams, and the closer you get to Parson spring, the less recognizable the trail will be, so you need to carefully follow the hand-made careers to help you and keep you on the trail. From the oasis, about two more kilometers of brook crosses and search for a route, until you finally reach Parson Spring. Also true for most trail descriptions and spellings, Parsons Spring is not easily recognizable. However, you will find out when you arrive, because it is a large pool of waterfalls, set in a beautiful coastal area. Although they say the path continues from the other side, we did not find it. By now, it was already 4 pm and started to be late, so we decided that it would be our stop during the day and after a short rest break, we went back and returned to the head of the trail by 6:00, then drove 12 miles back FR 131 to Cottonwood by about 7pm.
After arriving in Cottonwood, in the “Old City Cottonwood” section, we decided to stop to eat before heading back to Phoenix. A great place for a cup of coffee and a delicious dessert is the “Old Town Red Rooster Café”, where their 6-layer chocolate cake will absolutely die! However, they close daily at 4 pm, so you need to get there early. Therefore, we decided to go across the street to the historic restaurant "Tavern Grill". This is really popular in the Old Town, where there is an excellent menu! The restaurant had a great history behind it, since it was originally built in 1910 as the “Old Towne Palace Theater”, but was burned to the ground, rebuilt, then burned several times again, when in 2004 it was rebuilt and turned into restaurant and called "The Tavern Grill Restaurant". We really had a great time and enjoyed our dinner, then by 8 o'clock in the evening we returned home and arrived in Phoenix by 21:30. Our total travel distance at both ends along Pierson Spring is about 7 miles, with an average walking time of about 3-5 hours, as well as our total mileage and return journey, a journey from North Phoenix, about 112 miles and about 2 , 5 hours before the head trace.
Overall, it was a really great, memorable and enjoyable day trip and easy trip, which I highly recommend. So if you are looking for a great place to go, which is a bit off the beaten path, a very picturesque, quiet and serene rocky rocky canyon with a rich coastal habitat and a magnificent majestic desert oasis without all the crowds, tourists or traffic such as sedona, and Then be sure to take a look at Parson Spring Hike, in the Cycamore Canyon Wilderness desert, Cottonwood, Arizona, for a truly incredible trip to the canyon of red rocks and adventures on a day trip!
