See lush regrowth after Wallow Fire
Late summer in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona is prime time for wildflower viewing. Cooler evenings take the edge off daytime heat and mornings break in a crisp dewy dampness that hints of autumn and nurtures a colorful spectacle of blooming plants.
Fields of sunflowers dress roadside pastures, making the annual bloom frenzy accessible to anybody willing to take a drive and pull off onto a random dirt road.
But if you want deeper access to high-altitude botanical treasures, lace up your hiking boots, strap on a backpack and hit the Indian Springs Trail near Big Lake.The 2011 Wallow Fire roared across this trail through firspruce woodlands, taking out some segments while leaving others mostly intact.
The upside to the loss of coniferous canopies is a sunlight-generated surge in wildflower proliferation. The best part about loop trails like this one is its mix of sun, shade, hydrology and microclimates that produces a wide variety of flowering plants.
The blossom bonanza starts at the get-go in a bud-dotted meadow. Here, sun-loving fleabane and harebells bob in mountain breezes. Beyond the trailhead, the path moves into a section of survivor pines and the filtered-light domain of species like Richardson’s geranium, pleated gentian and brilliant orange paintbrush.
A passage of wild red raspberries and ferns culminates at the junction for the optional half-mile spur trail that leads to Big Lake Lookout. Although the fire tower that stood on this rocky knob succumbed to the blaze, there’s an upside. Lake views are now easier to see through toasted stumps and resurgent shrubs.
The next section of the hike passes through an old-growth forest of fir, spruce and aspens. This darker, wetter space favors Canada violets, mushrooms and blue-eyed grass. At the 1-mile point, the reliable trickle of Spillman Spring creates a water garden of clovers and seep monkey flowers that grow in bright clumps in and around the rustic wooden troughs set up to catch the flow.
Fire damage is much more visible throughout the remainder of the hike. Thickets of aspen saplings account for much of the regrowth. In these areas, look for common mullein, Apache lobelia and spurred gentian.
Indian Spring appears as a mucky pond at 2.5 miles point. Its fringe of Rocky Mountain irises that bloom in May and June are long past prime by midsummer.
Beyond the loop’s halfway mark, marshy areas define the trail’s lowest elevation. Runoff collects in soggy bogs and funnels into streamlets that feed the tributaries of the Black River. These swales are the habitat of false hellebore, horse mint, New Mexican checker mallow, lupine and penstemons.
At 5 miles there’s an option to add on the 6-mile round-trip West Fork of the Black River Trail before the route curves back to the starting point.
7.5-mile loop (8.5 miles with lookout side trip). Moderate. 8,600-9,415 feet.
From the Hon-Dah Resort-Casino at the intersection of State Route 260 and State Route 73 east of Pinetop-Lakeside, go 19.6 miles east on SR 260 to SR 273, signed for Sunrise Ski Area. Turn right and go 19.2 miles south on SR 273 (it becomes Forest Road 249 past the Big Lake turnoff) to FR 249E. Turn right and go 0.4 mile to the trailhead on the left. Roads are paved up to FR 249E, which is good gravel.
www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.
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