This Flagstaff hike surrounds you with summer wildflowers
Wildflower season is in full bloom in Flagstaff’s Dry Lake Hills area.
Recent logging and forest-clearing operations that had closed many of the trails that meander through the diverse terrain of Coconino National Forest — north of 9,299-foot Mount Elden — are gradually finishing up, and several paths are now open.
One particularly productive wildflower trail that’s outside the closed area is the Little Elden Trail to Schultz Tank. This multifaceted gem traces the north flanks of 9,018-foot Little Elden Mountain through a mix of mixed-conifer woodlands, aspen glens, sunny meadows and a variety of blooming plant communities.
From the trailhead, follow the 0.3mile access path to the Little Elden Trail, which doubles as part of the Arizona Trail’s Passage 32.
The route heads right (west) at the sign and begins with a shady walk among pines and firs, with a smattering of aspens tucked into clearings. Where
the trail crosses drainages, plots of rich green ferns swaying over the narrow footpath gently brush the shoulders of passing hikers.
Roughly 0.8 mile in, reminders of the 2010 Schultz Fire begin to appear in the form of charred logs and gangly snags.
Soon, the devastating effects of the humancaused blaze that burned 15,075 acres over 10 days and caused massive, monsoon-driven erosion come into full view.
Although only a short section of the trail passes through the fire scar, evidence of its havoc on the landscape are clearly seen in the surrounding hills. The formerly dense pine-oak forests that defined the trail’s midsection were toasted down to ash.
Nine years removed from the fire, this section is now a sprawling meadow flush with wildflowers and brambles that have taken root among blackened, matchstick-like stumps.
The loss of the tree cover has revealed previously obscured views of O’Leary Peak and Sunset Crater to the northeast and the scorched edge of the Kachina Peaks Wilderness to the northwest.
The recovering meadows of hip-high grasses foster a botanical garden of blooming plants and shrubs. Look for fruity raspberry shrubs and the frothy cream-colored blooms and dark fruits of blueberry elder tree that grow sporadically in bright fields.
Delicate Western blue flax twines around Fendler’s ceanothus bushes and acres of paintbrush, butter and eggs, thistle, mountain parsley, common mullien, lupines, purple locoweed, gooseberry shrubs and other sun-loving varieties splatter vivid colors on the forest floor.
After about a mile of exposed grassland hiking, the trail heads uphill and ducks into moist, canyon-bound woodlands in the drainage areas near Schultz Tank. This beautiful segment features slopes with sprouting aspen saplings as well as ravines cluttered with old-growth conifers draped in moss.
The wetter microclimate here supports a whole other type of wildflower habitat. An understory of spreading dogbane, yellow columbine, Richardson’s geranium, curly dock, wild roses and fragrant wild geranium grow profusely.
The Little Elden Trail ends at a signed junction where classic Dry Lake Hills routes take off in all directions. If you want to create a longer loop hike, check with the Forest Service before heading out to be sure your selected trails are open for use.
Otherwise, follow the signs 0.2 mile to Schultz Tank; meander around the peak-reflecting pool and popular recreation hub; then return the way you came.