Backpacking Arizona. Bruce Grubbs

      “In Arizona, you can hike through deep canyons, listening to the music of a desert creek and the soft rustle of cottonwood leaves. You can walk the crest of a forested mountain range through cool sylvan glades, observing the shimmering heat of the desert vistas far below through trembling aspen leaves.”

      —Introduction

      “You can’t miss Showerbath Spring, which pours from an overhanging mass of travertine rock on the left side of Kanab Creek. As its name implies, the spring makes a fine, cool shower on a warm day.”

      —Kanab Canyon Loop, Trip 5

      “This is an especially scenic and remote loop around Powell Plateau along the Colorado River. Several permanent streams grace the route, including Thunder River, Shinumo Creek, and White Creek. You’ll spend days hiking along the Colorado River’s banks, or along the tops of cliffs a few hundred feet above the Colorado River.”

      —Powell Plateau Loop, Trip 6

      “Backpackers in the Blue Range have the exciting possibility of seeing or hearing a wolf. In 1998, Mexican Gray Wolves were reintroduced in the Apache National Forest as part of a program to rescue the wolves from the edge of extinction. Currently, about two dozen wolves range freely in the Gila and Apache national forests.”

      —KP-Grant Creek Loop, Trip 11

      “The Strayhorse Loop includes a unique section of hiking along the Blue River, and has the flavor of hiking in Arizona before the recreation explosion, when trailheads were rarely marked, backcountry trails were almost unused, and trail signs often missing.”

      —Strayhorse Loop, Trip 12

      “As you climb, a panoramic view of Canyon Lake and the rugged terrain around it opens behind you; don’t forget to take a break and look back! You’re hiking through classic Sonoran desert, and such distinctive plants as the giant saguaro cactus and green-barked palo verde trees dominate the landscape.”

      —La Barge-Boulder Canyon Loop, Trip 19