Flagstaff hike: The new Big Bang Trail is a wildly scenic challenge. Here's how to try it
Being loved to death is a slow and complicated process. Whether self-inflicted or enabler-enriched, initially it feels good. But before long, the halo wears off and reality pitches a swift, hard slap. It’s kind of like scarfing down tacos five nights a week only to wake up one morning “surprised” with love handles.
Swapping out tacos for unauthorized trail building, this is a good analogy for what has been happening in Flagstaff’s Mount Elden/Dry Lake Hills area for decades.
While it might feel good to buck the system and blaze user-created paths, they cause environmental damage, disrupt wildlife and can lead to trail users getting lost or injured. This should come as no surprise to any outdoor enthusiast. While the slap has been stinging for quite some time, it’s only been in the last few years that efforts to rehabilitate the popular recreation area have materialized.
Free and cheap in Flagstaff: Walking tours, murals, wildlife viewing and more
Repairing an area suffering from overuse
The MEDL trail system, which includes popular standards like Brookbank, Sunset, Oldham and a segment of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, was dedicated in 1987.
Because of its proximity to town, multiple access points and scenic qualities, the MEDL area in Coconino National Forest suffers from deteriorating conditions due to overuse, a confusing maze of unauthorized “social" or "wildcat” trails and recent human-caused wildfires. The negative impacts on natural resources were palpable.
Now, a joint effort between the forest service and local outdoor organizations is mitigating the damage, relieving pressure off the old standards and improving sustainability.
The Big Bang Trail is one of the first of the new breed of routes to be completed.
More Flagstaff: This easy lakeside walk erupts with sunflowers in late summer. Here's where to see them
The 4.4-mile single track is outstanding not only for its smart design but also for its panoramic vistas, oscillating levels of difficulty and variety of terrain. The serpentine path climbs over 1,200 feet along the natural contours of the Dry Lake Hills northeast of 9,299-foot Mount Elden.
How to hike the Big Bang Trail in Flagstaff
The trail may be accessed from the Schultz Creek trailhead by following the Rocky Ridge Trail (also part of the Arizona National Scenic Trail) for 0.2 mile to the signed junction.
The first mile takes it easy, twisting among ponderosa pines, alligator junipers and oaks with glimpses of 8,578-foot Wing Mountain standing out to the west. Spots of damage from the 2010 Schultz Fire and the 2022 Pipeline Fire are evident along the way, as are slash piles and other signs of restoration efforts.
Where the route makes a northeast bend, views of the San Francisco Peaks that soar to over 12,000 feet break through the cover of a mixed-conifer forest. Right about where the mountain views show up, the trail becomes moderate in difficulty, dodging boulders with hairpin turns.
Here's where the Big Bang Trail takes a more strenuous turn
Next, the route takes on a more aggressive, edgy ascent along stony cliffs with steep drop-offs overlooking Flagstaff. As the coniferous forest thins and gradually morphs into a drier, more exposed mountain clime, views of 10,428-foot Kendrick Peak pop out on the northwest horizon and Sedona’s 7,122-foot Wilson Mountain can be seen to the south.
Right around where it meets the 8,000-foot point, the trail bends north among sun-loving cliffrose shrubs, yucca and scrub oak, hitting its highest point and concluding the major climbing before winding through woodlands and meadows to its terminus at the Brookbank Trail.
If the Big Bang Trail is any indication of what’s in store for MEDL as trail realignments and more connectivity roll-out, hikers, bikers and equestrians can look forward to a greatly improved recreational experience.
And if trail users stick to designated trails instead of disrupting natural resources, this environmentally sound system will last for generations.
Flagstaff hike: Big Bang Trail
Length: 9.2 miles out and back.
Rating: Moderate to difficult.
Elevation: 7,147-8,404 feet.
Getting there: Use the Schultz Pass trailhead. In Flagstaff, go 3 miles north on U.S. 180 and turn right onto Schultz Pass Road (Forest Road 420). Go 0.5 mile and make a hard left at Elden Look Road (FR 577) and go another half-mile to the parking area on the right. There are no fees or facilities at the trailhead.
Schultz Creek-area road closures in 2023
The Schultz Creek restoration project, which will mitigate damage to the Schultz Creek watershed caused by the 2022 Pipeline Fire, will result in temporary road and trail closures in 2023.
During construction, Schultz Pass Road beyond the Coconino National Forest boundary will be closed to motorized vehicles but will remain open to hikers, bikers and equestrians.
There’s limited parking at the forest boundary a few yards south of the Schultz Creek trailhead, and more parking at the “Schultz Y” at the corner of Schultz Pass Road and Elden Lookout Road.
Phase 1 began May 22 and runs through June. Phase 2 will happen in late 2023.
Details: https://www.fs.usda.gov.
Read more of Mare Czinar's hikes at http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Flagstaff hike: The new Big Bang Trail is a wildly scenic challenge
