This in-town Arizona hike has wildlife and petroglyphs. How to explore Picture Canyon
On the industrial side of the tracks a few miles east of downtown Flagstaff, a tiny preserve set between the unglamorous footprints of a wastewater plant and public works facility interrupts the churn of municipal infrastructure with a surprising corridor of green.
Picture Canyon Natural and Culture Preserve protects a swath of rare habitats and human history huddled around a perennially moist branch of the Rio de Flag watershed, a natural stream system with headwaters at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and Mount Elden that flows in ephemeral tendrils through Flagstaff.
Named for panels of petroglyphs etched into stone along one of the site’s three trails, the 478-acre parcel protects sensitive terrain, Native American heritage sites and wildlife habitats.
Along with a 1.2-mile section of the over 800-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail that bisects it, the preserve’s Tom Moody and Don Weaver trails provide easy walking tours that tie in visits to a deep-water pond, historic railroad trestle, waterfall, pit house, petroglyphs and a crossing of the Rio de Flag waterway by way of a wooden bridge. For longer hikes, the trails connect with the 44-mile, city-circling Flagstaff Loop Trail.
The compact preserve on the drier, leeward (aka “rain shadow”) side of San Francisco Mountain packs in an amazing snapshot of northern Arizona’s biodiversity in an ordinarily semi-arid environment.
Basalt canyons, slopes and a variety of soil types create niches that foster myriad microclimate zones including meadows, pine forests, floodplains and riparian corridors rife with willow and reeds.
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The preserve also serves wildlife by providing a contiguous land bridge that allows elk, deer and other animals to circumvent urban areas and safely cross among grasslands, forests and wetlands.
The preserve is on the National Register of Historic Places and is Northern Arizona Audubon Bird Sanctuary and an Arizona Game & Fish Department Arizona Watchable Wildlife Experience site. Visitors may spot waterfowl, large mammals, raccoons and more than 200 species of year-round and migratory birds.
A map kiosk and brochures available at the trailhead give information about the site’s archaeology, wildlife and history to enrich the hike through this living sanctuary and outdoor classroom.
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Flagstaff hike: Picture Canyon Preserve
Length: Tom Moody Trail is a 3.9-mile circumference loop. Don Weaver Trail is 0.7 mile. The Arizona Trail segment is 1.2 miles.
Rating: Easy.
Elevation: 6,587-6,849 feet.
Getting there: From downtown Flagstaff, go 4 miles east on Historic Route 66, turn left on El Paso Flagstaff Road and continue 1 mile to the trailhead on the right.
Details: https://www.flagstaff.az.gov.
Read more of Mare Czinar's hikes at http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Flagstaff hike: Picture Canyon has petroglyphs, wildlife
