Sycamore Canyon Wilderness

Our videos on the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness are completed. The first one is on the Parsons Trail on the Lower Sycamore Canyon and the second one is on the Sycamore Rim Trail on the Upper Sycamore Canyon. Sycamore Canyon Wilderness is the second largest canyon in Arizona. The Grand Canyon is the only canyon in Arizona that’s bigger. No hikers I know have hiked the length of Sycamore Canyon as its known to be dense in the middle. But there are trails that are easily accessed to the north and south.

The Sycamore Canyon Loop to the north, just east of Williams, offers a spectacular waterfall during spring runoff, Lilly pond with frogs and a multitude of flowers during the summer. The Upper Sycamore Trail is also well known to rock climbers and some also come here to fish. Like many wilderness areas, the Sycamore Canyon Loop has been impacted by fires and flooding. I’ve done this trail many times. We hiked and videoed the Upper Sycamore Rim Trail May 3 and it appeared to change dramatically due to fires, floods and rockslides, but we were able to rock hop the lily ponds as we watched hawks and turkey vultures soar. Look for our video coming out soon.

The waterfalls, which are not running right now, cannot be accessed from the Parsons Trail or the lower end of Sycamore Canyon. The waterfalls can be accessed from Sycamore Rim Trail east of Williams.

       My Videographer Zach Kline and guests hiker Chris Jensen and naturalist David Moll recently filmed on Parsons Trail where we discussed the beauty, birds and swimming holes along with the impact of fires and flooding on the trail. I last hiked Parsons Trail in 2013. Parsons Trail offers a riparian area that is known by hikers to be among the best in the state. This trail is well known to the Skyliners Hiking Club in Cottonwood. 

By Stan Bindell, Freelance Writer