The South Kaibab Trail is perhaps the most popular hike in the state. It is the start of the famed Arizona number 2 trail system, SoulsFoot. The descent is approximately 7.3 miles to Powell Saddle, less than half of which is downhill. The ascent is equally shared with horseback riders. With vast aura of cliffs andinally the Kaibab Trail strikes a balance between serenity and adventure.
Our journey began in Estes Park, surrounded by budgets, tourists, red wines and Profanity Ridge. We rode our bikes up the endless path, winding past herds of giant forest rangers. We arrived at the visitors center after a day on the trails. Since we had arrived at the end of the hiking season it was close to a Holiday weekend, leaving us plenty of time to decide on a route.
We choose the Seven Cataracts Vista Point, locked and cloaked in its own travel trailer, for our first stop. Seven Cataracts is the highest elevation in the state and takes about 6 days to complete. Our road was rocky and graveled with a few hair raising turns and stopped traffic. Our GPS trackerfriend guided us through some remains of the tunnels, and we finally arrived at the top, the promise of more magnificent views ahead.
My wife and I are big time travelers. We have our clients in the Vegas area. We have been to Iceland and Norway and spent time camping and hiking in the wilderness. The search for the perfect hiking destination has been going on for years. We are particular about our hiking terrain. Lower elevations, cycle routes, and rugged grounds are ideal.
We hiked seven Cataracts throughout the state. The view from each point is diverse. Mountain ridges, deepcascades, canyons and cliffs surround the state parks and mountains.
Down and dirty, we descended a steep section of the Cataract Trail – a dirt, graveled path that winds through the woods, past natural landmarks and scenic overlooks.Come rain or shine, the state park is usually nearly empty. I always park my truck and trailer at theimmering entrance of the state park, reserving a parking space for my bike. The entrances are either at the state parks entrance or the road junction at the dividing of the two roads.
There are two outstanding trails at Seven Cataracts – the Blue and White Trail. The Blue Trail is less than half a mile and provides fantastic views. The White Trail is the loop around the mountain and passes through the state park. We adored this trail and found it well maintained and marked.
Since we were not sure how long it would take to cover the 24 miles, we also decided to see how far we could get on our two favorite hiking trails. The two best known are the Peak and the Gorge trails.
The Gorge Trail is on the main road to the state park and the Peak Trail is the one used by automobile traffic to access the park. As we hiked up on the divide trail, the scenery began to change. There were fewer people, no asphalt cars, no flame-throwing raspberry growers. We soon found the perfect spot to wait for the next stream of water to pour over the small stream that formed a waterfall.
It was only a short while later that we reached the top of the falls and admired the view. Sure enough, there were wearing Tiger Lilies nearby, along with a few others that didn’t make it to the top of the falls. Gorge Trail ended at the top of the falls and we made our way together to the viewing area, hoping the magnificent beauty would continue as we admired the waterfalls and the surrounding area.
Later that day, we walked along the same path along the river that we had gone up on to take the viewing very close. We hoped to see a variety of birds in the meadow at the top of the falls. Unfortunately, the runners were not racing; the oxpecker was having a field day, literally trampling the flowers. We kept shooting the same bird as we walked by, until we finally spotted a White Kite picking its way through the trees. It was a clear day and lay perfectly still; we could even catch a glimpse of its white stomach. I’ve seen a lot of kites in my time, but this one was in a class all by itself.
We decided to return to the car and have a meal out of the heat of the sun. We headed back towards Chivay, as we still had a good 3.5 hours to explore the rainforest. At the edge of the Coucaubec, we stopped to have some lunch, and then turned around to head back towards Portage. While there were a few drawbacks to it, there were also some aspects that I enjoyed about it.
