PRIEST DRAW
Flagstaff
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| Aspens on Sept. 22, 2012 |
As the annual autumn equinox (Sept 22) brings the promise of
cooler temperatures in the Valley, it also heralds in a brief season of hybrid
summer-fall hiking in Arizona's higher elevations.
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| Limestone cliffs |
During the final week of September, high country trees break
with whispers of a warm autumnal palette above meadows awash in a slurry of
hanger-on summer blooms and past-prime grasses. This glorious dichotomy of
balmy sun and biting breezes serves up perfect trekking with a side of
camera-ready photo opportunities.
An interesting area to explore this subdivision of hiking nirvana is
Priest Draw. Although it's pretty
much an off-the-radar kind of place for hiking, the area's wildly contoured
limestone walls make it a major "draw" for the sport of
bouldering. Complementing the
surrounding vegetation, a bank of caves, roofs, tunnels and pocked-and-cracked
walls result in unmitigated visual overdose. Add to that the hordes of mat-packing climbers hanging
upside down and scaling the rock superfly style, and you've got a hike of
extraordinary interest. The draw
delves through woods and fields for roughly 1.5 miles to a point where the
cliffs disappear. Here, footpaths
continue on sans the manic mix of geology, athleticism and natural elements on
a seasonal cusp.
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| Priest Draw |
LENGTH: 3 miles roundtrip
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 6,900' - 6,650'
GETTING THERE:
From Phoenix, travel north on I17 to Lake Mary Road exit
339, which is south of the I40 interchange just before entering Flagstaff. Turn right, and at the bottom of the
off ramp, turn right again.
Continue 5.4 miles south on Lake Mary Road (FR3) to Crimson Road---this
is on the right hand side of the road just past the Canyon Vista Campground
turnoff. Turn right on Crimson and
then make an immediate left onto CR 132.
Continue 3 miles on CR132 (which is good gravel) to a dirt road on the
right signed "Priest Draw parking area". This is FR238, a deeply rutted (watch that entry drop),
unmaintained road where a high-clearance vehicle is required. Follow FR238 0.2 mile to the first (small) parking apron or
to 0.3 mile for the main parking corral.
AREA IS DAY USE ONLY.
MORE PHOTOS:
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