Day 7: Hike in Sycamore Canyon, bike to a riverside campsite

May 9, 2003

I got up at 7 AM and had a leisurely breakfast while enjoying the wonderful scenery in all directions.

Morning view from my tent, near the mouth of Sycamore canyon.

I walked to the Parsons Trailhead at 8:35 AM. The weather was totally sunny and the temperature was pleasant when in the sun. There were a lot of trees after descending the trail to Parsons Creek, and it was chilly when in the shade. My objective was to hike 4 miles upstream on the Parsons Trail to the spring that is the source of Parsons Creek. There are several places where the trail is easy to 'lose'. At one point I got off the trail and took about 20 minutes to find the trail again. There are 6 creek crossings on the trail but most of the crossings were easy to boulder hop without getting my feet wet. The scenery is fantastic. Green oasis at the bottom of a red rock canyon.

Looking into Sycamore Canyon from the trailhead.

Both sides of the canyon have red rock cliffs. Vegetation along the creek attracts birds. I haven't seen many birds on this trip. It's a desert oasis in a spectacular wilderness canyon. The only minor disappointment was at the end of the trail. I was expecting the creek to gush out of a big spring, but instead the creek gradually flows out of a small swamp. Evidently Parsons Spring is very dispersed. As expected, I didn't see any people on the trail as I hiked into the canyon. In most places the creek is only about 1 foot deep and 10 feet across. But there are several places where the creek is deeper and wider.

On the return hike I found a nice swimming hole with a sandy beach and waded up to my belly in the chilly water. On the return hike I passed 7 hikers on their way in. The temperature rose to 70F by early afternoon, still mostly sunny. I got back to the trailhead at 2 PM and marveled at what a wonderful hike this was. Great scenery, great weather, uncrowded, unspoiled. Much better than the hike to Fossil Springs 3 days earlier.

Back at the campsite I leisurely broke camp, packed the bike, and got on the road at 3:30 PM. The only way to go is to backtrack the way I came. My goal was to find a free campsite near the Verde River. After 7 miles the road gets close to the Verde River and I began scouting for the perfect campsite. No hurry! I eventually found a great riverside campsite down a rough gravel side road, out of sight and almost out of earshot of Sycamore Canyon Road.

Evening view from my tent along the Verde river.

I set up my tent 10 feet from the river, filled the water sack and put it in the sun. The campsite had big sawed logs that functioned as small tables. I walked ½ mile downstream along the river and back and didn't see a soul except the Verde River Canyon tourist train passing by on the other side of the river. At 6 PM I had a shower with the solar heated water in the water sack, just before the sun dropped below the ridge to my west. Then I washed clothes and made dinner in the cool evening. What a great day! The entire day was spent away from pavement and civilization. A day of hiking, relaxing, and biking with fantastic scenery and perfect weather.

Distance: 8.9 miles (14.2 km) all gravel

Climbing: 511 feet (156 m)

Average Speed: 10.0 mph (16.0 km/h)

Hiking: 9 miles (14.4 km)

Today's ride: 9 miles (14 km)
Total: 291 miles (468 km)

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