CHRISTOPHER CREEK (SEE CANYON)
If a forested climb along a running creek in the Mogollon Rim area appeals
to you,
this is your hike.
HOW
TO GET THERE
This hike is located near Payson, AZ.
From the Phoenix area, take HWY 87 North towards Payson. Once in
Payson, take HWY 260 east toward the town of Christopher Creek, AZ (about
22 miles from Payson). The town is a little off the HWY-260, so follow the
signs for the turn off. Once in the town of Christopher Creek, turn left
on the signed FR 284. Take this good dirt road about 1.5 miles to the
parking area.
RATING
Be Aware of: Some route finding, creek crossings.
30 yr old Recommendation: Forest, running creek, and elevation all make
for an enjoyable hike. This is a
Moderate hike. It's always nice to hike next to a running stream.
DETAILS
Elevation change: about 2000 ft gradual climb.
Distance: 9.4 miles to the rim road and back again.
Time: It took us about four hours with a 20 minute stop along the creek
for lunch.
Time of year: fall, summer, spring. Spring is nice because the creek is
running very well from the snow melt. Fall would be nice to see the leaves
changing color.
Solitude: Surprisingly, the parking lot had about 7 cars (plus a boy
scout bus!) but we were the only ones on the trail.
This is a great hike to escape the Phoenix heat. To get to the
trailhead, backtrack from the parking area along FR 284. The trailhead
marker is on the East side of the road. To get to See Canyon trail you
will need to rock hop across the creek here to the East side of the creek.
The trail winds its way up See Canyon and stays close enough to
Christopher Creek to entertain you with it's creek song. About 3/4 of a
mile along the trail is a signed junction to See Canyon Spring trail
branching to the right. Stay left to stay on the See Canyon trail. This
trail provides a good amount of shade due to the abundance of pine and oak
trees. When we did this hike in the middle of April, it was after a very
wet winter, so the creek was running very well. Several spontaneous
springs were noted along the trail that emptied into the main creek. There
was a good bit of deadfall blocking the trail in places, sometimes making
it difficult to see where the trail is. When in doubt, check about 6 ft
high on the trees for reflective markers that show the trail.
As the trail gets closer to the Mogollon rim, the trail can become
quite steep. Unfortunately, the forest hides most of the views during the
hike up. Eventually, the hike flattens out again as it heads to the rim
road (FR300) where it ends.
When we did this hike, we got on top of the rim, but were turned back
before the rim road because of snow and mosquitoes. We retreated to lower
elevations and a nice lunch spot along the creek.
[Christopher Creek during the spring as
seen from See Canyon Trail]
[Crossing the creek]
This hike was taken in April of 2005.
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