Bear Wallow Trail 63 - Alpine, AZ
The Bear Wallow Wilderness area is located approximately 25 miles south of Alpine, AZ.
From the intersection of US191/180 in Alpine, travel south on US 191 past Hanangan Meadow Lodge, another 3 miles will bring you to Forest Road 25.
Turn west on Forest Road 25 and travel for approximately 3 miles, there will be a sign on your left (south) along with a Forest Service kiosk and a small parking area.
The Bear Wallow Trail #63 is in the Bear Wallow Wilderness area.
The trail supports hike and horseback only, no motorized vehicles or mountain bikes.
The well marked trail head has an area map, but no rest room facilities or running water.
The trail is an excellent summertime destination, it is wise to wear long pants as the trail is known for poison ivy and closer to the Black River an occasional rattlesnake.
True to it's name, the trail also supports a large black bear population as well.
The trail descends almost immediately from the trail head for approximately 1 mile down a fairly tight ravine.
This ravine is full of down timber, as is the rest of the trail.
We chose to hike this trail in late November, so there was several inches of snow up high, but gradually peters out as you descend in elevation.
Once clear of the ravine, the trail opens up and the hiker is treated to a nice meandering trail along Bear Wallow Creek.
The trail is easy to follow, but unfortunately there has been little or no maintenance in the area for the past several years.
You are almost constantly log hopping or taking wide "off-trail" detours around down timber.
In my estimation, this would be a difficult trail to travel on horseback or with pack animals due to the almost complete lack of maintenance.
However, the hike along Bear Wallow Creek is well worth the effort.
There are a dozen or so areas in which you must rock hop the creek, during high water season - this may necessitate some minor route finding.
It's best to find a long stick to utilize as a staff to "balance" your way across the slippery rocks.
We found several bear signs along the trail including a large amount of scat and some very recent prints.
Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to see a bear on this day.
Although bears can be very dangerous, especially if surprised or approached.
My experience with dozens of black bears in the White Mountains is that they simply just run away or find a convenient tree to shimmy up.
Although while traveling in a wilderness area it is not a bad idea to bring along a side arm - I have shot over the head of mountain lion and coyote on several occasions to scare them away.
The Bear Wallow Trail is an "out and back" type trail.
The trail is 16 miles in total length, which makes for a long day hike or a convenient overnight backpack destination.
Due to the down timber on the trail, a fast pace is about 2mph.
The trail may also be accessed from the Reno Trail #62, which cuts off about 6 miles of the total trip.
For those that want quick access to the Black River, one can drop off the Gobbler Point Trail #59 (accessed by Forest Road 25C) and then the total length of the trail will be approximately 8 miles.
Please note that the Bear Wallow Trail does enter the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation - hiking and fishing by advanced permit only.
Author's Note: The Bear Wallow Trail was devastated by the 538,000 acre Wallow Fire (summer 2011).
This fire originated in the Bear Wallow Wilderness and is the largest wildfire in Arizona history scorching 850 square miles.
The area will likely be closed to public access for years.
From the intersection of US191/180 in Alpine, travel south on US 191 past Hanangan Meadow Lodge, another 3 miles will bring you to Forest Road 25.
Turn west on Forest Road 25 and travel for approximately 3 miles, there will be a sign on your left (south) along with a Forest Service kiosk and a small parking area.
The Bear Wallow Trail #63 is in the Bear Wallow Wilderness area.
The trail supports hike and horseback only, no motorized vehicles or mountain bikes.
The well marked trail head has an area map, but no rest room facilities or running water.
The trail is an excellent summertime destination, it is wise to wear long pants as the trail is known for poison ivy and closer to the Black River an occasional rattlesnake.
True to it's name, the trail also supports a large black bear population as well.
The trail descends almost immediately from the trail head for approximately 1 mile down a fairly tight ravine.
This ravine is full of down timber, as is the rest of the trail.
We chose to hike this trail in late November, so there was several inches of snow up high, but gradually peters out as you descend in elevation.
Once clear of the ravine, the trail opens up and the hiker is treated to a nice meandering trail along Bear Wallow Creek.
The trail is easy to follow, but unfortunately there has been little or no maintenance in the area for the past several years.
You are almost constantly log hopping or taking wide "off-trail" detours around down timber.
In my estimation, this would be a difficult trail to travel on horseback or with pack animals due to the almost complete lack of maintenance.
However, the hike along Bear Wallow Creek is well worth the effort.
There are a dozen or so areas in which you must rock hop the creek, during high water season - this may necessitate some minor route finding.
It's best to find a long stick to utilize as a staff to "balance" your way across the slippery rocks.
We found several bear signs along the trail including a large amount of scat and some very recent prints.
Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to see a bear on this day.
Although bears can be very dangerous, especially if surprised or approached.
My experience with dozens of black bears in the White Mountains is that they simply just run away or find a convenient tree to shimmy up.
Although while traveling in a wilderness area it is not a bad idea to bring along a side arm - I have shot over the head of mountain lion and coyote on several occasions to scare them away.
The Bear Wallow Trail is an "out and back" type trail.
The trail is 16 miles in total length, which makes for a long day hike or a convenient overnight backpack destination.
Due to the down timber on the trail, a fast pace is about 2mph.
The trail may also be accessed from the Reno Trail #62, which cuts off about 6 miles of the total trip.
For those that want quick access to the Black River, one can drop off the Gobbler Point Trail #59 (accessed by Forest Road 25C) and then the total length of the trail will be approximately 8 miles.
Please note that the Bear Wallow Trail does enter the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation - hiking and fishing by advanced permit only.
Author's Note: The Bear Wallow Trail was devastated by the 538,000 acre Wallow Fire (summer 2011).
This fire originated in the Bear Wallow Wilderness and is the largest wildfire in Arizona history scorching 850 square miles.
The area will likely be closed to public access for years.