Nineteen members and guests convened at the trailhead which is just north of the Canyon Vista Campground off Lake Mary Road near Flagstaff. We traversed along the rim of the canyon with great views of the San Francisco Peaks in the distance and a major lava field at the edge of the canyon. After stopping for the group photo, we continued along the rim and then began our descent into the canyon.

The elevation drop is from approximately 6850 to 6600 feet. The trail passes through a good shady forest of pines and other tree varieties. After about 2 miles we joined the Arizona Trail and continued northward toward Fisher Point.

At that point we left the Arizona Trail and followed a supplementary trail into Walnut Canyon.

At the mouth of the canyon we encountered the first of three caves and the first of the beautiful and unusual rock cliffs.

We proceeded into Walnut Canyon where the trail and the canyon became narrow and shaded by trees.

The rock cliffs on each side became higher and more dramatic. The second small cave was visited by some of our group.

At about mile 3 we entered the largest of the caves. It is deep enough to need a flashlight to explore. The coolness of the cave was welcomed by everyone. Some of the more adventurous and nimble of the group found a small opening near the floor of the large room and decided to explore further. They were able to crawl through the small opening and found that it led to another opening to the cave near the trail. That turned out to be quite an adventure.

We continued down the trail into Walnut Canyon where the brush became denser and the trail narrower. At the 3.8 mile point we found some old fallen trees in a shady area and stopped for lunch. This was our turnaround point.

After lunch we reversed our path and returned to the trailhead. Everyone made the 7.6 mile round trip in good shape except for a foot blister on one of the guests.

Fifteen of the hikers journeyed to Munds Park and had a light supper and drinks at the Pinewood Country Club.

Dave’s wife Barbara joined us for these festivities.