A new book, Day Hikes & Trail Rides in Payson’s Rim Country, by Roger and Ethel Freeman, describes the second half of this hike on pages 114- 115. Ted found their description accurate and helpful.

All the weather forecasts called for scattered showers, so we watched the clouds on our drive up to the Rim. When we got to Rim Top Trailhead the showers had come and gone. It was partly cloudy with sparkling clean air and a light breeze. 13 lighthearted hikers enjoyed this Mogollon Rim adventure – Alan Parker, Debbie M., Joe Michalides, Stan Rader, Nicol Liu, Mike Andresen, Sankar Gopal, Jenni Jacobs, Susan Miles, Steve Rockwell, Jon Filreis, Clara Tenny, and hike leader Ted Tenny.

The trail to the Rim was wet. We needed fancy footwork to get around the puddles and ponds. Finally we made it past the water and were rewarded with a glorious view from the top of the Mogollon Rim to much of central Arizona.

The Rim Lakes Vista Trail is marked with white diamond signs nailed to the tree trunks.

Many trees were down, and some of the signs with them. But fewer trees meant more open views. We enjoyed a series of overlooks where you can walk right out on the boulders and have a bird’s eye view of the mountains and forests.

Two miles into the hike, we arrived at the Military Sinkhole Trailhead, a popular picnic spot where the Military Sinkhole Trail crosses the Rim Lakes Vista Trail. Some bicycle riders passed us on the way in. We wondered how they would do on the wet trail.

Previous club hikes had turned right on the Military Sinkhole Trail and returned to Rim Top Trailhead. We turned left and stated downhill for Two Sixty Trailhead instead.

For the first mile the trail goes downhill at an angle. We stopped for lunch at a junction where the trail branches off to the right from a primitive road. From there to the trailhead we went up and down hill as we crossed a series of washes.

The hike ended suddenly as we went around a bend and found ourselves at Two Sixty Trailhead. Everyone was in high sprits.