Fifteen fantastic Trailblazers walked an easy section of the Arizona Trail from Marshall Lake Trailhead southeast to Horse Lake Trailhead.

The trail parallels a log fence west of Prime Lake.
Flowers line the Arizona Trail, cheering our passage.

The Perkins Telescope and other instruments are stationed here to get away from light pollution, while the original observatory on Mars Hill in Flagstaff welcomes visitors.

The trail heads south to the rim of Anderson Mesa, where we have a scenic overview of Lower Lake Mary.

From there it’s kind of indistinct, following, perhaps, some tire tracks of many years ago. The trail disappears when we go through a gap in a fence, but then we pick it up again on the other side.

Cattle roam in the sparse forest. They move out of the way when they see us coming, and we keep at a safe distance.

It’s lunch time, but there aren’t any shaded rocks for a picnic area. Finally we decide on a clump of trees near Vail Lake, an attractive setting even though the lake is full of grass instead of water.

The edge of Anderson Mesa overlooks Lake Mary, mostly dry.
I see a cairn.  Which way is the trail from here?

Continuing east from Vail Lake, the Arizona Trail joins a dirt road that takes us southeast toward Horse Lake. A trail branches off to the right.

Horse Lake is also dry, but covered with grass. Our trail takes us through a gate and along the northeast side of the lake. Then we join a road that divides and comes together again several times as we walk southeast.

Side roads are plentiful, but Arizona Trail markers are sparse. A sign finally directs us to turn right and go south on a dirt road.

We can see the cars! Everyone breathes a sigh of relief as our trail takes us off the road and on in to Horse Lake Trailhead.

We walked 10 miles, flat most of the way. The sky was clear when we started, with temperatures in the upper 70s and a mild breeze. Later in the day light clouds started drifting overhead, giving us some welcome shade.