Length: 7.4 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Easy

Managing Agency: Coconino National Forest

Journal: "The End of Summer", "Erika is Not Polish", and "Houston Brothers and Sisters and Other Relations"

**Kid Friendly Hike**

From Payson, drive North on SR87 to Clint's Well and then continue an additional 9 miles on SR 97 to FR 95. Turn right and drive South on FR 95 for 11 miles. Turn left on FR 139A and go .2 miles to the signed trailhead. Park here.

Trail Description:

The trailhead for this trail is misleading as the sign says it is for the Fred Haught Trail. Actually the Fred Haught Trail starts across the road.

From the signed trailhead, walk down the closed road. Less than 1/4 mile from the trailhead you will see Pinchot Cabin, a historic cabin that is well worth exploring. To reach the cabin (as well as continue on the trail) follow the road until it crosses the creek just upstream of the cabin. After crossing the creek the cabin will be to your left (follow the road). The Houston Bros trail heads off to the right. There is a signed junction so finding the trail is easy.

The trail meanders through a very nice forest for a quarter mile then crosses a small drainage in the area of Pinchot Spring. After crossing the spring the trail crosses Horton Draw and emerges into a large meadow. There were several campsites in this area. Continuing up stream the trail just follows along the draw.

1.5 miles form the trailhead, you will reach Aspen Spring. There is a small building here and a sign marks the Spring.

About 2 miles from the trailhead, the trail enters a meadow with lots of small flags in it. The trail disappears at this point. Ignore the flags and walk toward a small grove of trees at the far end of the meadow. You will see a blaze on a tree in this grove and will be able to see where the trail heads off back into the forest.

In a short distance, you will begin walking along a fence that encloses a good portion of the draw. We followed along this fence for 6 minutes of hiking. The we came to a second fenced area. This one is fenced with electric fence. 6 more minutes of hiking and you reach the end of the fencing along with a sign that explains that the fencing is part of a reclamation project. The trail continue through the forest for another half mile before reaching FR 139A. We turned around here. The trail continues another .75 miles before ending at the Barbershop trail.

Return the way you came or you could make a loop involving the Barbershop and U-Bar trails.