Length: 4.3 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Moderate

Managing Agency: Coconino National Forest

Journal: "Nurturing Your Inner-Basin Child" and "Lake Mary"

**Kid Friendly Hike**

From Phoenix, take I-17 north to Flagstaff.  Once in Flagstaff, take I-40 east to US 89 and travel north for 18 miles.  Turn left onto Lockett Meadow/Schultz Pass Road - this is the road marked "Forest Access Road", located directly across the divided highway from the turnoff to Sunset Crater National Monument.  Take the forest access road 0.5 miles to the junction with FR 522 (Lockett Meadow Road).  Continue on FR 522 4.6 miles to the Lockett Meadow Campground.  Park in the Day Use Area (no fee).

Trail Description:

This trail can be done as either a clockwise or a counter-clockwise loop.  The trail description given here is for the counter-clockwise loop.

From the trailhead, follow the Inner Basin Trail up on old forest service road that traverses through the Interior Valley - a glacial valley below the San Francisco Peaks.  The valley is lined with aspen, pine, and Douglas fir.  At about one mile, there is a spur trail that leads to a creek that parallels the trail.

The trail steadily climbs 920 feet over 1.6 miles.  Just before you reach the Inner Basin, the trail passes through a gate.  At 1.6 miles, the trail reaches the Watershed Cabins that are owned by the City of Flagstaff.  There are a number of springs in this area; the water from these springs provide the water for Flagstaff.  Next to one of the cabins, there is a spigot from which you can get untreated spring water.

Further exploration along the Inner Basin Trail is possible by continuing for another 2 miles past the cabins; the trail will climb another 590 feet.  To complete the Inner Basin Loop, turn left at the Watershed Cabins and cross the creek to access FR 146.  This is the Waterline Road that is used by the City of Flagstaff Water Services.  This part of the trail is very easy going, as it winds through cool aspen forests along the boundary line of the Kachina Wilderness Area. 

At 1.4 miles from the Watershed Cabins (3.0 miles total), the trail passes through a gate then leaves FR 146, near Doyle Peak; at this point, you will turn left onto an old, closed road.  This road soon becomes a faint trail that follows a ridgeline overlooking Flagstaff.  The ridgeline is dry and almost treeless, providing some nice views of the valley below.

At 4.0 miles, the trail turns sharply to the left as it passes through a saddle at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain.  The trail then deposits you back onto an old Jeep road that takes you another 0.3 miles back to the campground.  From there, walk the road back to the Day Use Area.