This challenging Arizona hike leads the careful to an otherworldly oasis. How to try it

Of all the hiking routes that descend into West Clear Creek Wilderness — including Willow Crossing, Tramway, Maxwell and the eponymous West Clear Creek Trail — the Headwaters Trail is the most challenging. The 13,600-acre wilderness spans the Red Rock and Mogollon Rim ranger districts of Coconino National Forest.

Along the 20-mile length of the wilderness, which is defined by the steep-walled canyon carved by West Clear Creek, the terrain moves through high desert at its lower edge near Camp Verde where it spills into the Verde River to pine-oak woodlands at its headwaters on the Mogollon Rim near Clints Well.

Steep, scrappy and often obscured by pine needles, the half-mile Headwaters path makes an abrupt plunge into a canyon-bound stretch of the creek.

Sometimes called the Point Trail, the short access path is favored by anglers and campers who hang out on the shady rim 600 feet above the perennial waterway. 

The climb down is convoluted and slippery, ducking among conifers, oaks and moss-encrusted boulders. The primitive trail drops onto a beach where red osier dogwood and willows sink their roots into the debris-strewn water course. 

Extending the hike beyond the butt-slide descent involves wading and using foot paths that wend around the creek’s edges in the shadow of towering cliffs. Exploring may be done either up or downstream.

From the point where the trail lands on the beach, head left to see the famous “hanging gardens,” limestone cliffs draped with drooping green plants that sway over shallow depressions in the rock walls. Or, go right and follow the waterway to a gallery of ancient rock art. 

All told, the stunning scenery of this oasis near the headwaters of West Clear Creek makes the difficulty of getting to it worth the effort.

West Clear Creek Wilderness hike: Headwaters Trail

Length: 1-mile round trip (from the rim to the creek)

Elevation: 6,600-5,950 feet.

Rating: Insane.

Getting there: From Payson, go north on State Route 87 to SR 260. Turn left (west) and continue 3.1 miles to Forest Road 144, near milepost 249. Turn right (east) and go 1.8 miles to FR 149, turn left (north) and continue to a three-way junction at FR 142. Go right on FR 142 and drive 0.9 mile to FR 142E on the left — this is an easy-to-miss unmarked road. If you reach FR 142F, you’ve gone too far. Follow FR 142E for 2.7 miles to a large, unsigned parking area. Roads are rough dirt and gravel. High-clearance vehicles required.

Details: Refer to the Calloway Butte Coconino National Forest USGS map.

Read more of Mare Czinar's hikes at arizonahiking.blogspot.com.