[rockman]

The Heart Trail realignment is now into the 3rd week. While we're building Little Elden with volunteer labor on Heart we acquired a grant to pay American Conservation Experience (ACE). The crew is being led by raisingarizona.

The pertinent USFS documents and map can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=51515

Newspaper article here: https://azdailysun.com/news/local/f...cle_91cd7aca-6219-5747-a5e5-fe51f48e11bf.html

Some background on the trail in this thread by forum regular RockyChrysler. https://forums.mtbr.com/arizona/heart-trail-103-a-923251.html

The geology and terrain are quite fascinating. More to come on that but for now some trail porn will suffice. Happy trails!

 

[rockman]

The red rocks are...well just that. The same red rocks that exist in Sedona-the Schnebly Hill Sandstone. Pretty cool. Pretty much everything else in Flag is in rocks and soil that are part of the San Francisco volcanic field. The exception being the loop trail and AZT south of I40 and east of I17.

 

[rockychrysler]

The Heart Trail realignment is now into the 3rd week. While we're building Little Elden with volunteer labor on Heart we acquired a grant to pay American Conservation Experience (ACE). The crew is being led by raisingarizona.

Some background on the trail in this thread by forum regular RockyChrysler. https://forums.mtbr.com/arizona/heart-trail-103-a-923251.html

The geology and terrain are quite fascinating. More to come on that but for now some trail porn will suffice. Happy trails!

Those pics look amazing. Way to go, raisingarizona! And thx for the bump on that old thread, rockman. For the record, I also wrote some other stuff about Heart for a grad geo class I took years ago... RockyChrysler.com: Archival Footage: The Eastern Sedimentary Block Of Mount Elden. I used it as the seed post for the original Mount Elden entry on Wikipedia, too.

 

[waltaz]

Really impressive and cool, what you guys are doing up there. I need to get up there more to ride. Thanks for all of your collective efforts!


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[sinatorj]

Couldn't be more stoked on this, adds a more secluded user experience to our trail system and an option that has not been really viable in my 20 years in Flag. Hats off to RA, and all of the others that have made this a reality. Can't wait.

 

[rockman]

Those pics look amazing. Way to go, raisingarizona! And thx for the bump on that old thread, rockman. For the record, I also wrote some other stuff about Heart for a grad geo class I took years ago... RockyChrysler.com: Archival Footage: The Eastern Sedimentary Block Of Mount Elden. I used it as the seed post for the original Mount Elden entry on Wikipedia, too.

Rocky I was hoping you'd post that. You didn't observe Toroweap or Kaibab Limestone along the old Heart because, as you suspected, those formations are located further east and compose the whitish knobs or small hills. One reason for the L. Elden reroute was to get the trail out of the park area with sensitive soils (eroded Coconino) and onto the east slopes of the knobs where it could be nice flowing bench cut trail.

Also, Kluth didn't observe Schnebly Hill because at the time Dr. Blakey hadn't completed his work differentiating Schnebly Hill (which isn't found in the Grand Canyon) from Supai Group and the reason being that it was part of the subsiding Holbrook evaporate basin in Pennnslyvanian-Permian time. This basin is causing some controversy of late due to the presence of helium gas and possible fracking to obtain it. The environmental lobby is pretty worked up about this affecting the Coconino aquifer and Flagstaff's water supply but the two are unrelated with much different flow fields.

 

[tjkm]

Great work to all involved. Thank you! I also enjoyed the geology discussion, but as Geography undergrad back in the day, I must say ' Geology rocks, but Geography is where its at'

 

[rockman]

Great work to all involved. Thank you! I also enjoyed the geology discussion, but as Geography undergrad back in the day, I must say ' Geology rocks, but Geography is where its at'

Ha, you wouldn't have one without the other. Or, you could just be a tweener which is a geomorphologist.

 

[Maadjurguer]

I think you left out the humble Moenkopi outcroppings found in limited supply on the southern aspect of the McMillian Mesa fault block (north of Rt. 66) and very limited areas of western Ft. Valley below the Dry Lake Hills basalt

 

[rockman]

I think you left out the humble Moenkopi outcroppings found in limited supply on the southern aspect of the McMillian Mesa fault block (north of Rt. 66) and very limited areas of western Ft. Valley below the Dry Lake Hills basalt

That's true. There's an old quarry at the west end of Fort Valley near the TH. Things could be much worse around here if it was more basalt that dacite.

 

[tjkm]

Ha, you wouldn't have one without the other. Or, you could just be a tweener which is a geomorphologist.

Growing up in the northeast, and taking some geomorphology classes, I enjoyed learning about the Basin/ Range. I guess it is only fitting that I ended up living in Phoenix....

 

[rockman]

A few maps to show what's going on.

A google earth image that shows both old and proposed alignments. The first turn toward's the top reverses direction right at the volcanic spire in rockychyslers geology write-up. Pic #2.

An oblique view.

The official map. Note that the east end got moved a bit to the south for a more direct tie-in to Little Elden and also Little Elden was moved in places to address arch site concerns.

 

[rockman]

ACE continues to make good progress with over a mile of new tread. The first ridgeline has been climbed and they're making a run for the Elysian Buttress, a popular climbing area in Flag. https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105817355/elysian-buttress

 

[rockman]

More trail porn. Coming in from the top now. Thanks RA and ACE!

 

[clockwork]

Killer work folks can't wait to get time to check it out when its done.

 

[dsrt taco]

It's great to see some positive news regarding the trails in Flagstaff after all the closures and destruction over the last two years!

What is the timeline for the completion of the Heart Trail re-alignment project?

 

[rockman]

It's great to see some positive news regarding the trails in Flagstaff after all the closures and destruction over the last two years!

What is the timeline for the completion of the Heart Trail re-alignment project?

November-ish.

 

[sinatorj]

Rode the bottom 2/3rds this past monday. Shiz is RAD!!!

 

[escrowdog]

Heading to Sedona this weekend to ride (from KC). We have 2.5 days to ride...should we make this trail a visit? Or is it still a work in progress?? Looks beautiful! We'll probably do Schultz as well...that's the only place we've ridden in Flag. SO PLEASE feel free to throw out any suggestions for a longer day of riding. We're above intermediate level riders, not crazy, but looking to get out away from people.

 

[Phillbo]

If you are looking to get away from people, Sedona may disappoint you.