Sycamore Creek

This is a fun little trail, but I hesitate to suggest it to inexperienced hikers, or even those with a limited sense of direction.

Once on the trail, it’s pretty easy to follow, although one spot is a bit tricky (I’ll get to that in a bit). The problem is finding the start of the trail.

The area, found just off the Beeline Highway, is a popular camping spot. Because of this, many visitors have cleared little campgrounds and made roads leading here and there.

No signs mark the start of the trail. The only telltale indicator that you’re on the right path is that the hiking trail looks like, well, a hiking trail. The other paths are wider, looking as though they’ve been made by cars and trucks.

I constructed a cairn (a stack of rocks) at the trailhead on our first trip. Unfortunately, by my next visit two days later, someone had taken it down and used the rocks as chairs around a campfire.

Once you find the trail, you’re in for a fun hike. It’s a desert jaunt much of the way, winding through brush and offering nice views of cacti.

As it progresses, the trail leads to a canyon. A small pond rests at the bottom of a short bluff. Because of the draught, though, the water seems to be drying up pretty fast. Sediment lines on the rocks show how far this first pond has diminished.

This is the only part of the trail the gets a bit tricky to follow. It takes hikers up a short incline and into a boulder-strewn area.

Keep going in the same general direction (toward the canyon) and you’ll be fine. Soon, you’ll see another small pond and a small trickle of water spilling from between some larger boulders.

The trail picks up just on the other side of the little pond.

From there, it leads to a short bluff that sits right in the middle of the trail. This might be a good turn-around spot for some.

We scaled the rocks (it’s not too bad of a climb, actually) and kept going a bit into the canyon.

When Sycamore creek is actually running with water, this is a great place to picnic or play around. On this visit, though, what were once shallow swimming holes were now bone dry.

The views around the canyon are good. As you’re looking toward the cliffs on the left, try to find a saguaro that’s growing sideways along an angled rock.

We turned around here and followed the trail back.

Make sure you bring plenty of water on this one. Shady spots are few and far between.

To get there, take the Beeline north toward Payson. The turn-off is after mile marker 212, just after the Sycamore Creek bridge. Take a right into the area. You’ll come to a T in the road. Take a left and follow just past an old metal water tank. The trail heads north not far from there.

This hike was first featured July 2004 and revised February 2007.