Arizona Ranks Low - 100 Best Hiking Trails in America

[PaleoRob]

I was in Walmart yesterday and picked up a funny little list they had titled "100 Best Hiking Trails in North America". It really means the "best" trails in America, not North America (nothing in Canada or Mexico). Arizona ranks surprisingly low. Here is what the list shows for AZ:
Boynton Canyon - 29th
Verde Hot Springs - 30th
Havasu Canyon Trail - 40th
Four Peaks Mine - 45th
Bright Angel Trail - 51st
Camelback Mountain Summit Trail - 60th
Backway to Crown King - 83rd

Crappy - I call bogus on this "list." For what its worth, the number one and number one hundred trails are both in New York (New York?): Breakneck Ridge Trail in first, North-South Lake Loop in last.

Nearby states have few high ranking trails. None in New Mexico. One (Zion Narrows) in Utah. None in Nevada. There are several in Colorado.

[chumley]

@PageRob
There's a popular 4 X 4 route that goes into Crown King from the West.
To the best of my knowledge, that's about it

That doesn't even sound like a trail...

It's not a trail. It's a road from north of Lake Pleasant up the south slopes of the Bradshaws into Crown King. A 30-mile unmaintained 4x4 track. I've driven it several times. It takes about 4 hours, and while it traverses some attractive parts of the Bradshaws, as well as some historic sites and mines, this is definitely not a hiking trail. There's plenty of online info (and photos) if you do a search.

[JimmyLyding]

Is that when you had a mullet?

or hair for that matter

So is this what it's come to.... Nice... Real nice.

@Jim Lyding
That was before there was such a thing as a Mullet

It's hard to picture you with hair even if most of it was covering the back of your neck.

[paulhubbard]

t's a road from north of Lake Pleasant up the south slopes of the Bradshaws into Crown King.

Is this what you're talking about? This photo was ~5 miles south of Crown King looking SSW:
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=145126

[PaleoRob]

As if we need another reason to avoid Walmart.

Some of us don't really have a choice...

I just looked a little bit more at the sheet. On the back it says "rankings from trails.com". That must be why I make HAZ my one-stop hiking source!

[azbackpackr]

Yeah, you don't want to go dissing Walmart when talking to small-town Arizonans. It comes across as very elitist. Having lived for 11 years in Eagar, where the closest Walmart was 52 miles away, it was also worth going there once in awhile, since they actually sell useful household items, electronics and sporting goods not found elsewhere in the White Mtns.

Show Low finally does have a Big 5, which is really a pretty awful store as far as quality and selection go, but you can sometimes find a few things you need in there.

Of course, I internet shop. But I ain't gonna buy towels, vacuum cleaners, blenders, toasters, dog beds, cat kennels, bike tubes, underwear, jeans, pajamas, frozen fish, school supplies, printer paper, point and shoot cameras, Mountain House dinners, stove fuel, batteries, canoe paddles, motor oil, computer printers, etc., on the internet if I can look at them in person first and get them cheaper, at Walmart.

And don't tell us to shop at Target. There isn't one.

[paulhubbard]

It's interesting to go to Bass Pro Shop, then see the EXACT same article (same brand and manufacturer, like Coleman) at Wally World for as much as 35% cheaper. Plus you get the entertainment of watching "the people of Walmart" while you're there!

[BobP]

coanbru wrote:
Jim Lyding wrote:
Is that when you had a mullet?
joe bartels wrote:
or hair for that matter
So is this what it's come to.... Nice... Real nice.

@Jim Lyding
That was before there was such a thing as a Mullet

It's hard to picture you with hair even if most of it was covering the back of your neck.

I gotta start reading the forums again...that's good stuff right there

[chumley]

t's a road from north of Lake Pleasant up the south slopes of the Bradshaws into Crown King.

Is this what you're talking about? This photo was ~5 miles south of Crown King looking SSW:
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=145126

Looks about right. There's a few old roads in the southern Bradshaws as it used to be an active mining area. Now its a very active 4x4 area. Plus some target shooting. And some drinking. Probably some tobacco use. And other stuff. There's also a handful of abandoned/wrecked vehicles along the way too. Sounds like a top-100 hiking trail, huh? plz:

[joebartels]

On the back it says "rankings from trails.com".

Viva la HAZ!

Some of us don't really have a choice...

I have a choice and go there all the time for groceries. I'd stay away from the Jenson merchandise if they even make it anymore

[Jim]

On the back it says "rankings from trails.com".

Well that explains NY. Lots of people in that distal area. CA must use other websites.

[big_load]

Well that explains NY. Lots of people in that distal area.

Yeah, but it doesn't explain why such lame trails in NY. The trails.com user base must be skewed toward the once-in-a-while hikers. That Catskills hike probably wouldn't make most people's top ten of Catskills trails, much less anything statewide.

[Jim]

I think it is skewed to the low level hiker, probably the city living gets out once a quarter type. I've come across information which is wrong on that site, so it can't be too good. Frankly, with some of the stuff we have in the SW, I can't understand how anything from east of the Rockies would be a #1 hike unless a bunch of non-hiking city dwelling tards voted it as such. Really!? Dense overgrown forests and modest hazy views over some of the most spectacular scenery and country in the world?! I remember liking some trails in south Jersey and Florida, but they're nothing compared to the Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Sedona, Humphrey, California Sierra Hikes, Colorado Hikes, New Mexico Hikes, Teton NP trails, and so on, and on, and on...

[PLC92084]

...unless a bunch of non-hiking city dwelling tards voted it as such

Jim, I thought you were more inclusive and in-touch... You forgot to add latte-sipping, volvo-driving... tards.

And besides... it's Trails.com for God's sake!

[hippiepunkpirate]

What's amazing is that some people actually PAY to use that Trails.com crap

[chumley]

I think it is skewed to the low level hiker, probably the city living gets out once a quarter type.

While I don't doubt this, I think its sort of funny since Walmarts are not typically found in big cities, especially on the east coast. (NYC has ZERO walmarts). They're more suburban/rural focused where you would think the demographics feature more outdoorsy folks.

[azbackpackr]

What's amazing is that some people actually PAY to use that Trails.com crap

Yeah, I found that out a long time ago--you can't get info from them without paying.

Then I found HAZ and was born again.

[azbackpackr]

I think it is skewed to the low level hiker, probably the city living gets out once a quarter type.

While I don't doubt this, I think its sort of funny since Walmarts are not typically found in big cities, especially on the east coast. (NYC has ZERO walmarts). They're more suburban/rural focused where you would think the demographics feature more outdoorsy folks.

Jim was not talking about Walmart here. He was talking about Trails.com.

[hippiepunkpirate]

Let's do a similar list, the top ten Arizona hikes using the the TrailDEX sort by rating:

1. Flatiron
2. Humphrey's Summit Trail
3. Peralta to Fremont Saddle
4. West Fork of Oak Creek
5. Havasu Canyon Trail
6. Camelback Summit via Echo Canyon TH
7. Bright Angel Trail
8. Fossil Springs Trail
9. Brown's Peak
10. Horton Creek Trail

Of course, these are more "popularity" than "rating", but it is interesting to interpret these as what HAZ users have "voted" as the best hikes in AZ, most of which have a huge "human" influence that many would consider highly detrimental to the hike.

[PaleoRob]

Any way to sort on HAZ via rating, not views or triplogs?

[joebartels]

That's what Jake just posted. TrailDEX -> 1st column sort

I don't mind people
The link I posted above is based on page views. For those that don't like people simply go to the last page of any of these lists.