Boots and Burgers
By Roger Naylor
The best hiking trails always end with some amazing feature such as a leaping waterfall, a soaring arch or, best of all, a full stomach. When does a good hike become a great hike? After you’re fed. The only way to cap a rewarding hike is with a delicious meal. The two should always been intertwined.
Fortunately, the Verde Valley is blessed with an abundance of scenic trails and savory restaurants. Here are a few combinations where you can walk off some calories, then replace them again in mouth-watering fashion.
Cottonwood
Raptor Hill Trail
The benefit of a town trail is easy access. The downside: a sea of rooftops dilutes the wilderness experience. Raptor Hill easily solves the dilemma. Climb the first terraced ridges and you’re treated to sprawling views of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome and the ruins of Tuzigoot perched dramatically above a bend in the Verde River. Then the trail curves into the soft backcountry and civilization melts away behind you. Leveling off, the route rambles through limestone hills, shaggy with junipers, pines and bowed crucifixion thorns. Yucca stalks unfurl waxy blossoms amid clusters of blackfoot daisies and desert marigolds. A forest of creosote crowds the trail where it ends at a multi-pronged junction. Turn back here for a 5.8 mile hike or go right on Thumper to make a scenic 7.5 mile loop, returning via Lime Kiln Trail. Depends on how big a meal you plan to order.
Where: Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Length: 2.9 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Admission: $6 per vehicle
Details: 928-634-5283
Bing’s Burger Station
If you’re looking for an expansive menu, this may not be the place for you. If you’re looking for old-fashioned, straight-up delicious burgers, fries and shakes, then you’ve just found a little corner of heaven. Before fast-food joints corrupted the process this was how we got our burger fix: a guy in an apron tossing a ball of fresh meat on to the flat top. There’s still something magical about it. You hear the moist sizzle, inhale the beef fumes and it suddenly dawns on you, you’re sitting in historic Old Town with trail dust on your boots about to chomp a delicious burger. What’s better than this? Burgers are certified Angus beef, never frozen. Fries are hand cut fresh daily and shakes are hand-scooped with real ice cream. 794 N. Main St., Cottonwood. 928-649-1718, bingsburgers.com
Clarkdale
Parson’s Trail
The rugged outback of Sycamore Canyon Wilderness offers a glimpse of red rock country without development. Scan the skyline stacked with the familiar sandstone drama of nearby Oak Creek Canyon; the same coral-and-cream cliffs and crumpled buttes, punctuated with terraces of piñon pines and junipers. Parson’s trail makes a sweet introduction, entering from the south and rambling through a shade-draped corridor alongside Sycamore Creek. During spring a riot of wildflowers enhance the lush setting and in summer months, several premier swimming holes beckon. You’ll splash across the creek a few times as the level path pulls you deeper into the oasis. After the sixth crossing, you’ll reach Parsons Spring, marking the end of the trail and the end of reliable water in Sycamore Canyon. The rest of the vast canyon is a fiercely scenic but arid wilderness.
Where: Take the Tuzigoot National Monument turnoff. After crossing the bridge, turn left on Sycamore Canyon Rd and proceed 10 miles to trailhead. Road is unpaved but suitable for passenger cars.
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty: Easy but with some stream crossings
Admission: Free
Details: 928-282-4119
Main Street Café & Pizzeria,
Owner Scott Buckley has created an eclectic little dining spot in downtown Clarkdale. Known for his scratch-made menu, Buckley whips up delicious pizzas, pastas and a range of other items. His burgers are big juicy wheels of Angus beef. Daily specials make the meal as enjoyable for your wallet as your taste buds. Buckley utilizes local suppliers, buying bread from Orion Bread in Cottonwood and his zesty salsa from Salsa de Border, right across the street. While waiting for your made-to-order meal, you’ll have time to peruse the work of local artists adorning the walls. 920 Main St., Clarkdale, 928-649-3070, clarkdalemainstreetcafe.com
Jerome
Gaddes Canyon Trail
If you’re looking for cool summertime temperatures, this is the perfect hike. Stroll through ponderosa pine forests high above the Verde Valley. Keep an eye peeled for mule deer in this dense stand of pines mingled with Gambel oak. You’ll also enjoy some sweeping views across the valley. After leaving the lookout tower behind, the trail descends to Gaddes Spring, before scrambling back to the high ridge overlooking Gaddes Canyon. Along the way you’ll pass some intriguing rock outcroppings.
Where: Take 89A west from Jerome to FR 104. Travel 2.2 miles to a junction with FR 104B or Lookout Road. Trailhead is just below the lookout.
Length: 2.6 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Admission: Free
Details: 928-567-4121
Mile High Grill
You’ll find a full slate of homemade comfort food to choose from in this cozy spot but if you don’t try one of their hand-pressed Angus burgers, you may never forgive yourself. These are burly half-pound beasts, smothered with toppings but if you’ve spent the morning hiking through big timber, you’ll have a big appetite to sate. Try the Muma Burger, a jaw-unhinging three-fourths of a pound of Angus beef, stuffed with cream cheese-filled Serrano peppers and topped with bacon and pepper jack cheese. Then top it off with some of their out-of-this-world bread pudding. 309 Main St., Jerome, 928-634-5094, jeromemilehighinn.com.
Camp Verde
Bell Trail
The Bell provides the only developed route into Wet Beaver Creek Canyon. For the most part the trail follows a route along a bench above the streambed. There are plenty of social trails that break off and lead down to the water, indicating good fishing spots or swimming holes. At one point the trail leaves the canyon bottom to curve over a high shoulder of sandstone, providing stunning views of the canyon, the stream and surrounding mountains. Just past three miles, the trail crosses the creek. Officially, this is Bell Crossing but everyone in these parts knows it as “The Crack,” a legendary swimming hole. Deep water carves an exquisite 70-foot long channel between narrow sandstone walls. A triangle of rock positioned over the sweet spot makes a great diving platform but most fearless souls launch themselves from atop the 25-foot high ledges.
Where: Exit Interstate-17 at Arizona 179. Turn east under the highway and drive east 1.5 miles to the old Beaver Creek Ranger Station turnoff.
Length: 3.3 miles to Bell Crossing
Difficulty: Moderate
Admission: Free
Details: 928-282-4119
Babe’s Round-Up
Don’t worry about driving past this unpretentious little place. With their big smoker perched out front, the aroma alone of slow-cooked pork and beef ribs will pull you off the highway. This is the kind of hearty cowboy cooking that you never forget. Pulled pork sandwiches piled high, brisket that dissolves in your mouth, big juicy burgers and plenty of other choices. They even make a mean salad for those who somehow have the willpower to resist the sweet aroma of smoked meat. 90 S. Montezuma Castle Highway, Camp Verde, 928-567-6969, babesroundup.com
Sedona
Cow Pies Trail
For a town that’s lousy with sandstone, Sedona remains downright miserly regarding the slickrock experience. Several trails may cross patches of exposed stone but not in a large uninterrupted expanse. You want to walk on the bones of the land around here, you head for the Pies. As in, Cow Pies. A short path from Schnebly Hill Road leads back to several adjacent outcroppings, massive dollops of red rocks that resemble…well, you know. A movement’s afoot to rename them the Muffins, but where’s the charm in that? Ringed by crimson cliffs on three sides, sweeping views pull you across the open ground until the world falls away and you’re peering down canyon at a breath-snatching panorama of Sedona. After exploring the Pies, the trail continues for another mile to Mitten Ridge, a distinctive outcropping capping the nearby mesa.
Where: Drive 3.5 miles on Schnebly Hill Road to a signed parking area. The last 2.5 miles is a rugged dirt road that may not be suitable for passenger cars.
Length: 1.3 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Admission: A Red Rock Pass is required. Passes cost $5 a day, $15 per week or $20 per year and are available at shops and area tourist information centers.
Details: 928-282-4119
Barking Frog Grille
This casually-elegant eatery is designed after a Mexican hacienda. The space flows with a series of seating areas, creating intimate little dining nooks amidst the larger space. The wait staff is a joy, possessing not only a depth of knowledge regarding the food prep, but also that stealthy alertness which is the mark of fine dining establishments. They materialize suddenly at your table with a skillet of warm jalapeno cornbread or another round of drinks, then poof, are gone again. It’s like being served by ninjas, but not so ominous. The wide-ranging menu is American with southwestern influence featuring several delectable twists along the way. Shrimp tamales made with green chilis and poblano cream sauce are house favorites, as is the guacamole prepared tableside. 2620 W. Highway 89A, Sedona, 928-204-2000, barkingfroggrille.com
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