Take a Backcountry Walk Through Coconino National Forest

Discover deserts, pine forests, mesas, and tundra in northern Arizona

By Google Arts & Culture

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Welcome to Coconino National Forest in Arizona, USA. From up top of the O'Leary Peak Lookout Tower, you can see across miles of this beautiful, natural landscape, from dry deserts to verdant forests.

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Lava Flow Trail

Start your trip off by walking the Lava Flow Trail, at the base of Sunset Crater Volcano, near Flagstaff. This flat walk is barely a mile long, the perfect introduction to the plants and geology of this National Forest.

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West Clear Creek Trailhead

This moderate, 8.8 mile hike is accessible all year round, and dog-friendly,making it popular with many of the forest's visitors. Keep an eye open for maidenhair ferns, scarlet penstemons, and cottonwoods.

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Humphreys Peak

This dormant volcano is the highest point in the whole of Arizona. You can start your hike at the Arizona Snowball ski resort, from here, walk 4.8 miles along the Humphreys Summit Trail to the peak.

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Wet Beaver Creek

An oasis in the desert, this popular swimming hole, known as 'The Crack', attracts crowds of day trippers. Why not take a break here, lounge on the smooth rocks or plunge into the cool waters. We'll catch up later.

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Cathedral Rock

Cathedral Rock has to be one of the most photographed sights in Arizona, and a landmark on the Sedona skyline. It's a tough climb up to the rock formation, located in Yavapai County, about a mile west of Arizona Route 179.

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Palatki Heritage Site

Before the forest existed, the area was home to many groups of Native Americans. The Palatki Heritage Site comprises a number of ancient cliff-dwellings, carved by the Sinagua people of the Ancestral Puebloans into the red sandstone around 800 years ago.

Statue Of Liberty (2005-07-18) by Margaret Bourke-WhiteLIFE Photo Collection

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