We will start on the Sandys Canyon Trail which begins at the CANYON VISTA CAMPGROUND off Lake Mary Road (FR3). Turn into the campground, go past it and park in the designated day-use lot. The trail skirts the rim of Walnut Canyon, a scenic rift in the same layers of rock that form the upper cliffs of the Grand Canyon.

It then heads north following the Walnut Canyon Rim for a short distance and passes along side a VERY large and dramatic lava flow down the side of Walnut Canyon before it drops down Sandys Canyon into the main gorge. Sandys Canyon Trail # 137 then continues along the Walnut Canyon floor to an intersection with the Arizona Trail. Here there's more Grand Canyon like cliffs with pronounced cross-bedding and deep red hue of petrified Permian Age sand dunes. The trail continues north along the Arizona Trail down the canyon through a forest of pine and aspen trees into a long and silvered grama grasses meadow near Fisher Point.

At the base of Fisher Point is a secluded entrance into Walnut Canyon. This side trail is rather pristine and remote, and passes a small cave carved into a strange looking sandstone cliff. Just past this is a sign which says the trail continues for another mile into Walnut's lush green vegetation.

Meanwhile, back on the main route of the hike, the trail switchbacks up the side canyon above out onto Fisher Point, which overlooks both the beautiful meadow that leads into Walnut Canyon and the Arizona Trail in the opposite direction.

The trail skirts along the top of Walnut Canyon's edge, and offers several fantastic views down into it as well as the San Francisco Peaks. The trail above continues along the rim for 6.8 miles and ends near the Walnut Canyon National Monument at the AZT Equestrian Bypass Trailhead. >From there we will car shuttle back to the start.

And remember, we will car camp Saturday night. Anyone interested should RSVP me and bring a favorite western barbeque fixn's and/or Dutch oven dish. On Sunday we can explore the little known Indian ruins in the area.