Wet Beaver Creek/Bell Trail/The Crack

This was one of our best hikes and campouts. We parked right off of I-17 by the Wet Beaver Creek ranger station, south of Oak Creek. We hiked in about 3.5 miles down the Bell Trail, taking the Weir Trail fork. Out camp site was stellar, right next to Wet Beaver Creek, on a sandy beach. The boys had a great time skipping stones and playing in the water.

Another youth group told us about "The Crack", off of the rim trail. We hiked another mile and a half to The Crack, and discovered some fantastic cliff jumping. The jumps ranged from 6 feet to 32 feet. It was 107 degrees out and we jumped into the ice cold water, which felt great and refreshing.

The photo below is a great example of the areas natural beauty. You can see the Sedona-like red rock on the bottom of the hill, crowned by lava rock on top. Without the lava rock, this area would look just like Sedona.

The Bell Trail, which we took, was made by a local rancher to get his cattle up to the Mogollon Rim. It is now an old jeep trail, which means it is very wide and pleasant for hiking.