This Arizona hike starts out friendly and then goes full-tilt crazy. Here's how to try it
It’s only a little over a 500-foot climb to the zenith of the Verde Vista Loop. But getting there is trickier than it looks.
The trail, which was completed in 2021, is tethered to the still under construction Camp Verde Sports Complex and crosses into Coconino National Forest east of the Verde River and Beaver Creek.
The 5.5-mile nonmotorized trail, in the hills southeast of Montezuma Castle National Monument, is a joint effort between the Camp Verde Urban Upland Trail System and Coconino National Forest.
The route departs from the easy Perimeter Loop that circles the Sports Complex with a level, gravel surface that’s welcoming to hikers, dog walkers and stroller-pushing families.
The Verde Vista Loop begins innocently enough with a walk through open desert and grassy slopes. The first mile makes an effortless ascent on a mix of two-track and single-track dirt. Mountain views stand out all around as the path winds through clumpy forbs, yucca and a green sea of creosote shrubs.
As the route moves toward the imposing crescent of buff-colored cliffs and a large mesa-like mound to the northeast, views of the emerald band of the Verde River glows in the valley to the west. After passing into Coconino National Forest, the trail meets a sign warning equestrians that conditions ahead can be hazardous for horse travel.
Bikers and hikers should take heed too, because beyond the sign the trail goes full-tilt crazy. Abrupt twists, loose rock and close-to-the-edge traverses on a base of crumbling limestone characterize the roughly mile-and-a-half ascent to the trail’s high point in the White Hills.
Narrow and slippery in places, it’s smart to pay attention to footing and not be distracted by the ever-expanding mountain and valley panoramas rolling out below.
After huffing, puffing and scrambling over chalky ledges, the trail delivers a punch of in-your-face eye candy as a reward.
While easier than the ascent, the return leg of the loop still has its challenges. It clings to cliffs, sweeps over ridgetop flatlands and hits one last spiral of switchbacks before landing hikers back in the creosote sea.
Hike Verde Vista Loop
Length: Verde Vista Loop, 5.5 miles. Perimeter Loop, 1.6 miles.
Rating: Verde Vista Loop, difficult. Perimeter Loop, easy.
Elevation: Verde Vista Loop, 3,136-3,688 feet (1,190 feet of accumulated elevation change). Perimeter Loop, 3,100-3,160 feet
Getting there: From Interstate 17 in Camp Verde, go 4 miles east (toward Payson) on State Route 260 to McCracken Lane on the left. Follow McCracken 0.1 mile to the Camp Verde Sports Complex entrance on the right. The gate may be locked during ongoing Sports Complex construction. To use the pedestrian walk-thru, park at the corner of SR 260 and McCracken. The Verde Vista Loop trailhead is 0.6 mile east from the gate on Champion Trail (the park main road).
Read more of Mare Czinar's hikes at arizonahiking.blogspot.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Camp Verde hike: Verde Vista Loop Trail will test you
