HIKING ESCUDILLA MOUNTAIN:

About 5 miles north of Alpine rests Arizona's third highest mountain, Escudilla (10,900). This mountain (like most of Arizona's mountains) is the remains of a volcanic explosion that scooped out a bowl-shaped crater (hence the spanish name meaning "wide-bowl") in the ancient past. Despite a 1500ft elevation change and a 6 mile round trip, this is a very easy and smooth trail.

The first part of the trail zig-zags its way through aspen and birch (beautiful color changes during the fall), and then grows significantly steeper just before the forest clears into open meadows at the first hilltop. Here it looks like a clearing due to forest fire at some past date.

After the clearing, the trail descends slightly into a thick ponderosa pine forest as green as forests in the Pacific Northwest. This forest soon clears out too and another wide meadow opens up, with a sign marking a crossing trail in the middle of the meadow.

The trail starts to climb upward again toward the end of the meadow and soon is surrounded by a forest of pine and aspen (perhaps other types of trees as well). The angle of ascent increases and the remainder of the upward hike to the top is along a rocky switchback. Finally the trail ends at the Forest Services' lookout tower (most of which is climbable), with a shed and outhouse at the base. From here you can easily see into the next state, about 6 miles away. Though this tower is the highest point of the trail, the ground is a little higher another 1/4 mile up the trail (though the view is not a nice as here).

To get to the Escudilla trailhead, take state route 180/191 north of Alpine (south from hwy 260 in Springerville/Eager) about 5 miles (between marker 420 and 421) to forest road 56 on the east side of state route 180/191. Drive another 5 miles (always veering to the right), and the trailhead will be on the left and parking on the right.