If you're an outdoor enthusiast, Williams is your kind of town. Enjoy seven nearby fishing lakes stocked with rainbow trout and catfish, hiking trails up Bill Williams Mountain and down Sycamore Canyon, an alpine ski area as well as cross-country ski trails.

The Kaibab National Forest is the perfect backdrop to even more adventure and play. The Kaibab (pronounced "KI-bob") borders the Grand Canyon, with its northern and southern halves separated by the mile-deep canyon. Go hiking, biking, horseback riding or ATVing over 370 miles of marked trails. During winter months, ski and snowboard at the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Area, or cross-country ski on miles of forest trails. Whether you visit Sycamore Canyon, Kendrick Mountain or Kanab Creek, the opportunities to interact with nature are endless.

And speaking of opportunity, bird watchers know that the best time to observe is May through July during the breeding season. You just might spot the hairy woodpecker, mountain chickadee, common flicker, pygmy nuthatch, red-faced warbler, or Townsend's solitaire. Expect wildlife of every kind; deer, elk, falcon and eagle live and belong on Williams Mountain. They are as much a part of the mountain as you will be.

Wildlife

No, they're not moose but elk, the largest members of the deer family on the Colorado Plateau. You can observe elk year-round in Northern Arizona, particularly in the fall, when herds gather and bulls bugle at Lake Mary and Mormon Lake directly southeast of Flagstaff. Only males have racks of antlers, grown and shed each year.

Mule deer, an icon of the American West, prefer open wooded mountain and foothill areas. You can see them, like elk, year round. They frequently become overabundant and overbrowse their habitat. A browse line (as tall as a deer can reach and eat standing on its hind legs) from decades ago can still be noted in the Kaibab Forest.

The red-shafted northern flicker is a large woodpecker with brilliant color patterns and reddish underwings; the red-shafted form is found only in the West. You can recognize flickers by their deeply undulating flight. Their song sounds like a loud "wick wick wick wick!'"

Bald eagles are easiest to see on lakes and reservoirs in winter. Bring your binoculars to nearby lakes, especially Mormon Lake, declared a "National Important Bird Area" by the American Bird Conservancy in 1997.

You'll see the great blue heron wading and fishing along local lakes from spring to fall. A rookery of nests is located on the lakeside of the highway, just 2 miles south of Double Springs campground at Mormon Lake.

Hiking & Mountain Biking

The Kaibab National Forest offers trails for every level of expertise. Trails less than 5 miles long that don't ascend or descend more than 1,500 feet are rated "Easy". Trails between five and ten miles and 1,500 and 3,000 feet of vertical gain or loss are rated "moderate". And if you're ready for a challenge, you'll find that the "difficult" trails will fit the bill over 10 miles and 3,000+ feet gain/loss.

Designed to be a challenge to hikers and mountain bikers, the 18-mile trail of Rainbow Rim winds along the Kaibab's side of the Grand Canyon's North Rim through ponderosa pines and scrub gambel oak, and out to five different vista points including Vulcan's Throne, Sinyella Butte and Steamboat Rock.

Undoubtedly the most convenient and easily accessed trails are those within walking distance of your home. The Trail System at Escalante gives you a stimulating workout while you commune with nature.

Horseback Riding

Three nearby stables make horseback riding as convenient as it is fun for Escalante residents. And with over 350 miles of scenic trails through Kaibab National Forest there will be plenty of opportunity to enjoy nature at its finest without feeling like you've been down that same trail many times before.

Mountain Ranch Stables, E. Mountain Ranch Rd., Williams,
(928) 635-0706

High Mountain Stables, Mormon Lake, (May-Sept.)
(928) 354-2359

Stables in the Pines, 1000 Circle Pine Rd., Williams, 86046
(928) 635-2626

Slope Locations

The Williams Ski Area provides downhill skiing and sledding during the winter months and there are cross-country ski trails nearby in undeveloped areas like Sevier Flat, Barney Flat, and the White Horse Lake Area. Alpine skiing is available in the Williams Area and at Oak Creek, both areas are small and geared toward beginners.

Bill Williams Mountain,
Williams,
(928) 635-9330

Snowbowl,
Flagstaff,
(928) 779-1951

Fishing

Fishing Information

With numerous lakes nearby, fishing opportunities are always plentiful. For detailed information on where to fish, rules & regulations, weekly fishing repor, lake levels and stocking schedule, click on Arizona Game & Fish.

Helpful Links
Arizona Game & Fish