Prescott Winter Hike – Deep Snow and Big Views

Snow covered baby Ponderosa Tree, Prescott Winter

A winter storm finished it’s work in northern Arizona, blanketing higher elevations with up to two and half feet of snow. I really wanted to go to Flagstaff, but I knew a weekend drive up that way was a recipe for a busy, crowded time on the road. Flagstaff attracts gobs of people from the Phoenix area whenever it snows who are looking for a change of scenery. We decided to stay local and drove west on Copper Basin Road out of Prescott. The roads were nicely plowed and we parked at the Aspen Creek Trailhead for a romp in the snow. The weird thing is, most of the lower elevations of Prescott and Prescott Valley had just a touch of snow. What a fun surprise to drive to the forest and see so much snow! We wondered before going if we would need our snow shoes. Nah, there won’t be that much snow. Whoops, we guessed wrong. Oh well, we went anyways, plowing through the deep snow. The snow must have come down wet and heavy, many trees looked overwhelmed with a heavy load of snow and we saw quite a few snapped trees and one tree that completely fell, roots and all.

Heavy Load, Prescott Winter

As we hiked, the trees threw snow at us, dropping it’s heavy load. Luckily, we did not experience a white wash, just a dusting on our heads. We kept trekking along, knowing there is a good view of Thumb Butte and distant mountains, like the San Francisco Peaks if they weren’t shrouded in clouds.

Thumb Butte, Prescott

Prescott, Arizona Winter

With the big view found and the climb in the deep snow over, we ventured back to the car for a little sledding. Our son Skyler squealed in our laps, taking turns sliding down a slow hill. That over, we drove another few miles to the top of Copper Basin Road, where it meets up with the road to the Mt. Francis lookout tower. The trees were just covered with snow, very much a winter wonderland.