X-Pine
Canyon
West Clear Creek Wilderness · Mogollon Rim
Coconino National ForestArizona
There are places beneath the Mogollon Rim where the forest gives way without ceremony, and the earth opens into a maze of broken sandstone. X-Pine Canyon belongs to that country, a tributary of West Clear Creek where the map's thin blue lines tell only a fraction of the story. Out here, distance is measured less in miles than in the trouble it takes to cross them.
Overview
- Setting
- Mogollon Rim
- Drainage
- West Clear Creek
- Archive
- One recorded visit
- Years
- 2009
- Reference
- Route notes ↗
X-Pine is a technical tributary of West Clear Creek, combining rappels and narrow passages with a substantial creek journey. Reaching the main drainage does not end the day: swimming, wading, and the climb back to the rim remain part of the route.
Route & map
X-Pine Canyon
The map is on its way.
Route map coming soon.
Geology
Upper West Clear Creek cuts through Permian Coconino Sandstone. Its cross-bedding preserves the internal structure of ancient windblown dunes, while groundwater seeps support ferns along the canyon walls. That broader sandstone landscape frames X-Pine’s descent to the creek.
Hazards
Rappels, cold water, long swims, and flood-shifted logjams can make progress slow and demanding. Assess weather across the drainage, confirm the exit, and allow for the creek travel after the technical descent. Approach-road conditions can also affect access.
HikeArizona route notes ↗ · Historical route descriptions; check current conditions.
Photo albums
1 recorded trip · photographs pending
August 19, 2009
The visit is recorded in the archive. Trip photographs will appear here when the album is available.