Injured mountain biker rescued from Piestewa Peak, transported to hospital

South Kaibab, Grand Canyon | Screamingly steep, shadeless and sun-beaten may not sound like an endorsement, but those are what makethe South Kaibab astounding. Most Grand Canyon trails follow a fault line that limitsrange of vision. But Kaibab is a torpedo, launching from the rim and chasing a ridgeline down and out across the Canyon. At 1.5 miles, you reach the comfy plateau called Cedar Ridge. The trail curves past O’Neill Butte and approaches Skeleton Point, offering your first glimpse of the Colorado River. From here, the trail drops through a natural break in the Redwall Limestone in steep switchbacks that deposityou on the scrubby Tonto Plateau. And when you think the Kaibab can’t get steeper, it plunges steeply for the final 2gorgeous, colorful miles untilit reaches the Kaibab Suspension Bridge crossing to Phantom Ranch. |Details:928-638-7888,www.nps.gov/grca. 
David Kadlubowski/The Republic

Wildcat, Monument Valley | There are many ways to explore the radiant desolation of Monument Valley. But to have a piece of it all to yourself, hike the Wildcat — the only trail in the tribal park visitors can experience without a Navajo guide. It brushes so close to the iconic Mittens formations that you can almost feel them holding you. Starting from the campground, the trail drops to the valley floor, where blocky towers vault from sand and sagebrush and pierce a tall sky. Curving through gnarled scrub and wind-bent junipers, Wildcat loops around West Mitten. For a hike through such a broad sweep of land, it feelssurprisingly intimate. The easy walking gives you a chance to consume every detail. |Details:435-727-5874,www.navajonationparks.org/htm/monumentvalley.htm. 
Jill Cassidy/The Republic

Horton Creek, Mogollon Rim | Being a waterway in Arizona often is a seasonal job. Manyflow as feisty as an overcaffeinated terrier during rainy times and then lie around in sandy pajamas the rest of the year. Horton Creek is no part-timer. Horton goes non-stop, rumbling in a furious rush through rich forest at the base of the Mogollon Rim. That combo makes a spectacular day of hiking. The trail follows an old wagon road paralleling the creek. Several paths lead to the water, guarded by cottonwood, Arizona sycamore and bigtooth maple. Spend time enjoying the splashy music of cascades and mini-falls andthe wet sigh of widening pools. The last section of the trail steepens as it climbs to Horton Spring, a frothy geyser spilling over moss-covered boulders. | Details: 928-474-7900, www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto. 
Roger Naylor/Special for The Republic

Heart of Rocks, Chiricahua National Monument | Hidden in the southeastern corner of the state, Chiricahua National Monument is the most unsungArizona location. The park shelters an exotic array of stone sculpted by nature. Massive columns, slender spires and impossibly balanced boulders loom above the timber. The skyline seems built from the splintered remains of ancient castles. Anetwork of trails provides hikers with several options. The short loop through Heart of Rocks is the craggy core of the park, where you’ll find the most spectacular formations. The easiest route is via a trio of trails: Ed Riggs, Mushroom Rock and Big Balanced Rock. The Heart of Rocks loops through a weird stone garden filled with such formations as Thor’s Hammer, Duck on a Rock, Punch and Judy, Camel’s Head and Totem Pole. | Details: 520-824-3560, www.nps.gov/chir. 
Michael Schennum/The Republic

Sycamore Rim, Williams | This trail delivers a lot of bang for the buck, making a long loop through rippling grass prairie, pine forests andcopses of twisted oaks, past tumbledown cabins andmultiple ponds and skirting the edge of sheer-walled Sycamore Canyon. The most accessible trailhead is Dow Spring. You’ll quickly spot the ruins of a century-old sawmill and the spring with several small pools that in summer are filled with water-lily blossoms. When was the last time you saw water lilies on an Arizona trail? Near the halfway point, you’ll glimpse Sycamore Falls. Very occasionally, water is tumbling, but normally it’sdry.You’ll see rock climbers making their ascents on perpendicular walls. Ideally, no tumbling is involved. | Details: 928-635-5600, www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab. 
Roger Naylor/Special for The Republic

Monolith Garden, Kingman | Kingman keeps itshiking bounty on the down-low. The cityhas constructed a beautiful network of trails slashing across the Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area but doesn’t do much to promote them. The Monolith Garden Trail is the best of the bunch, a tangled route through dramatic boulder fields and crumbling ramparts of volcanic ash. Three trailheads and multiple forks make Monolith Garden a bit of a maze, so grab a map at Kingman Visitor Center before you start. Even through you’re right on the doorstep of town, this trail turns you loose for a fast spin through low, slanted hills andpast stacked-rock towers and hunched ridgelines toothy with columns. | Details: 928-718-3700, www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/recreation/hiking/monolith.html. 
Herberta Schroeder

West Baldy, Springerville-Eagar | When you envision the perfect mountain trail, you’re dreaming of West Baldy. You start out ambling across sun-smooched meadows near the banks of a clear-running river. The Little Colorado loops right to the edge of the trail in places. After 3miles, you enter an ancient, cathedral-like forest with big downed logs, lichen-crusted boulders and a loamy perfume wafting through stands of pine, spruce and fir. The trail climbs at a steady pace. You’ll rack up a lot of miles at high elevation. From the ridge just short of the summit, widevistas are visible. The actual summit is on the Fort Apache Reservation, where access is restricted to tribal members. Please respect their laws and don’t trespass. |Details:928-333-6200,www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf. 
Mare Czinar/Special for The Republic

Kachina, Flagstaff | This high-country ramble delivers a big-mountain experience with noreal climbing, bless its woodsy heart. And the when the aspens turn in autumn, the slopes areabsolutely golden. It’s one of the best high-country shows. Kachina follows a gently rolling course across the midsection of the San Francisco Peaks, dipping in and out of shallow drainages and skirting small cliffs. It stays mostly level as it passes through conifer groves and huddled aspens flanked by slanted meadows filled with waist-high bracken ferns. On the second half of the hike, the pastures widen to exposelovely views of mountaintops above and towns, buttesand hills far below. |Details:928-526-0866,www.fs.usda.gov/coconino. 
Michele Naylor

Like many forest trails, Kachina Trail is soft and loamy underfoot but veined with tree roots, so step carefully. 
Michele Naylor

My best hike for fall color was the Kachina Trail high up the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks. 
Roger Naylor/Special for The Republic

Kachina Trail passes through conifer groves and huddled aspens that break apart against slanted meadows on the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks. 
Michele Naylor

The Monolith Garden Trail is one of several little known hiking and biking trails outside of Kingman. 
Roger Naylor/Special for The Republic

Sylvia Kadlubowski and Keanu Dirks descend along South Kaibab Trail at Grand Canyon National Park April, 24, 2013 in Ariz. . 
David Kadlubowski/The Republic

Sycamore Rim Trail makes an eleven mile loop through forest and meadow along the edge of Sycamore Canyon. 
Susan Hamilton

West Fork of the Little Colorado River flanks West Baldy Trail #94. 
Mare Czinar/Special for The Republic

Maple leaves are beginning to show their autumn colors on Oct. 21, 2015 at West Fork Oak Creek Trail, north of Sedona. Due to the recent rains and warm weather, the leaves are several weeks delayed in turning to their fall colors. 
Rob Schumacher/The Republic

A chorus of rhyolite columns on the trail to Heart of Rocks in the Chiricahua National Monument. 
Bob Miller