Graham and I celebrated our first full weekend together in almost two months by going on a weekend camping trip. We set off toward Blue Ridge Reservoir, but we discovered it’s closed until at least early April, so instead we kept driving until we hit Forest Road 95.
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| Signs for the Arizona Trail make me want to hike at least parts of the 790-mile trail. Adding it to my travel list. |
Without a plan, we decided to look for another body of water on which to canoe. We noticed Knoll Lake on the map; it was more than 20 miles away on a dirt road. But we had nothing but time.
Somewhere along Forest Road 95 was a bridge over a creek. We hiked along the creek for a mile or so, checking out the scenery. Then we hit the road again, driving through the Christmas tree cutting area, where we spotted a wild turkey. (He was too quick to let me snap a photo of him.)
We turned left on Rim Road, driving alongside the rim, and expansive views, all the way to Knoll Lake.
The campgrounds at Knoll Lake were closed, but we found an amazing campsite on the rim.
We could see for miles from our campsite. We dined around the campfire with the sunset before us. I could not have asked for a more beautiful night.
The next morning, we returned to Knoll Lake. The winds had picked up that day. Forty degrees felt more like 20 to me. I wrapped myself in a blanket as Graham tried his luck at fishing. We spent a lovely afternoon at the lake, seeing only four other people the entire day.
Our drive home was just as scenic as the drive in.
Want to see a map of how to get there? The Coconino National Forest website has one.
Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.