Flagstaff and the Aspens
If you’ve never gone north and seen the aspens change colors in the fall you aren’t living life correctly. The beauty that surrounds you as the sky is lit up by the yellow leaves of the aspens is truly unmatched. The first two weeks of October are said to be the best time to see the leaves changing and we knew we couldn’t pass it up this year. We had a full day of football planned for Sunday so we knew we needed to head up Friday night if we wanted to camp. Last fall we had found a beautiful spot in Flagstaff with views of Mt. Humphreys and we decided to try to head back there since we knew the way and the exact spot would be easy to find in the dark. We weren’t sure if that exact area would have the beautiful aspens, but we knew that we could always drive to inner basin if need be. Inner basin is probably the best known area of aspens and is about an hour and a half drive from our campsite.
The spot is located off of fire road 794 off of 180 in Flagstaff. As we drove into the forest we noticed that there were a lot of sections fenced off that we had never noticed before. We were curious what this was about so we stopped to read the signs hanging on the fence. Turns out in this specific area they are trying to regenerate the aspen population so they fenced them off protecting them from humans and animals. This was the best sign since we weren’t sure if there would be any in our area!
We got to camp and set everything up. The temperature was about 46 degrees but was surprisingly comfortable. We got in late around 10pm and were starving. I had high ambitions of making dinner even though it was late and I really started to regret this decision when we pulled in and all I wanted to do was climb up in the tent and snuggle with our sleepy puppy. (Shout out to The Barking Dog for a full day of daycare to tire him out). But nonetheless I fed our starving bellies and BOY WAS IT WORTH IT. I made a creamy sausage penne pasta dish and it was everything you could want on a chilly night. After way too much food (I need to learn how to master cooking the correct portions one of these days..) we headed to bed and slept like ANGELS.
We woke up and it was about 35 degrees. The sun crested over Mt. Humphreys and lit up the yellow trees behind us and it was the best morning view possible. Casey got up first with Benci and let him run around and sniff all the new smells. This area is GREAT for dogs. There are so few people around and so much area for them to safely run and play. I will note, each time we have been we have ran into hunters so we always keep our pup in his bright green harness just in case. Once I mustered up the energy to get up, I made some breakfast and enjoyed the morning light. For breakfast we used leftover sausage from the night before, eggs and leftover mushrooms from dinner as well. We had plans to make special oreo pancakes, but we accidentally stuffed ourselves too full with eggs and sausage (shocking, I know).
After breakfast we walked around and explored the area surrounding our camp. We ran into some awesome other campers and Benci got to run like a mad man. While the aspens aren’t as dense in this area as they are in places like inner basin for example, I would argue that this area is so much more beautiful and peaceful based on how desolate it is. It gives you the chance to take in the beautiful nature without being surrounded by other hikers or campers. After spending much time admiring and taking photos we headed back to camp for a much needed nap. I think I have decided that afternoon naps are my favorite part about camping. Something about a midday nap in the fresh air of the woods without a single care in the world just can’t be beat. This campsite also has cell reception which we love because as we’ve said before, football season is VERY important to us.
Overall this campsite will always be one of my favorites. I knew when we found it last year that we would for sure be returning, but I never expected it to be even more beautiful than the first time.
