Western Railroad Discussion > flagstaff - east and west

All:

Will be in Flagstaff mid April for a full day of railfanning and photgraphy. Since I'm coming from the East Coast, looking for great locations, scenery besides wedge shots of pumpkins:-)
What would be the right itinerary, east to west to maximize the sun angles and get a full day?  Canyon Diablo bridge looks awesome, but getting to it looks tricky...

Thanks all,

Bob​

Maine which is west of Flagstaff (Parks exit on I-40) has good light in the afternoon with the San Francisco peaks in the background.   Canyon Diablo you need a vehicle with a little ground clearance and take the road real slow.  Here is a link that might help.  http://www.trainweb.org/brettrw/maps/seligmansub/seligmansub.html

Personally, I would look farther west toward Crozier Canyon, etc.  or south toward Phoenix on the Peavine.  Flagstaff sits at over 7,000 ft. elevation.  That means that most of the grass and what limited broadleaf trees that there are probably won't even be greening up or leafing out yet in mid-April.  "Spring" has a different meaning at higher elevations in the Rockies and Southwest.  It's locally called "mud season" and is the season that many natives choose to go vacation somewhere else.  That said, after a fairly wet winter in much of the region, the lower elevation desert areas might put on a nice wildflower  show--something that doesn't happen every year.

Bob - feel free to PM me

Ted Ferkenhoff
Flagstaff, AZ

  That said, after a
> fairly wet winter in much of the region, the lower
> elevation desert areas might put on a nice
> wildflower  show--something that doesn't happen
> every year.

Agreed - lots of precipitation in the SW this year. Should be an epic desert flower year. Mid- April should be good from 2000ft to 4000 ft for wild flowers depending on the wether the next 3-4 weeks.. Kingman and Crozier Canyons might be nice spots.

It can be pretty chilly in Flagstaff in April especially if the North Wind blows.     

How often do trins go through Flagstaff? Last time I was there it was every 15 minutes
 

Morning shots of eastbounds at Darling/Winona from the overpass or close to it are nice (just off the I40/Route 66), which is about 12 miles east of Flag. You might see a local switching there too. There's also a well made dirt road that goes east from the overpass (onits south side) to a little place called Angell where the road crosses the tracks at an old wye, about 2 miles from there. Nice and quiet... apart form the trains obviously!

Further east there's the overpass just west of Winslow which is good and lets you get a full train in view with the San Fran peaks behind (of eastbounds in the morning).



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/19 13:05 by exhaustED.

If you really only have one full day, and are based in Flagstaff, driving 2 or more hours one way to a far off location (like Crozier) would be a waste of time as there is plenty to do closer to Flagstaff.

I'd recommend getting to Winslow at dawn (45min to 1 hours east from Flagstaff) and hang out on the bridge at the west end of town for a couple of hours shooting the (typical) mess of trains trying to get going after Amtrak #4 passes through.    From there, drive back west a ways to Darling/Angell and spend some time there.   Continue west a bit to the Cosnino Rd crossing and eventually the Walnut Canyon Road overpass between Cosnino and Flagstaff.   That should sum-up your morning hours where the mountains are always to your west.   You can grab lunch in Flagstaff somewhere and check out the depot area mid-day. 

In the afternoon, definitely check out Maine and Williams (S. Garland Prarie Rd crossing, east of Williams proper) and maybe Chalender (Cool Pines Rd. exit off I-40) which is between Maine and Williams.   Also, when in the Williams area, you could perhaps view the Grand Canyon Railway train returning to town.  

Those are some of the highlights.   Others can add more.

-Tom

WW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Spring" has a different
> meaning at higher elevations in the Rockies and
> Southwest.  It's locally called "mud season" and
> is the season that many natives choose to go
> vacation somewhere else...

I got stuck in the mud somewhere near Maine in a passenger car.  Dig out, slip and slide till I got stuck again, shoot a couple trains while digging out again, repeat.  Got out in 3 tries!  Then had to get all the mud off the tires, they were way out of balance at 30 MPH!  Good thing I didn't have 4-wheel drive, it might have taken 6 tries!

mapboy

search youtube for the camera in Flagstaff.   
nice to watch with 2 angles.
2nd on the trainweb site. It might be old but VERY useful. There is a ton of info on Bretts site not just on this route.

Tim
Hanesworth

Walnut Canyon Rd can be a great spot. There should be lots of mud so be careful.
Enjoy and remember any time is train time!!!  Taken 09/28/2017.

Steve P.
 

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Pick a site in town that is easy to work with and stay in Flag. It is on the mainline, you will be kept busy. Food, gas and retail shops are right there.

Appreciate all the advice, Thanks.