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Volunteer hikers and bikers made the final leg of the Paseo del Lobo journey from north of the San Fransisco Peaks to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon this fall. While we only had the opportunity to see and experience a small slice of the vast wildlife coordinator that Mexican wolves might travel on the Paseo del Lobo trail, it is easy to imagine the wolves that once lived in this area years decades ago and could live here again with our help. There are a lot of beautiful landscapes in the Grand Canyon region that could benefit the long-term survival and recovery of the endangered Mexican wolf. We celebrated our journey with a finale party in Flagstaff on October 20th.

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Our journey on the Path of the Wolf has taken us through some beautiful high elevation forests in northern Arizona, just in time to see the Quaking Aspen trees turning golden yellow for the fall. Unfortunately, Aspen stands are sharply declining in Arizona and having trouble regenerating young trees due to overgrazing. If wolves were in this area, they could help move the elk herds around in order to give the young trees a better chance to grow. It is just one of the many ways wolves could help benefit the Grand Canyon region!

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The Paseo del Lobo trail hikers and bikers traveled from Mormon Lake to Flagstaff. We have made it 3/4th of the journey to the South Rim. Only 100 miles left to go along the Path of the Wolf!

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The Paseo del Lobo trail continues along the General Crook trail with beautiful vistas from the Mogollon Rim to the Arizona Trail as we journey north.  Arizona is home to the largest contiguous Ponderosa Pine forests in the world.  The high elevation forests provide good habitat for deer, elk, and their native predator missing from the system - the Mexican gray wolf.  An informational sign along the trail said that General George Crook was a Commander in the Millitary Department of Arizona in the 1870s who was also known as the "Gray Wolf" by the Apache people.

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As the summer Monsoon rains kicked into full force, the Paseo del Lobo hikers, bikers, and runners traveled westward along the Mogollon Rim on the Sitgreaves National Forest.  Muddy trails and cloudy skies didn't slow us down though as we follow the Path of the Wolf to the Grand Canyon Region!  Frequent thunderstorms can provide a pleasant drop in temperature on warm days and a valuable source of water for the plants and animals of the high elevation forests of Arizona.

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More photos from the Path of the Wolf trail, traveling west from the Sunrise area to Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ during the week of July 15 to 21, 2012.  Many thanks to the participants who have joined us for trail sections each day!

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During the weekend of July 13 to 15, 2012, the Paseo del Lobo participants enjoyed a horseback trail ride, a variety of tribal cultural events and demonstrations, story tellers, and crown dancers in the Sunrise area of the Fort Apache Indiana Reservation with the White Mountain Apache Tribe.  It was a wonderful weekend of events and conversations around the fire at the Sunrise Campground, with amazing food provided by Wild Bill!  Many thanks to the tribe for their hospitality and for supporting the recovery of the Mexican wolves on their beautiful lands.

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The Paseo del Lobo relay hike started on Sunday, July 8, 2012 from Alpine, AZ in the heart of the current Mexican wolf reintroduction area.  A happy crew of hikers started on the Path of the Wolf.  We will be adding more photos from the trail as the week progresses.

Click on the photo to start a slideshow with slides of each section of the hike!