Rim Lakes Vista and Wood Canyon Vista
The Quick Stats
Distance: 3.3 miles out & back
Elevation Change: 180 ft
Type: Mainly paved
Restrooms at the Trailhead: no
Trash Receptacle at Trailhead: no
Water at the trailhead: no
Dogs allowed: yes
Parking lot: yes
Hiker’s ledger: no
Fee: no
Getting Here
To get the trailhead from Phoenix, it’s easiest to take the SR 87 N (B-line) towards Payson and then take SR 260 E towards Heber-Overgaard. Once up the Mogollon Rim the turn off is on the west side of the highway in the Forest Lakes area. The road is Old Rim Road, which becomes Forest Service Road 300 and goes on for a while along the Mogollon Rim to the 87 just north of Strawberry, AZ. For the sake of this hike, you only take the road a little bit and it’s paved the whole way. There are plenty of parking spots for the Rim Lakes Vista portion of the trail. We parked at the lot indicated in AllTrails.
The Hike
We parked in the parking lot off of Rim Road and hiked to an isolated view of the Mogollon Rim. The trail is easy and paved until you turn left onto the dirt trail that will take you to an incredible view of the Mogollon Rim. Even for a majority of the paved section of the trail there are outstanding views looking out over the Mogollon Rim. There are man made benches along trail and also a number of spots with lookouts and natural stone benches. The trail is not difficult on the paved section, and has very little noticeable elevation change.
After about 1.25 miles, there is a sign that you will see that says Rim Lakes Vista 622, turn left at the sign and take the dirt trail west. You can see Mogollon Campground from the dirt road, but be careful not to miss the turn off. If you make it to the campground then you went too far. From the turn off it’s only about a 0.25 miles to the lookout. When we got to the end, we sat down on the rocks and enjoyed a snack with our dog.
There are plenty of other hikes and other recreational actives in Forest Lakes area. The location is popular for camping with multiple National Forest campgrounds, a few lakes for fishing and no wake activities, and a number of hiking trails.
