Williams is a great little town, one of our favorite weekend getaways. It has lots of cheap hotels (chains and mom-pop outfits) and an attractive and authentic downtown. It's located about 30 miles west of Flagstaff and is a principal stop for those visiting the Grand Canyon. For us, it's about a 3-hour drive from home and has become our annual Thanksgiving holiday Weekend getaway. The city of about 3,000 people sits in a broad bowl on the Coconino Plateau, hemmed in by a number of small, forest-covered peaks, dominated by the pretty profile of Bill Williams Peak, which sits immediately south of the city and is easily viewed from just about everywhere. Its prominence is large enough to make is visible from many miles away (we saw it clearly from our hike up Mazatzal Peak - about 70 air-miles away - in November 2005). It doesn't belong to any extensive range (or, similarly, Bill Williams Mountain can be thought of as a small range in its own right, including nearby Bixler Peak and Finger Rock). It's one of a sequence of stand-alone massifs that run a line from Bill Williams Mountain northeast to mighty Humphreys Peak, and include Kendrick Peak and Sitgreaves Mountain. All are remnants of past volcanism and seem to have all been borne of one fissure/vent, given their orderly setting along a straight line. Then again, this is merely a guess on my part. The mountain and the city are named for Bill Williams, a colorful trader/trapper/guide/roustabout in Arizona's early history. He got around - the Bill Williams River which separates Mohave and La Paz Counties is named for him, too.

Twice now we have planned to hike Bill Williams Mountain following a hearty Thanksgiving meal but twice now we have been thwarted by snow - real and imagined. In 2004 we had snow on the ground which would have made some of the upper trails nasty to follow. In 2005 we were supposed to get hit by a storm so we played it safe and canceled the hike (the storm never happened). This time, we decided to visit the area (and the peak) to get out of the hot Phoenix area and to celebrate my birthday. The first really hot spell of the year had hit the deserts - temps of 112 in Phoenix and 117 at the River. Going to the highlands was more than an attractive idea. It would be warm up there, too, but not nearly as bad as in the deserts. We arrived in Williams on Friday evening and got in a good night's sleep. The trailhead is just a mile west of town, near the Kaibab National Forest Ranger Station, and is well-signed and easy to locate. We were going to follow the standard hiking route - trail 21 - to the top. The other common option is to drive the backside up a forest road. Not surprisingly, the peak's height makes it an attractive locale for communications towers and a fire lookout.

We started hiking in warm weather about 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. From the trailhead sign the trail lays across a small flat meadow, then quickly starts a series of well-constructed switchbacks up a steep incline to top out onto a broad, flattish bench, a quick gain of about 400 feet in under a half-mile. In the warmth we worked up a good sweat, but soon a nice stretch of very moderate inclines and even some flat bits allowed us to catch our breath and enjoy the scenery. The ground is somewhat heavily forested in ponderosa and spruce, but spaced out enough to allow for some occasional grassy sections, but never any extensive meadows. We had one view of the peak along this section - poking out above its foothills and from beside the foreground peaks. Otherwise, it stayed hidden from us until nearly the very top. The ground is very rocky with numerous large boulders and outcrops, too, but the trail is wonderful and mostly rock-free. I wore low-rise running shoes and had no trouble at all. We made pretty good time and took our first break about 1.5 miles in at elevation 7,600 feet (a gain of 700 feet), roughly 50 minutes from our start.

We resumed hiking as the trail worked its way in and out of one minor drainage, then up a gentle rise to a ridge before entering into a prominent drainage/canyon marked as West Cataract Canyon on the map (lower down from us, but still the same drainage). Quickly the flora became considerably more dense, with stands of huge aspen, fir and spruce - some of the largest we've seen in the state (see the photo at left, second one on the list). The undergrowth was thick, with many sections of clover brush hemming in the trails. Although no water was flowing, the canyon was pretty humid with all the greenery, and the insects were out in abundance. The trail got steeper here, but not too bad, and always in great shape. We took another break at 8,500 feet, at the base of the final set of switchbacks that lead up the headwall. I tried to 'be sure' with my GPS but I could not raise a signal. With the shade and the higher elevation, the temperatures had mitigated very nicely.

We followed the switchbacks up the steep canyon headwall, slowly gaining the last 500 feet needed to come out to the ridge and onto the forest road, from which we could see the antennae and summit again. We stopped again to rest, sitting on some nice benches having been built for this purpose. From here it was just a half-mile of easy road walking to the top. As we walked we could hear the buzz of distant motors, coming closer over time. It was a threesome on quadrunners - two kids and their pop, apparently. They motored on up to the top, and we walked up not long after. The top is heavily built-up with buildings and towers. The lookout was manned; his truck was parked nearby, but we didn't want to bother him. We spent a few seconds seeking out the remaining natural high ground. It seemed to me to be in two possible places: beside (or inside) a green building just south of the tower, or possibly, some rocks hidden in the brush just north of the tower. In any case we touched all the candidates and started back down. The man on the quad offered us a ride but we told him we were hiking down the other side. They seemed pretty cool. We walked back to the benches for another break. It had taken us right about three hours to get to the top, going at a moderate pace with three extended breaks. Views of the countryisde from the top are limited by the buildings and trees, but at points along the road we had good views, mainly looking south. Finger Rock, an interesting rock spire outcrop nearby, was worthy for a photograph. The trailhead sign says the trail is 3 miles, but we weren't sure if it included the 1/2-mile road segment to the top. Internal signs weren't always marked with mileage. My hunch is the hike was more than three miles one way, but definitely not four. I'd say 3.5 miles one-way, splitting the difference, but even then that may be slightly generous.

The walk out went well, taking it slowly, and having one long rest halfway down. We could feel the warmth again of the lower slopes, but overall we had no trouble at all, and were back out to the car right about 4 p.m. We quickly drove back to the hotel for showers and a dinner at an old 50s-style diner in town. While we knew it would be a fine hike - it's one of the most popular trails in the state - we were still surprised by the abundant green of the high canyon, and the overall fantastic shape of the trails. None of that annoying loose rubble anywhere. My compliments to the maintainers! It was a bit warm and we only saw about 10 other people, but I can imagine this being packed on a cooler, pleasant day. Definitely worth the time and effort.