 Image from National Forest Service Website I’ve heard of the forest service trails on Campbell Mesa for years, but have never made it there until today. These trails are easily accessible by foot or bike from the Walnut Meadows and Country Club neighborhoods. They have very little slope and are not rocky. Today, the Anasazi Loop, which we took with our little dog on a leash, was relatively unoccupied as well.
The trail had intermitted shade from tall pines and Gambel oak trees, which was very pleasant on a cool day. There were views of Mt. Elden nearly the entire trip with nice glimpses of the San Francisco Peaks. The only downside was the proximity to I-40 and its traffic noise.
The Campbell Mesa trails are open to hikers, bikers, and horses (though there wasn’t a good parking area for horse-trailers) – no ATVs allowed! The only wildlife we saw in the heat of the day was a fat skunk which took off at a quick pace running away from us. The NFS website says there are deer, elk and coyotes in the area.
The Campbell Mesa trail system is located off Forest Road 303, commonly called Old Walnut Canyon Rd. Take the Country Club exit from Interstate 40, Route 66 and North Hwy 89, one mile to Old Walnut Canyon Rd; turn left (Old Walnut goes east, Oakmont goes west at this intersection). Drive to where you see the sign on the left for “Campbell Mesa Recreation Access.” This is past the Walnut Meadows lake on your right as you drive down Old Walnut Canyon Road.
After we finished our stroll on Anasazi Loop, we drove down Forest Service Road 303 to the Arizona Trail trailhead and paused to check out the turn-around area. This would be a good spot for a horse trailer. No one else was at this large trailhead at 3:30 in the afternoon. (That’s a good sign for future solitary hikes and horse-back riding!) We continued down the forest service road passing the boundary with Walnut Canyon National Monument and came to the Monument’s access road from I-40. This would be a less bumpy route to the Arizona Trail trailhead. | 
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