We have been coming to this stretch of the Mogollon Rim since 2011. Five trips across thirteen years — August 2011, October 2011, September 2015, July 2023, and September 2024 — and it still delivers every time. The western Rim near Pine and Strawberry is one of those places that becomes a reliable anchor in a camping calendar. Close enough to Phoenix to be easy, far enough in character and elevation to feel like a genuine escape.

Forest Road 608 exits AZ-87 just north of Strawberry and heads south into the Coconino National Forest’s Mogollon Rim Ranger District. The road gains elevation quickly and within a short distance you are in ponderosa pine forest at approximately 7,120 feet — a completely different world from the desert below. Dispersed camping begins close to the highway but the farther in you travel the more remote and rewarding the sites become. The roads narrow and roughen significantly with distance — rate these as off-road conditions and plan accordingly. The specific AZ Places camp at 34°25'40.7" N, 111°27'31.9" W is accessed via FR 9388R — a spur signed at the post but listed as closed on OnX, requiring high clearance 4WD. Not recommended for standard vehicles beyond the first pullouts near AZ-87.

The Rim — What It Is

The Mogollon Rim is one of Arizona’s defining geological features — a dramatic escarpment that stretches approximately 200 miles across the northern half of the state, forming the southern limit of the Colorado Plateau. Along the western Rim near Pine and Strawberry, the drop can reach 2,000 feet in places. Views from the rim edge stretch south toward Pine, Strawberry, and the Rim Country below and across the canyon country in every direction. The contrast between the pine forest at your back and the open desert dropping away in front of you is one of the more visually striking things in Arizona.

The Geology — Fossils at 7,120 Feet

One of the more unexpected finds along FR 608 — marine fossils in the rock along the forest roads and in the ground surface near camp. This entire region was once covered by a shallow inland sea during the Permian period approximately 270 million years ago. The Kaibab Limestone formation that forms the surface rock along the Mogollon Rim preserves the evidence of that ancient ocean — brachiopods, clusters of shells, and what appear to be coral-shaped formations consistent with ancient seafloor organisms. Some of the fossil specimens contain small crystals within them — a secondary mineral formation in the void spaces of the original fossil material. Finding a clam fossil with crystals growing inside it at 7,120 feet in a pine forest is one of those moments that reframes where you are standing. The fossils surface naturally in the eroded limestone soil along the forest roads — keep an eye down while walking and they appear readily.

Our Visits

August 13–14, 2011 — Alexis, Luca, Theresa, Eric, and Friends

A large group camp — Alexis (Age 9), Luca (Age 5), and I with friends Theresa and Eric and their kids, plus three others. The August monsoon season delivered Indian Paintbrush in bloom, mushrooms fruiting after the rains, Nuttall’s Linanthus, yellow flowers, and Red Cardinal Catchfly adding striking colors to the forest floor palette. Berry bushes through the forest — pick and identify carefully before consuming.

Wildlife: lizards throughout camp. Ant hills and beetles in the forest duff. A fossil found in the limestone along the forest road — one of several found across the 2011 visits, some containing small crystals.

The forest itself offered its own landmarks — a tree that appeared to have been used repeatedly by animals with claw or horn marks in the bark, and a hollowed-out standing burnt tree large enough for the kids to stand inside. The burnt tree became the landmark of that first trip — the kids gravitating to it repeatedly over the two days.

We also found bags of trash spread throughout the area — a persistent problem on accessible dispersed camping roads. Pack out everything you bring in and more if you can.

The memorable food moment of the trip belonged to Alexis — a roasted marshmallow that arrived in the face rather than the mouth.

October 1–2, 2011 — Alexis, Luca, Glen, Theresa, Eric, and Friends

A return visit six weeks later — fall version of the same camp. October on the Mogollon Rim delivers cooler temperatures, quieter forest, and peak wildlife activity.

Wildlife significantly more diverse: various lizard species, a horned lizard working the forest floor — always a standout sighting for its prehistoric appearance — a tarantula on the move in the cool October air (Arizona tarantulas are most active during the fall mating season), and a rattlesnake. Moss and lichen on the rim limestone. Manzanita on the slopes with its distinctive smooth mahogany bark. A berry bush noted in the camp area. A bird observed but not identified — (lookup pending from photo collection).

Additional fossil and crystal finds along the forest roads. A teepee-style structure built at camp by the kids — the kind of camp construction that makes a temporary site feel genuinely inhabited.

French toast breakfast. Quad riding on the forest roads. Games in camp. Hikes along the rim.

September 27–30, 2015 — Luca and Leslie Marie

A four-night September camp. The September rim brought late summer wildflowers — Indian Paintbrush, Manzanita berries ripe, agave, yellow flowers, and late-season mushrooms. A shelter built at camp from available forest stones. Campfire cooking and roasted marshmallows.

Wildlife sign: bear scat found at camp. Deer and elk prints in the soft soil. Elk rutting calls heard in the forest after dark — the bull elk bugling that defines September in the high Arizona forest country. Views of Pine from the rim edge below.

And the moon. September 27, 2015 was the night of the Super Blood Moon — a total lunar eclipse coinciding with the closest supermoon of 2015 and the Harvest Moon, all on the same night. In Arizona the partial eclipse began at 6:07 PM — the moon rising already in partial eclipse at 6:09 PM. Total eclipse ran from 7:11 PM to 8:24 PM with maximum eclipse at 7:47 PM, the moon turning blood red. The partial phase continued until 9:27 PM. Three hours of eclipse visible from the rim at 7,120 feet with no light pollution and an open sky in every direction. The last supermoon eclipse before this one was in 1982 and the next will not occur until 2033.

Luca’s Rock Shelter — 2015 to 2023

In September 2015 Luca built a rock shelter at our campsite — a proper structure assembled from stones available on the forest floor, with a bark roof layered over the rock frame. We made a quick stop on September 18, 2016 specifically to check on it — one year later the rock walls were holding and only some of the bark roof had caved in. The structure was still clearly a shelter.

When we returned in July 2023 the roof had completely caved in — bark collapsed into the center of the shelter, some of the rocks spread outward, the whole thing now resembling a fire pit more than a shelter. Eight years of weather, snow, and seasons had done what they do.

We have since learned more about Leave No Trace principles — we should have restored the camp back to its natural state when we left in 2015. Even a small shelter should have been torn down before leaving. A lesson that now travels with us on every trip.

July 2–5, 2023 — Birthday Trip, Luca, Matthew, and Rachel

A four-night birthday trip — Luca sleeping in his hammock between the ponderosas, Matthew and I in camp. The July 3 full moon — the Full Buck Moon — rising over the rim on the second night of the trip.

The cicadas were extraordinary. July on the Mogollon Rim at full moon produces a wall of cicada sound that fills the forest from dusk through the night — the volume and intensity of a July cicada chorus at 7,120 feet is something that photographs cannot capture. The full moon lit the forest well enough to walk without a headlamp.

We heard foxes on FR 608 after dark — the sounds carrying clearly on the still night air. We walked the road in the dark to find them and spotted a set of yellow eyes in the tree line — watching us from the edge of the road before disappearing back into the ponderosas.

A butterfly working the wildflowers at the rim edge — the summer bloom drawing pollinators to the rim corridor in numbers that make July one of the better months for insect observation here.

Flora: agave on the rim slopes, Manzanita with green unripe berries, cactus species at the rim edge, Indian Paintbrush in early July bloom.

The Hike — FR 9388D and the Barbershop Trail

We explored FR 9388D in search of Fuller Spring — a hot July day made the hike shorter than planned. The FR 9388D route connects to the Barbershop Trail system, which runs through open forest and shallow canyons in this section of the Mogollon Rim Ranger District. The spring remained unfound and is still on the list for a cooler weather return. The Barbershop Trail is accessible from this general area for those wanting a longer route through the pines beyond the FR 608 corridor.

The Omnia Oven — Camp Cooking

Worth a specific mention for camp cooks — the Omnia Oven is a stovetop oven that sits on a camp stove burner and allows baking without an actual oven. Nachos in the Omnia Oven at the July 2023 birthday camp — simple, satisfying, and exactly the kind of camp cooking that makes a multi-night rim stay feel genuinely comfortable. If you have not tried camp baking it is worth adding to your kit.

The find of the trip: remnants of the rock frame from the shelter Luca built during the September 2015 camp — eight years earlier, still recognizable in the forest. The rock foundation still holding its form. A small and quiet continuity across eight years of visits to the same piece of forest.

September 28–30, 2024 — Luca, Matthew, and Rachel (Video)

A three-night September camp focused on primitive fire building — friction and spark methods, the kind of camp skill that connects the activity to the landscape in a way that a lighter does not.

Wildlife: Turkey Vulture working the thermals above the rim. Honey bee in camp. Tree squirrel in the canopy. Bear scat again — the same bear corridor as 2015 or a different animal working the same territory. Manzanita berries ripe. Agave on the rim slopes. A fire visible in the distance — the smoke column and orange glow that reminds you fire season in Arizona does not fully end with the monsoon.

What Changes by Season

Five visits across three different seasons gives a clear picture of how FR 608 changes throughout the year:

August — peak wildflower season. Cicadas loud and constant. Monsoon afternoons bring thunderstorms that roll through quickly. The forest is green and lush. Mushrooms everywhere after rain. Camp in the trees for shelter from afternoon storms.

September — shoulder season between monsoon and fall. Warm days, cool nights. Wildflowers tapering off. Elk rutting begins — bugling audible from camp after dark. Good light, good weather, good solitude. September 27 is now a notable date in the FR 608 record — the Super Blood Moon total lunar eclipse of 2015 was observed from this camp.

October — the forest quiets. Cooler temperatures — jacket weather at night. Far fewer campers than summer. The rim views are exceptional in fall light. Elk active and audible in the mornings — antler marks fresh on the ponderosas. Peak tarantula mating season — most active tarantula observations consistently come from October visits.

July — peak summer escape season. The Rim runs 20 to 30 degrees cooler than Phoenix. Full moon visibility is exceptional at this elevation without light pollution — the July 2023 birthday trip under the Full Buck Moon confirmed it. Wildflowers and mushrooms at their best after monsoon rains. Foxes active on the forest roads after dark. Expect more campers on weekends — arrive early Friday or camp midweek for the best experience.

Flora — What Grows Here

The FR 608 rim corridor supports a diverse plant community at the ponderosa pine and rim edge transition. Confirmed across five visits:

• Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja spp.) — multiple visits, blooming July through October

• Nuttall’s Linanthus (Leptosiphon nuttallii) — white flowers, confirmed iNaturalist August 2011

• Cardinal Catchfly — red flowers, August monsoon season

• Manzanita — green berries July, ripe berries September, confirmed 2015, 2023, and 2024

• Agave — rim slope species, multiple visits

• Yellow wildflowers — multiple species, multiple visits

• Mushrooms — post-monsoon fruiting August through October

• Berry bush — noted October 2011 camp area

• Cactus — rim edge species, July 2023

• Mullein — standing tall in forest clearings

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