Forest Road 9350 runs off the Mogollon Rim Road 300 in the Coconino National Forest — dispersed camping in the ponderosa pine and aspen country at approximately 7,400 feet. The rim-edge views and easy access to Woods Canyon Lake make this a well-known and consistently popular destination — satellite imagery confirms campers in most spots along the road during peak season. Two visits in 2000 and 2004 — both in September, both with the aspens turning and the rim at its fall best, and both including a day trip to Woods Canyon Lake 3.6 miles from the FR 9350 and FR 300 junction.

Our Visits

September 9, 2000 — Glen and Rachel, and Two Friends

A September day trip and camp in the pines — Glen and I with two friends. The fall character of the rim at this elevation in September was already apparent — aspen and pine mixed in the forest, the aspens beginning the color turn that defines September on the Mogollon Rim. Pink, yellow, and white wildflowers still present in the clearings — the late summer bloom holding on at 7,400 feet into early September.

Wildlife: deer in the forest, a squirrel working the canopy overhead. The calm and quiet of a September rim camp before the October crowds that the fall color draws.

Day trip to Woods Canyon Lake — 3.6 miles from the junction of FR 9350 and FR 300. Fishing on the lake and crayfish spotted in the shallows. Woods Canyon Lake at 7,510 feet in early September is a different experience from the summer peak — the crowds thinning, the water still warm enough for fishing, and the aspens on the lake’s eastern shore beginning their color change.

September 11–12, 2004 — Glen, Alexis (Age 3), Rachel, Abdon and Lisa, Frank and Terri, and Sid

A larger group camp four years later — Glen, Alexis at age 3, and I with friends Abdon and Lisa, Frank and Terri, and Sid. A two-night camp in the pines with the full group camp experience — roasted marshmallows at the campfire, hikes through the forest, and another day trip to Woods Canyon Lake.

Alexis at age three on the Mogollon Rim — the earliest camping memory in her record. The mix of friends and family, the campfire, the marshmallows, and the pine forest make this the classic version of what FR 9350 offers as a group camping destination.

Day trip again to Woods Canyon Lake — 3.6 miles from the FR 9350 and FR 300 junction. Fishing and crayfish in the shallows again — the lake producing the same experience four years on.

Woods Canyon Lake — The Day Trip Destination

Woods Canyon Lake sits 3.6 miles from the junction of FR 9350 and FR 300 — a paved road the entire way from the junction. The lake sits at 7,510 feet in the ponderosa pine forest of the Mogollon Rim Ranger District — a 55-acre reservoir stocked regularly with rainbow trout, brown trout, and tiger trout by Arizona Game and Fish. Crayfish are present in the shallows — confirmed on both our visits.

The lake is one of the most popular fishing and camping destinations on the Mogollon Rim — the developed Rim Campground sits on the lake’s south shore, and the paved road access and full facilities make it a significant contrast to the dispersed camping character of FR 9350. The combination of primitive dispersed camping on FR 9350 with day trips to the developed lake amenities at Woods Canyon is a natural pairing — the best of both Rim environments on the same trip.

The Aspen and Pine Forest

The FR 9350 corridor at 7,400 feet sits in the transition zone where ponderosa pine and Gambel oak give way to mixed aspen and pine — the aspen groves that turn brilliant gold in September and October becoming the defining visual character of this section of the rim. September camping here delivers the early color change — the aspens beginning to turn while the wildflowers are still present, a combination that the later October visits miss as the flowers fade before the color peaks.

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