 Butler Canyon - Greer |
Butler Canyon trail is an easy one-mile, self guided nature hike through a mixed-conifer forest of Ponderosa pine, blue spruce,
 From the trail, one can get a view of Greer Lakes in the distance. |
 Rock cliffs can be seen from marker No. 13. |
“Look and Listen” the first sign reads as we begin our hike up the sloping hill lined with tall Ponderosa. “Sit down and look and listen! You can hear the wind whisper throug the pines, the chirping of birds, or the chattering of squirrels. Natural beauty of sights and sounds is another important resource of the National Forests.” — Take a moment to live in the present and absorb nature’s gifts of beauty and soul-restoration. This trail is designed to teach us about our surroundings. Numbered markers placed in strategic locations, along with the guide book we picked up at the kiosk, give us hands-on lessons in the identification of trees, birds, plants and Mother Nature’s style of grooming.
Marker seven points out the willow and alder growing along Butler Creek. The guide book describes the importance of these riparian plants in preventing erosion and their use as summer nesting habitats for a variety of birds. Deer and elk browse on the leaves and twigs and beavers eat the bark and use the twigs for dam building. Did you know the bark and leaves of willows contain salicin — a source of the active ingredient found in aspirin?
Some of the Ponderosa pines stand like giants with diameters so wide, our outstretched arms couldn’t surround them. Wildflowers colorfully decorate the banks of the creek and aspen branches don tiny green buds longing for warmer and longer summer days. Small wooden bridges carry us over the abundant flow of Butler Creek as we approach marker No. 13, where tall rock formations loom over the trail. From the tops of these rocks, breathtaking views of Greer and its reservoirs can be seen.
The guide book can usually be found in the kiosk at the beginning of the trail or at the Springerville Ranger District. Schedules for the interpretive lectures and walks conducted by a Forest Service Naturalist this summer can be found at Hoyer Campground and at the Springerville Ranger District. For more information call (928) 333-4372.
To find Butler Canyon Trail, from Pinetop follow State Route 260 east until you reach State Route 373, turn right (south) and travel four miles until you reach County Road 1121, turn left and the parking lot is on the right. The trailhead is on the left.
 Bluebells |  Rocky Mountain Iris |  Blue spruce |
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