Abineau Trail is a steep 1,800 foot climb over two miles up the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks through Abineau Canyon. The trail meets the Waterline Trail at the top, which can be followed down to Bear Jaw Trail to return to the trailhead. Each leg of the loop is around two miles long, plus a 0.4 mile connector trail from the trailhead to the loop, making a total loop hike of seven miles. The loop is one of the quintessential autumn hikes in the San Francisco Peaks. Aspens along all three legs of the loop turn gold, and falling leaves carpet the forest floor and decorate the conifers.

A storm system passed through the area October 4-7, 2015, raining at lower elevations and snowing on the upper reaches of the San Francisco Peaks. The snow-capped Peaks were a wonderful treat after the few days grey, cloudy, wet weather that had put a damper on outdoor activity.

Photo by Deborah Lee Soltesz, October 8, 2015. Credit: U.S. Forest Service, Coconino National Forest. For more information about this trail, see the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=55058&actid=50">Abineau-Bear Jaw Loop</a> trail description on the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/coconino/">Coconino National Forest</a> website.