The Punchbowl is a pristine wilderness located on the eastern side of Escudilla Mountain (10,887′) along the New Mexico border. The area can be found on the official Apache National Forest map available from the Alpine Ranger District office.
To access the area, start from the intersection of US-191 and US-180 in Alpine, Arizona. Travel east on US-180 towards New Mexico approximately 3 miles to County Road 2117, also known as Stone Creek Road or Forest Road 275. You will know you have turned onto the correct road as you will immediately pass Alpine Cemetery on the west side. Road County Road 2117 is paved for the first 1/2 mile, then a maintained gravel road. Travel north about 4 miles and the road will drop sharply downhill along the Stone Creek drainage, continue about another 4 miles until you see a sign at the top of a hill that says “ELC Flat”. There is enough space to safely park your car at this point.
The southern end of Punchbowl is to the west of this small parking area. There are no trails, no trails in this wilderness area. Travel west approximately 500 yards slightly uphill and climb or crawl across a 4-wire National Forest Service fence. Continue traveling west staying as high up in the “saddle” as possible. You will find yourself on a sandstone ridge overlooking the Punchbowl. For the best wildlife viewing, continue in a southwesterly direction along the sandstone ridge and enjoy magnificent views of Punchbowl to the north. A pair of field glasses will be a great help in observing wildlife.
One can choose to travel north to the Punchbowl or choose to skirt the outer perimeter to the west and then head down the north side of the bowl. There are some old logging roads with wood going down that can be hard to find for direction. The bottom of the Punchbowl is full of waist-high poplars and ferns during the monsoon (rainy season – July-Sept).
The Punchbowl is a non-motorized wilderness – no ATVs! This allows for a fantastic personal experience with elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, turkey and bear. Elk are the most popular species at Punchbowl, preferring to lie down in the area during the day, then head east to feed in the meadows of ELC Flat at night. However, mule deer and whitetail also visit the area, more muleys than whitetail as the area varies in elevation from 8550′-9250′. Turkeys are also plentiful in the area, my last trip yielded a large turkey with 8 young turkeys riding behind. This is also a favorite area for bears due to its non-motorized location. There are numerous overturned rocks and old stumps that have been removed by the local black bears looking for larvae, insects, etc. The black bears in this area are actually brown and are quite often tan and occasionally blond. As a rule, they are not aggressive and will usually escape from humans or trees. Obviously, caution should always be exercised in the presence of a bear and a sidearm to fire a warning shot is a good idea.
Author’s Note: Although the Punchbowl remains intact, the area was 80% destroyed by the 538,000 acre Wallow Fire (Summer 2011). The area remains a haven for elk herds.
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