An alternative "shortcut" route to Vultee Arch, leading up and over Sterling Pass. The first mile of trail to the top of Sterling Pass is super steep, then more gradual on the Vultee Arch side. This took us through the last of the November autumn leaf colors. About half of the Ponderosa pines along the route have succumbed to beetles or wildfires, but still a beautiful hike through multiple sandstone layers. Note: parking at the Sterling Pass trailhead only has room for four or five vehicles, though the Manzanita Campground is only a quarter mile away. We saw only two other people on the trail all day.
