[DeAnnA!]

so i'm from canada wanting to go hiking somewhere in the southwest in jan. i have about 2 weeks and if anyone has any suggestions that would be great.

i'm looking at mojave and joshua tree, but am open to other suggestions. i think i'll be busing it (proabably fly into pheonix), but may rent a car depending on cost.

i've been warned about the weather/temperature/possible snow/impending rain.

so far its just for me so i may possibly be looking for a few people to join me.

any advice or suggestions?

[desert tarheel]

The Western Superstitions are nice that time of year. The other low desert wilderness areas have little reliable water and few developed trails, so it depends on how hard-core you are.

[azbackpackr]

Public transportation? In Arizona?? I don't see how you are going to get to any of the trailheads without a car, unless you can hook up with someone here. Any public transportation you try to use will eat up a huge amount of your available time, so is not cost efficient, in my opinion.

You could probably get to the Grand Canyon without a car. Take the Greyhound bus to Williams. Take Grand Canyon Railway (runs only once a day, I think, and requires reservations and is expensive) to Grand Canyon. Then you run into having to deal with the permit system if you want to do any backpacking. You go to the backcountry ranger office and stand in line, take your chances. Better luck on a Monday or Tuesday.

There is water in the Superstitions, you don't need a permit, you can rent a car and drive 20 miles or less from the Phx. airport, park and start hiking. You can hike for days in there. A guidebook or this website will be helpful choosing a route.

You could also fly into Tucson. Dittoes--there is water in the Catalinas, you can drive less than 10 miles from the airport and start hiking, and hike for days on end. There might even be a public bus nowadays that would get you fairly close to Sabino Canyon, or Catalina State Park or other trailheads there.

[jaybird]

In the Phoenix area > obviously the Superstitions
In the Tucsan area > Saguaro National Park East
In the Las Vegas area > Mt. Charleston or Death Valley National Park

I'd also give the Grand Canyon a try. That time of year permits during the week shouldn't be to difficult and there are several weeks of trails available. I did the canyon, South Kibhab to Bright Angle Campground and out via Bright Angle, in February a few years ago. Temps at the bottom were in the 70's with bright sunshine all day. On the last day a storm rolled in and it started snowing about halfway out. We arrived at the top with a couple of inches of fresh snow covering the canyon It was amazing.

Do watch the weather though. While these areas remain accessible and perfect for backpacking for most of the winter. Storms do occur and can dump several feet of snow in the higher elevations.

[DeAnnA!]

In response to azbackpackr's reply:

thanks for the heads up about the transportation...i was advised by an american friend of mine that buses were quite an accessible way to travel...i was looking though at some of these trails and i wasn't sure.

i look more into the superstitions as well.

any idea about the mojave and joshua tree?

as well fire wood...i know you have to buy or haul it in. do most campgrounds sell fire wood...or what is the general protocol?

[Trishness]

The Superstitions are great to hike in January. I live at the foothills of these terrific mountains and know most of the trails in these parts so PM me. We can set you up and give you some direction.

[azbackpackr]

Ok, now I'm confused. You're talking about firewood. Are you planning to stay in a car campground, or are you backpacking? I had thought you were going to be backpacking. All of my previous comments were with the assumption that you were backpacking, not dayhiking. Fires are usually allowed in the Superstitions, the Catalinas and other easily accessible mtn. ranges, IF you are backpacking, and IF it's not forest fire season. You just find the wood and build a fire, preferably in a place that's already been used for that purpose. If using a new spot you are supposed to get rid of it afterwards. And try not to start a brush fire! (Most of us use backpacker stoves and forget about having a fire.)

If you are car camping you'll need a car. There aren't going to be any buses to car campgrounds. I suppose you could take a taxicab from Phoenix airport to the Superstitions, but it would cost you a lot more than renting a car, trust me! And then try to get a cab to pick you up from the campground afterwards! Lotsa luck!

I'd be willing to bet there is also no public transportation to Joshua Tree National Park or Mojave National Monument. You really need to rent a car. If those national parks are like the ones in AZ you probably can't build an actual fire at all. They may have charcoal BBQs, and you have to use bagged charcoals.

Phoenix people can you comment on fires and firewood in the car campgrounds near the Superstitions? I know from personal experience that if it's not fire season you are allowed to build a fire if you're backpacking in the Supes. We asked the rangers before we went to Charlebois Spring, and they said it was legal during the winter.

[matt gilbert]

(Most of us use backpacker stoves and forget about having a fire.)

No fire is the best policy. Fires are unncessary, they deplete resources, and are destructive. Especially in the Supes, most of the popular campgrounds (both in and out of the wilderness) have been almost completely stripped of downed dry wood. If you will be backpacking/camping in the desert just forget about a fire and bring a good stove.

[DeAnnA!]

ok sorry for confusion. my intent is to backpack...but i am canadian and silly as it may sound fires tend to be associated with any sort of overnight camping...however we live close to alot of available fuel sources.

it is reassuring to know that a fire is uneccesary and i do have a campstove so i am set.

i really have never done this sort of thing before, but i spend most of my times out of doors in remote areas with work (i'm an archaeologist...see photo, it was taken a few days ago in northern alberta where i currently am working)...so i'm not exactly sure what i'm getting myself into but i need to get away. i'm actually reconsidering my timing and may delay to march as i'm not sure if i'll have time to prepare for this trip by the time i get home and after the impending holiday season.

i think that it is established, thanks to all of your replies, that i need to rent a car. basically just to get to a trail head and then start hiking. superstitions look absolutely beautiful and i'm glad to hear there is available water sources so that aside and info on fire my main concerns have been mitigated.

thanks so much

[cathymocha]

Just thought I'd mention that March can be very warm for a Canadian. Early March can be a wonderful time for wildflowers if we have had enough rain.

I had an aunt from Washington state who visited in a February with 80 degree weather...it was very hard for her.

[azbackpackr]

I think they said January. It can even be 80 in January! Pack shorts, sandals, sunhat, sunscreen AND long undies, stocking cap and a jacket!

[desert tarheel]

Ground fires are allowed only in the eastern (higher) portion of the Superstition backcountry, not in the western (lower) portion, but I can't recall what the boundary line is. I think it is Hoolie Bacon/Red Tanks trails; help me out here, folks. Dead and down wood only, of course. In most of the other low elevation areas, there isn't enough wood to build a campfire, typically.

I am with you on campfires: I agree with all the arguments against them, but a campfire is primal. But a stove is much better for cooking.

The USFS has a pretty good website, http://www.fs.fed.us, where you can find info on the various places administered by that agency. Most of the low elevation wilderness areas in AZ, though, are managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Their website is http://www.blm.gov/az; if you scroll to the bottom left, you will see "wilderness areas." If you click there, you will see a list broken down by field offices. In Jan., the areas listed under Kingman, Safford, and Arizona Strip will probably be colder than you want; focus on the others. None of these, though, are developed, and are devoid of water sources (Burro Creek being an exception, as well as Arrastra and Tres Alamos, along the Big Sandy and Santa Maria rivers, all in the Kingman district); they are pretty much for the hard core. And anything S of Interstate 8 might put you in contact with migrating illegal aliens and drug smugglers.

Near Tucson you might try Sabino Canyon, Bear Canyon, or Romero Canyon. They should have water in Jan. and might not be too cold (approx. 4700 feet at Hutch's pool and Romero Spring). They are administered by the Forest Service, part of Coronado Nat'l Forest. I am thinking of doing a 3 day from one to the other (that is across the mountain range) in Jan. or Feb.