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| Difficulty |
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3 of 5 |
| Route Finding |
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2 of 5 |
| Distance Round Trip |
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11.4 miles |
| Trailhead Elevation |
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2,300 feet |
| Elevation Gain |
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1,006 feet |
| Accumulated Gain |
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1,558 feet |
| Avg Time Round Trip |
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5-6 hours |
| Kokopelli Seeds |
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19.19 |
| Interest Off Trail Hiking & Peak | | Backpack Yes & Connecting | |
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| Collective Slideshow Recalculates 2018-10-30 3:35 pm |
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23 |
2018-02-03 |
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7 |
2018-01-11 |
Aylor's Arch and Black Top Mesa |
DixieFlyer |
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27 |
2018-01-07 | adilling |
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14 |
2017-12-28 | rayhuston |
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18 |
2017-12-28 |
Black Mesa Dutchman Loop |
markthurman53 |
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21 |
2017-12-16 |
Aylor Arch - Black Top and Black Mesa |
rayhuston |
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17 |
2017-12-16 |
Aylor Arch - Black Top and Black Mesa |
The_Eagle |
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15 |
2017-12-16 |
Aylor Arch - Black Top and Black Mesa |
joebartels |
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Historical Weather |
| Trailhead Forecast | |
Radar |
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| | | Map - Beartooth Superstition Wilderness |
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| Preferred Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb → 9 AM |
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Seasons Late Autumn to Early Spring |
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| open | | import | | set | | begin |
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Official Route
16 Linked
Water
| Black Top Mesa
| Official Route |
TheNaviG8R |
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5.88 mi
1,528 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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12.6 mi
2,316 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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12.23 mi
2,287 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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5.87 mi
1,549 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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12.21 mi
2,237 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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14.11 mi
2,124 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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11.76 mi
2,001 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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14.88 mi
2,270 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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12.08 mi
2,152 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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12.83 mi
2,200 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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17.99 mi
2,886 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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15.6 mi
2,541 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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12.21 mi
2,204 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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1.69 mi
615 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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14.11 mi
2,142 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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14.92 mi
2,435 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa
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8.24 mi
1,044 ft |
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| 16 unofficial routes |
| Aylor's Arch
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13.04 mi
2,589 ft |
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| Aylor's Arch and Black Top Mesa
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15.42 mi
3,111 ft |
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| Black Mesa Dutchman Loop
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12.3 mi
2,188 ft |
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| Aylor Arch - Black Top and Black Mesa
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15.67 mi
3,486 ft |
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| Aylor Arch - Black Top and Black Mesa
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15.68 mi
3,498 ft |
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| Aylor Arch - Black Top and Black Mesa
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16.05 mi
3,555 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa and Yellow Peak
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13.88 mi
3,131 ft |
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| Black Mesa Loop - Superstition Mtns
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14.18 mi
2,528 ft |
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| Charlebois from First Water TH
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22.98 mi
3,285 ft |
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| Marsh Valley Loop
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16.12 mi
2,520 ft |
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| BTM BSM Hidden Valley Loop Hell
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23.79 mi
4,712 ft |
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| BTM BSM Hidden Valley Loop Hell
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23.79 mi
4,335 ft |
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| Bluff SprgsTerrapinB T Mesa Peralta
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15.67 mi
3,912 ft |
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| Black Mesa Loop - Superstition Mtns
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15.02 mi
3,179 ft |
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| Black Top Mesa exploring
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11.96 mi
2,450 ft |
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| Red Hills Needle Canyon
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17.17 mi
2,896 ft |
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 | | Aylor's Arch
0.0 mi away
| |  | | Battleship Mountain - Superstitions
0.0 mi away
| |  | | Black Mesa Loop - Superstition Mtns
0.0 mi away
| |  | | Charlebois from First Water TH
0.0 mi away
| |  | | First Water TH to Canyon Lake
0.0 mi away
| |  | | First Water TH to Peralta TH
0.0 mi away
| |  | | First Water Upper Creek Loop
0.0 mi away
| |  | | Garden Valley Loop
0.0 mi away
| |  | | Hackberry Spring Loop
0.0 mi away
| |  | | Marsh Valley Loop
0.0 mi away
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| | [ View More! ] |
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| Fauna |
Nearby |
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American Kestrel |
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Canyon Tree Frog |
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Cardinal |
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Eastern Collared Lizard |
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Empress Leilia Butterfly |
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Funnel-web Spider |
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Gila Monster |
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Great Purple Hairstreak |
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Greater earless lizard |
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Greater Roadrunner |
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Harris Antelope Squirrel |
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Honey Bee |
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Horned Lizard |
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House Finch |
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Kingsnake |
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Millipede |
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Mormon Metalmark |
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Phainopepla |
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Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly |
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Queen Butterfly |
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Red Spotted Toad |
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Red-tailed Hawk |
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Ring-necked Snake |
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Rock Squirrel |
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Sleepy Orange |
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Sonoran Desert Toad |
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Tarantula |
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Wasp |
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Western Diamondback Rattlesnake |
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Western Patch-nosed snake |
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Wildlife Handling and Feeding |
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| Flora |
Nearby |
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African Daisy |
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Agave varietals |
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Amsonia |
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Barrel Cactus |
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Blackfoot Daisy |
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Blue Dicks |
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Brittlebush |
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Brittlebush |
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Catclaw mimosa |
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Century Plant |
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Chain Fruit Cholla |
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Christmas Cholla |
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Coulter's Lupine |
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Desert Globemallow |
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Desert Marigold |
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Desert Phlox |
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Desert Poinsettia |
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Fairy Duster |
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Fleabane |
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Fountain Grass |
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Golden Flowered Agave |
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Hopbush |
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Hummingbird Trumpet |
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Indian Paintbrush |
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Jumping cholla |
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Long flower tube tongue |
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Many-Headed Barrel Cactus |
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Mariposa Lily |
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Marsh Skullcap |
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Mexican Gold Poppy |
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Narrow-Leaved Popcorn Flower |
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Ocotillo |
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Owl Clover |
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Prickly Pear |
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Princely Daisy |
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Saguaro |
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Saguaro - Crested |
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Slender Janusia |
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Sotol |
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Strawberry Hedgehog |
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Teddy Bear Cholla |
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Trailing Four O'Clock |
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Yellow Monkey Flower |
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| Named place |
Nearby |
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Aylor's Arch |
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Battleship Mountain |
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Black Mesa |
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Black Mountain |
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Black Top Mesa |
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Bluff Spring Mountain |
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Bull Pass |
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East Boulder Canyon |
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First Water Creek |
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First Water Creek at Second Water Trail #236 |
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Four Peaks |
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Geronimo Head |
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Hackberry Mesa |
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Hackberry Spring |
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Little Boulder Canyon |
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Little Four Peaks |
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Malapais Mountain |
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Marsh Valley |
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Music Mountain |
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Needle Canyon |
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O'Grady Canyon |
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Palomino Mountain |
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Scorpion Pincher Rock |
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Sugarloaf Mountain |
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Superstition Mountain 5057 |
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Superstition Mountains - Ridgeline |
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Superstition Peak 5024 |
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Superstition Wilderness - West |
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The Flatiron |
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Tortilla Mountain |
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Tugboat |
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Upper Black Top Mesa Pass |
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Weavers Needle |
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West Boulder - Dutchman Crossing |
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West Boulder Canyon |
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Yellow Peak |
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| Culture |
Nearby |
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Aircraft |
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Camp-fire |
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Campsite |
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Cartwheel |
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HAZ Gear |
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HAZ PicMimic |
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Horseshoe |
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Inscriptions |
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johnr1 |
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Old Rusty Stuff |
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Summit Register Log |
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Trail Signs and Markings |
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Trash Hauled Out |
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 Overview
FW Trailhead - 4.5 miles on the Dutchman Trail to Bull Pass junction. Follow Bull Pass Trail 0.6 miles to Bull Pass Saddle. Follow faint trail 0.6 miles to top of Black Top Mesa. Return same route. Atop Black Top Mesa are some of the best overhead views of the western Superstitions. This is a pretty straight forward out and back hike. The trail starts at First Water Trailhead. Follow the Dutchman Trail for 4.5 miles to the Bull Pass junction. Turn left onto Bull Pass Trail. The trail crosses a creek bed immediately and is slightly overgrown. Without much ado the trail heads up 467 feet to Bull Pass Saddle. On the saddle you will see a "use" trail heading up to the right. This is the route you need to ascend Black Top Mesa. It's another 571 feet to the top.
From the Dutchman/Black Mesa junction to the top is about 1.2 miles. The ascent may seem steep due to fatigue from the previous 4 miles. It's really not too bad. The average grade of the ascent is approximately 18 degrees. For reference Camelback is steeper with an average grade of 23 degrees.
The Spanish Hieroglyphics are the main draw to the area. They're somewhere on the black rocks that line the southwest edge. I didn't see them. Then again I didn't look very thorough. I'd been excited to hike up the mesa all summer after looking at the 3D topos. The trail doesn't seem to get much mention anywhere. When it does get mentioned it's all about the hieroglyphics. My thoughts from the get go was the views would be incredible in all directions. They were pretty darn good all around. You might not be as excited if you don't know the area. The top is like a big slanted wheat field. I didn't see any campsites for the record. If that's your thing I'm sure you could make do in a couple places. I'd forget a campfire though! ( too much tall grass ) There isn't a high point with 360 views so you'll need to roam around. My photos include many of the views. Included is a head on view of the popular Weavers Needle. Check 'em out!
The weather was very warm for late October in the low 90's. When it cools down I'm sure I'll be back. A great alternative on the return would be Boulder Canyon Trail. This would add a few miles. Probably worth the extra effort if it's cool outside! |
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