@stevebo
Yeah I'm on the fence. What is nice about Needles is lots of loop options. I like the idea of going out to Chesler where it's always dry, get water at Druid and end up at Lost canyon near the end where there' also bound to be something resembling water.

@stevebo This is actually great info thanks! Surprisingly I am going to end up in Needles the 3rd week of October. I was bouncing around between Bryce Canyon (park shuttle service ends for the season), Capitol Reef (carry all your water for days) and Canyonlands (same story, but at least I know the...

I think that map must be a form of hiking comedy.

Hello! I am prepared to enter the Red Rock Secret Canyon Wilderness with 10 liters of water on my back for 3 days for a 40 lb pack. But I would prefer to not have to do the ultra-heavy thing. Water reports from the north of Sedona area in late Sept. / early October are scarce at best or non-existent...

I was at LaBarge Spring a couple days ago. There is a bit of undercutting going on along the wall of the high bank immediately below the spring, indicating that floods have swept the area recently. I could distinctly smell what can only be described as "wet ash" when walking across the drainage, acc...

I was there the 2nd week of September in 2018. No water except for a fouled hole in the bottom of Lost Canyon, which we filtered from and topped up to about 15 liters per person. The rangers knew ahead of time that this would be the only place to find water, except maybe near Druid Arch, which we ne...

@mttgilbert RE: suggestions on lighter purifier... From my other post in this thread: "If I am in an area with exceedingly poor water sources - highly polluted with say human pathogens - which hasn't actually happened on any of my trips yet, I have something called a Survivor Filter I got off Amazo...

@AZClaimjumper As I go backpacking 2-3x per month I am of course filtering water frequently. It's been an interesting ride over some time, tried a few systems out. Sawyer Squeeze (the original largest 3oz version) coupled with a 3 liter CNOC Vecto dirty water bag has won out and stayed with me for ...

@wallyfrack
6am and not a second sooner.

@BPAFree I would advise a tent for sure. You can only hang above the rim. Hanging on vegetation below the rim is against park rules. Anyway, the only place you could hang below the rim is in the developed campsites anyway - there's not a lot in the way of trees down there. If I were you I would che...

We aren't in Kansas any more...

Looks like we're still winning though.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.5248744

Please excuse my ignorance, but this means all of the cabin loop (excluding FR95 @ bear canyon) is open again then, correct?

I get about 450 miles out of Altra Lone Peak trail runners before they are toast - which I hear is normal. I am certain that the "real" hiking shoes I've owned - usually either Merrell Moab Vents or Oboz Sawtooths could have lasted at least double that if I had not thrown them off the mountain befor...

@chumley
I'd definitely like to be a fly on the wall when a big post fire flood rolls through LaBarge. What a sight that would be!

The Woodbury Fire closure boundary has been updated as of 7/30/2019: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd646574.pdf https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd646573.pdf These trails are now open: * Peralta Tr. * Terrapin Tr. * Black Mesa Tr. * 2nd Water Tr. * Bluff Spring...

Sounds like it'll be closed for a while. Well this weekend a friend and I are doing a short, more camping oriented backpack from Babe Haught to Knoll Lake and back - starting from the Hatchery TH. A good overnight route of about 14 miles, you could do a loop of Babe Haught to the lake, camp - and th...

Hi there. Not a thru hiker myself but I do a lot of backpacking in southern AZ year round. You will be fine weather-wise in the northern high elevation areas in October/November. The issue will be heat & lack of water in the desert/low elevation passages. Basically it's desert from Passages 1-25; Oc...

@chumley
That makes more sense. I had a suspicion that was what was going on - thanks for the detailed explanation!

If you drive up AZ 87 toward Payson you'll see the closure warnings for SR 88 at Hwy 188. My guess it will be the end of August before the closures lift. I have been a bit chagrined at the lack of website updates from the FS. For example - same trip up north to Payson last Friday the Coconino Forest...