General Crook Trail 1st time hike - Questions

[sajor75]

Hello everyone, new member here, so glad i found this great informative site as i live in Az. Begining to mid May im planning on going on a 5 day solo hike on General Crook Trail, I will roughly hike 50 miles round trip starting at Az-87 and FR300 going east, this will be my 1st time hiking this trail as i have some questions. Thank you.

1.Is the trail well marked on the direction im going, been there once to see what im in for , i noticed that the sign post change color do they have different meanings, what color/s sign post should assure me im on the right track.

2.I have a compass and map but would like to download a map to download to my android phone to use for GPS just incase, what do you recommend,preferably something free, i use orux for android but all its topo maps for some reason dont show General Crooks Trail.

3.In May how cold does it get at night, i like to hike in shorts would it be warm enough.

4. Are the water sources along the trail or you have to go a little of the beaten path.

5. I will be taking 91oz of water with me, will that be enough , is there plenty of water sources.

6. Im taking water shoes, along the trail im hiking are there rivers/creeks where they will be used, or should i leave them behind to save some weight.

Im pretty sure i have more questions but for now this will do.

[chumley]

1. No. It's barely a trail in places and hiking on the adjacent forest road 300 will often be easier.
@the_eagle or tortoise hiker will be able to give you more information, but the hike description is posted here.

2. Route Scout. Download the official track from this page, and pre-load the topo maps along the route before you go so it will work for you even if you are out of cell range.

3. It's usually warm enough for shorts during the day, but nights can be in the 30s in May at that elevation. Historical May Weather for General Springs Cabin along the trail is 65/34. Obviously, averages are just that, and temperatures can vary wildly!

4. The trail generally follows the rim, which is essentially a ridgeline. There are few water sources without dropping below the rim, or heading north in one of the drainages. The official track linked in #2 above has water sources marked on it.

5. See above. Only you can know how much water you need to drink.

6. You will not need water shoes.

[big_load]

1. No. It's barely a trail in places and hiking on the adjacent forest road 300 will often be easier.

I can vouch for that. There are countless social trails, game trails, and dead-end non-trails along the way. FR300 is a good handle for navigation.

[The_N]

@sajor75
Sounds like you might be more interested in hiking the Highline Trail. Gen Crook seems like it's almost entirely a road walk these days. There will be traffic that time of year as well so you might be eating some dust. Highline will offer the water and slightly warmer overnight temps. It will be warm and often very sun exposed for several miles at a time on either trail so 91oz of water will go fast.

[sajor75]

Lol, you guys are convincing me to hike the highline trail instead I just may do that as I want to hike a trail and not a dirt road like the fr300, I'll check out info on the highline now but how reliable are the water sources there.

[chumley]

@sajor75
Here's the hike description page for the Highline Trail. http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=757

Like most trails on HAZ, there is a map with an official route. http://hikearizona.com/gps=26407

As with the map for General Crook linked above, this map shows water sources along the trail.

If you click on the water source icons, water reports by people who have hiked there will give you first-hand reports of which sources have water, and how much. The date of the report will help you determine if the water will be reliable at the time of year you plan to hike.