Amphitheater TH, Santa Rita Mts

[Jim]

Google Maps shows a trailhead on the Madera Canyon Road and calls it the Amphitheater Trailhead. I believe I stopped to inspect it in June of 2018 and I think on the east side of the road a trail or two leaves and ascends to Florida Saddle and the Crest Trail.

However, we do not have any hikes listed as leaving from this point, or GPS routes. Most have likely chosen the traditional Madera Canyon Trailhead, or another one, perhaps at the campground.

Is anyone familiar with this alternative TH, the trails, and the possible distance and AEG that might be involved in hiking to the Crest Trail at Florida Saddle, or on to Wrightson/Baldy.

I'm interested in alternative routes leaving from the road to Madera, to Wrightson, and other than the usual Old Baldy Route which I have always done, or the Super Trail.

[chumley]

It's the "Amphitheater and Nature Trail" and it's on the west side of the road. The Nature Trail is on HAZ. There is no trail heading east from the Nature Trail parking area.

You will want to take the Bog Springs Trail or Kent Springs Trail or you can combine Rogers Rock and Pipeline. Four options from where to start, but all funnel into the Four Springs Trail to get to the saddle.

[Jim]

[ photo ]

"B" is this parking area I asked about, and the trail from the east side of the road is shown on this map as a 0.6 mile segment. Toddak did this in the photo I linked. This must be the lesser known lower TH for Bog or Kent Springs Trails.

Please note, that the creators of that map decided to aid in confusion by making north point down, in the location we normally see south.

[joebartels]

Perhaps it's just indicating a 13° compass correction for true north

[chumley]

Friends has it on their map too.
https://friendsofmaderacanyon.org/birding/

Also marked on the OpenTopo layer here on HAZ.

[Jim]

I'm going to assume that you two are not deliberately misinterpreting my statement and are in fact confusing the map having a correction for magnetic north for what I was talking about, and not noting that the north points down, where south typically is. The standard "northern hemisphere-centric" method for map creation is to place north at the top of a map, south at the bottom. For some reason, in this case, they chose to flip this, with north at the bottom.

Further evidence of this can be found when you look at the placement of Mount Wrightson and the TH at Madera Canyon.

[wildwesthikes]

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