Mt Lemmon 2 night options?

[xsproutx]

Hey everyone! With most of the state on fire right now, I'm looking south vs north for an option that isn't tooooo hot. I've never done anything on Mt Lemmon but the elevation seems right to keep it nice and cool right now! Does anyone have any suggestions for, preferably a 2 night, loop options there. I'm just not familiar with that area. Thanks!

[chumley]

@xsproutx
While not currently on fire (12:16pm, but give it a few minutes, you never know), it did burn last year.

There are a number of trails that are still listed as closed, and not a great deal of that pleasant shade forest remaining that you might be hoping for.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 910412.pdf

[jacobemerick]

Maybe give Rincon a look? @andrewp did a nice 4 day loop recently, you could tweak their route. More shade on those trails. [ triplog ]

[xsproutx]

Oof, I knew Lemmon had burned but didn't realize that much of it was still closed.
Thanks for the Rincon suggestion @jacobemerick; I'll have to give that a look. No way in hell I'm carrying as much water as he did so I'll have to try and sleuth something out!

[andrewp]

No way in hell I'm carrying as much water as he did

It builds character!!

I've been trying to figure out a good 2 night trip that I can do close to home and it's really difficult. The trails exist, but in addition to some really nasty conditions post-fire there's a real issue with water. If you can solve the water problem or don't mind cheating then there are some options.

Catalinas

Good camping spots available near Marshall Saddle, Lemmon Meadow, through Bear Wallow, Bigelow, Incinerator Ridge etc. Actually a neat spot on top of Leopold point, but might be a bit unpleasant with wind. That can all be linked together with open trails, but water is going to be problematic. If Quartzite Spring is running then you can grab water there for a camp on top of the mountain. It was DRY last time I was through there about 6 weeks ago, but there was a later report showing it flowing well. Last time I was through Bear Wallow it was dry (or at least locked up), but one might be able to drop down off incinerator ridge and grab water at the ranger station or possibly boy / girl scout springs. There's a nice trip in here if the water can be worked out. I've actually considered caching water up on Incinerator Ridge on my way up the mountain.

The other option is into Wilderness of Rocks, but the farther you get from Marshall Saddle the more torched and exposed it becomes. The popular camping areas near Lemmon Pools were looking pretty 'meh' when I was through there in mid May.

Rincons

Again, water is the issue with the only reliable source being Manning Camp. When I was through there in early May there was barely anything at Italian Spring and nothing via any of the other approaches. The other issue here is getting to Manning as exposure is going to suck unless you start hiking before dawn. On the bright side if you use Manning as a base camp then you can park there for 2 or more nights and do day hikes at the higher elevations. Totally worth attempting but I can't think of the way that I would want to approach. Definitely none of the Tucson-side trails as they are just too long and exposed. Miller Creek > Heartbreak Ridge wouldn't be bad if you got an early start, but it would be a long day. Turkey Creek is steep, but probably the fastest way to the top.

This is probably the best option for a local trip, but you've got some work to get there and no matter how you cut it you'll need to carry almost a full day of water. Depending on your consumption rate and when you start that could be a gallon or maybe a bit more.

Santa Ritas

After fire took out the SE side of the range it's hard to get in anything more than an overnight without doing a lot of backtracking. I've looked at a few options here, but can't come up with something that properly occupies 2 - 3 days of hiking without getting stuck 100% exposed for large chunks of it.


If you don't mind going a little farther out then you may be able to figure out a nice loop in the Hauchucas. I was going to do this as my June trip, but bathtub spring was petering out so I made other plans. If / when things change with that water source there are a couple of options for loops that start at reasonable elevation and provide some really nice hiking. Of course with my luck the mountain will burn before I'm able to get down there.

[xsproutx]

with my luck the mountain will burn before I'm able to get down there.

Thanks for all the info and isn't that the damn truth. I wouldn't mind going farther at all, just looking for pretty much any summer option now, up to 6-8 hours from Phoenix is probably the max drive. I was lucky I got in an epic trip to the Gila Wilderness the week before the Johnson fire started; I had planned on going back this month with my wife but they've now closed that for the rest of the year. I'm jonesing for something in the next week or two as work is slow so it'd be a great time for it but with the fires, I'm just not coming up with much. I was thinking about just heading over to Mt Baldy, which I've already done but at least it's nice, but I'm worried that might be shut down soon, too, or have so many road closures that getting out there will be 20 hours or something dumb like that!

[andrewp]

@xsproutx


I've been planning a Mt Baldy / Greer area trip for mid-July and at this point I've all but given up on it. Odds are that the forest will end up closing and if it doesn't then it's going to be overrun with all of the people displaced by the closure of Coconino / Kaibab.

Now I'm seriously considering dropping any plans for July and doing Tahoe Rim in late August. If the California fire season takes off again this year then that likely won't be a viable option either.

[xsproutx]

@andrewp
Are you me? I was looking to do probably half of the TRT in the same time frame, give or take. I try to go on one or two trips a month but June and July aren't looking very good. The one bright spot is I'm headed to Iceland for 10 days in the middle of July, so I got that going for me at least

[xsproutx]

Well Apache Sitegreaves is now closed so there goes that possibility. Starting to look like there may not be any backpacking this summer that's within distance of a 3 day weekend. Closest things I can think of that aren't on fire or too hot are around Durango and that's just a bit far to go without taking more than a day or so off work.

[andrewp]

Sigh.... bummer. I was looking forward to my trip to get out of the heat and get some new gear dialed in before attempting a thru.

There are some options in Northern NM in the Santa Fe / Los Alamos area, but it's been nearly 25 years since I've been up there so I'm not certain on conditions. Plus that's a solid 8+ hours and I remember the monsoons being pretty brutal. I remember the area around Valle Grande to be absolutely beautiful but I think that a good chunk of it has burned in the last decade.

[RedRoxx44]

This was a cute little wilderness without much traffic once you get away from the fishing spots near the TH. [ photoset ]

[cactuscat]

@RedRoxx44
Wow - looks amazing! I'm totally stealing this tip. Thanks.

[andrewp]

@RedRoxx44

Wow, that looks amazing!

[xsproutx]

That does look pretty awesome. Going on the list for a potential future trip!