Noon Creek Ridge Trail

[markthurman53]

Does anyone know if the Condition of the Noon Creek Ridge Trail in the Pinaleno Mountains. Is it still visible and how badly overgrown is it. Was planning an Arcadia Trail hike and was going to use this as a return trip.

[RockinronnieF]

I was up there yesterday. Unpassable after 6500 feet. Unless I missed something

[hikeaz]

@RockinronnieF
Couple reports...
Plan on like 8 hours for this overgrown bushwhack. We used this trail thinking it would be a nice connection from the Shannon Arcadia trail to Round the Mountain, but we were only on a recognizable route about 20% of the length. The rest was swimming through brambles and manzanita on steep hillsides for hours, clear into the night.

This trail only exists in very small portions after the first half-mile. I would consider it at best a "route", but more accurately Abandoned.
I used this as a connector trail for a Noon Creek / Noon Creek Ridge / Arcadia / Heliograph ascent of Heliograph Peak. Even using a downloaded gps map of this section resulted in a long, arduous bushwhack.

[RockinronnieF]

@hikeaz
Hey hike Az,
I am spending this week healing my bloodied and manazita wacked, thorn-scraped, straight-up fear induced scrambled body -courtesy of the so called Noon-Creek-Ridge Trail. My dream was your route exactly.
So, I went to the Forest Service today to ask if there is any 4 mile clear sailing reach a destination trails on the mountain. There was no one there who knew.
Thanks so much for the inside scoop; I am comforted I was not completely off the so called trail.
Ron

[SuperstitionGuy]

So, I went to the Forest Service today to ask if there is any 4 mile clear sailing reach a destination trails on the mountain. There was no one there who knew.

From my experience the Forest Service is the last place I would ask a question about trail conditions anywhere within their system!

They are mostly paper pushers and get their information from the hiking public like you.

[big_load]

From my experience the Forest Service is the last place I would ask a question about trail conditions anywhere within their system!

This is a topic I ponder quite often. I've decided that overall, it's complicated and it varies a lot between Forests and Ranger Districts. Some places don't have knowledgeable people answering the phones, or the people answering the phones don't have ready access to anyone with up-to-date knowledge. I also think caution plays a big role, especially over the phone. I get better info face-to-face, when they have a chance to size me up and judge better how likely I am to do something stupid. Similarly, I find it easier to tell face-to-face if they don't really know or if they're withholding info. Anyway, that's my two cents.

[xsproutx]

@big_load
My experience as well. They also do a lot of rotating in and out from other forests/out of state, so there's that bit of newness and inexperience with the local area a lot of times. I've definitely found when doing things in places like southern AZ/southern UT where conditions are more "extreme" than an average midwesterner would expect, that employees give me a lot more honest info when I explain I'm from arizona and used to drinking cow poop milkshakes when backpacking.

[RockinronnieF]

@big_load
Yss, agreed. I went there in person.