Suggestions for a 2 night Early April backpack

[Lizard]

Your post is a bit unclear, in the subject you said 2 nights (which to me implies 2 1/2-3 days), in the post itself you say 2 days (which implies one night). Also would be helpful to know the month you plan to do this. Here are a few suggestions:

2-day
1. Secret Canyon- water most of the time and easy viewful trail, good for a beginner
2. Secret Mountain-bit of a longer hike if you start in Loy Canyon, but lots of things to recommend it-Indian ruins, an old cabin, and spetacular views from the top of the mountain. There is sometimes water in a spring near Secret Cabin but I wouldn't count on it with this weather we've been having.
3. Sycamore Canyon in the Pajarita Wilderness-I just put up a trail description for this one. There is permanent water here and the canyon is fantastic. Be prepared to do some easy rock scrambling and/or get your feet wet.
4. Bell Trail- nice short and easy trail, permanent water and the Bell Crossing area is fantastic if a bit trashy from overuse. You may run into a lot of people if you go on a weekend.

2 1/2-3 day
1. Reavis Ranch-the temperature for this one may be a bit uncomfortable if you are going after March. But it is an easy hike and a scenic area. Usually there is water in Reavis Creek in the cool season. During the middle day you can do a side trip to Circlestone if you want.
2. Angel Basin/Roger's Canyon-same warning about the temperature applies to this one. The ruins are a great attraction and the hike is fairly easy. Angel Basin is a great place to camp, and you can sometimes (not always) find water by going north up Roger's Canyon and looking for tinajas. There is also supposed to be a spring around there somewhere, but I've never really bothered to look for it.
3. Mazatzal Peak- You can loop around Mazatzal Peak using the Barnhardt, Maz Divide and Y Bar Basin trails. I believe there is a trail description for this hike somewhere on the site. This is also a very scenic hike and Chilson Camp is a great place for camping. The sunset lights up the west face of Mazatzal Peak each night-very pretty. There is sometimes seasonal water at Chilson Spring, but not at the meadow- you have to trace the line back up the hill to the source. Bring a filter for this one. Another option would be to camp at Chilson Spring and then take the Maz Divide, Rock Creek and Half-Moon trails back to the TH.

Hope this helps.

Lizard

[azphil]

Great write-up on Sycamore Canyon. The southern tier of AZ offers so much to see and, fortunately, doesn't have the trail traffic that most other places in AZ get. There are a lot of other Canyons that are equally as beautiful down there.

Phil