Overnight in Superstition

[nmdcporter]

Hello, I'm new to the group and AZ. I came from the Alb. NM area in Nov. I've been backpacking for several year but not in AZ. I work Thursday-Saturday so not sure if I'll be able to hook up with a group on any backpacking trips. Most of my long trips are usually with the boyscouts, I'm an assistant scoutmaster.

I'm planning to do a short trip (Monday/Tuesday) into the Superstitions and was looking for advice. Was thinking of a 12-15 mile over night trip, maybe starting at Peralta TH and ending at First Water. I was thinking of hiking 102 or 235 to 104 ending at First Water. My wife will drop me off and pick me up, so I don't have to do any shuttling. Looks like no water so I'll pack my own. Any suggestions or feedback on the area.

Looking for suggestion on locations to camp at night in that area, do I have to use a free standing or can I stake out a tent? I have a whisper lite (universal) and Jetboil (which one do you recommend taking)? Was planning to use my 40 degree bag with liner, or should I switch to heavier bag? I have all the gear to camp in the winter or summer and have an Osprey Aether 70L pack so can carry the kitchen sink.

Thanks ahead of time.

David

[chumley]

Hi David


Here's a quick map of trails in the western Supes along with spring locations. If you click on the spring icons, water reports will show up. Some of these don't really exist.
http://hikearizona.com/map.php?QX=3353

Others know much more about this area than I do, but I think you can reliably count on water at La Barge and Charlebois springs, and I think you can still anticipate water at various places along Boulder canyon, and Second Water spring should be good too.

So I might suggest Bluff Spring Tr (235) to Dutchman (104) to Cavalry (239) to Boulder Canyon (103) and Second Water (236) back to the First Water TH. That's 16 miles or so, which may be a bit more than you want to do.
You can reduce it by 1.5 miles by taking Terrapin (234), but then you miss La Barge Canyon and the two springs.

[nmdcporter]

Thanks fo rthe information

Not really worried about the miles, I've done many multi 10 mile days. I'm not fast just steady, so 16 miles would be fine. I was planning on carrying water since this is my first trip in Arizona. I always carry my water filter, so if water is available I will top off. Really doing a shake down trip on some new gear, before multi-day trip coming up early June.

I'm pretty good with a map and compass and I always carry my GPS for capturing distance and elevation changes. Are the trails marked at intersections?

Thanks again for the suggestions and if anyone is interested in a over-night to check out gear let me know.

David

[FOTG]

@nmdcporter
Trails in Western Supes are marked pretty well, you could probably get away with snapping a shot of big map at Peralta TH and referring to when needed, however, for first time out there a great map in my opinion for Supes is the Green Trails version, great for trails, scale a little different then a typical quad angle topo..but its a solid map..Also a great book is Superstition Trails West by Jack and Elizabeth Carlson..tons of great hikes, side trips, history, and trip options in there..

Bring you filter for sure, so you don't have to carry 2 gallons of water, 40 degree bag with liner should be fine, there will not be a shortage of areas to camp, if you don't want to do separate vehicles at two THs, there are several loop options from Peralta for Western Supes, each one gets progressively larger as you get more ambitious..

For example, One could go in Bluff Springs TR 235, take that to intersection with Red Tanks and Dutchman, Dutchman to Charlebois Spring area for first night, and then return via Terrapin, return via Bull Pass to Peralta Trail and back to Fremont saddle (will be a crowded trail), alternatively you could back track a little to Red Tanks, to Whiskey Springs, back down to Dutchman and Peralta TH...

sounds like you got it, I would play around with search capabilities on HAZ and click on trails you are interested in, you will see routes posted, pictures of what you may see, some dos and donts, good hike descriptions etc...so much more to, you can link trails, build your own route etc...but I am not an expert by any means when it comes to that stuff, but everything you will need for planning can probably be taken care of on HAZ...

[nmdcporter]

Thanks for the info. My wife is actually dropping me off and picking me up so I'm not even leaving a vehicle. First trip out this year, so planning to make it short and direct. Just want to try out some new toys my wife purchased for me.

I'm planning to do more trips to the superstitions and other ranges this year.

I'm leading a Boyscout crew out of New Mexico to the top of Wheeler Peak (13.1K in northern nm) in June (4 day trip about 36-38 miles total) should be fun. Only real concern I have is since I moved to Chandler about 1250, cresting Wheeler I'll be sucking wind

David

[RowdyandMe]

Well I done a little hiking in the Supes. If I was to done the type of hiking you are. I would more than likely spend the night at Charlebois. It's a awesome area and spending the night would give so extra time to explore the canyon.

[nmdcporter]

I didn't see Charlebois, where is it located on the map? I tried to zooming in looking for names but didn't find it. Based on what I read is it about a 10 mile hike to this location?

Thanks

David

[azbackpackr]

At the top of the page see the alphabet? Click on the letter C. There is a drop-down menu. Three choices for Charlebois. I am sure there are lots of GPS routes in the 53 triplogs recorded on this one: http://hikearizona.com/decoder=237

[RowdyandMe]

@nmdcporter
I would start at Peralta Trail Head and take Bluff Springs Trail and connect With the Dutchman Trail to Charlebois Canyon. This is about 7 or 8 miles from the trailhead. /this would be a very nive spot to spend the night and there should be water there you would need to filter it. The spring should be running and you should have lots of shade there.
When you leave in the morning get back on the Dutchman Trail and follow it to First Water Trail Head. this should be about another 8 miles. Lots to see on this hike with this great weather. You may see some Gila Monsters, Rattlesnakes and maybe a Cardinal

[nonot]

All the above suggestions have been good ideas. One more: If you plan to stop/camp at Charlesbois, consider grabbing water there and heading west along the dutchman perhaps a half a mile. There are many campsites in the area. The reason I suggest not camping at Charlesbois is that it stays shaded until fairly late in the morning: 10-11AMis and will be quite cold in the morning without the sun. I prefer the sun on my tent in the morning to warm things up a bit.

[nmdcporter]

Thanks for the ideas, I'm heading for the trail head now. Should be on the trail in 45 minutes.
I'll post when I get back.
David

[Hawkeye330]

Trip report???

[nmdcporter]

New to site still trying to figure out how to post correctly. Should have something up this weekend.

[Grasshopper]

New to site still trying to figure out how to post correctly. Should have something up this weekend.

This should help : https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/oeJXfX5zBgA%26vq=hd720

[RowdyandMe]

So where did you end up spending the night? Hope to see some pics and a triplog.