Sierra Vista Hiking

[acgh4life]

I am new to the area with hiking...looking for trails in the area that have creeks around them--any ideas?

[Jeffshadows]

When it comes to peak-bagging off-trail, a little description should be enough for most hikers--all they will need is the map, a couple of directions. If they need more instruction than that, then they probably aren't ready for that type of hike yet.

Yes, well put, indeed! Most experienced folks can look at a topo and make educated route decisions before ever setting foot near the place...

[Jeffshadows]

For posterity's sake, here's what the book says (abbreviated) about how to get to Apache Peak:

Drive south on AZ 90 from I-10. Just after 10 miles, turn right onto FSR 369 heading to French Joe Canyon. Stay left where the road forks after 3/4 mile. The road deteriorates, but should allow you to continue another 1/2 mile to the National Forest boundary, park here. Continue up the road on foot, it will get rougher. You're now headed west into the canyon bottom. Continue past French Joe Spring, which has the characteristic concrete basin, along the canyon bottom. At a major canyon junction around 6000', take the left streamcourse (northwest) and continue only briefly before bearing west out of the canyon and bushwhack your way northwest to Lone Pine saddle. Looking west from this saddle, Apache Peak is on the right and French Joe Peak is southwest on the left. Head toward the ridge between these two peaks by bushwhacking west. Upon reaching the ridge, follow it to the saddle just southeast of Apache Peak. Upon reaching this saddle, climb through the trees and small cliffs to Apache Peak, roughly 300 vertical feet above.

[samtn99]

Anyone up for this on 22 June?

[Jeffshadows]

Ugh, I wish you would have asked two days ago I would have definitely been down. If you go let us know how the goings back in there are, for sure!

[samtn99]

Yeah yeah, I know, I always throw this out there too late, but anyone interested in this hike on 29 June?

[azbackpackr]

I live too far away now, sorry. Hope you find someone.

There are several groups in Tucson--So. Az. Hiking Club is one, plus there is some sort of a Tucson hikers meetup group. There is a Tucson Hikers yahoo group you can probably net search and find, and the guy who runs it tries to showcase ALL groups in that area, and he will often post weekly calendars from all those groups. Anyway, from what I can see from reading posts on that yahoo group, these Tucson hikers are able to connect with one another. If you can connect with them, I know that a lot of them would be willing to hike in the Whetstones--not too far a drive for them.

At one time there was a Sierra Vista hiking group as well. One of their members even wrote a guidebook to the Huachucas. Although I have a large collection of guidebooks, I don't have a copy of it. This must have been back in the 80's or so. I'm thinking that, in the long run, you might want to try to network directly in Sierra Vista, see if you can get a regular group going.