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Not really a backpack trip, per se, although I will have my backpack. Thinking about camping out on my little mesa 3/4 mile south of the end of Little Saddle Mtn trail to watch the Perseid meteor shower. (According to spaceweather.com (as of today) should be a good show.) Hike up from the Cross F trailhead.

Been there before (in February, and again in May). But thought I would ask for thoughts anyway. (As of a month ago, someone reported water in the unnamed creek. But that was a month ago.)

The Perseids can be an amazing show if it's a good year and the weather cooperates. The best shower I've ever seen was a Perseid event on the Mogollon Rim many years ago. It featured several hundred meteors per hour, at least 5 every minute! If it was me, I'd try to go a bit farther than LSM as that is really still really within view of the valley's light pollution. If that's your best option, at least it helps that the Perseids originate to the northeast, so you can aim your eyes away from the bright city lights.

@chumley
Tnx. Years ago (10+) I flew to Seligman to overnight at the airport to watch a meteor shower. I think it was Perseids. (Seem to drop in from above us.) The forecast was for a good show. And it's dark there. (Although I think there was glow from Vegas?) But I saw only a few an hour.

I don't enjoy driving as much as I used to (plus price of gas isn't helping). So the choice of Sunflower was mostly because it's only an hour + fifteen away. The Rim would be nice - but I thought I heard on the news that there's a fire there and trails are closed. Smoke wouldn't be good for viewing.

I could drive to the Barnhardt TH. Not much of a camping adventure. But the Mazatzals would block Phx lights.

The Brady fire is pretty small at under 300 acres and there wasn't much smoke at all as of this morning. Only a small section below the rim is closed (east of webber creek, west of washington park, north of control road).

@xsproutx
Hmm... am looking at a Fire Map now. It's showing a very large Diamond fire SW of LSM.

That fire is pretty far south of the rim and isn't really producing much smoke in that area even, at this point.

TooOld2HikeQ wrote:It's showing a very large Diamond fire SW of LSM.

This one is pretty much over.
When we drove by on Monday we saw no smoke at all and I believe the FS is dropping to the lowest level team to do wrap-up.
It never got past FR 393 so no worries hiking North on the AZT from the McFarland TH.

@CannondaleKid
Tnx for the first hand report.