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Hey everyone, I am considering backpacking the BCT SOBO in the first part of April, I was wondering if anyone had beta on this? Anything helpful but particularly water and camping.
@rcorfman I believe you are the BCT guy so maybe you can throw some info my way!, Thanks in advance!

I've done the southern half on bike, but am unfamiliar with the top half. Generally speaking, on that southern half at least, there are plenty of places to camp so you won't have an issue there. I believe there are less spots on the northern half based on things I've read/people I've talked to, but that's second hand. The "problem" with the second half, though, is there are a lot of backroads/forest roads/trails used by OHV users and gun enthusiasts. Not a problem on it's own, but more than a few don't practice safe shooting and I have ridden areas where people are shooting across the trail. Super fun.

The biggest problem for a backpacker on this trail is water, though. The agua fria is the only halfway reliable source I'm aware of and it's not always reliable in every spot. On bike, you cover more ground faster so it's a bit easier to carry what you need vs backpacking. With that said, the same roads I mentioned above could make caching water pretty easy and in a dry year like this, unless I didn't personal recon ahead of time, I'd probably place a couple of caches on my way north.

@xsproutx
Yeah based on the area and the dry year i kind of was expecting that, i have put together a list of spots to cache so i am guessing that's going to be the best way. Seems like camping is just a dispersed free for all, that what your take away is also?

These are the potential spots for Water Caches, any reason why these wouldn't work?

• Orme Rd crossing
• 69 crossing
• Bumble Bee Rd/Crown King Rd crossing
• Crown King Rd crossing around 50mi mark
• Table Mesa TH
• New River Rd Crossing

I've always started a southbound hike of the BCT off of Orme Rd. I know there is some trail north of there now, but I've never walked it. There should be water at Russian Well (5-6 miles south of Orme Rd), then at General Springs. They are about 23 miles apart, so that's a long carry. There is also a water tank about halfway between them, but I've never figured out how to get water out of it. I usually cache a gallon at the Gloriana TH (Bumble Bee Rd crossing just off I-17), 10-12 miles later. Next guaranteed water would be at the Agua Fria River crossing past Black Canyon Creek and again at the next Agua Fria Crossing five miles later, south of Black Canyon City TH. If you take the west side of Little Pan Loop (don't go down the road to Tip Top), there should also be water at the Agua Fria. That's a few miles before reaching the Table Mesa TH and is the last reliable water on the trail. That TH is also a good place to cache a gallon of water. I would cache another gallon of water at the Emery Henderson TH.

Edited to update west side of Little Pan, not east side.

@rcorfman
Thank you! How is camping, is it pretty easy to find dispersed spots?
Also, think I'm pushing it for Mid April?
And your saying take the west side of little pan loop?

Camping is generally "easy" to find. Some spots easier, some spots harder... At the end of the day it's not a trail used by most so if it gets late and you set up in the middle, it happens.

Mid-April is always a funny time here. Sometimes... best possible time you could ever be outside. Sometimes, you run into those first 100+ degree days. It's kind of a crap shoot. The tail is generally pretty exposed so it's somewhere I'd prefer to be on the lower side of the temperature range, especially since water isn't all over the place. Might be one of those decisions you just have to make within a few days and have a backup plan if you've planned PTO at work or similar.

@xsproutx
Thanks for your help on all this, I know its impossible to know what April will look like, was just hoping for someone to tell me id probably be fine temp wise...lol
I do have a backup plan but I really wanted to knock this one out, seems like you can hammer out some miles on it.
Thanks again!

JimGerHikes wrote: ↑Mar 20 2025 8:20 am @rcorfman
Thank you! How is camping, is it pretty easy to find dispersed spots?
Also, think I'm pushing it for Mid April?
And your saying take the west side of little pan loop?

You can usually camp wherever. I've never had a problem, except one time when I camped near the Table Mesa TH. I couldn't find any ground clear of pokey things and ended up camping in the middle of the trail. It was already dark and that was at my water cache, so I dealt with it.

I like the west side of Little Pan loop and the east side of the Boy Scout loop. With Little Pan loop, there may not be water at the east side crossing but there should be on the west side.