Haunted Canyon lower trailhead.

steamloco · Post by **steamloco** » Jan 12 2007 11:09 am

Hi all,

I'm flying into Phoenix for business next Tuesday and have a few extra days to spend. I would like to head up towards my old stompin' grounds in and aroung the Globe-Miami area.

I was wondering if anyone knows whether or not the lower trailhead to Haunted Canyon is still open. I'd like to spend a couple of hours on the lower section of the trail.

Anyone been there lately with any updates?

joebartels · Post by **joebartels** » Jan 13 2007 4:00 pm

It was closed seven years ago, I haven't been back since. The Pinto? mine is/was creeping ever closer via Powers from an article I read a few years ago.

steamloco · Post by **steamloco** » Jan 13 2007 8:29 pm

That's what I was afraid of. Thanks for the update. Guess I find another trail.

joebartels · Post by **joebartels** » Jan 13 2007 8:42 pm

It'd be nice if somebody else could post here cause there's dozens of trips logged in the past few years. Many mention it as a shuttle. So either it isn't closed anymore or everybody ignores it

steamloco · Post by **steamloco** » Jan 13 2007 10:41 pm

Tell you what, I'll check it out this next weekend. When I get back home I'll post the details of what I find. I've a contact who used to work for Carlota. (They are the ones who re-opened the works near the old Gibson and Pinto Valley mines.) Perhaps I'll give that person a call and see what details they have to offer.

BTW Carlota has recently sold it's operation in the area to another company. Rumor has it that Carlota was interested in a higher concentration of gold in the ore taken from Pinto Creek. Their returns yeilded too much copper relative to gold. Their financing seems to be somewhat reliant upon a certain percentage of gold being produced.

So, Long story even longer, I don't know what if any effect this will have on Haunted Canyon and it's surroundings.

Paintninaz · Post by **Paintninaz** » Jan 14 2007 8:02 am

joe bartels wrote:It'd be nice if somebody else could post here cause there's dozens of trips logged in the past few years. Many mention it as a shuttle. So either it isn't closed anymore or everybody ignores it

Are we talking about the lower Haunted Canyon TH that you reach by driving through the Pinto Mine area? The one that is just below the old metal bridge?

It's open, as far as I know. I was there over Thanksgiving and we didn't see any signs posting that the area was closed. In fact, they have relatively new "public access" signs along the road leading you to the TH, much easier to follow than the signs of old. And the dirt road is in good shape.

The trail itself is somewhat of a mess, very overgrown, lots of bushwacking to be done, hard to follow. If you're not familiar with the area, I suggest you be very careful, it'd be easy to get turned around and lost in there.

We did see a group of about 2 dozen coatimundi while on the trail!

joebartels · Post by **joebartels** » Jan 14 2007 4:06 pm

Thanks Tracy!

steamloco · Post by **steamloco** » Jan 14 2007 4:41 pm

In response to Paintninaz's reply:

Many thanks for the information!

steamloco · Post by **steamloco** » Jan 24 2007 8:02 am

In response to Paintninaz's reply:

Well, I went to Haunted Canyon last Saturday. We intended to make a quick drive up through Hewitt Canyon then east across 172A and then down again before heading over to Haunted Canyon. We made it to the last switchback before the Rogers Spring TH and decided it wiser to turn back rather than continue. The visibility was less than 30 feet and the road was covered with mud, snow and ice. So we turned around went back down Hewitt Canyon and drove into Superior and got some food at Los Hermanos. Because of the time lost to backtracking, we weren't able to do anything more than take a short stroll up Haunted Canyon trail. Paintninaz is absolutely correct. The trail is overgrown and sometimes hard to follow from the lower end. Still I'd like to go back and finish it in the near future.