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I'm an experienced backpacker, but I've received a request to plan single night trip for first - timers through our local backpacking club. Although I have a lot of great summer ideas (up in the lush mountains), I'm not sure where to take beginners for a winter hike. I want to avoid the chance of snow - I think your first trip is hard enough without having to contend with super cold weather gear and frozen water everywhere. So that probably means a desert hike... but I also want there to be a water source at the destination. Also no fun to have to pack all the water you need for 2 days. Any suggestions? It'd be even better if it was within 3 hours of Tucson...

wrae lo, I really liked Sycamore in the Pajarita. Depending on water level, of course.
Safford - Morenci trail is pretty good from what I understand.
you should get much more and better advice from Jeff and Nick, Preston, and RedRoxx

Beginners + water at campsite + low chance of snow + close to Tucson = Butterfly Loop on Lemmon.

What about Douglas Springs?

It's dry but there is water along the way at Bridalwreath...

hey the Superstitions are within 3 hrs of Tookson- you can drive up thru Florence Junction out to some of the trailheads along the US60 in no time at all.
Also, as noted last week there is some running water in a few of the drainages.
I think you could get a group of folks to do a Haunted Canyon - Bull basin loop. Id join up for that

I second Douglas Springs in the Rincons

It's a great trail but it might trash beginners. Just my $0.02...

Jeff - why trash beginners? My worry with that one is the lack of a "sexy" destination. If you're into just walking for the fun of it, it's great - but if you need that extra special something at the end, then Douglas Springs CG seems kinda like a let down. Anyone have a different opinion? I haven't been there in years and I was near dead from exhaustion at the time.

Sycamore - I've done that as a day hike years ago - what's the camping like? Any problems with illegal traffic?

Also - any thoughts about Hooker Hot Springs - any backpacking in that area?

Okay...slow down everyone. I'm not trashing beginners. One of the VPs at my place of employ is in his late fifties and routinely places in distance bike races; he just finished of Baldy up north in almost record time (apparently) having not hiked a day in the last thirty years. He was a beginner. You actually made my point without even realizing it: Douglas is a long walk to nowhere, basically (Ten years ago would have been a different story). Beginners tend to have high expectations of the outdoors and are easily turned off when the balance is tipped toward physicality over enjoyment.

Next thing, and this is not aimed at writelots by any means: People need to stop hanging on every word posted to the forum by other users. Stop taking everything so literally and reacting before actually *reading* and processing what someone has written. We're all on the same team, we all love to hike and to do so in or about AZ. Remember that...

writelots wrote:If you're into just walking for the fun of it, it's great - but if you need that extra special something at the end, then Douglas Springs CG seems kinda like a let down.

ok...sorry. i still like it though. to each his own, i guess.

It is a cool trail. Bridal Wreath is a nice side trip and an added bonus. There's actually a really nice place to camp in near the stream confluence back down Canyon del Pino from the Camp. The camp itself is kind of desolate, nowadays...

Jeff MacE wrote:Okay...slow down everyone. I'm not trashing beginners.

Talk about misunderstandings! One on top of another - what I mean to ask was 'why would the trail trash beginners?' = it was just a question from someone who was thinking there was something about the hike that might be harder or more challenging than she had originally thought of! (trashing equalling beating up and spitting out) I didn't think you were trashing beginners at all. Sorry my words were less clear than I wanted. Seems like it's the treacherous nature of these quickly fired off missives instead of the fun, in-depth, over-beers conversations I'm more skilled at .

That being said, I'm reconsidering Douglas Springs. I'm ashamed to say I have no memory of the falls, my only hike out there was like 15 years ago, and I think I deliberately erased it from my memory due to the less-than-delightful company I was keeping.

I appreciate everyone's sage advice.

Ooops...I stand corrected.