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I’m starting to prepare for a weekender into the White Mountains to explore Pacheta Falls, Pacheta Lake, Geronimo’s homestead ruins at Turkey Creek, and other points of interest.

I’m looking for tips on permitting, access roads, choice camps sites, and other nearby points of interest beyond the HAZ Hike Description and Trip Reports.

All tips appreciated!

I PM'd you with where to get some info. Also, let me know if another name for it might be "Rattlesnake Falls?" If not, see if you can find out when you go there, if you see any tribal members, if there is another falls called Rattlesnake Falls.

I haven't come across the "Rattlesnake Falls" reference yet, but it would make sense given the proximity to Rattlesnake Point...

Another thing: I have some directions I sent to Ambika the first time she went there. They are in a guidebook the newspaper came out with a few years ago, which is no longer available. She said my directions were not very good. So if you do go there, can you post really good directions? And GPS the whole thing, etc? Or did she already post that on here (I haven't checked, sorry.)

Rattlesnake Falls may be the same as Pacheca Falls. A local person asked me about it. So now I'm curious if it's the same, or if there are two different ones up there.

I posted it years ago http://hikearizona.com/location_g.php?GPS=717 (after the dynamic Ambika/Suz duo went so it did them no good) Randal isn't going to have trouble finding it, he has a GPS.

My family and another group have had their permits checked. On the bright side the back country roads don't get any better, you'd swear Disney designed the forest. Pacheta falls into the Black River permit area. Like Disney those suckers are pricey, per person & per day. One day at the falls is more than plenty in my opinion. If you want to get to the bottom of the falls, Milk Creek looks to be the ticket. Keep the camera in ready position when driving as Disney loaded the scene with bucks galore and turkeys in large packs! If I went again I'd just stop at creek crossings along the way and dosey off into the forest, it all looked good. It's such a pristine area. I think the wildflowers are best late July to August.

Watch out for poison ivy in the area, its everywhere. I just returned from a backpacking/fishing trip on the black river. I was just down river from bear wallow creek, which is just down river from pacheta creek. Lots of ppl in the area fishing the river when I went, but it was memorial day weekend.

Joe is correct...lots of sights to see. We saw several flocks of turkey, whitetail deer, mule deer, bear, and we *think* we caught a glimpse of a mt lion, not 100% sure on that.

At critical mass with 2x 4WD vehicles and 4 committed adventurers. Planning to get on the road early Saturday 6/27 morning (need a little recovery time from the Friday night Clapton/Winwood concert). Camp Saturday night at Pacheta Lake. Break camp Sunday morning and head down to Pacheta Falls for much exploration and maybe a couple of photo ops. Get home late evening Sunday 6/28. Picking up permits Wednesday from the Sportsman's Warehouse in Mesa AZ on Greenfield Dr. Thanks for all the tips helping me pull this together...


PS. If anyone wants to tag along in their own 4WD ride, send me a PM...

Randal Schulhauser wrote:(need a little recovery time from the Friday night Clapton/Winwood concert). If anyone wants to tag along in their own 4WD ride, send me a PM...

Sure, I'd love to tag along to the concert!

Have to work Thurs-Sunday all summer. So will miss out on a lot of these things.

Where are you going that you need 4WD?

I've heard enough stories of getting stuck in the Rez mud holes after the summer storms that 4WD is the way to go. Let's hear now from all the Honda Civic owners that have done the Pacheta weekender with monsoon thunderstorms in the forecast...

PS. Concert tickets all spoken for. I've been hoping Jeff Beck would be joining them like he did on the European leg. Haven't heard of any "suprise" appearances from JB on the North American leg yet...