Planning a 5-Day Backpacking Trip to the Supes

[Appalachia]

Hello, All,

I'm new to the forum and looking for some beta from the locals on the Superstition Wilderness for a 5-day backpacking trip. My boyfriend and I drove through there last fall and thought it would be a great place to go back and explore!

So now we're planning to go there for five days in late March. I am reading all the trail material and books I can find, but I'm wondering what the best route would be. We would like to do a huge loop or a series of loops or maybe hike in and base camp and then do a series of day hikes. We'd prefer to hike 10 - 15 miles/day and elevation gain and challenging trails are not a problem (so that would be about 60+ miles for the five days we are out there). We like stuff that is very scenic, off the beaten path, remote and not places where people normally go. We love mountains and canyons especially.

Also, we will have a regular passenger car, so I think trailheads requiring access via 4WD or rough roads might be a problem.

So, here are my questions:

I can determine through my guidebooks which trail heads are accessible, but which are safe from vandalism, etc. or is there much vandalism to worry about?

Will water be a problem in late March? I'm not sure what kind of winter y'all have been having out there.

I'd like to do some off-trail routes, but how reasonable is that given all the prickly plants and cacti?

Are the trails generally sandy or rocky? I had massive shin splints when I hiked in Grand Gulch in November -- we weren't prepared for the sandy trails. I guess I'll have to do more calf exercises!!

So what are your choices for truly scenic, challenging and somewhat remote trails in the Superstition Wilderness?


Thanks in advance,
Lucinda

[te_wa]

We'd prefer to hike 10 - 15 miles/day and elevation gain and challenging trails are not a problem (so that would be about 60+ miles for the five days we are out there). We like stuff that is very scenic, off the beaten path, remote and not places where people normally go. We love mountains and canyons especially

not to blow the steam from your balloons, but... you'd better know the Supes before you tackle them in this way. This is NOT the groomed trails of the AT and must be considered in a different class of difficulty compared to most any wilderness trail system in the country. It is evident by all the search and rescue events that happen almost every busy season weekend.

Im am Supes hiking veteran, and I know trails and the terrain and what demands they require for backpacking.. and i would say 10-15 miles is a high expectation. I guess you'll know for sure after your first day~

Now the good news: Study the Carlson/Stewart book Superstitions Wilderness East. Get a 'beartooth publishing' Superstitions Topo map. And most importantly, have fun!

[Sredfield]

Get Stuart & Carlson's "Hikers Guide to the Superstitions. Pack the book along with you. Maps, trails, history, a classic hiker's book.

There are plenty of car-accessible TH's. No more risk of vandalism there than anywere.

Have good maps, stay on trails or close. Bushwacking is not usually a problem but pay very close attention to where you are. There have been several recent "lost hiker" incidents in the Superstitions. Avoid the steep, deep canyons: they cliff out, can flash flood, and are treacherous walking/climbing/bouldering conditions. Plenty of trails in a few so you can get the flavor of the area--La Barge maybe.

Lots of water this year. Water sources are listed in the book. There have been some spectacularly beautiful, powerful and deadly flash floods this year.

$.02 worth

[Sredfield]

What he said about trails. Az trails are more "routes' than groomed pathways. Lots of rocks, lots of stepping up/down/sideways etc. Much of the desert is simply a thin layer of soil on top of rocks, when the soil errodes-as it does from the trails--you walk on the rocks. This is a common complaint from out-of-area hikers. But natives don't mind-it keeps the less-than-serious hikers away.

[DarthStiller]

The really bad trails seems to be mostly in the Eastern Supes. There are a few faint ones in the western area, but not nearly as bad as in the eastern section. And with spring coming up, there’s also a lot more potential for overgrowth, which only makes the trails harder to navigate (although in March it shouldn’t be too bad yet).

With a passenger car a good route might be to start at the Woodbury TH, make your way over to Reavis ranch, stopping by the Rogers Canyon cliff dwellings and Reavis’ grave along the way. Circlestone is also not too far from Reavis ranch, and that can be a nice dayhike from there. Great scenery up there, one of the highest points in the Supes (that a trail leads to). I think taking the Frog Tanks Trail from north to south is a very scenic route, although the last couple miles are deep in the canyon and devoid of good scenery. That would take you back to Angel Basin and from there you can make your way back to the Woodbury TH, maybe taking a route off up the JF Trail, doing an out-and-back or loop of some kind.

I would definitely recommend having a GPS with the appropriate mapping, as well as all relevant maps, books, etc. Expect to see your share of rattlesnakes, as they will be waking up from hibernation and hungry. I like to wear snake gaiters for protection, but not everyone likes to go that route.

As everyone has said, the trails can almost be off-trails routes themselves, so intentionally going off route should probably only be attempted if you really are prepared. The brush and catclaw can be extremely difficult to maneuver thru, and will slow you down big time, so take the time eating element into account.

[Appalachia]

Thanks for all the great information. I have two Carlson books + another book + the Beartooth map + Trails Illustrated map + GPS maps. I always research water stops, campsites and routes well in advance so we know what to expect. We always take our maps, compass, GPS and SPOT.

We had a taste of canyon/desert hiking when we spent a few days in Grand Gulch last fall. The trickiest part of the trip was planning a route to scramble out of the canyon and then walk several miles over the mesa back to the trailhead. We had to make sure we didn't end up in one of the fingers of the side canyons. Yes, I agree, it is more like finding a route than following a trail. It looks like a fantastic area, especially with the combination of ruggedness, remoteness and history.

[SuperstitionGuy]

Backpack from the west to the east. Start at 1st Water and loop through the Wilderness via Peralta Trailhead, Bluff springs, cross country to Trap Canyon and go through it, head cross country to Peters Trail, take Peters Trail down to the old Tortilla Ranch site, take the old horse trail down to Fish Creek and contuinue upstream to Rogers Canyon and camp near the ruins, continue upstream and head past the Reavis Grave, head up to Circle Stone to spend the night, check out the Reavis Ranch site the next morning and then take the trail north to the Reavis Trailhead where you left a vehicle and then celebrate that late afternoon at Tortilla Flat and go ahead and pay that outrageous price for a real meal.

Setup way points ahead of time on your GPS to guide you and assume it will be much warmer than you think. Water sources will have begun to dry up so be prepared to backpack beyound your water stops.

PM me if you have route questions. But have fun - you can do it.

[JoelHazelton]

Expect really, really, really rocky trails and routes. The sonoran desert is nothing like hiking the sandstone in Grand Gulch. The rocks are hard and unforgiving and the prickly vegetation is up close and personal, especially after a wet winter like this year.

Snakes will be out full force in March... Mid-late March and early April are when I see the most snakes during the day.

It'll be really hot... All the trails are fully exposed to the sun, so expect to drink lots of water. The main drainages of the western supes should still have some water (Tortilla, Fish Creek, LaBarge), but it'll be starting to get nasty.

I would recommend planning a tentative route and then posting it here... You'll get some great advice and recommendations based on that route.

[Grasshopper]

I would recommend planning a tentative route and then posting it here... You'll get some great advice and recommendations based on that route.

Joel, a most excellent idea!

[nonot]

I replied on the other board, but wanted to add: for your first Supes trip, aim for 10-12 miles per day, and try to stay on maintained trails. Avoid difficult off trail spots like Trap Canyon, and I wouldn't recommend trying to get to woodbury in a car, despite Stiller's suggestion. However the route he suggests is excellent.

[SuperstitionGuy]

The canyons have water whereas you will not find it on a mesa and off trail hiking is often easier than those trails full of ankle busting rocks! You just have to know where your going by using gps way points. Use a GPS with downloaded topo maps and carry SPOT as well.

[Pathfinder Aaron]

My suggestion for a route might be to start at the Reavis Ranch Trailhead, and from there you could spend a day heading down and east to Reavis Falls especially if there has been rain. The you could (if you chose to take that side trip) continue along Reavis Ranch to Plow Saddle. From that point you could either head southwest along Frog tanks trail (lots of catclaw), or head East and then south to Reavis Ranch. I've seen lot's of deer in this area last year in march, and there was also plenty of water in the streams all around. From Reavis Ranch you could take some side trips of surrounding trails, a particularly good one is the circlestone ruins near Mound Mountain. I chose to visit here when I took my Reavis Ranch loop trip and was glad I did. Like was mentioned earlier, there are some great views from this area leading up to the ruins looking east. I found lots of bear scat around this area. From Reavis Ranch you could continue south through very nice open fields towards Reavis Saddle, and then make your way through Rogers Canyon and check out the Cave Dwellings which are a nice trip, and the head up through Angel Basin which is very pretty towards frog tanks trail. The area around Rough Canyon has some nice cascading streams/small falls, and several streams come together in a beautiful junction. From the Angel Basin and Frog tanks trail area you could take some side hikes as well, before heading back up to Plow Saddle and then joining back up to Reavis Ranch trail and taking that back to your vehicle. I've been out to the Reavis Ranch Trailhead several times (many superstition trailheads actually) and have never had or seen any problems with vandalism or vehicles being broken in to. Also, the Reavis Ranch trailhead is a lot easier to get to than the Woodburry or Roger's Trough TH. This is a nice loop with many options for side hikes along the way.

[Pathfinder Aaron]

When we took the loop I described, it was from the Roger's Trough TH, up to Reavis saddle, to Reavis Ranch, plow saddle, frog tanks trail, Angel basin, and then back to the TH, and that ended up being around 25-27 miles. That doesn't include side hikes, circlestone ruins hike and others we took along the way. Just the loop.