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Hello to all!! I'm posting to find a good beginner backpacking trip. Nothing too long, maybe a weekend trip. As many of you know it is warming up in the valley and we want to get out for a few days. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. If the trip has water in any way (waterfalls, pools, etc.....) that would make it even more enjoyable.
Thanks!!!

Horton Creek near Payson seems to be popular for that. In fact, if you were to join Arizona Backpacking Meetup Group, they are doing one to that place, and yesterday there was still room. I think it is $15 to join. You can google it and find it. A lot of people on here belong to it, also.

I used to lead beginner backpacks. Maybe I will sometime again. Up here in the White Mountains I usually take them to South Fork Trail #97 or Bear Creek access trail to Black River-Mainstem. Those trails are best June-Sept. There are swimming holes in the Black River, but I am sworn to secrecy, so you would have to find them yourself. Plus, it is cold water.

Down in Tucson the hike to Hutch's Pool makes a good beginner backpack with swimming hole, IF you tolerate heat well. Because if you want to swim in the pool, it is best to go in summer. And it is hot there! You get to it via Sabino Canyon. You can even ride the tram to the end of the road to shorten the trip.

I just did an overnight to Reavis Ranch. That would be a nice beginner trip. 9 miles each way down to an old abandoned homestead. The creeks are flowing down there as well. If you did a two night trip, you could set up camp at the ranch and do a day trip out to the Circle Stone ruins (those are definitely ones I really wanna check out). You could also do a shuttle-- have someone drop you off at Reavis TH, hit the ranch for a night and then head down the ruins at Rogers Canyons and stay a night, then get picked up at Rogers Trough TH.

In my experience, 9 miles each way is too far for a true beginner backpack. I keep them to 3 or 4 miles, tops. Even then, people often have trouble with it. I generally backpack into a place that has dayhiking options available from the campsite. So we set up camp, and spend the second day doing some dayhiking (and swimming), then hike out the third morning.

If the person is a super dayhiker, thinks nothing of 15-mile dayhikes, and also does a lot of non-campground car camping, and hasn't packed the kitchen sink in his or her pack, then ok, I'd say 9 miles would be ok.

We have had this conversation before on the forum, and other people have pointed out that a person is going to get the wrong idea about backpacking if you baby them as much as I do. Maybe they are right. Which leads to...

The reason I have quit doing the easy ones for SAHC is because the kind of people who showed up were not the kind who I thought were ever going to become passionate hardcore backpackers. In other words, I couldn't really relate to them very well. So, the fact that I made it so easy did attract those kinds of people. They were nice folks, just not my type.

I have a moderate-to-tough one listed in SAHC and on ABC right now, but it is full and there is a waiting list with people on it already. Deep into the Blue Range...

I agree with not babying people. Backpacking is something where you have to learn from your mistakes-- a book or advice can only help you so much. You have to learn what works for you. Though, I'm not a super hardcore backpacker, I go a few times a year and find that the true satisfaction for me comes from feeling completely self-reliant, working hard for something most people won't do, and just getting away. I also think that getting in a little "over one's head" isn't always a bad thing. About 8 years ago I did a three day backpacking trip in Big Sur with very little hiking experience and absolutely no backpacking experience. That trail beat me senseless and ignited a fire. I've loved being out in the cut ever since. I'm not saying to outright do anything stupid, but if you're not okay with hurting a little afterwords then backpacking is probably not the hobby for you.

Tough_Boots wrote:if you're not okay with hurting a little afterwords then backpacking is probably not the hobby for you.

Love it!

Yeah, I guess I myself learned the hard way with babying people. I think maybe because I got started guiding when I was an assistant Scoutmaster, and the newbies were 11 years old. We did find that it was better to take them a short distance the first time or two because most of the time they are extremely clueless, scared, and have bad gear, bad socks, bad shoes, etc. If you can hook them at that age, they do get motivated, they see the older boys have better gear and shoes, etc.

But applying the same principles to adults probably isn't the best way to go. I had fun swimming in the Black River on those trips, but all that handholding gets old when it is adults.

I decided I am not going to be too accomodating any more. I had several people trying to get me to do these easy trips, so I would set them up, and then those folks didn't bother to show. Forget it. I can save trips like that for when I am 85 years old... right now, if my knee will hold out, I can still do some harder hikes.

Liz... Can we expect to see you on the Willow Valley-West Clear Creek Thru Hike berkforbe is planning?

I did the Rogers Trough TH to Rogers Canyon to the ruins, should have gone to Angel Basin to camp then back to TH next day for my first (and only). Worked hard coming out, but well worth the trip and now I'm hooked on backpacking. Good trip for a beginner. I did learn alot all on my own. Might be getting too hot right now. Doing a two day to Horton Springs on the 15 and 16 of May. Should be an easy one.

PLC92084 wrote:Liz... Can we expect to see you on the Willow Valley-West Clear Creek Thru Hike berkforbe is planning?

That is the weekend after the one I'm leading (which I never put up on here since it filled up so fast in a couple other venues, sorry guys) to the Blue Range. So I doubt I can get away, especially if I am working.

I plan to do a KP Creek in the Blue Range in July. I would like to do the Blue River Wade in Sept. Just in case anyone is interested. Not sure about August as yet. I usually do a monsoon hike to the Black River at some point or another. (Less lightning down in Black River canyon.) Chevelon would be nice, too.

Anywhere up on the rim during monsoon is awsome!

@PLC92084
sounds like your commited! Sweet..

berkforbes wrote:@PLC92084
sounds like your commited! Sweet..

Transportation is always something of an issue for me. I stick around here, usually.

Thank you all, after looking around, reavis ranch sounds intriguing so i really appreciate all the feedback! I love this site!!