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I plan on doing an overnight on Saturday, is there any water on the trail at all that I can filter or do I need to carry it all in? Also, are there plenty of camp sites along the trail? I live in Phoenix and this will be my first trip to Flagstaff backpacking. Any help would really be appreciated.

Kevin

There is not really any water to speak of along the Weatherford Trail. The only possible source is Aspen Spring, which I have never been able to find water at, and it's only two miles up from the TH and won't do you much good anyway. You can voyage into the Inner Basin to the springs or the water spigot, but that's only worthwhile I think if you're already planning on side excursions into the IB anyway. I recommend packing all your water. The best places to camp are at Doyle Saddle or Fremont Saddle, which you may possibly have company at. You can also camp before Doyle Saddle, but I'm not sure if there are any great sites along that section.

Thanks Hippie, I just packed all my water for the over night. Thanks for the tip.

Kevin

Yay! Someone who doesn't mind carrying water for an overnight! It sure does add to lists of trails usable for backpacking when people are willing to carry their 24 hours worth of water. Being willing to dry camp greatly adds to the wonderful campsites you can find. Have fun!

The way I did it last year is was to carry two days of water up and camp at Fremont Saddle. I stashed most of my gear and water the next morning for a side trip to Humphreys and hiked back out on Weatherford. That was a long day. I didn't see any water at what appeared to be Aspen Spring, but I didn't spend a long time looking. Once you get more than a few from the TH (onto the real uphill), camping spots before Doyle Saddle are rare to nonexistent unless you hammock.

I ended up going the Inner Basin route, the road to the trail head was closed which added 3 miles each way! One of the most beautiful backpacks I have ever done. There was also a lot of bear activity also, tracks all over my campsite and ran into one on the way out. He just wanted to get out of my way in a hurry!

when are you moving out here BL?

big_load wrote:The way I did it last year is was to carry two days of water up and camp at Fremont Saddle. I stashed most of my gear and water the next morning for a side trip to Humphreys and hiked back out on Weatherford. That was a long day. I didn't see any water at what appeared to be Aspen Spring, but I didn't spend a long time looking. Once you get more than a few from the TH (onto the real uphill), camping spots before Doyle Saddle are rare to nonexistent unless you hammock.

kevinharper2 wrote:when are you moving out here BL?

I'm not sure, but the time is getting closer and Mrs. big_load is getting more insistent. We still need to pick a town, or at least a region.

I keep thinking about doing the Humphreys-Kachina-Weatherford trails as a backpacking loop, caching some water in advance. Have not hiked either Kachina or Weatherford before.

big_load wrote:

kevinharper2 wrote:when are you moving out here BL?

I'm not sure, but the time is getting closer and Mrs. big_load is getting more insistent. We still need to pick a town, or at least a region.

Ah, I have thoughts about that, but my guess is you know where I would tell you to avoid. On the other hand, you might enjoy the area.

Douglas is nice. Or how about Ash Fork? Holbrook, Winslow, Sanders? Maybe Winkelman or Duncan?

Oh, I know, your wife would just LOVE St. Johns!

Just kiddin' We'd love to have you move "here!"

@Jim_H I could probably guess. There are aspects of your not-so-favorite town that I like quite a bit, but it does have some drawbacks. By the way, we spent the weekend in Cape May. We walked about 30 miles with an AEG of about 30 feet. Topographic relief is a plus. I'm not much for sugar sand, either, except in moderation. I don't know if spent much time there in your eastern period, but I don't figure it would be high on your list of landing spots.

No, I never went to Cape May, or the beach in NJ. I didn't start going to the beach until I was in my lat of 4 years of living in Florida. I mostly did stuff near Medford and in the Barrens. you might like Flag, there are things I like about it, such as the Peaks, but most of the stuff here is nice to visit, visit. Live elsewhere, in other words.

azbackpackr wrote:Douglas is nice. Or how about Ash Fork? Holbrook, Winslow, Sanders? Maybe Winkelman or Duncan?

That's quite a collection. I've at least passed through all of them, but I don't have any concrete memories of Ash Fork or Duncan. We met Bruce Burnham (of the trading post) in Philadelphia some years back, so we actually went to Sanders on purpose a couple times. Holbrook seems to be where I stay when I can't drive any longer.

How did you end up in New Jersey, anyway? I had the misfortune of being born there. Fate is cruel that way.

Jim_H wrote:How did you end up in New Jersey, anyway? I had the misfortune of being born there. Fate is cruel that way.

He had to choose between there or Rhode Island.

@Jim_H It was a good job market at the time (I guess that really dates me). I like the hilly NW woods here and the many local trails, but I have a thirst for horizons that doesn't work well.

Anyway, back on topic, although it's much longer, I expect people unused to altitude will find Weatherford a more forgiving approach.

azbackpackr wrote:I keep thinking about doing the Humphreys-Kachina-Weatherford trails as a backpacking loop, caching some water in advance. Have not hiked either Kachina or Weatherford before.

i want to do this as a day hike before monsoon season
haven't been on weatherford