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| Hiking | 6.90 Miles |
835 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.90 Miles | 2 Hrs 45 Mns | | 2.51 mph |
| 835 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Massacre Grounds Loop via Peak 2891 Saddle and return via Massacre Falls Trail.
Last week I scouted out a trail to the Saddle between Peak 2891 and an unnamed peak on its West flank. My intention was to find an alternate route to the Massacre Grounds and take some of the pressure off of the present trail. The existing trail to the Massacre Grounds and the Falls, has become difficult, at best, to walk because of all the loose rocks, frequent washouts and horse do-do along its course.
My brother and I parked the pickup in the creek bed where it crosses the First Water Road at coordinates 33 deg. 28.584 , -111 deg. 27.582. After we put on our gear, I reset the GPS and hit the horse trails at about 8:30 am. In slightly more than an hour we arrived at the saddle and projected a course to the cliffs that are a familiar sight on the way to the falls.
We dropped down to the creek bed, which now only has a few pools and no running water, and followed it upstream to a point where a second creek joined it at coordinates 33 deg. 27.772, -111 deg. 26.552. From this juncture, we followed the branch to the right and began gaining altitude to get away from the sharp brush that was growing in the valley.
This was a pleasant part of the hike as we were all alone, viewing the cliffs and observing the groups of hikers well off on the existing trail. Behind us in the distance was the ever-present outline of Four Peaks and to our right was the tip of Weavers Needle. We rejoined the Massacre Grounds Trail at coordinates 33 deg. 27.442, -111 deg. 26.772.
From this juncture, we headed back down the Massacre Grounds Trail and upon arriving at the old trailhead, we cut cross-country in a Northeasterly direction until we once again joined the horse trails leading back to the pickup on First Water Road. We arrived back at our starting point at around 11:00 and the GPS had logged in 6.9 miles for the entire loop. I'm sure the trail would have been shorter if we weren't doing so much prospecting (did I say that?) along the creek bottoms.
I think this trail is a pleasant alternative to the existing Massacre Falls Trail and depending on where you end up parking, the overall round trip mileage difference would be insignificant. After dropping from the saddle, the bottom of the valley has a lot of brush and you end up walking around the thickest parts of it, which adds miles to the journey. The change of scenery is a relief and there aren't any hard vertical climbs along the route and it's always a pleasure to take a trail less known. |
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| On every trip into the Superstitions, I find another Gold Mine. Today the mine was filled with Memories. I can not wait for the next trip. |
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Route Editor
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