Blackjack Mtns to Upper Hess Canyon Photoset • Grasshopper • 2013-03-23 • HikeArizona.COM

Blackjack Mtns to Upper Hess Canyon, AZ

	2013-03-23
	7 by Grasshopper

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Blackjack Mtns to Upper Hess Canyon

Globe, AZ

Blackjack Mtns to Upper Hess Canyon

Globe, AZ

4x4 Trip	5.80 Miles	704 AEG

4x4 Trip	5.80 Miles	3 Hrs 30 Mns	1.93 mph
	704 ft AEG

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Partners

partners

	Oregon_Hiker	Randal_Schulhauser
	rwstorm

In my original planning effort after confirming that the "Black Mountain 4515 Ruins" hike seemed worthy of a visit, I noticed on our HAZ MapDEX satellite view that there was an obscure, unsigned (FR986) 4WD route/ranching road that continued south to north from this Black Mountain hike skirting the lower base of the Blackjack Mountains Range ending downhill at Upper Hess Canyon. I thought it would be a

idea to try and drive in to its route end at Upper Hess Canyon drainage at 3560ft elevation :sl:

Randal & Randy in his stock but lifted Toyota Tacoma 4WD short bed with 31" BFGs agreed to follow Larry and me in my Grasshopper for this exciting 2.9ml one way Arizona pin-striping 4x4 rock crawling adventure

Randy did an excellent job of finding the correct 4WD "lines" to take as we continued further down this gnarly old abandoned road route. I was too lazy to air down my 35" tires and likewise too lazy to disengage my anti-sway bars for more vehicle front end articulation if needed.. Fortunately Randy knew and saw his needed stopping point and did so.

I was having so much fun living a previous 4x4 life, that I became a little carried away trying to reach the lower road end and could have caused myself an unnecessary and :oops:

event.. http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=329989 Fortunately, I was able to pull off a very difficult turn-around with my clutch plate smoking, I finally parked it. We all continued hiking down to road end and accomplished our original destination at Upper Hess Canyon Drainage.. then we both needed to drive back up hill and out

..

Randy deserves a : app :

for doing a great job on what he said was his most challenging 4x4 road trip to date. Really nice work Randy! : app :

I had hoped that this 4WD road trip would offer some excellent views of the "Blackkjack Mountains Range" as we continued paralleling it to reach Upper Hess Canyon drainage, but that was really not to be mostly due to all the dense and higher vegetation along this memorable driving route.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Blackjack Mountains Haystack Butte

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")

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