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| Hiking | 10.50 Miles |
2,820 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.50 Miles | 7 Hrs | | 1.50 mph |
| 2,820 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I dropped my bike at Lost Dutchman Park and then started up the Hieroglyphic Canyon Trail. This variation of the Superstition Ridgeline hike isn't quite as long and doesn't get as much attention as the normal route but I knew the return bike ride would be better! (The dirt road up to Peralta is no fun at the end of the day...)
There were cairns all the way up Hieroglyphic Canyon and it took me 2 hrs to reach the ridgecrest. It was helpful to have the GPS waypoints that Joe uploaded to his "Superstition Peak Loop via Hiero" triplog to quickly lead me back to the trail the couple times I lost it. The seldom visited upper part of Hiero Cyn was scenic and made for nice hiking.
At the top I headed left along the ridge. I used utztat's GPS track for occasional reassurance but the trail is quite distinct. I met only one hiker between the petroglyphs and the top of Siphon Draw and he was doing my hike in reverse...so clearly the Hiero "on and off ramp" gets plenty of use.
Reached the top of Siphon Draw about 5 hrs from the start. It became more crowded here with people running up and down like they were on Camelback or Piestewa - so less fun. I slogged on down to my bike (7 hrs elapsed).
I was feeling dehydrated and really wanted one or two of the bike shortcuts I had envisioned to work, but the Ranger recommended i just stick to the main roads. Including a Gatorade stop at the Bait Shop and some sidewalk-napping I spent 2 more hours getting back to the car.
My GPS had the hike at 10.5 miles and then 15 more for the bike return. It may be possible to hike back to the Hiero trailhead from Lost Dutchman (making this a long loop hike and avoiding the bike ride), the Ranger implied it, but I can't clearly see the route on any maps. |
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Route Editor
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