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| Hiking | 6.00 Miles |
700 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.00 Miles | 4 Hrs | | 1.85 mph |
| 700 ft AEG | 45 Mns Break | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | I took a break from my normal Superstition hikes to join a small group of five going to the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. The goal was to hike to the Reynolds Creek Waterfall and points beyond, if time permitted.
We got an early start, leaving Apache Junction at 6:00 A.M. This was to be my first time hiking in that area. I erroneously determined it to be a one hour drive. I checked Google map quest after I got home - 2 hours 9 minutes and 98 miles.
Lesson learned, I hope. The drive was interesting as we connected with US 60, AZ 188, AZ 288, and FR 410. The logging road was very rough; glad we had a 4-wheel high clearance vehicle. As we drove through the forest we noticed signs of a recent wildfire burn out. The parking area was surprisingly luxurious, NOT! We just pulled over as the road ended. It was 8:15 A.M.
After we each took a short nature hike, compliments of a bumpy logging road ride, we began the hike at 8:30 A.M. The temperature was cool, 70's-80's, thanks to the 6,000+ elevation at the parking area. About 50 feet into the hike we crossed the creek on a split log from a felled tree. A short distance ahead we came to a bigger creek crossing. There were large boulders, some flat, over which we maneuvered to get to the left bank. The terrain had some burn out from the wildfire, erasing any semblance of a trail. At a small clearing we headed down to the Reynolds Creek. Later, on our return, we realized that we should have made a short counter-clockwise semi-circle hike to the trail which went further to the left and up towards the falls. Some red ribbon and cairns went unnoticed. Maybe this will help some of you, the reader, when you take this hike. https://youtu.be/zP ... ievs.
We were not lost, just a change of direction. As I said, we entered the creek and followed it for about half an hour
until it ended at the lower end of the falls. We heard it before we saw it, and enjoyed the scenery! The falls seemed to be over 50 feet from the top to the bottom with a decent size pool of water below. It was a steady water flow and much wider at the bottom, which led to a better sound of rushing water. What a refreshing site, very secluded, shady, and with cooler temperatures. https://youtu.be/MN ... 2Xh0.
Since we wanted to also see the top of the falls, we had to double back. Instead of going all the way back to that clearing, we bushwhacked up a steep hillside towards the mountainside above. The Reynolds Trail would be there. Instead of going straight up, I angled up a little to the left and caught the main trail at a low spot just before it would make a left turn around the hill back towards the car. I, however, took the trail up to the right, where we all reunited and continued on.
The trail opened up to our right with good views of rocky hills and burn-out from the wildfire. As the chasm narrowed we knew the falls were close.
The trail was grassy on both sides and narrow, with a gentle drop off to the right. https://youtu.be/Du ... r8Go. There was a small cove on the left where someone had set up a ledge of flat rock, with remnants of a campfire. Farther ahead, high on the left, was a small arch or needle on the top of the hill. The upper Reynolds Creek Falls lookout was just ahead to the left. A separate trail led down for photo ops. As we hiked further we could see where the creek water drainage made its way to the falls, cool!
As we continued hiking, off to the left we saw a wild blueberry plant with fruit. A squish of the berry produced a red liquid, resembling blood. (I usually say that it is not a hike unless there is blood. Would this count?) The hike from here continued to gain elevation as we separated ourselves from the creek. Up ahead, at about 11:00 A.M., we saw the Sierra Ancha Wilderness signpost. There was wildfire burn-out evidence all around. Either this was a new sign or the fire had missed it. It did not, however, miss the trail junction signs, which were charred, dismembered, and scattered. We placed some on a log.
After a short break we were going to hike ahead about half a mile to a grove of Aspens. However, it became evident that bushwhacking and time were becoming a factor. We decided to return. (For those of you that choose to make this a day hike be aware that viewing the falls both from below and from above will add time and elevation to the hike.) We began the return hike at 11:30 A.M. For me, hiking down is usually easier and quicker, unless I'm doing the Flatiron or Carney Springs. After passing the upper falls and going down past the area at which we had bushwhacked, we finally came to that clearing I had mentioned earlier. By hiking from above some of the hiking aids were more visible - a large rock pile cairn and a red ribbon tied to a tree limb. We did a clockwise loop, found the trail, followed the creek, and crossed over the large flat boulders to the other side. https://youtu.be/qD ... CTq0.
We got back to the car about 12:30 P.M. No one was hurt, but one had suffered an attack by an agave. (Not me, this time.) I did assist in needle removal.
I would love to do this hike again with a goal of hiking farther up to the Aspens and beyond!
We saw no critters, but did pass a couple of dead snakes on the road. It was nice to see the flowing water, though.
Happy Trails! |
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