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| Hiking | 3.12 Miles |
1,018 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.12 Miles | 3 Hrs 55 Mns | | 1.25 mph |
| 1,018 ft AEG | 1 Hour 25 Mns Break | 25 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Was short on time and originally wanted to head north for other plans but a accident in New River was delaying traffic for an hour according to Google Maps which led me to choose a nearby location instead.
I've always been curious about the Rincon Basin of Yavapai County and if you take a quick glance at satellite view of it you would understand why..
It looks like a true diamond in the rough or in this case a little lush oasis in the middle of a harsh and rugged desert environment.
I parked off Castle Hot Springs and walked up what I believe was an old mining road which abruptly came to halt a once it became real steep which at that point it then turned into a well groomed game trail that wrapped around the small mountain.
Upon getting to the otherside and catching my first glimpse of Rincon Spring I noticed water down in the drainage bottom which was exactly what I was looking for!
Getting down into the basin required a whole lot of bushwhacking and a bit of fun downclimbing, this whole area was a bit more rugged than I had imagined.
Once down in the inside I immediately felt like I was in a whole different world because of the jagged pinnacles, craggy cliffsides, and a trickling stream with numerous small cascades.
The only thing that took away from the enjoyment was that it was so thick with nasty overgrown vegetation that blocked out the view from all the good stuff.
That is where travel became absolutely ridiculous which at that point I decided to scramble up the cliff side to get a bird eyes view instead.
The view above the basin is definitely the ticket and if it wasn't for all the vegetation being dead and the harsh sunlight I would have gone photo crazy.
In a few months and in the late fall would be an ideal type to visit this area due to the its sheer abundance of plants, trees and life.
There is basically two main drainages that feed the central heart of the Rincon Basin, both have numerous waterfalls which yesterday they were merely trickling but after some good storms it would be quite the sight!
After a quick nap I simply just headed up to a few high points, had a little purposeful scrambling fun and then proceeded to setup and take photos well until well after the sunset.
You could see everything from The Bradshaws, Four Peaks, Lake P, Downtown Phoenix, Vulture Peak and everything in between.
With great weather, perfect silence and my first hike in months that did not involve getting my feet drenched I certainly was a comfortable and happy hiker for this little quick close to home exploration.
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
I found a few small
blooms of early spring wildflowers.
*Also since this is Arizona there was still patches of fall color clinging on down inside the basin. |
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Rincon Spring |
Gallon per minute |
Gallon per minute |
| | | Flowing water inside the spring and basin with plently of large deep pools. | | _____________________
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