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| Cooper Trail - Seal Mtn - Hassayampa Loop, AZ | |
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| | Cooper Trail - Seal Mtn - Hassayampa Loop, AZ | | | |
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Cooper Trail - Seal Mtn - Hassayampa Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 19.19 Miles |
3,136 AEG |
| | Hiking | 19.19 Miles | 10 Hrs 43 Mns | | 2.00 mph |
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| 3,136 ft AEG | 1 Hour 8 Mns Break | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | Bruce put together this loop and was determined to get 'er done. His selling points leaned heavy on weather and tree "cover". This Weaver Mountain hike lies in the outer bounds of the Bradshaw Mountains. It's perplexing why this range filled with history is rarely visited by avid hikers close to Phoenix. Their willingness to travel to other states and continents before exploring their backyard seems out of character for an explorer.
Our boy Lucky greeted us at the trailhead. He is one of the dogs from the Williams ( dude ) Ranch. He hiked with us two years ago on another big hike so we were happy to see him.
Cooper Trail
Like all trails out yonder here, nothing is signed. It's rolling hill hiking on a trail that starts out good with a few hiccups then fades to rarely used. The largest mix of wildflowers I recall lured us on. Bruce had Seal Mountain as on off trail destination. A matrix of ground cover from the wet winter made the bottom portion easier stabilizing the steep ascent. The top is large jumbled black rocks. Lucky patiently waited for us 50-100 feet below.
From Seal Mtn we hiked down to a rarely if ever used dirt road that took us by a tank. Then soon into Cottonwood Creek which had a nice flow along with a quarter mile of tree cover! The advertised tree cover gave way to granite, some pink, and a narrow twisting canyon.
9.5 miles of the return hike is along the Hassayampa River. We've done 1.5 miles on this river in his nearby hit single Treasure - Hole - Roy Waits - Slaughterhouse loop. Which is the reasonable limit of river sloshing. A mining camp with lots of equipment near the tail end was the saving grace spirit lifter in my opinion.
A good memorable hike. Wildflowers galore, Seal Mtn, Cottonwood Creek and the mining area were true highlights. Hiking along the Hassayampa River is nice for a mile. The weather was phenomenal as promised! |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
scorpionweed, poppies, cream cups, desert trumpet, flat top buckwheat, desert mariposa, brittlebush, banana yucca, new mexico thistle, microseris, lupine, desert globemallow, desert rock daisy, arizona penstemon, indian paintbrush, white ratany, claret cup cactus, strawberry hedgehog, fiddleneck, blue dicks, cliff fendlerbush, rattlesnake weed, london rocket, desert tobacco, chia, canaigre |
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Cottonwood Creek |
Medium flow |
Medium flow |
| | | keeping your feet dry is not currently an option |
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Seal Tank |
76-100% full |
76-100% full |
| | | Large tank looked full from a quarter mile away. Appears mostly dry on satellite view so that may be more typical. | | _____________________
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Good and clear