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| Hiking | 13.37 Miles |
4,442 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.37 Miles | 7 Hrs 38 Mns | | 2.12 mph |
| 4,442 ft AEG | 1 Hour 19 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Went out for a Saturday hike to enjoy Easter weekend! Like normal, it was my mom and I. Dad's always too busy with work, and my sister's always too busy with school (she's a double major English and music student taking 21 credits, what can I say?).
The initial plan was to hike up and back down on the Six Shooter Canyon trail, but once we got up to the top, we realized the Ice Canyon trail was the faster route back to the car, and since loop hikes are always nice, we opted to do that instead. This was our first time to the area, and obviously we had our maps with us, but it was still helpful that we crossed paths with a volunteer trail maintenance crew, who gave us up to date info on trail conditions, snow levels, and more. Thanks for the helpful info guys, and for helping maintain the trails for us! 
The hike up Six Shooter canyon was quite pleasant, with a creek that flowed for the first several miles. Eventually the trail veers away from the creek and starts the climb in earnest to the summit. Upon arriving to the top of the Six Shooter trail, we continued on a little further to get all the way up to the ridgeline for the phenomenal views.
I had brought along the stove and made up a nice lunch for us at the top, consisting of pasta, dehydrated ground beef, dehydrated carrots, and a packet of gravy mix. It was truly the most delicious dehydrated meal I've ever eaten. Normally I wouldn't dehydrate stuff just for a day hike lunch, but this stuff was old and needed to be used from my pantry.
On the way down, we enjoyed several miles of hiking in snow on the Ice Canyon trail, appropriately named because it is on the north side of the mountains and stays snowy much later in the season. This was so much fun!  The thought of hiking in snow in April didn't even cross my mind, so it made for a pleasant surprise. We enjoyed the Ice House Canyon Trail just as much if not more than the Six Shooter trail, as it winds through more forest, is softer on the feet with pine needles and other deciduous leaves, and has a creek running through it also. It's not shown as a water source, but Ice Canyon, at least in the spring with snow melt, seems to be pretty reliable for water.
All in all, it was a great day and an exciting first visit to the Pinal mountains. Can't wait to make it back and do some of the other trails in the area! |
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Ferndell Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| | | Possibly flowing a little. Very murky water. I'd definitely filter from the trail junction spring not this one. |
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Six Shooter Canyon |
Medium flow |
Medium flow |
| | | There was a fair amount of water in the main drainage. I'd estimate the creek was typically 3 feet wide and 2-3 inches deep. | | | |
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