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| West Pinto Trail Lower, AZ | |
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| | West Pinto Trail Lower, AZ | | | |
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West Pinto Trail Lower, AZ
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| Hiking | 12.30 Miles |
1,425 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.30 Miles | 6 Hrs 4 Mns | | 2.23 mph |
| 1,425 ft AEG | 33 Mns Break | | | |
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none
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| no partners | | Stayed in globe after my first day of hiking and today I will do the West Pinto Creek Trail. Originally my plan was to hike the Spenser Spring and West Pinto in a loop but after reading the recent review of trail conditions I decided to head up West Pinto and see how the trail was. I didn’t want to try something that may require more time than I had. The road to Miles Trail Head is in good condition and no one was on it. This road could be a pain if it were heavily used, it is a single track with occasional turnouts and steep drop-offs.
West Pinto Trail was easy to follow until you get to the creek, once in the creek you follow along the creek and rock cairns mark the way. Easy walking in the creek, the creek had a light flow and the gravel/sand was packed and made for easy walking. I followed some horse tracks all the way to the Spenser Spring Trail. At the junction with the Spenser Spring Canyon the horse tracks continued on up West Pinto Canyon along the creek and the trail heads uphill on the south side of Pinto Creek. The trail along this section is in good condition with only a few minor washouts at a few of the side canyons. Just before the trail drops into the creek again the trail is overgrown and hard to follow but this is only a short distance. Once in the creek bed I saw the horse tracks again and figured they went up the creek instead of the trail. The trail now heads up along the north side of the creek. I decided to stay in the creek and follow the horse tracks. The creek is easy to walk. I hiked up the creek a little over a mile to where the trail drops back into the wash. I was 5.7 miles up this canyon and decided to turn around here. I ate lunch here and had this idea to take the trail back along the north side of the creek instead of following the creek. I wanted to see what condition the trail was in. This was a huge mistake. Cat claws galore. By the time I finished this 1 mile section I was a bloody mess and my pants were shredded. I very seldom cuss out loud while hiking but I was in rare form. I felt like I was a blood sacrifice that the cat claws require for passage. I remember at one point thinking that this section of mountain should just burn, then I remember it just did and didn’t help any. I highly recommend just walking up the creek and avoid the trail, at least while the creek is clear. From the write ups in HAZ the portion of the trail to the ridge is not in much better condition.
Great hike and I will have to finish the upper section maybe from above. I did notice the Spenser, Campaign and Bull Canyon Trail signs along the way. I did not see the Cuff Button Trail sign. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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