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| Hiking | 9.01 Miles |
1,486 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.01 Miles | 4 Hrs 18 Mns | | 2.22 mph |
| 1,486 ft AEG | 14 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | | This triplog uses the name of the guide I tried to follow, but my name for the hike is the Lakes-to-Peaks Trail after the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in North Carolina. The official route for Beans Peak Loop starts at the trailhead next to White Spar Campground on AZ 89 about a mile from the Prescott city limits. I hiked in the reverse direction and made a few deviations from the official route, some deliberate and others that I was unable to avoid. Roughly the first half follows Goldwater Lakes Trail #396. At 4.1 miles, I stayed next to Upper Goldwater Lake to talk to a fisherman, then tried to get back on the official route. However, there are many roads/trails near the southeast end of Upper Goldwater Lake and in many places the official route is not on any of them. It's simplest to just head generally south on available paths, checking Route Scout to not get too far off the official route. After passing the Hassayampa Water Line Project marker (see photo) and crossing east-west Schoolhouse Gulch Trail #67 which is a fairly wide dirt road not far from paved School House Road, the southbound trail/road matches the official route for about a mile. As shown in both this route and the official route, there is a 100+ yard detour to go around a fence that crosses the trail. Near both of the peaks, the trail disappears (see photo) and what appears to be trails don't follow the official route. I spent a lot of time looking at my phone to try to find a trail on the official route. It would have been easier to follow an obvious route and just check Route Scout every 5 minutes or so. Coming down from the westernmost peak (Lima Bean Peak according to Kingsnake's guide), there is a clear trail that matches the official route for about a mile. As you can see from the route I recorded, I stayed on the clear trail for about a half mile further than the official route did. Kingsnake's guide says there are dozens of pink and orange trail ribbons marking the route between what he calls Lima Bean Peak and the trailhead. They're all gone now and it's cross country over ground clear of undergrowth without any indication of a trail going downhill toward a wash that the official route follows past the Stone Shelter on the official route. Eventually, a fire road is reached and a clear trail can be found on the other side that gets progressively easier to follow once you cross the small hill next to the road and find the trail headed northwest. The views from the peaks are worth the hassle, but this is not a hike for someone who gets lost when a trail disappears. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
More than the first weekend of October, maybe a dozen red vines approaching the trailhead and a few yellow trees along the shore of Upper Goldwater Lake. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
A few Arizona thistles were still in bloom, some mostly seed heads, in the area west of the peaks. Other summer flowers were still blooming here and there. |
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