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| Hiking | 26.60 Miles |
3,720 AEG |
| | Hiking | 26.60 Miles | 10 Hrs 12 Mns | | 2.75 mph |
| 3,720 ft AEG | 31 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I didn’t have the rock crawling skills to drive to the Peters trail TH, so I parked and started from the Tortilla TH, which added another 7 miles round trip.
Peters Trail—Now I know where the term “peters out” comes from.  This trail does so early and often. Nature is reclaiming this one, and in my view, having a gps track is essential. There were periodic cairns, but standing at the cairn, it was often difficult to figure out which direction to go from there. Most of this trail is pretty blah by Superstition standards, with the exception of the initial jaunt through a brief canyon, and then on the back end, as you descend to the Dutchman junction.
From there, I tacked on a quick side trip to Charlebois Spring, which was showing its fall colors and full of water, per usual. Met my first fellow traveler at the spring, a solo backpacker on his second night. We visited and he graciously guided me to the petroglyph panel. Cool to see.
From there, I headed down Dutchman and the first section of Red Tanks, both of which were smooth sailing. Enjoyed some fun fall colors at the springs.
Upper La Barge Box was a highlight. Overgrown in spots but not too bad as far as route finding goes.
Hung a left at the Hoolie Bacon junction and was concerned about a repeat of the Peters Trail route finding issues. But, while the trail is indistinct in many places and a bit brushy here and there, it is very well cairned and route finding was rarely an issue. Not particularly scenic though.
Finished the loop, and with the 3.5 mile road walk left, I knew I’d be fighting for daylight. Enjoyed a lovely sunset and threw on the headlamp for the last half mile.
Tons of solitude to be had on this loop. Long pants are a must, to keep the lacerations to a minimum. On that note, don’t wear clothes that you care about, as the desert pokies are unavoidable and will extract their cheese-grater dues.
A full day in the Supes! |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
This trail does so early and often. Nature is reclaiming this one, and in my view, having a gps track is essential. There were periodic cairns, but standing at the cairn, it was often difficult to figure out which direction to go from there. Most of this trail is pretty blah by Superstition standards, with the exception of the initial jaunt through a brief canyon, and then on the back end, as you descend to the Dutchman junction. 