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| Hiking | 5.30 Miles |
1,930 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.30 Miles | 4 Hrs 25 Mns | | 1.20 mph |
| 1,930 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | The Apache Leap is a gorgeous band of cliffs. I remember seeing it for the first time in the early 90s and thinking, "Wow - what a backdrop for the town of Superior!"
I had hiked up to the ridgeline of Apache Leap three years ago (approaching it from the west), but I didn’t leave myself enough time to visit the summit and benchmark. So yesterday I decided to correct that situation  . I followed the same route as my previous hike, parking next to Pacific Canyon just off the nicely-graded Apache Leap Road (at 33.26279, -111.08142). Several vehicles could fit in this fairly large parking area. It is where a rougher, unnamed road takes off to the east. It almost goes all the way to the top. I could’ve driven maybe a half mile up this unnamed road, but I decided to walk it instead. This road eventually deteriorates badly. Many sections are no longer drivable, even with the most capable ATV. I was shocked at the damage since last time - some sections no longer resemble a road at all. A few drainages have created waist-high ruts, and huge boulders have tumbled all around.
Near 3800' of elevation, the road passes by a prospect area. It is here that the challenge begins of guessing where the road used to be. Almost a half mile later, the road ends at a high point with views to the southwest opening up. A large rock quarry suddenly becomes visible down below. Nice views of Picketpost and the Superstitions can be enjoyed.
It’s another third mile to the top. The bushwhacking for that last third mile is not super thick with brush, but I’d definitely recommend wearing long pants. It is mostly a gentle slope, but it is quite rocky. Some faint animal trails were helpful. There are some interesting rock formations when looking up toward the ridgeline.
Once I reached the top, I made my way north, over to the summit and benchmark (stamped 1946). This portion of the hike was a little over a half mile. Some places on the way were a bit tricky with large boulders, but overall I didn’t think it was too bad. The views are outstanding and worth the hike up. The summit is wide open with flat slabs of reddish rock. What a beautiful spot to sit and relax.
The summit register is simply one piece of paper, like a long scroll, rolled up in a glass jar. It was placed there in 2006, but has only accumulated 11 names so far. That'd be the fewest names I’ve ever seen on a summit register being nearly two decades old. I noticed that some of the names are fellow HAZ-ers.
On the way back, I stopped to revisit a manmade wall of rocks near the top that I’d seen the last time I was here, and also two very cool rock formations that are near the wall.
The weather and puffy clouds were perfect for this hike. The shadows from the clouds really enhance the views all around. The wind was much stronger on the top, both cool and welcome. |
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Route Editor
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