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| Reynolds TH to Parker Creek Canyon, AZ | |
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| | Reynolds TH to Parker Creek Canyon, AZ | | | |
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Reynolds TH to Parker Creek Canyon, AZ
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| no partners | | We were going to do something else, I happened to check Sentinel 2 imagery the day before and snowpack looked perfect so we impromptued this, it's been in the back of my mind after seeing Oregon Hiker & Grasshopper's 2022 trip. I'll add in photosets later. All in all an amazing trip, and we went into it fairly blind (it's been fun finding a few overlapping trips and comparing notes here as I'm writing this up).
Sierra Ancha Creek Bagging Day 1 of 4 - Reynold's TH to Park Creek Canyon
Arrived late at the trailhead around 1pm - 288 was a bit muddy on the edges, but fine to drive. The Reynold's Creek parking lot was damp with some snow but perfectly fine. Patches of snow here or there on trail - missed the start of #55 but found it again and didn't have any issues following it aside from the two stream crossings near berry patches. Passed by a nice set of falls just off the trail, then hit our first serious snow as it tightened up. Nice and powdery, but we lost the trail where it crossed the stream, then eventually found it again. Decent snow cover around Park Tank as expected, we cut off onto FR 2747 past the old trailer. The road dried out as it climbed away from Park Creek. Quickly found a nicely sized slab of bedrock to set up camp at in the dusk to the sound of roaring waterfalls nearby! Lots of flat spots of rock to set up on in this area if you wander a bit, which is far superior to clearing some (at the time) quite muddy ground of rocks.
Routefinding on #55 Notes:
When the trail turns 90 from E/W to N/S bordering the ranch, cut off of it into forest for the creek the feeds into McFadden, then take the creek back down the trail (or go up the creek and then hang a right if entering). We tried following it on the way up, got lost, and thrashed through berry bramble. This bypass is far better until the bramble gets lopped.
The first creek crossing from Reynolds TH has been cleared fairly recently on the east side. We got off route on the west side after crossing (went high when the path follows alongside some bramble) so did some quick limbing and sawing so that's a bit clearer and should look like a path now. The trail sort of does a 180 a few steps after crossing at some small trees.
Heading out we came across the signed TH, which is at 33.87458, -110.97708. Past it are some dirt roads with fire rings, then finally a closed to vehicle traffic path (which had the sign run over) that pops you onto the side of 288 at 33.87305, -110.97491 with another closed to vehicles for restoration sign right next to the creek. A short walk along the road saves you from having to jump the barbed wire into the campground, ford the creek, then look for the trail if you start from the Reynold's Creek TH like us. The proper Circle Ranch TH is described on the HAZ #55 page. |
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| | | This (I assume) was around 200ft higher than it appears on maps, and was along FR 2747 at 33.90946, -111.02397 | | | |
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