Soldier Camp Trail #83 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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I went from the Mesquite wash to the Mud Springs TH. Along the way I stopped at the Cline TH to check out the Picadilla creek.
It was flowing about 1/2 what it was from 2 weeks ago. I also checked out the Tejanas spring.

The temps were perfect all day long. The morning was cool and when the heat settled in, I was up higher up.
There was a lot more people camping by the mesquite wash than last time.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mud Spring Tejanos Spring

Mud Spring

Dripping

Tejanos Spring

Gallon per minute

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"Everywhere is walking distance...If you have the time"
-Stephen Wright

Apr 07 2014

david_allen_3

Guides 1
Photos 1,891
Triplogs 131

47 male

Joined Feb 13 2006
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 07 2014
		david_allen_3 • Triplogs 131

Hiking	7.20 Miles	1,584 AEG

Hiking	7.20 Miles
	1,584 ft AEG

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Checked out spring found trickle at Mud Spring which was surprising after such a dry winter

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Mud Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Nice trickle of clear water after a below average rain/snow winter season . Trickling down the small ravine although the concrete basins are no longer in use.

	Mud Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Clear trickle

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Wherever you go there you are.

Mar 22 2014

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,799
Photos 14,514
Triplogs 5,896

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Four Peaks Circumference, AZ

Hiking		Mar 22 2014
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,896

Hiking	27.60 Miles	7,400 AEG

Hiking	27.60 Miles	16 Hrs 28 Mns		1.78 mph
	7,400 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	14 LBS Pack

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Four Peaks Trail #130

Alder Creek Trail #82

Cottonwood Camp to Lone Pine via Alder

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BiFrost

This loop and especially Alder Creek has intrigued me since the '90s. Karl & I started at Mud Spring TH, hiked the road to Lone Pine then took #130 out to #82 ( not to be confused with Alder "Saddle" Trail #81 ).

Alder Creek Trail #82
Nature has reclaimed the trail. Perhaps 7% exists for the 6.25 miles heading down to Brown's Cave. Of that the creek is a less painful avenue. The area is everything I envisioned as a wided eyed kid thumbing through hiking books. Water is abundant and trees offer shade on occasion. The challenges of life are defenseless against you and Alder Creek Canyon is all yours.

Once out of Alder Creek the trail over to the trailhead is just route finding. Someone has kindly re-cairned 0.5mi to 1.6mi ( west to east ). It follows quicker than in previous years and catclaw only snagged once.

Cane Spring Trail #77
Easy to follow... in the dark! Someone must do periodic maintenance. Shocking out in the middle of nowhere and it only leads to the tragic mess on #83.

Soldier Camp Trail #83
Difficult to assess as it was dark. Seemed like a nuisance cairn hunt. I'm guessing it's not so bad in daylight. Killer night view back to Phoenix heading up to Big Saddle.

Never say never, it "seems" unlikely I'll redo this loop. One thing for sure... feels GREAT to join the got 'er done club! Thanks to Karl for helping bring this dream home!

Carried 5 quarts, consumed 6.

Wildflowers Observation Light
Strawberry Hedgehog was busting out for 10-15 miles of our hike. 1 - Desert Anemone near Paint Puddles, 1 - Desert Chicory mid Alder Creek. Medium patches of Desert Phlox on south expanse. A few iron yellow varieties.

	Adams Camp Spring	Dry	Dry
	Immediate area was damp. Perhaps something to filter if you poke around.

	Alder Creek - Four Peaks	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Flowing about 80% through upper 5-6 miles ( majority ) of creek. Shockingly* great flow, maybe 10 gpm. Lots of three foot waterfalls along the way. No sign of cattle grazing. * Last rain was 1-2 inches three weeks ago. Previous rain was two months prior, very dry spring around Arizona in 2014.

	Alder Creek - South Swim Hole	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Full, clear and creek flowing at least a gpm. Soon after the creek dried for the next mile.

	Paint Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Enough to filter. From previous experiences you can find a slight flow to pools further down.

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- joe

Mar 22 2014

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Four Peaks Circumference, AZ

Hiking		Mar 22 2014
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	27.63 Miles	7,433 AEG

Hiking	27.63 Miles	16 Hrs 28 Mns	1.97 mph
	7,433 ft AEG	2 Hrs 25 Mns Break

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Alder Creek Trail #82

Four Peaks Trail #130

[ checklist ] Adams Camp - Four Peaks Wilderness Adams Camp Spring Alder Creek - Four Peaks Shake Spring

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joebartels

This hike has been on the list and Joe offered it up and worked out the route. Of course had to say yes to this oppturnity. Early start about 615am from Mud Spring TH walking up the road to Lone Pine TH. Good warm up for the real hike to come.

Once at Lone Pine TH we started down Four Peaks trail enjoying the traverse over to Black Bear Saddle. Great views along this section of Four Peaks and the lake. Black Bear Saddle is where the fun begins or pain depending on your perspective. There is a trail Alder Creek #82 but it's pretty much not there. We made several attempts to follow the trail but brush was too thick and path of least resistance was the creek. Very nice in the creek with water and pools most of the way down. So we did about 6 miles of boulder hopping down canyon to where the trail leaves it and heads over to Cane Spring TH. Alder is a great canyon...really enjoyed the numerous pools, mini-falls and scenery.

Finally made it to where Alder trail leaves the canyon and started heading over to Long Canyon. This section is also really nice...Joe pointing out some of the dramatic views, cliffs, and interesting rock. Also saw wild burro and pack of javalina's between Alder Creek and Cane Spring. Wish we had more time to explore this great area but time was not on our side.

We got to Cane Spring TH and it was getting very late in the day. Had to do much of the last 7 miles in the dark and trail conditions or non-trail in many spots made this time consuming. It was a tough stretch but finally made it over Big Saddle on the Soldier Camp Trail #83. Tough trail to follow but maybe it was due to darkness.

Thanks for putting this one together Joe

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Javelina

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cag Shot

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Nov 07 2013

CannondaleKid

Guides 44
Routes 162
Photos 24,784
Triplogs 2,417

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 07 2013
		CannondaleKid • Triplogs 2,417

Hiking	5.26 Miles	2,794 AEG

Hiking	5.26 Miles	3 Hrs 9 Mns		1.81 mph
	2,794 ft AEG	15 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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Part one of a recon hike to plan for a future hike all the way to Brown's Peak and back.

I took FR401 from AZ87 to Cottonwood Camp then drove the 4 very rough miles on FR401A to Soldier Camp TH. When I got out of the car I was greeted by winds easily in excess of 45-50 mph. Almost knocked over immediately I turned back and grabbed both hiking poles for stability. Good thing I did because on a number of occasions there were wind gusts well over 60 mph, and in fact even with the hiking poles I was twice knocked to my knees. I took many photos more than once due to bad focus being knocked around. I have a few videos to edit yet but they will show the extent of the wind.

Ok, back to the hike. Although there were no cairns to mark the trail for the first half mile or so, it was pretty easy to follow the narrow trail. Soon you reach a point where the trail starts following what used to be a wagon trail well over a hundred years ago. With 10 to 12 feet somewhat level between rocks on either side for most of the hike there was little need to seek out cairns, although by now there were plenty popping up. Once I reached a part with thicker brush the cairns weren't visible from very far away but I passed by they were helpful to let me know I was still on the trail.

Upon reaching the Cane Spring Trail #77 junction I took a short PB&J break while seeking the Cane Spring Trail. No luck locating any cairns heading south. Oh well, I've got some extra time to I headed farther out along trail #83. About a half mile I was about to turn around when I noticed a Laub Mine on my GPS basemap. Just a few hundred yards away I just had to see if there was anything of interest. All I found were numerous large bowls cut out of the mountain but not one single bit of mining equipment. If there were any shafts, they were covered or filled in long ago.

While scanning the area, I noticed what appeared to be a horizontal mine shaft across the canyon from me. It took a while to locate a route avoiding both the steep drop-offs and heavy brush but I managed choosing some thorny brush over a 30 foot drop. Approaching the mine I looked around for evidence of animals and finding none decided to film my exploration. Barely inside and I'm swarmed by thousands of flies so my first thought is there's a dead animal in here. It wound around one corner and maybe 40 feet in I hit the dead end, and thankfully, no dead critters.

Ok, time to head back to catch the Cane Spring Trail down to Forest Road 401A and the 2 mile climb back to Soldier Camp TH.

I thinned to photoset to 40 photos on HAZ.
All 110 photos (including the Cane Spring Trail photos) are here:
http://changephoenix.com/jpserver/web/public/album.php?id=633
I'll post Part Two, Cane Spring Trail shortly.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mine Shaft

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Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Browns Peak Four Peaks The Wata Ridges

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CannondaleKid

Nov 07 2013

CannondaleKid

Guides 44
Routes 162
Photos 24,784
Triplogs 2,417

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 07 2013
		CannondaleKid • Triplogs 2,417

Hiking	4.50 Miles	906 AEG

Hiking	4.50 Miles	2 Hrs 6 Mns		2.23 mph
	906 ft AEG	5 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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[ checklist ] Four Peaks Sheep Mountain 3567 - Salt River

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Part Two of a recon hike to plan for a future hike up to Brown's Peak and back.

Rather than do an out-and-back along Soldier Camp Trail #83 I decided to return via Cane Spring Trail #77 south to Forest Road 401A and west back to the Soldier Camp TH. Although I spent some time scanning for any sign of the trail from the junction with Trail #83 but found nothing so I just set out generally following a track I drew in Route Manager. It was a quarter mile out before I spotted the first cairn and another quarter mile before I could actually see two cairns at the same time.

With the cairns few and far between I relied quite a bit on my GPS track. About a mile south of Soldier Camp Trail the cairns became plentiful, but by now the trail was well-beaten enough (likely more by animal than humans) there was no longer a need for them. And similar to certain sections of Soldier Camp Trail, this part of the Cane Spring Trail used to be an old wagon trail way back when. The farther south I traveled the easier it was to follow the trail... note I said easier to follow, not easier to hike on, as it was quite rough with plenty of loose rocks hidden in the grass.

Also like part one of this hike (on Soldier Camp Trail) I trimmed a few spots where one would be forced to leave the trail to bypass overgrowth, but I did leave a few that would have required a lopper rather than the hand trimmer I had along.

Once I hit the junction with Forest Road 401A it was just a matter of following the road, such as it is back to the Soldier Camp TH. Although no route finding was needed, due to the loose rocks on the road I had to pay attention with every step. When I was within .3 mile of the trailhead, by following the road I still had 3/4 mile left and I was sorely tempted to make a beeline cross-country to save the distance, but I knew it would probably just as long and take more effort so I stuck with the road.

Having a tire with a slow leak I wasted little time on the rough FR401A so I could get back to town in time to get it checked out before a weekend camping trip. It turns out the bullet-proof Kevlar sidewall isn't thorn-proof and wouldn't you know it, as a legacy of being the nice guy pulling trees off the road last week I picked up a thorn in the sidewall.
](*,)

Of course it's where they will not repair it so the tire had to be replaced. Although the warranty gave me a free tire, it cost $52 to continue the warranty on the replacement tire.
:roll:

Oh well, it's better than replacing it at $350.

The triplog of Part One of this hike along Soldier Camp Trail #83 is here:
http://hikearizona.com/trip=95744

I posted 25 of the Cane Spring photos on HAZ.
All 110 photos (including the Soldier Camp Trail photos) are here:
http://changephoenix.com/jpserver/web/public/album.php?id=633

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Signs and Markings

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

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CannondaleKid

Apr 27 2013

Sleddog Micker

Triplogs 15

48 male

Joined Feb 25 2013
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 27 2013
		Sleddog Micker • Triplogs 15

Hiking	3.00 Miles	1,584 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles	7 Hrs		0.75 mph
	1,584 ft AEG	3 Hrs Break	25 LBS Pack

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Took this trail today until the tree as you ascend. This part was overgrown with bush (very little cacti), and no water. What made this short trip very worth it, was we took a detour and rock climbed to the left at the tree and came up to the peak right next to the four peaks! As you rock climb over this peak, all of a sudden you have the four peaks (only three are visible) right in front of you! Very spectacular. Ran out of time to go to the four peaks (we estimated they were 300-400 yards away). Awesome time seeing amazing views of all parks, four peaks, Phoenix in the distance, Saguaro Lake, and the Superstitions if you're in for some rock climbing!!!

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Feb 22 2013

BobP

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,214

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Cottonwood Creek - Upper Falls

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 22 2013
		BobP • Triplogs 3,214

Hiking	3.08 Miles	2,717 AEG

Hiking	3.08 Miles
	2,717 ft AEG

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Started at Mud Spring TH. Followed the trail a short ways and then went off-trail and then picked it back up. Hit a few sub peaks and did some brutal bushwacking. Pretty awesome morning. The ride to Mud can be done in a car but I wouldn't recommend it. I had high clearance without 4wd. I saw a few vehicles at Lone Pine and one pickup that got stuck. I was in snow the whole hike and a few times 3 ft. But mostly 1/2 foot.

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[ checklist ] Four Peaks

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If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Apr 04 2009

Hansenaz

Guides 4
Routes 205
Photos 9,282
Triplogs 526

72 male

Joined Apr 06 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 04 2009
		Hansenaz • Triplogs 526

Hiking	11.50 Miles	1,715 AEG

Hiking	11.50 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	2.09 mph
	1,715 ft AEG

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Nice hike because it covers such a large swath of Four Peaks Wilderness and is (after the initial climb) almost all downhill. The trail is certainly hard to follow in places and expect some flora-induced scratches, but I knew when looking ahead from Big Saddle that this just has to be a nice one way hike (and perhaps a not-so-nice out and back). I hitchhiked back to the car with no problem at all.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Desert Mariposa Mariposa Lily

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Mar 29 2009

Hansenaz

Guides 4
Routes 205
Photos 9,282
Triplogs 526

72 male

Joined Apr 06 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Cottonwood Camp Loop

Cottonwood Camp Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 29 2009
		Hansenaz • Triplogs 526

Hiking	14.70 Miles	3,377 AEG

Hiking	14.70 Miles	7 Hrs 30 Mns	1.96 mph
	3,377 ft AEG

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Cane Spring to Amethyst Peak

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I wanted to look around the southwestern part of the Four Peaks Wilderness. This area is popular with ATVers but there doesn't seem to be a lot of hiking. Best information I found is from some postings by Joe Bartels in 2004 (see this trip, and the speculative Cane Spring to Amethyst Peak trip which contains an intriguing map http://hikearizona.com/t2004/09/29/map02.jpg) and just today I noticed a new posting for an ambitious trip: Cottonwood Camp to Lone Pine via Alder.

Anyway since I just planned to poke around I got a late start and didn't leave my car at Cottonwood Camp until just after noon. I knew I wasn't going to try the rough jeep road (FR401) past Cottonwood Camp - a previous visit showed a very tough step within a half mile or so.

Compared to the trip Joe describes I stayed further south and followed the most likely ATV path just north of main FR401 - it soon hit a fence at the Wilderness boundary which stops the ATVs, but I kept going on an old overgrown road. This was faint in spots but continued, crossed a couple washes, and then climbed the ridge. At the crest it meets up with FR401 - this was ~2.8mi in and here I saw the only sign of the day: I had been walking on Lower Soldier's Trail. Continuing up the road about another mile I ran into two 4-Wheelers (the only people I saw all day) right at the Soldier's Camp Trailhead. This place was unmarked (posts but no signs) but I correctly surmised this was the lower left corner of Joe's aforementioned map. It was pleasant walking on the Soldier's Trail - not too overgrown, plenty of cairns, and it mainly keeps to the ridge top so nice views. I decided I could make a loop of it: continue on Soldier's to the Cane Spring Trail, take that down to the jeep road and then walk this road back to the car.

After about an hour or so I realized I was going to have a daylight problem. I probably should have just turned around but instead I decided to shortcut down hill into Cane Spring drainage just so I could see that place. Turned out to be worth the trip: many pretty waterfalls, but no sign of a trail so it was pretty slow going. By the time I hit the road it was 5PM. I think the intersection is just above the Cane Spring Trailhead (which I didn't see). The road may be tough to drive but walking it is no picnic either: I think it was 6.5 miles back to Cottonwood Camp and a lot of up and down. Pitch black - thank goodness for long range keyless remotes.

My conclusion: if you want access to the upper reaches of Four Peaks from the southwest you need to drive that road. On the other hand there's some nice hiking in the area even if you don't.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Tufted Evening Primrose

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Nov 23 2007

DarthStiller

Guides 27
Routes 670
Photos 12,111
Triplogs 857

56 male

Joined Jul 05 2006
Mesa, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 23 2007
		DarthStiller • Triplogs 857

Hiking	8.90 Miles	3,100 AEG

Hiking	8.90 Miles	7 Hrs 30 Mns	1.19 mph
	3,100 ft AEG

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CannondaleKid

This hike was from the Mud Springs TH along FR143 down to the junction with Cane Springs Trail (also the upper point of the Soldier Camp/Cane Springs Loop hike I did Oct. 14) and back.

The mileage on this trail was somewhat of a question. The Guide to Hiking Arizona'a Superstitions and Mazatzals said 3.8 miles one way, giving a total of 7.6. My GPS and The Cannondale Kid's GPs both said 8.9 miles. When I downloaded the track to my Delorme program, is said 8.12. Since we had 2 GPS's giving the 8.9 reading, and since it felt more like 8.9, that's what I'm going with.

The first mile of this is pretty easy to follow, but steep. after that, you come to a very steep ravine and the trail seems to fade away. From there you're not far from Big Saddle, and its not too bad of a bushwhack up to there, but very steep and crumbly.

Coming down, its all grassland and very wide open view-wise, but the catclaw keeps creeping in when you dont expect it. The trail is very faint and hard to follow, and in many sections even non-existent. We ended up bushwhacking down the middle of a steep and crumbly ravine, only to spot the cairns at the bottom seeing that we should have taken the top of the eastern ridge.

The trail just before Soldier Camp becomes visible from a distance, but then its a little tricky finding it up over the bank out of the wash. Having the waypoints set on my GPS was critical to know where to look for it here.

After going over the bank, the downhill into the next ravine was another portion of non-existent trail (we never found it either way) with even more catclaw. There was one more wash to cross and hill to climb, but after the second descent, the trail was very easy to follow. The junction to Cane Springs Trail is just over the second hill.

Going back up to Big Saddle was somewhat grueling. Route finding and concentration was very necessary both ways, and I was somewhat feeling under the weather. My wife said she and the kids both had some mild diarrhea, so I was wondering if I had a big of the bug. This took much longer than I expected to complete, both because of my sluggishness and the condition of the trail.

The section past Big Saddle to the steep ravine was another spot where finding the trail was impossible going the other direction. Its seems to disappear from that ravine to Big Saddle. its not a big distance, but the steepness and crumbly slopes make it kind of interesting.

And, to top it all off, you CAN get a strong cell signal at Mud Springs TH. Who'da thunk?

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Nov 23 2007

CannondaleKid

Guides 44
Routes 162
Photos 24,784
Triplogs 2,417

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ