Hidden Valley Loop - Superstitions • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 14 2023
		pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,290

Hiking	14.60 Miles	4,252 AEG

Hiking	14.60 Miles	7 Hrs 24 Mns	2.18 mph
	4,252 ft AEG	43 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

A 3.7 star route (I guess four if you round up). It's a stretch to claim this is the best route in the Supes. Minus one star for the obscene number of cairns that were on the Ely-Anderson section. Totally unnecessary. Another minus 0.3 stars because of all the trash I carried out of there (ref. pic). Whoever left that rope near the waterfall, you're lame! Please stop climbing, you're no good at it. Highlights were the nice summits (including 3999') and the bouldery canyon at the north end of the off-trail section (going CCW). The Peralta road was being worked today. Smooth as a baby's butt! Except once within the NF.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trash Hauled Out

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Buzzards Roost Miners Needle

7 archives

Nov 27 2021

ScottHika

Guides 2
Routes 31
Photos 902
Triplogs 50

male

Joined Sep 19 2020
Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 27 2021
		ScottHika • Triplogs 50

Hiking	16.53 Miles	4,372 AEG

Hiking	16.53 Miles
	4,372 ft AEG

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[ checklist ] Bluff Spring Bluff Spring Mountain Canyon Bluff Spring Mountain Spring Weavers Needle

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The word epic is overused but this one was certainly memorable. TA and I prepared for a Bluff Springs Hidden Valley excursion. We were greeted on Peralta by a squadron of paramotor gliders. They were at times hovering just above the cars. I’m pretty sure motorized vehicles are illegal in the Wilderness Area, but it was kind of cool. You could actually really explore the currently unavailable places, do circles around Weavers Needle, etc. Temps were in the 60s and Peralta was about ¾ at 8:00am with two rangers.

We headed off on Bluff 235 up cardiac hill. The wind had been a factor last week but had somewhat subsided. Tim wanted to take another look at the cliff band above Bluff Spring so we headed in that direction. Just off trail we ran right into a new thing, an Alpaca camp! It was unexpected and interesting at the same time. I saw 3 maybe 4 beasts, striking figures really. Nobody was there so we didn’t enter the camp. I got more pics of the modern water setup at the spring. Someone shortened the old metal pipe (again) and refitted it to drain through a rubber hose.

Heading up to the cliff wall, we checked out a few of the alcoves. The closest one has a small setup but none of the others were more than animal dens. After a few hundred feet we lost interest and headed back down past the camp. Next stop, Ely-Anderson up to the plateau. I’ve never been impressed by the “rock wall” or imagined it to be any sort of defensive structure. Both TA and I have been at the summit a number of times so skipped it and chose a path straight (more or less) down the center of Hidden Valley.

Woodbury burned off a lot of the brush but there is still what I call ankle-rakers. This is the really low red colored catclaw that you cannot see but constantly grabs at your lower legs. Of course this was a day for leg protection and not short pants, so no worries. Tim thinks that there are stone markers up there, but that they have been defaced to hide the messages. We bypassed Al Reser’s camp but did look for and find other signs of human activity. We cruised down to the spring. No water in the pool and no apparent flow at the source. It was a slow damp seep perhaps, but that was it. I located the survey stake at the GPS coordinates, but it’s above where any water would be flowing.

We grabbed a bite and joked a bit, which we would later need as the fun began to decline. The channel was a bit choked but passable. Larger deeper pools appeared as we approached the waterfall. Neither of us has been all the way to the fall and down before. Getting down was to be a reality check. Tim thought that the best way would be to skirt the narrow ledge just left of the fall. I trust Tim. We've been friends 40 years and used to run marathons together. I stepped onto the ledge... Looking back, I don’t think I would risk the exposure again. I just don’t need that heart racing realization that sudden death is a foot away. We climbed around and down the left side. There are several completely trashed ropes that nobody in their right mind would use, so we just climbed down without.

It’s a relief but literally a jungle at the base. Lots of vines, trees, bushes and dead debris to block the way. Had to break a lot of dead branches to get through. The entire channel is a big boulder torture chamber. Constant climbing and traps took all the fun out of it. River rocks are slick rocks so extra care was needed to navigate the monster boulders. Eventually the elevation dropped and the drainage cleared. We were soon near Marsh Valley on familiar trails. As last days sunlight shone up Weavers Needle, we whipped out the lamps and then took Terrapin to Bluff Spring and back.

This hike was straight hard. Please feel free to check out the route as we dropped down Bluff Spring Mountain at the fall, however I don’t recommend that anybody use it. There are probably better safer passages through the area. The photoset tells the story. On this day as usual I missed a lot of wildlife. Not fast enough with the camera. I did see several deer, Harris hawks, a field mouse, bees at the spring, albino frogs and dragon flies at the pools, and a whole lot of spiders blocking the channel in the rocks below the fall (tasted a few webs as well). Sometimes I wonder about things like how do water frogs get into isolated pools at the top of a mountain?

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Desert Broom Golden Flowered Agave Sotol

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite Paraglider

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Spring - Color Foliage

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Moderate wildflowers still although more prolific in drainage channels only now.

	Barks Canyon	Dry	Dry

	Bluff Spring Mountain Canyon	Dry	Dry

	Bluff Spring Mountain Spring	Dry	Dry

11 archives

Nov 23 2019

wallyfrack

Routes 93
Photos 7,758
Triplogs 1,691

64 male

Joined Mar 11 2003
AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 23 2019
		wallyfrack • Triplogs 1,691

Hiking	11.45 Miles	3,017 AEG

Hiking	11.45 Miles	5 Hrs 40 Mns	2.02 mph
	3,017 ft AEG

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A trip up on Bluff Spring Mountain to avoid the crowd. The plan worked and I had the place to myself if you don't count trail cams. I considered going to the end but turned back just past the dam after the brush got thick. Water was flowing so the normal bypass down the center wasn't an option. The weather was perfect.

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4 archives

Jan 28 2017

jacobemerick

Guides 38
Routes 182
Photos 1,602
Triplogs 232

40 male

Joined Dec 09 2014
Gilbert, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 28 2017
		jacobemerick • Triplogs 232

Hiking	15.60 Miles	4,760 AEG

Hiking	15.60 Miles	12 Hrs	1.56 mph
	4,760 ft AEG	2 Hrs Break

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[ checklist ] Massacre Falls - at Massacre Grounds

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Spoiler: this is probably the best day hike in the Supes I've been on. Period.

Started early (5AM) from Peralta. A dozen cars already in parking lot, must be a lot of campers out there this weekend. Cold breeze all morning long. Dodged ice, especially on Ely-Anderson. Ely-Anderson was a bit tough to navigate in the dark, but predawn light helped about halfway up. Barely made it to the summit before sunrise and shivered through some photos and quick peak log signing. Then it was down to the main attraction: Hidden Valley.

Dropped down the west canyon instead of heading out on 4041 in an effort to get out of that darn cold wind sooner. Found Al Reser's camp easy enough, couldn't find the chair though. Checked out the view from eastern side, thought briefly about following the eastern ridgeline for a bit and it looked a bit too hairy to tackle solo. Seems doable, just hairy. Backtracked instead and then went up to western side. Carlson/Stewart talked about walking below 3999, following the ridge northward, and this turned out to be totally easy. Plus I found an old horse path (with a horse shoe to prove that it was a horse path) to boot. Also found a few mining claims on this side, and maybe other mining stuffs. Maybe. On the north side of 3999 was an AMAZING viewpoint of down into Hidden Valley, plus Malapais/Four Peaks/Tortilla Peak/Music Mountain/etc. Hung out there for a long time drooling over the view. Then back to the descent to the NW edge of Bluff Springs, which ended up getting tougher near the end.

Original plan was to drop down either north exit or the northeast exit. Neither of these looked fun, so I dropped down west of the waterfall instead. It was stupid scary on the first time, especially with wet/icy rock face, and I don't think I'll do it again alone. Good angle of the falls, tho. Legs were shaky so it seemed like a good time to stop for lunch at the base of some of the falls. Salami and crackers taste so much better when you're getting misted by fresh water. Then it was time for a completely terrible bushwhack down the creek to Little Bull Pass and a straightforward, if exhausting, climb up Terrapin.

Only bumped into two hikers and a trail crew all day. Surprising, especially with the 6+ pages that were filled out at the trailhead sign-in. Got chatty with the hikers (one knew a lot about Magill) and burned a bit more daylight than expected.

Even though I barely hiked Hidden Valley proper, only following the creeks to Al Reser's camp, this area was utterly enchanting. Once you drop below 4041 it feels like a totally different world. Could definitely waste a good weekend/week just playing around on the surrounding peaks and hiking up and down along the creek. A return trip is already high on the list.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Barks Canyon

Heavy flow

Bluff Spring Mountain Canyon

Heavy flow

Bluff Spring Mountain Spring

Gallon per minute

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Jan 16 2016

rayhuston

Guides 1
Routes 447
Photos 4,407
Triplogs 938

68 male

Joined Mar 09 2012
Gilbert, AZ

Bluff Springs Mountain, AZ

Hiking		Jan 16 2016
		rayhuston • Triplogs 938

Hiking	11.89 Miles	3,122 AEG

Hiking	11.89 Miles	7 Hrs 4 Mns	1.87 mph
	3,122 ft AEG	43 Mns Break

no routes

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Mormon Trail - South Mountain

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Just before I left work on Friday, I told a coworker that I was going hiking in a valley on top of a mountain. He nodded, then did a "Wait, what?!" I hiked up here once before, but it was overcast and very windy that day. The weather was expected to be much more accommodating today. I had high hopes for a great all day adventure, until my wife told me were meeting friends for an early dinner. I shortened the hike to an out and back to the location of the old Al Reser camp. That turned out to be good enough.

Before going up the mountain on Ely-Anderson, I decided to go to Bluff Spring to check flows. Oddly enough, it was just a trickle when water was plentiful in every creek I passed today. Once on the mountain, I didn't look for routes. I pretty much knew where I was going based on landmarks, so I just picked my poison out and back. I went first to topo point 4041 for a view down into the valley, then continued north from there, angling towards the point where the canyon narrows, eventually arriving at the approximate location of Al Reser's camp.

I took a break there and contemplated a different route back, heading SW towards the summit following a route that other HAZers have taken. That was not the best choice for me. It was a long, uphill bushwhack that wore me out and used up more time than I had budgeted. At the point where I needed to take a steeper angle to reach the summit, I decided to stay on a line towards the saddle and make my way back to the Ely-Anderson trail. Time to end this hike.

The hike out to Reser's camp was enjoyable. The bushwhack out of the valley was difficult and made the rest of the hike somewhat less enjoyable. I do want to come back for more of Hidden Valley when I have time and the days are a little longer.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bluff Spring Bluff Spring Mountain

Barks Canyon

Light flow

Bluff Spring

Quart per minute

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3 archives

Nov 03 2013

WildwoodBob

Routes 3
Photos 14
Triplogs 8

69 male

Joined Apr 04 2013
Chandler, AZ

Mormon Trail - Hidden Valley Loop, AZ

Hiking		Nov 03 2013
		WildwoodBob • Triplogs 8

Hiking	4.32 Miles	1,104 AEG

Hiking	4.32 Miles	2 Hrs 39 Mns	1.86 mph
	1,104 ft AEG	20 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

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National Trail - South Mountain

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Oct 27 2012

Tough_Boots

Routes 67
Photos 2,708
Triplogs 755

89 male

Joined Mar 28 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Bluff Spr Mtn & Hidden Valley, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2012
		Tough_Boots • Triplogs 755

Hiking	14.10 Miles	4,150 AEG

Hiking	14.10 Miles
	4,150 ft AEG

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John9L

Took pretty much the same route as last time except John came along!

We made the Bluff Spring Mtn summit pretty easily. There are great views up there. Then we bushwacked down to Hidden Valley and on to the the waterfall at the end. It wasn't flowing but there was a huge pool of water and some other smaller filterable pools along the way. Hidden Valley is just as beautiful and challenging as ever. We saw deer in Hidden Valley and along the Bluff Springs trail. I've done Hidden Valley three times now and have seen deer every time. Also, if you're afraid of bees-- don't do this right now. You will hike through swarms and swarms. They are not aggressive, though-- no stings!

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Oct 27 2012

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

male

Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2012
		John9L • Triplogs 1,647

Hiking	14.15 Miles	3,652 AEG

Hiking	14.15 Miles
	3,652 ft AEG

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Tough_Boots

Kyle wanted to get back out to Hidden Valley and I was happy to join him. This would be my first trip to Bluff Springs Mountain & Hidden Valley.

We started our hike around 8am and cruised up Bluff Springs Trail. We found ourselves at the Ely Anderson trail and started making our way up. This is a good route and the trail is fairly easy to follow. After some effort we reached the rock wall and then things leveled off. From here we hiked cross country towards Bluff Springs Mountain Summit. The cactus and shrubbery were piercing directly through my shoes. I decided I'm getting a good pair of boots!

Reaching the summit was fairly easy. We found Tortise Hiker in the summit register. After that we bushwhacked down into Hidden Valley. Some of it was a pain but we made it down relatively quickly. Once in Hidden Valley we picked up the wash and followed that north. The going was slow and difficult at times as we made our way down the wash. After considerable effort we reached the waterfall at the end. It was lunch time!

After eating we started the return hike. I was surprised at how quickly we made our way back. Your speed is limited because you need to do lots of scrambling and your constantly avoiding trees and shrubbery. Being that it was our second time through, we had a good feel for the path of least resistance. We got back to the folding chair and continued south. We took an alternate route up and out of the valley. It was more direct and we even found a cairned route that returned us right to the Ely Anderson trail. From there it was a fairly quick return to the car at Peralta.

This is a solid yet difficult hike. All the bush whacking makes things difficult. You will definitely use all your route finding skills as well. I also would have liked to have another liter of water. I started with 4.5 liters. Give this route a try if your up for a serious challenge and want to visit an area few see. We did not see a soul once we got away from the trailhead.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bluff Spring Mountain Malapais Mountain

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1 archive

Apr 15 2012

WilliamnWendi

Guides 2
Routes 58
Photos 1,254
Triplogs 221

52 male

Joined Dec 26 2009
Phoenix, Az

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 15 2012
		WilliamnWendi • Triplogs 221

Hiking	17.00 Miles	4,000 AEG

Hiking	17.00 Miles	8 Hrs 30 Mns	2.43 mph
	4,000 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break

no routes

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Hoping that the Supes got all the rain that we didn't get in our area we headed out early primed to hit the trails at 8:00 but we lost a 1/2 to a wreck that closed down the 101's off ramp to the 60. That and the fact that we probably should have left an hour earlier left us not finishing what was supposed to be the out and back version of this hike. We did make it the top of the highest ridge on the east side of the Hidden Valley and had great view overlooking it and the surrounding area. From here we surprised 2 whitetail on the bench just 20' below. They must of thought they were running from a rifle because we watched them run down our slope, 1/2 way up the next hill crossing over to the next mountain and around that. I would guess at least a mile before they were completely out of sight. Never could get them in the viewfinder long enough to get in them in focus so I gave up.

We also sighted a new bird, mostly yellow with black here and there, probably the size of cardinal. Had a strange arch in the way it flew. Kind of three thrusts of the wing into a 20'ft long arch, repeating this as it flew around. We also witnessed two small birds and a chipmunk having a disagreement over what was must be a prime piece of real estate, the birds one so I managed to get a picture of them sunning on their hard won rock.

Met up with a family as we headed back, just as we were about to ascend out of Barks Canyon. The dad wanted to know how far it was to Weaver's Needle. This concerned me because of the time which was 4:00 pm, the mother was hand carrying at most 2 month old baby, and they didn't necessarily look prepared to hike out at night. I told them it was my best guess that it was at least 3 miles, but that I had never hiked the Terrapin. I used my best "Don't do it" voice. The dad seemed determined though, so I was happy to see them coming down Heart-attack from the parking lot.

The Supes by the way looked pretty dry, by the way. I am not sure who got the rain that was predicted.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dudleya

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The Tree of Understanding, dazzling, straight, and simple, sprouts by the spring called Now I Get It. - Wislawa Szymborska, "Utopia"

Feb 18 2012

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

BTM BSM Hidden Valley Loop Hell, AZ

Hiking		Feb 18 2012
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	24.00 Miles	4,600 AEG

Hiking	24.00 Miles	14 Hrs 13 Mns		2.17 mph
	4,600 ft AEG	3 Hrs 8 Mns Break	18 LBS Pack

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9 linked trail guides

Black Top Mesa

Charlebois from First Water TH

Bluff Spring Mtn Loop via Dutchman

Lost Black Top Mesa Trail

Parker Pass

Bull Pass Trail #129

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joebartels

This was supposed to be an easy day with only 22 miles, well groomed trails, and gentle ups and downs in preparation for a longer one next week. I put together a Supes loop which would also get us up by Charlebois again, to find the Master Map of the Supes that we failed to find last week. Joe was in, but asked to add a little 2 mile round trip, an exploratory mission. Not one to pass up a bit of adventure, I said sure, without really looking at it. (Not that that would have changed things)

We started out at the First Water TH at first light, knowing that this week we'd be back before dark. We knew that the "itching with a B and Moaning" would probably be at an all time high on this hike, since, between the two of us, we were running on a total of 3 hours sleep. We passed a few groups of Back Packers on our way to our first stop on top of Black Top Mesa. The views were just gorgeous up there. We spent a little time searching the South end of the Mesa for the petroglyphs. We found a Sun, Snake, a couple of names from the early 1900's, and some pictures we could not Id.

Next, we were off for our little 2 mile detour. The first mistake we made was to get on the Lost Black Top Mesa Trail (Thanks nonot fo the description) instead of getting on the continuation of Bull Pass. This actually was a pretty nice trail that got us to our "Side Trip" quicker. On the way, I saw off in the distance what looked to be part of an old rusty car. As we got closer, it was actually a dead horse. It didn't look like it'd been there all to long

So now we start our "Side Trip". The mission, enter the drainage at the North end of Bluff Mountain, climb to the base of the Water Falls, find the ropes, climb said ropes to the top of the Mountain, go over to the top of the falls, take a few pictures, and return. On the Map, about a mile one way and 700' in elevation change. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to make it to the falls. :tt:

We ate our lunch here and both decided we did not want to go back down what we'd just come up. so now it's time for a change in hike plans. We ended up hiking to the other end of Bluff Mountain (The opposite direction of our TH) and met back up with the Dutchman at the Ely-Anderson intersection.

From here it was the Dutchman, off past Charlebois (With a stop, finding the Master Map!!), and back to where we'd started our "Side Trip" some 12 miles and almost 9 hours previous at Bluff Pass.

At this point it was time to just get his friggin' hike done. We marched at Zombie warp speed and made it back to the truck just a few minutes short of 9pm.

The hike looked very little like what was planned, but as always with Joe Joe, and adventure.

Thanks Joe for...........

Wildflowers Observation Light

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Feb 18 2012

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

BTM BSM Hidden Valley Loop Hell, AZ

Hiking		Feb 18 2012
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	24.00 Miles	4,600 AEG

Hiking	24.00 Miles	14 Hrs 16 Mns		2.16 mph
	4,600 ft AEG	3 Hrs 8 Mns Break	19 LBS Pack

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8 linked trail guides

Lost Black Top Mesa Trail

Parker Pass

Bull Pass Trail #129

Bluff Spring Mtn Loop via Dutchman

Charlebois from First Water TH

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partners

The_Eagle

24 mile hike shocks and destroys weak ego

6:40am - head to Black Top Mesa (BTM)
9:30am - Bruce found sunburst and oro on BTM
10:30am - off trail to summit BSM Aguafall
12:20pm - ropes
12:50pm - BSM Aguafall
3:26pm - crest high point before heading down Ely-Anderson
4:10pm - halfway point - finish EA, chat with scout troop that cached water in cactus
5:30pm - Master Map found after 8-9 attempts
7:00pm - Bull Pass - no headlamp - luckily Bruce lent me keychain led powered by watch battery
7:54pm - Parker Pass - hallucinations
8:56pm - hike over, full body pain

lessons learned: unknown

Wildflowers Observation Light

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- joe

Feb 12 2012

johnlp

Guides 1
Routes 14
Photos 7,202
Triplogs 5,208

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2012
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Hiking	13.83 Miles	3,869 AEG

Hiking	13.83 Miles	8 Hrs	1.73 mph
	3,869 ft AEG

no routes

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HAZ - Event

	Dave1	joebartels
	RaRoc	Tough_Boots
	wallyfrack

Had the pleasure of hiking with two HAZers RachelT and Dave1 whom I hadn't hiked with before. Nice meeting both of you. The hike up to Bluff Springs Mountain was nice. The bushwhacking/boulder hopping began thereafter. Once we reached Hidden Valley and the waterfall, we had lunch and decided to check out "the rope". Oddly enough, only Dave and I actually looked at bypassing the falls where the rope is located. Everyone else decided to go back the way we came in. The down climb wasn't as bad as it looked from the falls. It can be done without the aid of a rope. After reaching the creek bed again, Dave and I had another stretch of navigating the steep wash full of huge boulders. Soon we reached the Dutchman trail and took it to the Terrapin, up the steep grade and down to the intersection with the Bluff Springs trail. Dave and I had to race with Wally and Joe to see who could get there first! All four of us hiked back together to the Peralta trailhead. I was forced to lead so I put it into Wally mode and set a quick pace. We passed by two groups on the way back. The first group laughed at us and told us we were going too slow, pick up the pace. The second group said, you sure are going fast. I said, they are chasing us! They replied, I don't think they'll catch you! Fun hike with a fun group. Thanks all. Thanks Kyle for setting this one up.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black Mountain Malapais Mountain

Wildflowers Observation Light

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“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

Feb 12 2012

Dave1

Routes 29
Photos 1,548
Triplogs 1,802

49 male

Joined Jan 25 2009
Phoenix, AZ

BSM Hidden Valley Waterfall - Out-n-Back, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2012
		Dave1 • Triplogs 1,802

Hiking	13.83 Miles	3,869 AEG

Hiking	13.83 Miles	8 Hrs 1 Min	2.27 mph
	3,869 ft AEG	1 Hour 56 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

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HAZ - Group

	joebartels	johnlp
	RaRoc	Tough_Boots
	wallyfrack

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

Feb 12 2012

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

BSM Hidden Valley Waterfall - Out-n-Back, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2012
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	13.90 Miles	3,800 AEG

Hiking	13.90 Miles	8 Hrs 1 Min		2.28 mph
	3,800 ft AEG	1 Hour 56 Mns Break	16 LBS Pack

no photosets

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HAZ - Group

	Dave1	johnlp
	RaRoc	Tough_Boots
	wallyfrack

Tagged onto Kyle's hike at the last opportunity. I was weary of my condition yesterday then started feeling great.

The hike up Ely-Anderson in the morning light was awesome. The sun was lighting up the lichen-covered path most of the way up. On a previous BSM summit, I ascended almost a half mile west. The group ascended quicker than I was anticipating yet I held on.

Up top, we headed over and nabbed 4152. The weather was nice and cool for our ascent all the way without being cold. After a break, we headed north and down the ridge. This was to avoid thickets of catclaw according to the boy wonder. After a short 600ft follow-of-the-ridge it was off and straight down into the valley below to the right/east. The descent had Mother Lode moves on the top and turned into a chaparral maze further down.

We cruised the creek down to the waterfall drop-off on the north-northwest end. The second spectacular moment occurred in this stretch. The views down canyon across terraced pools with Malapais standing proud in the distance were five star.

At the drop-off waterfall dead end we took in the awesome balcony views. We lunched and then contemplated our options. The boy wonder and the number one stunner hit a down climb that was reported to be anywhere from 6 to 100 feet. The sane opted for a retrace and some extra elevation. Not wanting to rush Kyle and Rachel we thanked them for this sweet hike then parted ways.

Wally torqued the pace and I was praying while trying to hold tempo. What I "thought" would take much longer to return back "up" netted a little more than the descent with a direct route. Along the way, we found "the chair", rejoiced, and moved on. We lucked out and found a cairned route too. Looking at my nonot route layer I confirmed we were on a Kanode line-of-travel for a stretch.

All ready to rejoice at the top I found out the ceremony was canceled. Jonny Mogul Moseley was determined to teach me the "Diner Roll" among other lichen ridge moves. Down and back on the 235, I was happy to be traveling a flat maintained trail. Near the Terrapin junction, Wally spotted the twin thin mints. A childhood flashback to being a young boy consumed Wally as he flipped on the sprint switch as I've never seen. After a short ten-second dual it turned out our route was 4 seconds longer...lol

On route back to the trailhead I was out of my class. The final mile went down in about ten minutes flat. My body doesn't know that song so I let my conscious go and used the force instead to barely hang on to the tail of the jet pack.

Thanks to Kyle for putting this one together and thanks to Wally for driving. I had a great time throughout. It was great to see everyone which is the main reason I wanted to go.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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- joe

Feb 12 2012

RaRoc

Guides 1
Routes 1
Photos 116
Triplogs 79

41 female

Joined Apr 24 2010
Eugene, OR

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2012
		RaRoc • Triplogs 79

Hiking	14.00 Miles	4,061 AEG

Hiking	14.00 Miles
	4,061 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

	Dave1	joebartels
	johnlp	Tough_Boots
	wallyfrack

Tagged along with the HAZ crew for this lovely hike. Someday, I swear, I won't be the slowest! I'd done Hidden Valley before, and last time wasn't anticipating the drop at the end. I couldn't stand the thought that this beautiful valley had beaten me, so I decided to go back. I really enjoyed seeing everybody, a mule deer, and my first gila monster!

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Feb 12 2012

wallyfrack

Routes 93
Photos 7,758
Triplogs 1,691

64 male

Joined Mar 11 2003
AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2012
		wallyfrack • Triplogs 1,691

Hiking	13.90 Miles	3,823 AEG

Hiking	13.90 Miles	7 Hrs 58 Mns	1.74 mph
	3,823 ft AEG

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none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

HAZ - Event

	Dave1	joebartels
	johnlp	RaRoc
	Tough_Boots

I've been meaning to get back on Bluff Spring Mountain to tour Hidden Valley so when Kyle posted the hike the door was open. We met at the Peralta TH at 6a and started hiking by the moonlight. Yes we had headlamps but soon realized it was easy to hike without them. The pace was good and soon enough we were looking for the Ely-Anderson trail. The Ely-Anderson was easy to follow but we rested a few times to keep the group together. Once on the top we saw the old rock wall that I seemed to always pass by without noticing. The group decided to go up to Bluff Spring Summit first and we took a short break to take in the views. Next we went north on the ridge to a saddle and hiked down into Hidden Valley. The brush is thick in spots but we avoided it by sticking to the wash bed. We saw the old stone wall(dam?) across the wash on the way in stop there to check it out. At about 10:30a we were at the waterfall at the north end. We took turns looking over the edge and at the view of Malapais Mtn and Four Peaks. we stopped to eat and about 11a Dave & John decided to take Dave's bail route around the waterfall. Joe, Kyle Rachel and I really wanted to see the chair we missed on the way in and decided to return via Hidden Valley. Joe and I were moving a good pace and we waited for the others and asked if they wanted us to wait or keep going. Kyle and Rachel set us free and we said our good byes and moved on. We made good time on the Hidden Valley exit even though it was uphill. We found the coveted chair and even found a water cache left by the boy scouts on the way back. Once back on Bluff Spring trail we wondered how far ahead Dave & John were by now. About 200 feet from the Terrapin/Bluff Spring intersection we saw them and immediately started racing to the sign post like it was the finish line. The four of us hiked out from there but John was setting the pace so we got back to the TH in about 45 minutes finishing just after 2p. :sweat:

Thanks for setting this up Kyle.

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2 archives

Feb 12 2012

Tough_Boots

Routes 67
Photos 2,708
Triplogs 755

89 male

Joined Mar 28 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2012
		Tough_Boots • Triplogs 755

Hiking	14.00 Miles	4,062 AEG

Hiking	14.00 Miles
	4,062 ft AEG

Linked

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Partners

partners

HAZ - Event

	Dave1	joebartels
	johnlp	RaRoc
	wallyfrack

This turned out to be a great hike. We started just after 6am and quickly made it to the Ely Anderson trail. From there we decided to hit the Bluff Spring Mountain summit and then descend into Hidden Valley from there. The route we took down from Bluff Spring Mtn was a little hairy but not too bad. We made it to Hidden Valley and scrambled all the way to the end. At that point, the return route was to be decided. Dave wanted to try his rotten piece of rope out there again and John seemed to be game. The rest of us were not into that idea so we backtracked until we could pop out of Hidden Valley and traverse off-trail to the Ely Anderson. Joe and Wally are insanely fast and they took off ahead after saying their goodbyes. Rachel and I took our time and made it out. Rachel even made friends with a gila monster on the way. We made it back to the trailhead at 3:45. We figured we made pretty good time considering the last time we did Hidden Valley we didn't finish until 9pm and we added a summit this time

It was awesome hiking with everyone again!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gila Monster

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Feb 14 2011

Dave1

Routes 29
Photos 1,548
Triplogs 1,802

49 male

Joined Jan 25 2009
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 14 2011
		Dave1 • Triplogs 1,802

Hiking	16.90 Miles	4,964 AEG

Hiking	16.90 Miles	7 Hrs	2.41 mph
	4,964 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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Peralta Trail #102

Partners

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From the Ely Anderson trail, went up to Bluff Spring Mountain and then followed Hidden Valley Creek down to the big waterfall. I didn't do much research before attempting this hike and so was not expecting to run into a big drop-off! Not wanting to go back up the creek or risk getting cliffed-out on another unknown route, I climbed up through a crevice on creek-left to get above and ahead of the waterfall for a better look. I found a bypass route where someone had left a couple of old ropes. There was a short but sketchy down climb using the old ropes and a few more downclimbs to get back into the creek. (I would not recommend using these ropes. Both were dry and stiff and one was actually more like a clothes line rope.) And then more boulder hoping and short down climbs until Dutchman Trail. Took Dutchman to Peralta Trail back to the parking lot, passing by the Weave. Hidden Valley creek is pretty neat, lots of mini boulder caves...

3 liters

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Feb 07 2011

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 07 2011
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Hiking	14.22 Miles	4,056 AEG

Hiking	14.22 Miles
	4,056 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

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Partners

partners

TUB - Group

GrottoGirl

Great overnight backpack to Hidden Valley. In and out via Ely-Anderson. Scrambled up to Bluff springs mountain from the west. Awesome ridgeline scramble to the top!

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Feb 05 2011

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Feb 05 2011
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Backpack	14.22 Miles	4,056 AEG

Backpack	14.22 Miles	2 Days
	4,056 ft AEG

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