Mingus Inner Maze Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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joebartels

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

Looking for a hike, I checked around the state for the best chance of staying dry. The rain point forecast for all the usual suspects with palatable temps showed a minimum of a 40% chance. I thought I'd try something different and consult AI. I asked for the section in AZ with the least chance for rain through early afternoon. The answer was Prescott. So, off to Mingus.

An ominous start, with rain, thunder, and lightning on the drive up. It stopped once we hit Mayer.

Mescal Trail #547
(8:30 a.m. start, 68 degrees, and a light rain)

North Mingus Trail #105
This trail is starting to close in in spots, but it's probably my favorite part of the hike. We climbed through pristine stands of pines, oaks, and maples to the saddle at the 105/105A intersection. The rain continued.

Mingus Trail #105A
Going clockwise, I'd forgotten how much downhill there was. We lost elevation that would need to be regained. We passed some pretty areas before getting to the 106 intersection. The rain continued, and the temperature was 65 degrees.

View Point Trail #106
This trail rollercoasters over to the steepish climb to the rim. The temperature dropped to 61 degrees, and the rain continued.

North Mingus Trail #105
Back on this for the trip across the top of Mingus. Part way down, the rain stopped, and we had some lunch. It was 68 degrees and chilly. I checked the radar, and it looked like the rain could be over. Twenty minutes later, the umbrellas were up again. The hardest rain of the day hit for about 10 minutes and then backed off to sprinkles.

Bug Hollow Trail #548
The 400-foot climb up to the use trail always gets the heart pumping. Where this ends, a use trail begins. The use trail terminates into the Bug Hollow Trail. This trends down, back to the Mescal Trail. (rain...uh yep)

Mescal Trail #547
This section is also a favorite and took me back to the car

The theme of the day was rain—mainly light, with only one hard downpour, but the umbrella was in hand most of the day. I'm not complaining, but bragging. The temperature never even hit 70 degrees all day. For August, that's pretty much unheard of.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Deers Ears

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Crepuscular rays

Autumn Foliage Observation None
Unexplained oak and maple leaves brown. Both off the trees and on the ground

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

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

Jun 12 2024

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Mingus Oaks and Butterfly with Gaddes, AZ

Hiking		Jun 12 2024
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	18.69 Miles	3,302 AEG

Hiking	18.69 Miles	8 Hrs 37 Mns		2.61 mph
	3,302 ft AEG	1 Hour 27 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

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10 linked trail guides

Middle Trail #537

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joebartels

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

Joe's week to pick and with the temps soaring, the choices were getting slimmer. Wally had a last-minute charging problem and bailed. After discounting Lion Peak, we settled on this loop that we've done many variations of over the years (usually in the fall for the colors). I like this figure 8 loop because the loops are divided almost in half. Parking the vehicle at the crossover spot allows you to carry half the water, leaving the remainder as well as your lunch in a cooler, with available picnic tables, restrooms, etc.

We opted to hit up the northern part of the loop first. Nice cool temps heading down the North Mingus Trail #105. The trail is loaded with oaks and maples which are beginning to encroach on the trail in many places. Good views to the north of Bill Williams, Sitgreaves, Kendrick, and the SF Peaks. To the west, the nearby Woodchute.

We've been using a steep 2-track, that turns into a pleasant non-official trail, short cutting to Bug Hollow #548. We wound our way over to our short road walk (now paved) to the Butterfly Trail. The water behind the dam was surprisingly full.

All this led to our vehicle, lunch, and a fluid refill.

The Trail #108 is my least favorite trail out here but necessary to complete the loop. It's rocky and hot, being exposed. It does afford some good views, but you must stop hiking to take them in. At this point, the JBM was in the yellow, fast approaching the red. I could hardly wait for the climb up Gaddes Canyon.

The Gaddes 2 and Gaddes Trails are pretty trails that climb 3.5 miles and 1300' back to our starting point. It's mostly under tree cover, helping with the heat approaching the mid-80s. The new problem this year seems to be the addition of quite a bit of PI. Not a moment too soon, we made it back to the car. Joe's meter had pegged and broken.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dam - Rock

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Butterfly Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Running and the water behind the dam was close to full

Mingus Lake

76-100% full

_____________________

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

Oct 17 2020

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

North Mingus Loop, AZ

Hiking		Oct 17 2020
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	12.21 Miles	2,550 AEG

Hiking	12.21 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	2.47 mph
	2,550 ft AEG	18 Mns Break

no routes

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9 linked trail guides

Middle Trail #537

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John9L

I wasn't up for a full figure 8 and 9L had done the south loop before, so I opted for the north side. We parked at the pass and started on Upper Mescal before heading downhill through the oaks on Bug Hollow. North Mingus took us through a couple of patches of autumn glory before we opted to climb up the ridge in the shade rather than ascending on the exposed view point trail.

Nobody flying today, but I found an old singletrack that heads from the parking area toward the campground. It's a nice alternative to the road. Heading west across a meadow, I encountered another well-manicured trail that hooked up with Gaddes and that took me up to the lookout tower, where we had a nice break. Heading down from the tower, there are quality use trails that lead to the lake and after crossing the road we opted to do a quick cross country jaunt to find the dead end of the Middle Trail before descending on Butterfly. We encountered several old trails with different colored tree markings in the middle earth section of the mountain. It seems like there could be much better maps of all the routes up here.

Besides at the parking spots and lake, only saw two older folks out on the trails. Since it wasn't a super aggressive plan for the day, we got a little later start, and still got home before I-17 got shut down. #winning

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Memorial

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mingus Lake

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

1 archive

Jun 14 2020

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jun 14 2020
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	10.75 Miles	1,892 AEG

Hiking	10.75 Miles	5 Hrs	2.53 mph
	1,892 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

no routes

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Following a night of camping at upper Little Yaeger trailhead, I started hiking from the upper North Mingus trailhead late morning. My first time on this trail in a few years, and everything was looking lush and green. A few new aspens were poking up from the old, dead aspen grove.

The temperature had risen considerably below the Viewpoint junction, where a couple of unseen hikers hooted loudly from the slopes above.

Leaving the shady comfort of the pines, I made a short side trip down to the old Pittsburgh-Jerome Mine, where some remediation work had turned the old mine shaft into a bottomless ventilation/bat portal tube. A rock dropped took 5-6 seconds to hit bottom.

I recalled hiking the unmarked side road on the southeast side of hill 6772 years ago, and thought it might connect with the Bug Hollow Trail. The road didn’t seem to be going the right direction, so I made a moderately bloody bushwhack up the south side of 6772 to access Bug Hollow. Moments later I passed a cairned route heading toward the side road I had been on. Will have to remember that route next time. (Joe, Bruce, is that cairned route the route that you took?)

Bug Hollow and Upper Mescal trails were smooth sailing and a welcome return of pines and shade. I was surprised to see the new 530 Trail, where I stopped for a short lunch break before following it to the highway summit parking area.

Next up was a mile of dust and passing cars while hiking Forest Road 104, and then a return to solitude at Butterfly Spring, where I started east along the ButterflyTrail and Mingus Inner Maze, with their confusing network of mountain-top trails to who-knows-where. A wrong turn here, and some off-trail there dumped me off onto the connector route I remembered, which I followed to the north edge of Mingus Mountain and the North Mingus Trail. A short walk south brought me back to the trailhead and some much anticipated cold water in the ice chest. A bit warm and with less water reserves than I prefer, but all in all a great loop hike. Next stop: Oak Creek.

Water report: Butterfly Spring had about a quart per minute of slimy water flowing. Butterfly tank above had a big pool of stagnant but not too-nasty water.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Apache Plume Beehive Cactus

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

2 archives

Apr 26 2020

LJW

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

Mingus Mountain Figure 8, AZ

Hiking		Apr 26 2020
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	21.07 Miles	3,800 AEG

Hiking	21.07 Miles	6 Hrs 50 Mns	3.33 mph
	3,800 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

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15 linked trail guides

Middle Trail #537

Mingus Mountain Campground

Old Dump Trail #530

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

Trying to find nice mountains for the summer that aren't too far from Phoenix. I'd heard of Mingus before, but not in reference to its hiking trails. Was curious to see what it was all about. I borrowed a figure 8 route a few people have uploaded to this website that seemed to hit just about every trail. What better way to get acquainted with a mountain? I added the highpoint LO and Mingus Lake to sweeten the deal. Parked at the Butterfly trailhead a little before 6am and headed up.

Started on Butterfly and by the time I was at the Middle Trail jct, I realized I had missed the turn north/West Rim. Decided to continue on Middle Trail since it heads more or less the same way. First stop was the hang gliding pad. Took a short break before I had even done any work.

Roadwalk down to Coleman. Wanted to get Coleman/Gaddes done early in the day before it got warm. Coleman was mostly shady and it goes down pretty quick. Another road over to Gaddes2. Shady and cool on the biggest ascent of the day, and water was flowing about half way up. Gaddes reminded me a little of some of the Rim canyons around Payson.

Took the road to the summit/lookout and skipped past it and down the other side through the forest to the lake. Took my only real break of the day. Had the lake to myself. I tried to focus on how nice the bottom half of the 8 was because I had a feeling that descending onto the east side and starting the upper half would be warm and generally not as good as walking through Mingus' crown of pines.

It was warmer, but there were nice views toward Secret Mountain and Humphrey's, and it was a lot clearer than the morning. It was also shadier than expected, and I don't think it was ever above low 80s. Passed one group of hikers all day with 2 miles left, but I lost count of the cars going up and down 104. All the trails were in great shape. Ended up sold on Mingus and with a dozen trails in my back pocket for the future.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Very isolated, lower elevations, a handful on Bug Hollow and Mescal

Quart per minute

76-100% full

76-100% full

Dry

	Mescal Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Pretty much dry

Mingus Lake

76-100% full

3 archives

Apr 13 2017

fricknaley

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ

Mingus the Butterfly & I, AZ

Hiking		Apr 13 2017
		fricknaley • Triplogs 4,124

Hiking	19.46 Miles	4,000 AEG

Hiking	19.46 Miles	6 Hrs 49 Mns		2.88 mph
	4,000 ft AEG	4 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

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JuanJaimeiii

what do you do when life offers you robin eggs? hold your hand out...duh

i unexpectedly got thursday off so i checked the list of hikes i wanted to do and texted Count Tacula, consulted Gumdrop and next thing you know, we had a plan!

great hike in a totally new area to me. i'm sure this hike is awesome in summer and fall and hopefully i will see it during those times too, but i always enjoy spring in the mountains. everything is waking from it's winter slumber and there is such a different feel to it. the early views towards Sedona were cool and the Peaks with snow topping was an awesome sight as well

i enjoyed all the trails, though the final big climb up the Gaddes trails was probably my favorite. great weather and nice to hike with the boys again.

_____________________

hi

Apr 13 2017

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Mingus the Butterfly & I, AZ

Hiking		Apr 13 2017
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	19.46 Miles	4,000 AEG

Hiking	19.46 Miles	6 Hrs 49 Mns	2.88 mph
	4,000 ft AEG	4 Mns Break

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joebartels

Lucky is the day when you get to finally hike with Nick and Joe on the same day. As much as we all love a good outing life (and work) just always seems to interfere. This was my first time doing the loop and I am sure it won't be the last. I am really looking forward to seeing it again with more green on the trees.

The miles seemed to go by quick which usually means I am really enjoying the hike or the company. In this case it was both! Thanks for the suggestion Nick!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Inscriptions

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

Apr 13 2017

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Mingus the Butterfly & I, AZ

Hiking		Apr 13 2017
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	19.46 Miles	4,000 AEG

Hiking	19.46 Miles	6 Hrs 49 Mns		2.88 mph
	4,000 ft AEG	4 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

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fricknaley

JuanJaimeiii

Nick asked if I was interested in one of my favorite hikes. Almost like stopping along the road and asking a stranger if they would be interested in some robbin eggs... duh!

Road gates were locked so we started from the road to Potato Patch Campground. This worked out well as it was a chilly 52 degrees. This allowed us to knock out the low elevation stuff first, which is probably always prefered.

I'm a huge fan of Mingus and all the trails. That said, summer and autumn are best in my opinion. The dominate oaks and accent maples are still in winter mode. Despite being cooler we still felt toasty at times. Everything is relative, when it's 25 degrees warmer in the summer it's still seriously cooler than the Valley!

Pretty quiet on the mountain. Just one elder couple walking the roads up top. They may have got in the back road as that gate was open. Signs were out for fire control crews but we never encountered any. Did spot several new slash piles heading over to upper Coleman Trail #108. It's still brush free. Usually hit it in the beginning of the loop. Noticed after 11 miles on the legs it's a little rockier than memory served.

My fav Gaddes Canyon Two is a tad drab without leaves. Imagine it'll be nice and shady in a few weeks.

I'll probably hold off posting the one photo I took in all the breaks of the day. Nick and I did our best to hold back the hairy beast. Seriously, he needs to go to Mexico pronto to take care of the Kramer Shag!

The boys treated to dinner and somehow I got to pick. Decided to support local with Guido's Pizza in the bustling metro of Dewey AZ! Wiki reports a population of 3,894 in 2014. They were busier with take out than I would have expected for 4-5pm on a Thursday. It won't make any best of lists, hit the spot for hungry hikers!

	Butterfly Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute

	Dry Lake Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full

_____________________

- joe

May 29 2016

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Mingus the Butterfly & I, AZ

Hiking		May 29 2016
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	19.90 Miles	4,200 AEG

Hiking	19.90 Miles	7 Hrs 41 Mns		2.84 mph
	4,200 ft AEG	40 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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With ten minutes to figure out a hike I pulled this up in Route Scout. A personal favorite I designed for Autumn 2013.

Only crossed paths with 1 other hiker on Coleman. Near perfect weather on this fab figure eight loop.

Might be easier to take 89A down to Mescal than short cutting through the locust thickets. Not a scratch and the foxtails are currently friendly, just saying. A little trouble figuring out the trail on Bug Hollow Trail #548 near the 6,600 contour. Over half the ascent is in the last 5 miles. No biggie with the breeze. Took an early and late nap.

Did pass a family taking flowers up to the grave site Bruce visits when we pass the area. Believe they called it the the Indian grave.

carried 4 quarts, about 4 ounces unused

Wildflowers Observation Light
paintbrush, a sprig of lupine, a large field of unknown yellows and another of whites

	Butterfly Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	just a trickle at the pipe under the dam

_____________________

- joe

Jun 28 2015

nonot

Guides 107
Routes 249
Photos 2,067
Triplogs 514

male

Joined Nov 18 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Mingus Exploration Day 2, AZ

Hiking		Jun 28 2015
		nonot • Triplogs 514

Hiking	14.00 Miles	1,200 AEG

Hiking	14.00 Miles
	1,200 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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linked

Mingus Mountain Campground

Gaddes Canyon Trail Two (Old)

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The second day, I resolved to do two things that would allow for more hiking: an early start, and staying at the higher elevations. I accomplished both and had a much better day.

The Mingus fire lookout is accepting visitors and we spent some time talking while I was enjoying the cool breezes you get up in the fire tower.

I watched 2 parasailers and one hang glider take off. Looks fun, but not sure that I'll ever be able to be convinced to do the hang gliding takeoff.

My search for the Mingus View Trail failed completely. There are no signs acknowledging its existence whatsoever. I must have cruised past the turnoff, but it is anybody's guess where it starts.

_____________________

http://hikearizona.com/garmin_maps.php

Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!

2 archives

Mar 28 2015

Hiking_Fool

Routes 11
Photos 260
Triplogs 423

64 male

Joined Mar 12 2011
Cave Creek, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Mar 28 2015
		Hiking_Fool • Triplogs 423

Hiking	5.76 Miles	957 AEG

Hiking	5.76 Miles
	957 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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_____________________

Oct 12 2013

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Mingus Meander - Part Deux, AZ

Hiking		Oct 12 2013
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	19.86 Miles	4,300 AEG

Hiking	19.86 Miles	9 Hrs 46 Mns		2.43 mph
	4,300 ft AEG	1 Hour 35 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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[ checklist ] Agassiz Peak Butterfly Spring Butterfly Tank Doyle Peak Dry Lake Tank Fremont Peak Humphreys Peak Mescal Spring

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joebartels

In search of Red October. :FG:

Because of the idiots in Washington, like the rest of the improved areas in the state, the Mingus area was closed/locked for camping, bathrooms locked, trash cans taken away. Even the $5.00 day use envelopes were taken away, so it's a day of free hiking.

I've been to the Mingus area now 10 or so times times and still can't figure out why this area does not get more hikers. There are trails of all different skill levels, lengths and elevation gains. Temps are always 20 degrees cooler than the valley, and tree cover abounds. Other than Woodchute Mountain, I've seen no more than 4 hikers total.

We parked up top and started hiking to the South into Gaddes Canyon with scattered spots of snow, frost on the ground and 40 degree temps. The canyon is mainly oak and walnut and little color to be found. There was plenty sign of bear, some pretty recent. A pretty trail. A short walk up FR413 and we were on the Colman Trail. It's a short steep climb to some excellent views to the South and then once on top, to the north and east. From my last hike up here I remembered not liking this trail, but I must have misremembered, it's actually quite nice.

Now on top, we stopped back at the truck for a snack and to pick up additional moisture for the remaining 12 miles.

The Butterfly Trail was the next memorable area up there. While no butterfly's were spotted, its a scenic trail in a little canyon with plenty of tree cover, a spring and small tank. After a road walk, we went cross country on a "Faint" trail to get to the scenic Upper Mescal Trail until it met up with the Bug Hollow Trail. Both very pleasant trails.

North Mingus, Mingus and the View Point Trail all connect to take you around the north side of Mingus Mountain and then ultimately climb steeply up the western face back to the parking area.

The first decent color all day was 2/3rds of the way in on the North Mingus Trail and was just a pocket 100 yards or so long. The final color was spotted at the end on the View Point Trail.

People, get out and enjoy this area.......

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bigtooth Maple Pokeweed

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Red-tailed Hawk Tarantula

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Grave - Unidentified HAZ - Hike HAZard

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage Moon

Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Isolated pockets of yellow/red maple. Majority of deciduous makeup is oak in the area. Still a week or two early for the best color

	Butterfly Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Plenty of filterable water all around the spring area.

	Butterfly Tank	51-75% full	51-75% full
	Plenty of filterable water

	Dry Lake Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Lake was close to full

	Gaddes Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Flow is a guess. Spring is fenced in and covered over with a metal cover. Flow can be heard under th cover.

	Mescal Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Lush green and damp

	Mingus Lake	51-75% full	51-75% full
	plenty od muddy water

_____________________

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

Oct 12 2013

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Mingus Meander - Part Deux, AZ

Hiking		Oct 12 2013
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	19.40 Miles	4,200 AEG

Hiking	19.40 Miles	9 Hrs 45 Mns		2.22 mph
	4,200 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	20 LBS Pack

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The_Eagle

If you bounce around this thing called life thinking it's mountains, creeks and leaves flickering in the wind you are blind. Personally I think you are the luckiest person on earth.

7am - A warmer than anticipated 41 degrees accompanied us along our planned loop. Spotty patches of snow caught the attention of my nerves. Luckily that was end of the death blanket. We took the short stroll down Gaddes Canyon #110 to the real canyon...

Gaddes Canyon Two Trail #9037 is among my favorite stretches on Mingus. It is a beautiful forested ravine. No real perks. Simple canyon beauty with more evidence of bears than squirrels.

This was my first trip going up Coleman Trail #108. It seemed better than memory served. The secret is the overlook NW of 7282. Perhaps 7282 would merit a story political wannabes could toss money at detail lacking articles in transportation publications.

Our warm-up portion of the figure eight loop was complete. Back at the truck we indulged in Debbie's homemade monkey-cake to give the war on cholesterol a pat on the back. Next up was a partial new route from Lyding/Whiteman sources on West Rim Trail #538 to wrap us around the NW of Mingus. We passed through young dense pines on fading roads until we stumbled upon victory...

Butterfly Trail #536 is a nice route that explores upper Haywood Canyon. At least that was our experience on it's lowest quarter mile.

After passing through a parking lot marked as benchmark 7022 on topo I had a satellite drawn route to get us a little over a quarter mile down to Upper Mescal Trail #550. Bruce took it to heart looking for a trail... then he found a trail... naturally I took credit for my superior planning abilities. It quickly petered out.

The east portion of Upper Mescal Trail #550 is heaven for a tiny slice. Bug Hollow Trail #548 brings out the vista lover in you. We took the North Mingus Trail #105 highway back to Autumnfest along its upper stretches with #105A and #106. The invitations were messed up, that's next week! If you love autumn, check it out in a week or two. If you love a good hike, go anytime it's warm :y:

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bigtooth Maple Gambel Oak New Mexico Locust Parry's Agave

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ - Hike HAZard

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage

Autumn Foliage Observation Light
A good week early. Nice pockets in the colder dips of the ravines.

Wildflowers Observation Light
Enjoyable subtle accents throughout portions of our loop.

	Butterfly Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	looked clean and refreshing

	Dry Lake Tank	51-75% full	51-75% full
	I wouldn't drink it

	Mingus Lake	51-75% full	51-75% full
	looked as full as ever which isn't saying much

_____________________

- joe

Sep 26 2013

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Sep 26 2013
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	4.50 Miles	390 AEG

Hiking	4.50 Miles
	390 ft AEG	20 Mns Break

no routes

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none

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After work night hike from Butterfly Tank to the church camp. Hiked back on FR 104. It was downright chilly with a strong wind whipping through the pines, and pitch black due to cloud cover. A trio of squirrels were watching me from a ponderosa, their brilliant reflective eyes startled me at first. The maples in Yaeger Canyon were just starting to change, no color on the oaks yet.

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Aug 18 2013

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Aug 18 2013
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	3.50 Miles	422 AEG

Hiking	3.50 Miles	1 Hour	4.20 mph
	422 ft AEG	10 Mns Break

no routes

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A short hike after packing all day for a trip. Super muddy after this weekend's rains.

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Jun 28 2013

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jun 28 2013
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	5.73 Miles	578 AEG

Hiking	5.73 Miles
	578 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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no partners

A clockwise loop of trail 537, old 536 all the way to the north point of Mingus, then south on the North Mingus Trail to the hang glider ramp. I followed the road back to my truck at Butterfly Spring in the fading twilight, seeing several deer along the way. It was nice to experience some cool weather on this wickedly hot day. :sweat:

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

May 16 2013

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		May 16 2013
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	4.50 Miles	390 AEG

Hiking	4.50 Miles	2 Hrs		2.70 mph
	390 ft AEG	20 Mns Break	9 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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no partners

A pumpkin day needs a better ending, so I ditched the work truck and ambled off aimlessly into the Mingus woods at night, following Butterfly #536. Having hiked all the other branches recently, I turned onto a branch signed as "dead end" and turned on my headlamp. I soon came to a "T" in the ancient road with a "dead end" and a "no trespassing" sign. "Not tonight, sign!", I thought, and turned left, pushing deeper into the spooky woods along a vaguely familiar route. The old logging road rambled east, passing the north edge of the mountaintop and a pair of unsettling, reflective green eyes. Stumbling onto the North Mingus Trail near the north point of Mingus, I turned south and followed it and then the road a couple of miles back to the truck, enjoying the stars and peaceful forest bathed in pale moonlight. The day ended on a better note. Time spent in nature improves everything.

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

May 14 2013

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		May 14 2013
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	3.55 Miles	425 AEG

Hiking	3.55 Miles
	425 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Evening hike from Butterfly Spring up trails 536, 537, and 538. Made it a loop by going cross country near the end of trail 538.

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

May 06 2013

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		May 06 2013
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	3.00 Miles	381 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles	1 Hour		3.60 mph
	381 ft AEG	10 Mns Break	5 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Did a lunch break loop on trails 537 and 538, starting from Butterfly Spring. The trails are better signed, and appear to have been rerouted since my last hike on them in 2007.

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Jul 15 2012

big_load

Routes 26
Photos 1,288
Triplogs 124

66 male

Joined Oct 28 2003
Andover, NJ