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| | | Superstition 4x Summit Super Loop, AZ | | | |
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Superstition 4x Summit Super Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 26.57 Miles |
5,688 AEG |
| | Hiking | 26.57 Miles | 11 Hrs 22 Mns | | 2.49 mph |
| 5,688 ft AEG | 42 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I hadn't done a long hike in a few months, and since Joe hasn't planned anything crazy recently, I decided to get out for a longer hike in the Superstitions. I chose an old @LJW route that I'd my eye on for a few years that covered 25+ miles and hit four summits (Bluff Spring Mountain, Miner's Summit, Picacho Butte, and Coffee Flat 4621), with ~ 40% of the miles off-trail. Picacho and Coffee Flat were new ones for me and were the main attractions.
Peralta TH to Bluff Spring Mtn Summit
I packed 3.5+ liters of water, a purifier, and extra gear for a long day and set out from Peralta by flashlight just before 6AM. I carried the bear spray in case there were any lingering rabid bobcats or thirsty cougars still prowling the Peralta area after the recent closure. I covered the first few miles in the dark, with stars overhead and a comfortable temps, and the sky was just starting to lighten as I reached the Terrapin intersection. I left the trail west of Bluff Spring Mountain and took a direct route up to the summit, arriving just before 8AM with beautiful views of the sunrise lighting up Weaver's Needle and the Goldfields. [ youtube video ]
Bluff Spring Mtn to Miner's Summit
From the summit, I hiked SE across the mountain and descended on Ely-Anderson, my first time on that trail. Steep, but fairly well cairned and not too tough to follow. I connected with Dutchman and left the trail after a short distance to hike up the N/NE side of Miner's Summit, a 'miner' bump on the route relative to the terrain ahead. I was on summit #2 just after 9AM and took another short break on top, with Coffee Flat Mountain looming to the east. [ youtube video ]
Miner's Summit to Picacho Butte
Coming down from Miner's Summit, I saw two guys at the saddle below, the first people I'd seen all day. They continued east on Whiskey Spring, and I passed them before leaving the trail and to start up the ridge past the Circle benchmark toward Coffee Flat. Views were fantastic from the ridge, and the route looked straightforward, though the final approach is deceptive from a distance with 4621 hidden behind a false summit.
I generally stayed west of the rock outcroppings along the ridge, and there were two steep uphill stretches. The toughest part was skirting around the west side of 4562, the false summit that's visible from a distance--that involved a lot of side-hilling on a very steep grade that slowed the pace, but I dropped down to a ridge leading to Picacho Butte. The were a couple small false summits along the way, and the high point is a little north of 4294 label on the map, but the views were great. I was on summit #3 at ~11:20AM, and it was very cool to finally be up there after seeing Picacho from below so many times over the years.
Picacho Butte to Coffee Flat Mtn 4621
I ended up improvising on the route to 4621--the route I was following went back the way I came and would've followed the rugged ridgeline that runs SW of the summit. It looked like that would require more aggressive side-hilling around some large rock formations, so I decided to try a more direct route at 4621, first dropping down into a drainage west of the peak...that added some elevation but looked easier and more efficient than another round of side-hilling. I found a spot to scramble down into the drainage and exit the other side...the climb was steep but worked well, and I was on top of Coffee Flat about an hour after leaving Picacho. Once again, great views in all directions with 4621 being one of the highest peaks in that vicinity. [ youtube video ]
Coffee Flat Mtn 4621 to Red Tanks Divide
I dropped down the SE side of the summit, which was steeper than I expected. There were a couple of especially steep, rocky scrambles going down, first leaving the summit and another farther down as I dropped into one of the drainages, which had some small pools and trickling water. The route eventually leveled off and wasn't too brushy on the way to Red Tanks Divide.
Red Tanks Divide to Peralta TH
Finally back on trail with ~11 miles to go, I stopped and filtered water at a nice pool south of the divide. Red Tanks Trail was easy to follow and not nearly as overgrown as I expected, so the miles passed quickly. I'd never hiked that section of Red Tanks and was pleasantly surprised by the scenery approaching Dripping Spring--flowing water, flowers, beautiful cliffs, and some fall color. I crossed paths with two people camped near the spring, and one of their dogs enjoyed following me and barking...I wondered for a while if he planned to stick with me all the way back to Peralta  . The impressive scenery continued along Coffee Flat Trail, and I stopped by Reeds Water before continuing onto Dutchman in late afternoon shadows and finishing off the loop a little after 5PM.
Summary
Fantastic loop, and one of the most memorable Superstition hikes I've done. I saw four people and two deer all day and covered a lot of ground...great sunrise and scenery, perfect weather, explored some new territory and visited two new peaks, and didn't pick up too many scratches. Good day all around . |
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Dripping Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| |  Didn’t get a good look because people camped nearby but creek had light flow...presumably, the spring was dripping | | | |
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](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
Wally advised there are remains of the cabin at a site just north of that, which is now an outer rock wall with an inner rock wall and concrete foundation. There are a ton of old tools and a bed still at the site. From there we found a nice lunch spot in the shade and started the uneventful hike back to the truck, where once we got to the top of Horse Ridge, Wally put the afterburners on and waited for us at the JF/Hoolie Bacon junction. Was pretty chilly at the start of the hike but got hot on the hike out as Hoolie Bacon has no shade at all from the sun. Saw a couple of backpackers at the Red Tanks/Hoolie Bacon junction asking about water and that was it for the day and no wildlife besides a couple of rabbits. Hoolie Bacon has a good amount of catclaw, most of it just off-trail some hangers will get you from time to time. I will have to try Trap from the Red Tanks side in the fall as the canyon is beautiful. Thanks, Wally, Andy, and S for joining, it's always a good time!
and in fairness, the gents were talking amongst themselves and didn't make it far before figuring out they'd missed the curve in the trail. 
My previous visit was full of water. This time everything was dry except for a few pot holes of water here and there due to the bit of rain we had a couple of days last week.
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In addition to the 2 groups of backpackers we saw at La Barge, we saw another 2 groups of backpackers heading in on bluff springs. It is certainly a fine weekend for it! We saw 4 day hikers when we were starting out on Dutchman. Not too bad crowding wise. The parking lot was a zoo when we arrived at 840a. Of course, thankfully all those people confine themselves to Peralta, leaving the rest of the wilderness relatively unscathed! 
This trail does so early and often. Nature is reclaiming this one, and in my view, having a gps track is essential. There were periodic cairns, but standing at the cairn, it was often difficult to figure out which direction to go from there. Most of this trail is pretty blah by Superstition standards, with the exception of the initial jaunt through a brief canyon, and then on the back end, as you descend to the Dutchman junction. 
