Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jul 03 2022

DarthStiller

Guides 27
Routes 669
Photos 12,096
Triplogs 856

56 male

Joined Jul 05 2006
Mesa, AZ

Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop

Tucson, AZ

Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 03 2022
		DarthStiller • Triplogs 856

Hiking	4.82 Miles	390 AEG

Hiking	4.82 Miles	2 Hrs 11 Mns	2.21 mph
	390 ft AEG

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I continued on my recent theme of Sunday hikes in stream beds with shade. This one was pretty remote and a little more rugged. The drive out is a bit of an adventure, then finding a place to park is tricky. The parking area is 400 ft away from the designated I don't what you'd call it. The road doesn't end there, but there's a sign that says it gets worse.

I did the loop clockwise, opting to get the harder part out of the way first. Starting on Hot Springs Canyon, you just follow the stream bed. The recent rains seem to have compacted the sand so it was much easier to walk on. However, every map I've seen designates this as a 4WD road, which is doesn't appear to be. Maybe it is and the sand is always compacted, I don't know. There are lots of other designated trails marked with signs that seem to cross the stream bed. None of them looked easy to follow.

I missed the turnoff for Bass Canyon but didn't go to far before I discovered this. Bass Canyon starts off easy like Hot Springs, but soon gets choked with vegetation. I tried to get above it to follow the canyon up above, only to immediately cliff out and have to fight my way back in through new brush. Not long afterwards I found the actual trail that goes through this narrow canyon. But even then, it gets faint in spots and can be easy to lose.

Finally got on the dirt road and made it back to the trailhead. Not likely to try this one again or any of the other trails in this area. Too far of a drive and the scenery payoff isn't worth the work, although there are some nice spots. Interesting enough of an exploration to spend a Sunday morning on.

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Apr 10 2016

GrottoGirl

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

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop

Tucson, AZ

Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 10 2016
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Hiking	2.84 Miles	152 AEG

Hiking	2.84 Miles	1 Hour 23 Mns	2.27 mph
	152 ft AEG	8 Mns Break

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justmike

The original plan was to do part of the West Divide trail, however the day before we had found out it was closed for a prescribed burn. On top of the weather was to move in. Without any information we decided to stop at a spot on the road where we saw a sign saying Bass Canyon Day Use area.

We explored around and saw an old cabin, poppies, and the water in Bass canyon. Eventually, we found a trail which after the bushwhack was just what the doctor ordered. It was basically flat and well groomed!

We discussed doing a loop but no one wanted to walk a road so we did it as an out and back.

After a lovely hike we made up the rest of the hot dogs before heading back to Tucson!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Windmill

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Mar 11 2012

RedRoxx44

Guides 5
Photos 26,458
Triplogs 807

female

Joined Feb 15 2003
outside, anywher

Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop

Tucson, AZ

Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Mar 11 2012
		RedRoxx44 • Triplogs 807

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What a pretty canyon! Often I have driven the road from Muleshoe Ranch toward Jackson cabin for forays into the Galiuros and Redfield canyon wilderness. After the water crossing you climb on the road into a rounded area of mudstone type rock. The area is reminiscent of a slice of southern utah for me. I have looked out at the canyon as it winds its' way thru the mudstone domes with the green canopy and wondered what it was like.
I was distracted driving in looking at the Winchesters and figuring out access for that. Glad I was not dissuaded. I parked on the public land just after leaving the Nature Conservancy boundary and walked over some short rolling rock humps and was immediately pleased to see I was cliffed out with the stream bed some 30 feet below me.
Traverse and down. Quite a bit of water in here. The spring driving this must be incredible. Lots of leaf litter etc so it was hard at times to find the edges of the little stream. Some of pools were at least waist deep and had some small fish. Low flows had carpets of green on them. A few times I stepped on "rafts"--- it looked solid but wasn't. You might as well give up and have wet feet if you stay in the bottom.
Down canyon Bass feeds into the Hot Springs canyon which is nice in its' own right. I was going upcanyon. Flood waters have gullied out the bottom in spots and it was eerie seeing the many tree roots and grapevines hanging over and at times making little hiding places.
Some of the trees are absolutely huge. No trails but game trails. Where you see them it is interesting to follow. Up onto banks where grasses grow and it pleads to lay down and relax in the soft understory. Places where the leaf litter from the sycamores almost knee deep. Runoff chutes from the domes of rock have neat narrows and surprising fun scrambles. What goes up must go down tho and when I would try to get down there was that 20-30 foot bank again. One time I could not resist. The bank was not high and there were some big grapevines that had broken loose from their soil anchor. Swing out sweet chariot!! What fun!
I was not making time. So many things to see and nooks and crannies to get into. A big alcove that promised a wonderful camp. A small overhang that was now a bird nursery but has old smoke stained walls and a mano and metate there. Some worked rock. No pottery but I didn't look much. It seemed strange why they were here as this far up no water flowed. I walk around the corner and sure enough, bedrock bottom and a small persistent seep. This was after a fork, when I went back to check out the other fork nearby the next surprise presented itself.
Soon the main way was wide and uninteresting except for some weird bright colored chalky rock shot thru with crude calcite crystals. Minimal facets and chunky but cool. Nearby was a prospectors hole. The rock looked blue under headlamp but when I brought a piece out in the sunlight I was not impressed.
Back to the fork, immediately it became rock bottomed with some tiny carved out narrows. Fun and easy with a little sidehilling with grippy shoes to bypass. A fair amount of relatively clean water, considering it had not rained in so long.

I returned the same way going up a couple more little side diversions. If one had time and could camp no doubt this is a great place to just look around, explore, and let your imagination do the rest.

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Aug 06 2011

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop

Tucson, AZ

Bass Canyon - Hot Springs Loop

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Aug 06 2011
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	3.50 Miles	200 AEG

Hiking	3.50 Miles	1 Hour 25 Mns	2.47 mph
	200 ft AEG

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The plan was to do the Arcadia Trail by Safford but a half mile in and I was soaked as the rain and thunderstorms took ownership of the Mount Graham area. The other hike on the agenda was the Bass Canyon-Hot Springs Wash Loop down a little West of Wilcox.

Plan B kicked in and off I went. There is a long (roughly 29 mile) dirt road to get to the trailhead at Muleshoe Ranch. The road is easily passable by most cars as long as it is dry.

The Old Ranch is now a Cooperative Management area by: The Nature Conservancy, The BLM, and the Coronado National Forest Service.

It is really short but fascinating and very different hike. You start off by Hiking North on the Jackson Cabin Road until you reach Bass Creek which is about a mile up the road. From here you turn left or West and follow the Creek. The trail was overgrown in many areas and I it doesn't look like it gets much travel. With that being said it isn't difficult to follow as there are trail markers on the trees. At the creek side I saw a bunch of frogs and in the creek some small fish.

This continues on for about a mile or so. A little passed the dirt 4x4 road and it's time to take another left turn at the Hot Springs Wash. This was pretty much dry but I saw some Bear tracks and Deer tracks in the sand and mud. Following the wash upstream I say a couple Deer and two Javalina. In addition there were tons of unique birds that I couldn't identify.

The wash continues for a mile and a half or so and takes you back to the Ranch. Along the wash there are two other trails that cross it's path. My brochure said you could take any of the three options back to the Trailhead. Cool little spot that has plenty of solitude if that's your thing. It would be fun to spend an afternoon exploring the area further.

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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