West Rim Trail #538 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jul 22 2023
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	10.09 Miles	1,975 AEG

Hiking	10.09 Miles	4 Hrs 45 Mns	2.47 mph
	1,975 ft AEG	40 Mns Break

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FOTG

John9L

Met up with 9L and Lee for this hike on Mingus Mountain. Starting from the picnic area off 89A on the Upper Mescal Trail we traversed the northside of Mingus. The climb out on Bug Hollow Trail was a bit hot but the trail is in really good shape. Some really nice switchbacks towards the top.

Once on top we took a nice long break and enjoyed the views. After the break we continued on the Rim trail passed the hang glider launch site. 9L then took us on some moderate off trail back to the road that we hiked the last 3/4 mile to the picnic area where we started. Fun day and a quick 10 miles!

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Jul 22 2023

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jul 22 2023
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	10.09 Miles	1,975 AEG

Hiking	10.09 Miles	4 Hrs 45 Mns	2.47 mph
	1,975 ft AEG	40 Mns Break

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John9L

I don't have a strong grasp of the trails we hiked, but this was a nice little loop on Mingus Mountain and it exceeded my expectations. In particular, the forested sections along the north side of the mountain proved especially scenic and I was impressed by the diversity of trees intermingled in the drainages that we traversed in and out of.

We started off on the Upper Mescal Trail and then continued on to the Bug Hollow Trail. Both trails proved pleasant in condition and scenery and I enjoyed the opening stretch through the mixed forest of conifers and hardwoods. The North Mingus Trail continued to exceed my expectations and I really enjoyed this stretch of the loop. There were a couple of warm stretches along here and the final climb will grab your attention a little, but it was an otherwise pleasant stretch of trail that included some scenic traverses of nicely forested drainages that possessed a diverse amount of trees ranging from oak, to maple, various firs, spruce, ponderosa and even some aspen up high. The trail was in great shape as well.

After topping out, we walked the rim trail to the road and then took a series of surprisingly pleasant trails along with a little cross country travel and a quick paved road walk back to the car.

A nice day out on Mingus overall, specifically, the first half of the hike. I might have to get on the bandwagon and try to catch some fall colors on the North trail.

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Mar 30 2022

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

Gaddes - Burnt Loop, AZ

Hiking		Mar 30 2022
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	23.60 Miles	4,350 AEG

Hiking	23.60 Miles	9 Hrs 44 Mns	2.87 mph
	4,350 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break

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Yaeger Cabin Trail #111

Yaeger Canyon Trail #28

Powerline Trail #549

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

Same idea as last summer with two basic goals: hike the length of Gaddes and Burnt Canyons and find a better route down from West Rim to Powerline. With the cold front coming and going the day before, it seemed like a good day for water in the creeks and clouds above and below View Point Trail. Ended up super good timing and maybe the best day I've spent on Mingus. Started at Mescal Tank with North Mingus.

North Mingus and View Point had been trimmed back since the summer, so rain and snow melt on the trailside brush was mostly a nonissue. A little muddy but nothing too bad. North Mingus a mix of forest and views. Clouds below to the north were even better once on View Point. Walked above, below, and inside them until topping out on Mingus.

Quarter inch of snow on top of Mingus Mountain that had mostly melted by sundown. Gaddes Canyon had a trickle in the snowy top of the trail and below the road on Black Canyon Trail. Once into Black and Burnt Canyons the flow picked up. Not too strong but more than a trickle. Clouds rolled overhead the whole way. Burnt canyon is mellow with a better and better forest heading up. The upper mile or two is picture perfect open ponderosa forest. The middle section had some smooth, rocky sections that are awesome with water flowing. The going is relatively easy the whole way, not much to maneuver around or bushwhack through.

Diverted from the end of Burnt Canyon up to the tank North of Kendall Peak. On the way noticed a pair of graves with a metal sign that read "Ram Dog" from which a grey collar hung. Walked the road with some corner cutting to Yaeger Cabin Trail. Passed the only person I saw all day on Yaeger Canyon and then commenced the mile or so roadwalk to Butterfly. Straight through the woods from Middle To West Rim and then over to the edge of the mountaintop.

I took a ridge NW off the very northern tip of the mountain. It was a way better track down than last time, and though a moderate bushwhack I was on Powerline in twenty minutes. On the way down enjoyed views of Humphreys and Sedona that shine in the last couple hours of the day. Straightforward trip back down. On the day saw the one person, two coyotes, a half dozen deer, and lion tracks near the upper Black Canyon TH and Mingus Lake.

Burnt Canyon

Light flow

Butterfly Tank

76-100% full

	Gaddes Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	Pools/trickle higher up, below the road light flow

2 archives

Oct 02 2021

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Oct 02 2021
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	19.00 Miles	3,500 AEG

Hiking	19.00 Miles	8 Hrs	2.38 mph
	3,500 ft AEG

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Did the excellent 10/17/20 @The_Eagle and @joebartels double-looper, starting at the summit picnic area just off 89A. Went clockwise on both loops. Lots of green, happy forest after the good monsoon. Several sections of road walking required, but worth it to link multiple fine but isolated trails.

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Jul 26 2021

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

Gaddes - Burnt Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jul 26 2021
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	22.29 Miles	4,090 AEG

Hiking	22.29 Miles	8 Hrs 14 Mns	2.98 mph
	4,090 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

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Yaeger Cabin Trail #111

Yaeger Canyon Trail #28

Powerline Trail #549

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Attempted to loop Gaddes Canyon with the entirety of Burnt Canyon since I'd never seen either running with water. Ended up cutting it short and skipped the roughest portions of Burnt Canyon. Probably started too far away, but I hadn't stretched my legs in a while, and I was curious to try descending off the mountain from West Rim to Powerline without a trail. Started from around Mescal Tank and went clockwise at 5am.

Soaking wet on North Mingus and View Point. Little overgrown on both, got started and stayed wet through Gaddes. Only a little mud round the east side of the mountain. Sweet sunrise views over a sea of clouds settled in the Verde Valley. Clouds were sliding up Mingus behind me by the time I topped out on View Point.

The short stretch of Gaddes Canyon I did was the muddiest part of the day. Water running down the trail in parts. Got into Gaddes Canyon and onto Gaddes Two with the unfamiliar roar of water. Never paid attention to how many creek crossings there are before. There are many, and they were rather wide and difficult. Longest trip down Gaddes before and one of the most delightful.

Had planned on taking Black Canyon Trail down to Black Canyon and following Burnt Canyon back up. It was already looking pretty stormy on the Mingustop, and clouds were pushing their way up Black Canyon and over the ridge. Decided the views were better on the road despite the water in the canyon, plus I was worried how rough it would be in spots along the lower end of Burnt Canyon with the water running high. Wanted to avoid that frustration and was trying not to descend off the mountain in a late morning storm. So I cut the corner and took the road past upper Black Canyon and climbed down into Burnt Canyon from a campsite. It's definitely beautiful any time of year but with the brown stream of water flowing down in the wide draw through the open pines, and especially on a stormy day, it was real special. Easy travel from there up, successfully cut out the bushwhacking.

Roads and woods to Yaeger Cabin Trail. First time on that one and was impressed. Runs through the forest below the road. Nice connector. Best not on a weekend with Mingus' car traffic. Took that to Yaeger Canyon and up the road to Butterfly. Cut the thirty feet up from the road and followed it along the harvest boundary. Thinning going on east by the hang-gliding area. In retrospect, I think Butterfly, Middle, and West Rim are closed, as well as the hang-gliding area. Took Middle for a couple minutes then up through the woods to West Rim. West Rim is not marked for thinning. Nice to see the forest thinned, but's also nice to know at least one corner will be left alone.

Got to the edge of Mingus and it was all clouds and fog. Could not see a thing. Walked the edge until I thought I found a wide enough game trail to descend. It was steep, wet, muddy, disorienting, and totally rad. Bounced around the mountainside and was lucky not to cliff out. Trails here and there. Moderate bushwhack. Only 600 feet down, will try a ridge next time. Made it to Powerline/Bug Hollow and had an uneventful and wonderfully cloudy walk back to the car. Didn't see anyone all day besides some logging trucks. Many deer. 60s-70s. Lots and lots of mushrooms. Imagine the mountain will dry up quick.

Wildflowers Observation Light
Mostly on Gaddes Two

Medium flow

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Heavy flow

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3 archives

Apr 18 2021

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

Kendall Peak Loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 18 2021
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	19.25 Miles	3,671 AEG

Hiking	19.25 Miles	6 Hrs 33 Mns	3.18 mph
	3,671 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

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10 linked trail guides

Little Yaeger Trail #533

Yaeger Canyon Trail #28

Black Canyon Trail #114

Ash Canyon Trail #539

Kendall Peak

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One of my favorite hikes of last year, went round again this time without the lake, lookout, or cabin. Started near the upper Little Yeager TH and went clockwise around 7am. Road to Mingus Lake gate is now paved.

Wanted to get my least favorite sections out of the way first. Little Yeager is a smooth mountain biking trail. Have never passed any bikers on the trail, but I'd be curious to see some of the jumps in action. Took that to Yeager Canyon near 89a and headed back up Mingus.

Road walk past a thousand campers to Butterfly. Highlight stretch begins and goes on for miles. Next up was Middle Trail before turning onto West Rim. Took the first spur to the double track that leads out toward the hang gliding pad. At some point cut through the woods over to that area. Forest thinning hasn't started yet around there.

Roads to Gaddes and then Gaddes 2. Favorite trail of the hike, makes for a nice descent. Black Canyon trail then off trail to Ash Canyon. Was hoping for run off and found a trickle.

Up Kendall and then down and around the ridge back to the car. Only saw one hiker on Little Yeager and a group of mountain bikers on Gaddes. Absolutely beautiful weather. Gate to the lake isn't open yet.

7 archives

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

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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

Oct 17 2020

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Mingus Oaks and Butterfly with Gaddes, AZ

Hiking		Oct 17 2020
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	18.41 Miles	3,514 AEG

Hiking	18.41 Miles	8 Hrs 29 Mns	2.47 mph
	3,514 ft AEG	1 Hour 2 Mns Break

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The_Eagle

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I took my own advice from last year to utilize an established trail in this mini figure-eight loop. Then I gambled on switching the direction of travel. It's a rare treat going against the grain with such success. The light followed us nearly throughout the day. The foliage symphony crested on one of my favorite trails.

North Mingus Trail #105
We descended since Denny snubbed us. Two short maple pockets with fair color.

Bug Hollow Trail #548 & Upper Mescal Trail #550
Oaks were turning, but I enjoy these anytime. Horseshoe Bend hikers(cough) would call these yawners.

Middle Trail #537
We adjusted the planned route to include the half we never previously hiked. It's an old road in a forest of dense slender pines. Most of which appear to be tagged for thinning. I appreciate dominant pine stretches more in the summer but liked the change of scenery today.

Gaddes Canyon Two Trail #9037
I'm a huge fan of oaks and this trail. After years of dreaming about Gaddes' prime foliage potential, it was incredible. Probably as good as I'll ever experience.

Coleman Trail #108
We usually descend this to get it over with, with less effort. Rocky up top and blazing sun exposure on the slope are the gripes. Even ascending, this was more enjoyable than usual. Time to let go of the old grudge when the slope was a brushy nuisance.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Walnut Gambel Oak

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
Extreme oaks in areas if instamaple opioids haven't hazed your perception of Autumn.

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- joe

Oct 17 2020

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		Oct 17 2020
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	19.03 Miles	3,592 AEG

Hiking	19.03 Miles	8 Hrs 31 Mns		2.50 mph
	3,592 ft AEG	55 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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joebartels

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Out to Mingus for cooler temps and searching for color. The dusty dirt road leading to the top of Mingus is all packed down with fresh aggregate and staked. We find out later from some passing strange-r, that paving will start this week.

We made the obligatory stop at the hang glider spot for the views. The Horse Fire smoke was evident from here. In all my trips to Mingus, I still have yet to see any hang gliders.

Popping down from the top from Mingus on the 105 trail, we got to see some pockets of red maples. Not rim worthy, but very nice nonetheless. On the 2 track portion of the 105, we ran into Curly and Moe (aka @chumley and @John9l). After a short catch up, we continued on our merry way. We passed one of Curly's dirt cairns, shortly thereafter, pointing the way.

We started getting into more Oaks on the 548 and 550 trails, which are Joe's Fav.

After an .8 mile road walk, we were happy to be on the Butterfly Trail (No butterflies were harmed during this portion of the hike, or even seen). We hit the Middle trail I believe for the first time. This will be in future rotations.

After some lunch, we moved on to the southern portion of our figure eight. Gaddes #110 and especially Gaddes Two #9307 have been a favorite of ours for years. We are usually heading steeply up on these. For a change of pace, we headed down and hit the light pretty good on the oaks. Joe went all @Tibber on me taking more than 3 zillion photos of the oaks and walnut trees.

I was not looking forward to the climb up Colman towards the end of an 18+ mile hike, but with a few stops to get my HR down, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

One of the most memorable loops up on Mingus.

After delays because of accidents on 69 in front of Lucky's and then believe it or not, a 15 mile backup on I-17 from an accident somewhere around exit 242, I made it home dirty, tired and hungry and thirsty.

_____________________

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

2 archives

Apr 26 2020

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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Mingus Mountain Campground

Old Dump Trail #530

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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

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Dry

	Mescal Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Pretty much dry

Mingus Lake

76-100% full

3 archives

Jun 01 2019

kelly14

Routes 92
Photos 885
Triplogs 160

30 male

Joined Sep 27 2015
Phoenix

Mingus Meander, AZ

Hiking		Jun 01 2019
		kelly14 • Triplogs 160

Hiking	5.79 Miles	752 AEG

Hiking	5.79 Miles	4 Hrs 29 Mns	1.43 mph
	752 ft AEG	26 Mns Break

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Our little family has had a busy month. We made the move from our small apartment into a house! Even with how exciting that was we couldn’t wait to get out and hike. Especially since the weather has been so nice lately. We did the butterfly trail #536 nearly a year ago to the day so we thought we might check out that area again.

Most off this was off trail but we did bump into butterfly trail #536 briefly and west rim trail # 538. Temps were high 60’s and breezy which was perfect. Seemed like every 5 minutes we bumped into deer and even found the largest deer shed ever!

Saw 3 turkeys and saw bear sign everywhere. In one very steep drainage coming off the north slope of Mingus there was very fresh bear crap and torn up logs and stumps everywhere. It also smelled really bad so we told ourselves we just missed a bear! Probably not though.

So with perfect temps, killer views, picturesque forest, and lots of critters todays hike made for a good day!

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Butterfly Tank

	Butterfly Tank	1-25% full	1-25% full
	Found some water in the canyon bottom. Didn’t see anything resembling a tank though

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1 archive

May 29 2018

kelly14

Routes 92
Photos 885
Triplogs 160

30 male

Joined Sep 27 2015
Phoenix

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		May 29 2018
		kelly14 • Triplogs 160

Hiking	5.32 Miles	599 AEG

Hiking	5.32 Miles	3 Hrs 42 Mns	1.73 mph
	599 ft AEG	37 Mns Break

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Wow what a great day of hiking! It started off a little hectic though. Nearing Butterfly spring (which was bone dry) we were greeted by I kid you not hundreds of crows.

It felt like a scene out of a horror movie. They were darting in and out of the trees above us and was actually making us nervous because they would happen to always take off right when we went below them and were knocking dead branches down the trees and onto the ground all around us

No clue why they chose to congregate in that area?

Anyway we continued up the canyon which was absolutely beautiful. I loved the forest here. Was not expecting the more mixed conifer type forest here. Also lots of beautiful oak trees. And tons of wildlife! Spooked 1 female elk, and as we neared the rim there we saw 7 deer! Those deer picked a hell of a spot to hang out. The views here were insane. We took our lunch break here and enjoyed seeing the red rocks of Sedona, Humphreys Peak, and basically all of northern Arizona

We just kinda putzed around on the way back. Mainly off trailed it occasionally bumping into West Rim trail # 538 and believe we saw the Middle Trail #537 at 1 point. Just as the hike was winding down and we were getting into the homestretch we spooked 3 more elk! Bull Elk! They had their beautiful velvet antlers and considering it was only may was surprised how big their racks were.

This hike was awesome, with the views, wildlife, and cool mountain air. Definitely picked a good one to get away from the 105f weather in Phoenix yesterday!

ps there was a very nice trail that went up Butterfly Canyon that eventually started switchbacking up the southern side. We started off trail at this point but if I had to guess it was gonna link up with the middle trail. Didn't see this trail on any maps.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mule Deer

	Butterfly Spring	Dry	Dry
	bone dry

	Butterfly Tank	Dry	Dry
	very very dry.

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2 archives

Jun 09 2017

Lost

Routes 22
Photos 416
Triplogs 67

42 male

Joined Apr 18 2009
Anthem, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jun 09 2017
		Lost • Triplogs 67

Hiking	3.00 Miles	500 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles
	500 ft AEG	10 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

no routes

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_____________________

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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fricknaley

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

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

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

Linked

Partners

none

no partners

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

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

Linked

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

Partners

partners

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

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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