Lower Soldier Camp Trail #84 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Partners

partners

The_Eagle

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

Minimal worthy hiking in recent months so I was excited to get out and put my Darn Tough tactical socks to use. Out of the three options I suggested, Bruce decided this involved the least BS.

Lower Soldier Camp Trail #84
The 2021 knee-high grass is gone [ photo ] . I like the option and views. OnAllGaiX masses tip: Trail blows, stay away.

FR401A
Majority of this hike, not for road haters. Buncha Four Peaks on the horizon views. Saguaros galore. The majority are standing proud, some singed, a few arched skeletons, occasional torched areas. Views of the lakes, Salt River, and outstanding terrain.

Alder Creek Trail #82
The tread is horrible, some catclaw. Stay away, and explore a manicured trail or Fossil Creek.

Ridge of Hell
Excellent cow path now from the creek up gets you started.

Further up, Bruce pitched one idea to increase the hike to 12+ hours. I'm not used to being the voice of reason but am grateful he listened. We shortened the 2021 lunch/turnaround overlooking the painted cliffs instead of the SRP community [ photo ] .

FR401A
We shortened the upper hike to hike the road down to Cottonwood Creek. It's the continuation of 401 on topo but has been renamed 401A from Cottonwood Creek to Cane Spring TH since our 2021 visit. Only the bottom couple of miles seem 4WD now with long steep stretches of cantaloupe to bowling ball-sized rocks. The upper issues [ photo ] are remarkably gone.

Synopsis
The payoff of this hike, the history, and the nearby options rate high for me. Few will enjoy it. Albeit drab light, we had gust-free pleasant weather that was nice for a change.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cane Spring

	Cane Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	The water is running clear and pooled clear. Stench from cows playing in the mud is certainly an eye opener.

_____________________

- joe

Nov 30 2023

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Hells Hip Pocket Ridge from Cottonwood Camp, AZ

Hiking		Nov 30 2023
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	19.13 Miles	4,527 AEG

Hiking	19.13 Miles	9 Hrs 25 Mns		2.29 mph
	4,527 ft AEG	1 Hour 4 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

joebartels

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

Joe threw out three options for a hike today, all of which we'd done previously. The first, 20 miles, 5000' AEG, some road walking, some off-trail. The second, 20 miles, 5000' AEG, catclaw for miles, high winds, chance of rain. The last one, 16 miles, 4000' AEG, high winds, chance of rain, a brush push with no trail ten years ago.

We went with the no-brainer, #1.

Headlamp for the first 20 minutes, calm winds, temperatures in the mid-40s.

Ascend Lower Soldier Camp Trail, gaining 1400' in 2.5 miles to FR201A, with the majority of the elevation gained in the last mile.

We roller-coastered on FR201A to the Wilderness boundary. This road is in much better shape than the last time we were through here. They've done some work on it, probably by the rancher who built a corral and is putting in new fences around the Cane Spring area.

The catclaw on the Adler Creek Trail has been mostly mitigated by bovine activity in the area. They even helped on the first off-trail climb.

We made our way over to Hell's Hip Pocket Ridge and found a picturesque lunch spot with views of the Painted Cliffs and Apache Lake.

On the return trip, instead of hiking down Lower Soldier Camp, we continued on FR201. The goal was to see if it was Subaru-able. No go; in fact, it's going to take high clearance 4x4 to get up the first part of the road.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Hells Hip Pocket

_____________________

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

Dec 11 2021

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Hells Hip Pocket Ridge from Cottonwood Camp, AZ

Hiking		Dec 11 2021
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	20.52 Miles	4,797 AEG

Hiking	20.52 Miles	10 Hrs 39 Mns		2.13 mph
	4,797 ft AEG	1 Hour 1 Min Break	15 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Cane Spring Circle Bar Ranch - 4 Peaks Wild.

Partners

partners

joebartels

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

This hike is a ball buster. It's not the 20 miles or the 4800 feet of gain it's the never ending rocks, hidden rocks and hidden cacti. The payoff is well worth all the BS. Wow.

We started just before the sun was coming up and finished as it was going down. A good use of all available light.

The last time I was on lower Soldier #84, there was no real path to begin. It follows the drainage and was chocked with trees and brush. Since the fire and subsequent rains, it is now the smoothest and easiest part of the entire hike. Unfortunately, it only lasts for a mile, before the climb out of the drainage begins.

The climb up Lower Soldier is a steep one. For the remainder of this hike, a GPS track is highly encouraged. There are cairns along the way, but the grass covers them up in many places. We hit the climb during the golden hour, so the views were extra special. The rain from the previous days had cleared the skies all around us.

We hit FR401 for the road walk portion. This road seems to be much worse that the last time I was on it, and it was not good then. When it's tough to walk on, it's tough to drive on.

The area at the Cane Spring TH seemed to be the worst burnt area we saw. All in all there was much more unburned than burned area. The areas we hiked, seemed to be 95% untouched.

The Circle Bar Ranch building is either new or refreshed. It was very clean and smelled almost new on the inside.
There was an old cement foundation in front of it. Maybe the old building? The drainage that's Cane Spring Canyon has flashed and is completely uncross-able by a vehicle. It actually had a decent flow still going from the recent rain

Alder Creek Trail #82 is an old FR. It disappears in many places but is not hard to find. We were only on this trail for about a mile, before we started our off trail journey. It was mainly grassy landscape with the before mentioned hidden surprises.

The payoff was starting to come into view after gaining Peak 3509. Apache Lake, the geographically splendiferous Superstitions and Four Peaks Wilderness are just jaw dropping. You don't take in these type of view anywhere else.

We fought the forecasted 5-10mph winds that were closer 20-25mph. At our turnaround and lunch destination we were lucky enough to find a place with tremendous views as well as shelter from the wind. We sat on a cliff on the north side of the Salt River, overlooking the Salt River Project Housing and Horse Mesa.
Lunch Spot: [ youtube video ]

If this area was easier to access, I'd love to do more exploring around here.

The hike back was uneventful and all we could think about was getting back to the last one mile stretch of smooth sailing in the wash.

Temps were a tad cool in the morning with the winds but were manageable all day. The wind finally started to lie down around 3pm.

Cane Spring trailhead area has burned pretty good

Lunch and turn around spot
[ youtube video ]

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Horseshoe

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunset

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Boulder Creek	Dry	Dry
	It had flashed recently and was damp.

	Cane Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Full trough of clear cool water surrounded much cow splop .

_____________________

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

2 archives

Dec 11 2021

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Hell's Hip Pocket Ridge from Cottonwood Camp, AZ

Hiking		Dec 11 2021
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	20.09 Miles	4,797 AEG

Hiking	20.09 Miles	10 Hrs 38 Mns	2.09 mph
	4,797 ft AEG	1 Hour 2 Mns Break

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Circle Bar Ranch - 4 Peaks Wild. Hells Hip Pocket Sheep Mountain 3567 - Salt River

Partners

partners

The_Eagle

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

It was time to walk the talk and take Bruce to hell and back.

Drive to Cottonwood Camp
FR401 is still smoother than FR143 to FR401. While most can get to Cottonwood Camp if dry, beware of the final drop to the creek, it is steep. It is currently in good condition with only minor ruts to cross near the bottom. There is a makeshift pullout spot above the drop. However, it's not flat and a potential hazard in itself. Bruce had no trouble down to Cottonwood Camp in his AWD Subaru. It would be unwise in 2WD if not dry. I've seen deep washouts near the bottom, but not for twenty years. You are committed midway down without 4WD.

Lower Soldier Camp Trail #84
Cairns start just after 1 mile, getting out of the easy travel creekbed. There's a nasty bush right in the middle of the trail right as you start to ascend. The area is toast and washed out but well cairned almost to the top. Knee-high grass in areas.

Top of #84 - FR401 to Cane Spring TH
Per usual, this is one gnarly road. It has been obliterated near the Cane Spring Trail junction before Cane Spring TH.

Alder Creek Trail #82
It's far from enjoyable to follow but it's really not terrible. catclaw to our turnoff was not problematic with awareness. The upper stretch we utilized is not its glory but it was the only level trail we followed with mini hints of relaxation.

Hell's Hip Pocket Ridge
My fourth visit, the last was ten years ago. The furthest point on this hike is eleven miles east of Bush Hwy. Even if it was advertised on a billboard it wouldn't be crowded. Bruce found a horseshoe that I suspect is in my 2004 photoset. While I wouldn't attempt without GPS, it was cool to have a feel for the route in areas with zero preplanning or review. This area will probably burn a few more times in my life. No biggie, the only thing that sucks here is that you will never be able to explore all of the views.

Synopsis
We passed three inspirational adventures and two explorers that primarily post to corporate media. Actually, I've never crossed paths with anyone east of Cottonwood Creek & South of Cottonwood Camp. The wicked geology of this rarely visited southern wilderness is nice, the power of four looming overhead is unmatched. The approach is cursable for long stretches, pants are a must. Gaiters would reduce the painful foxtails. Gusting wind half the day was my toughest obstacle. Unfortunately, all that pain is over.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation None
just red and orange weeds, not what folks seek

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Parish's goldeneye, Brittlebush, New Mexico Thistle, buckwheat, and Bruce shocked me identifying Four O'Clock

	Cane Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	The area smells terrible with cow activity but the water is crystal clear and running

_____________________

- joe

Jan 22 2019

CannondaleKid

Guides 44
Routes 162
Photos 24,766
Triplogs 2,411

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ

Cottonwood Soldier Camp Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jan 22 2019
		CannondaleKid • Triplogs 2,411

Hiking	8.30 Miles	1,857 AEG

Hiking	8.30 Miles	4 Hrs 4 Mns		2.13 mph
	1,857 ft AEG	10 Mns Break	20 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Cottonwood Camp Loop

Partners

partners

trixiec

While similar to it, we did a variation on Joe's Cottonwood Camp Loop. First off we hiked it counter-clockwise, which meant heading up FR401A at the start. There were two reasons for this...
#1. As rough as the road is, complete with plenty of loose rocks to roll an ankle on (or worse), we did not want to hike it when tired at the end of the hike.
#2. We wanted to be off the road before time the ATV crowd hit. (Between Stellar Tours and others there were at least 30 ATV's in the staging lot, yet weirdly enough, we did not see or even hear a single ATV until almost back to the ATV staging lot after the hike and then it was only 4.

Still, the road hike part was nasty... not something we'd ever want to repeat. It was actually nice when we left the road and continue a bit on the trail past Soldier Camp TH. We didn't go far because neither of us was prepared for as cold as it was when the wind picked up significantly. It was worse for me because as usual, I was soaked with sweat down to my toes. I had planned to change to dry socks only to realize I set them out but never put them into my pack. Oh well, eventually the sloshing in my boots became warm sloshing, so as long as my head was warm I was good. (I DID remember to bring two extra skull caps with ear flaps)

Although the route down was steep, for the first part we stuck to Trail 84 so it wasn't quite as bad as Joe's route. At the point we left 84 to catch Joe's route again, we saw ATV tracks... yup, a good two miles into the Wilderness. We would follow the ATV tracks all the way down and back to Cottonwood Camp, so the ATV's had driven a full 4+ mile loop into the Wilderness!

If that wasn't enough, in the last few hundred feet before reaching the car there was just a small part of the detritus from the long weekend... literally piles of shotgun & rifle shells scattered all over. None of which were here before the weekend.

Between the ATV's and the shells, Tracey was fuming... so we dug out the plastic garbage bags, rake and dustpan and proceeded to pick up everything practicable, most of which was shotgun shells. Kind of curious wondering how much all the ammo fire had cost... We found an empty plastic bag from Sportsman's Warehouse but there was no receipt.
How sad it has become to go out to enjoy such beautiful scenery (the view of Four Peaks from Soldier Camp TH has been my desktop background for over 5 years) only to see what the worst of our 'civilization' has to offer.

Such a disgrace!

_____________________

CannondaleKid

Feb 15 2017

CannondaleKid

Guides 44
Routes 162
Photos 24,766
Triplogs 2,411

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ

Four Peaks Wilderness Peak 3354, AZ

Hiking		Feb 15 2017
		CannondaleKid • Triplogs 2,411

Hiking	11.70 Miles	2,890 AEG

Hiking	11.70 Miles	7 Hrs 3 Mns		1.73 mph
	2,890 ft AEG	18 Mns Break	25 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

trixiec

With the exception of a few route changes and Tracey tagging along this was pretty much a re-run of my hike three days ago. Tracey hoped we'd have as much luck spotting wildlife as I did, and it turned out pretty much the same, albeit the reptile would be a desert tortoise in place of the Gila monster.

We began from Cottonwood TH and followed #84 for just short of two miles before veering left onto another old, long-unused road, which ultimately reconnected with the route I followed on the previous hike. After reconnecting we continued on that route as far as the mine.
(Lest I forget, we searched the same area where I had encountered the Gila monster but it was nowhere to be found)

Just as we were descending the last hundred yards to the mine I thought I saw movement above and across the canyon and stopped for a better look. After we scanned back and forth for a minute or so and found nothing we started to move on. But I just had an inkling I missed something so took another look and saw a tiny white spot, which could have just been more of the quartz like at the mine, but could it possibly be a white tail?
:pray:

So I zoomed all the way in and sure enough, it was the tail of a mule deer. The tail was sticking out on one side of a Saguaro and the head on the other side. And only after taking the photo and looking at it closer did I realize there were two does and one spike buck!
:y:

They were standing within 50 yards of where I saw them last hike so I'm sure they were the same trio. Since we were farther away and down-wind this time, they didn't seemed concerned with us and stayed in place. By time we checked out the mine area again and headed around and up to the point where I saw them before, they had moved on.
:cry:

Tracey was getting hungry by this time but I talked her into waiting until we got to the same spot I had lunch at previously. She liked what she saw when we arrived... a large slightly concave boulder in the sun to take a nap on. Unfortunately, the sunny and 63 as opposed to the cloudy and 63 of my previous hike, the wind was too strong for any comfort to be had. Oh well.
:doh:

After lunch I asked if Tracey was game for the summit of Peak 3354, about .6 mile away. From where we were the ridge we would descend after reaching 3354 looked reasonably open so Tracey said 'ok.' Getting to the summit went well but the descent soon had Tracey complaining about all the pea-gravel in the steepest areas. No, it wasn't a good as it looked from across the canyon, but we're here now so deal with it!
:-$

I kept telling her as long as we followed game trails we should be ok. To which she replied, "What game trails?" Ok, so they didn't look like much or last long, but we kept pretty much on the trail of set of fresh deer prints all the way down to the wash. And whadda'ya know, the tracks led us right to a desert tortoise!
:y:

After completing the descent we followed the wash to close the lasso loop and continue back to the trailhead as before.

No videos this trip... neither the deer nor tortoise were eager to oblige us with movement.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Desert Tortoise Mule Deer

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Four Peaks Mine Mountain Wata Spring

_____________________

CannondaleKid

Feb 12 2017

CannondaleKid

Guides 44
Routes 162
Photos 24,766
Triplogs 2,411

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ

Four Peaks Wilderness Wandering, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2017
		CannondaleKid • Triplogs 2,411

Hiking	10.70 Miles	2,008 AEG

Hiking	10.70 Miles	6 Hrs 38 Mns		1.67 mph
	2,008 ft AEG	13 Mns Break	25 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Some time back while planning a hike toward Soldier Camp I noticed remnants of an old road on Route Manager satellite view and filed that tidbit away for another day. And that time was today.

I began by following Trail #84 from Cottonwood until veering off to the left where it appeared the old road had been. Much of it bore little resemblance to a road, forcing me to bushwhack along my mapped route a number of times. But there was enough of it, along with the odd, obviously old rock cairns to help out and I made it to the absolute end. And whaddya know? At the end was a long-abandoned mine, which cleared up the mystery as to the purpose of the road many decades in the past... it was an old 'mine' road.

But wait, I need to back up just a bit... some distance before the end of the road as I came to a small clearing I was pleasantly surprised with an encounter with a Gila Monster. It was just 63 degrees at the time so it was pretty slow-moving. I spent some time shooting video in hopes it would give a nice loud hiss, but it was not cooperating. Oh well, once it moved into a bush I continued along the old road.

After visiting the mine I continued farther east, not really following any particular route I wandered at will until reaching a nice group of boulders to stop for lunch. I would turn back after lunch.

On the return I followed a small creek until I reached where I had crossed it earlier, when I retraced my route until reaching Boulder Creek. With all the water flow (from Four Peaks snow melt?) I decided to follow in and along it back to the start. That worked for about 2 miles, which by that time I had done so much boulder hopping that it was only a matter of time before I misjudged one and had a bad spill. So I struck out for the next wash south, which was dry. From there it was a boring walk-in-the-wash back to Cottonwood.

Three videos:
1:45 Gila Monster
0:45 Three Mule Deer
4:45 Boulder Creek

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gila Monster Mule Deer

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Boulder Creek Four Peaks The Wata Ridges Wata Spring

_____________________

CannondaleKid

Apr 25 2015

topohiker

Guides 14
Routes 115
Photos 4,830
Triplogs 3,536

male

Joined Oct 29 2005
Scottsdale, AZ

Brown's Cave

Phoenix, AZ

Brown's Cave

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 25 2015
		topohiker • Triplogs 3,536

Hiking	25.32 Miles	4,829 AEG

Hiking	25.32 Miles	14 Hrs 40 Mns	2.43 mph
	4,829 ft AEG	4 Hrs 15 Mns Break

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Adams Camp - Four Peaks Wilderness Alder Creek - Four Peaks Four Peaks Wilderness

Partners

partners

fan3992

Fan and I went from the Cottonwood TH to Browns Cave.

Lower Soldier Trail
It took a minute to figure the start of the trail, but once we did there was cairns to lead you all the way to FR401.
Along the way to the Cane's spring TH, we stopped at the shack.

Alder Creek Trail
The trail started out as an old road and was very easy to follow. When the trail hit the Long canyon, we stayed in the canyon
until the trail pulled away. Then we bushwhacked over the trail. There been some recent trail maintenance until you hit the
Crabtree cabin. It took us a couple of minutes to figure out how to get to the cabin. There was a sign-in board at the cabin.
Fan & I were the first people to represent HAZ. There was quite a bit of Crabtree relatives visiting the cabin.
The route finding was a little more challenging past the cabin.

The Jungle aka "Brown Cave"
We lost the trail as we approached the descent into Alder Creek. We found two stone walls leading down to the creek.
Then we had to fight the jungle to get to the Creek. When got the creek Fan was done. The plan was to
go to the Cave then have lunch at the river /lake. Fan didn't want the fight anymore jungle, so I went on alone.

Beyond the jungle
I pushed through the jungle and walked right past Brown's Cave and continued on down the creek. For a stretch the water went underground.
I made to the 10 foot waterfall then stopped. The sky clouded up and the wind started to blow.
It looked like the 20% chance of rain was going to hit. I didn't have any Jedi masters to talk me into
climb down and up the waterfalls, so I turned around.

The trip back
The temps dropped fast as we headed back. This time we took the trail instead of going in Long creek.
The trail was easy to follow and mostly free of vegetation. As we started to climb out, the rain started.
It poured pretty hard for about 10 minutes, then it backed off. It rained for the last 4 hours of the hike.
We made it to the shed at Cane's Spring in time to put on the headlamps. We took FR401 all the way back to the Jeep.
Along the we saw an abandoned quad-runner. As we approached the Jeep the rain started to dump on us.

The road out
I was concerned about driving out with 4+ hours of rain. The road was slick but I didn't have any major issues getting out.
The Jeep did fishtailed in a couple of spots.

](*,)

Items that are MIA in the Jungle ](*,)

- HAZ-tracks android phone (good thing it was only $29.99)
- gators
- GPS Lithium ION rechargeable battery

This is a cool area to explorer. The terrain is slow moving and you should have a GPS route to get to alder creek.
I had long pants with gators and the a couple of Foxtails still managed to get in my socks!

I want to go back to take Long canyon to the river.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ornate Tree Lizard

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Historical Photograph Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

_____________________

"Everywhere is walking distance...If you have the time"
-Stephen Wright

2 archives

Dec 08 2012

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Painted Cliffs, AZ

Hiking		Dec 08 2012
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	20.40 Miles	5,160 AEG

Hiking	20.40 Miles	13 Hrs		1.70 mph
	5,160 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	8 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

The_Eagle

20 the hard way. Dark yet blinding roller coaster route finding challenge with cholla joy. Not for the timid. Elements beg my return...

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cottonwood

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Four Peaks Wilderness

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

	Adams Camp Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	plenty to filter

	Cane Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	easier to find than expected, plenty to filter in trough, nice and clear

_____________________

- joe

Dec 08 2012

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Painted Cliffs, AZ

Hiking		Dec 08 2012
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	20.77 Miles	5,279 AEG

Hiking	20.77 Miles	12 Hrs 58 Mns		1.74 mph
	5,279 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

linked