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| | | Buena Vista and Flys Peak, AZ | | | |
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Buena Vista and Flys Peak, AZ
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| Hiking | 11.39 Miles |
2,788 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.39 Miles | 5 Hrs 38 Mns | | 2.16 mph |
| 2,788 ft AEG | 22 Mns Break | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | My first trip into the Chiricahua Mountains (not counting Chiricahua National Monument) and I was impressed. I think I liked it more the the Pinaleno Mountains. The only down side was the 12 mile dirt road up and the 13 mile dirt road down to Portal. The up side is it means less traffic. This mountain has enough trails to keep me occupied for years to come, kind of like the Superstitions in that respect. On this trip I spent two days hiking the trails along the crest but later in the year when it cools off a bit the lower trails will become a little more doable.
On the first day I started along the crest Trail at the Barfoot Road Trail Head. The trails along the crest are not well maintained but They are in good condition and easy to follow, Well signed with very little overgrowth and a minimum of dead fall across the trails. I'm sure lower down on the mountain the trails are rockier but up here they weren't. Forest regrowth after the fires years ago (not sure what year) is coming along nicely even though the scars of the fire can still be seen. It looks like the recovery cycle is doing better here than in the Pinaleno Mountains, but that could be a subjective statement.
My first side trip was up to Buena Vista Peak to the Barfoot Look out. There is no look out there just the foundation. In keeping with the peak name there are great views. Barfoot Park below and Barfoot Peak to the north along with Cochise Head and Dos Cabezas. Mount Graham would be visible if it weren't monsoon season. From the peak I headed down to Barfoot Park and Barfoot Spring, very pleasant area. The name Barfoot is a bit strange, I wonder if it is some southern mountain mans pronunciation of bear, like Bar Wallow, I'm going bar hunting or does a bar poop in the woods. I headed back up to the crest trail and headed toward Rustler Park. Never understood why they call these high mountain meadows parks, I always expect to see slides and swings and always leave disappointed.
I took the Bootleggers trail near Rustlers Park down .7 miles to the Rock Creek Trail and took that back up to the Crest Trail at Bootlegger Saddle. These trails are a bit faint and in need of maintenance but with a good eye they are easy enough to follow and every so often a rock cairn will reassure. Both these trails will need further investigating but will have to wait for cooler weather as they head down the west slopes of the Chiricahua Mountain.
Back on the Crest Trail I headed to Flys Peak. The Crest Trail from Bootlegger Saddle passes along the west side of Riggs Peak and then to Flys Saddle. At Flys Saddle four trails intersect, Long Park Trail, Centella Trail, Flys Peak Trail and the Crest Trail. Flys Saddle is covered in young aspen trees about 10 to 20 feet tall, part of the recovery process. The Flys Peak Trail is .8 miles to the summit. Not terribly great views from there because of the trees but the view along the crest to the South is Pretty Good. Raspberries and flowers were numerous. I was able to eat all the berries I wanted this time, I had no doctors procedure that required that I not eat things with seeds in them. On the return trip I headed back down the Crest Trail to Rustlers Park and took the road back to the start point along Barfoot Road.
The weather cooperated nicely on this hike, cloud build up but no rain. Temperatures in the mid 70's. Looks like a couple areas got rain the night before but didn't look like too much. There was water at Barfoot Park at the spring but along the Crest Trail I didn't see any. Probably at some of the named springs along the trail but I didn't check them out. I will take the 13 mile dirt road down the East side of the Mountain to Portal and stay at the Portal Cafe and lodge. I was really impressed with Cave Creek on the way to Portal, magnificent rock formations. This will be an interesting area to hike when the weather cools off. The Portal cafe had excellent food and eating on the patio in the evening added to the enjoyment. Tomorrow I head back up to the crest and hit Chiricahua Peak. |
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