Oak Flat Campground • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Globe, AZ

Scenic Drive		Mar 01 2020
		rwstorm • Triplogs 1,041

Scenic Drive

Scenic Drive

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Thought I would get in a little Sunday road trip. Looped up through Winkelman to Globe, then over to Superior and back by way of Florence and Coolidge, picking up I-10 at Picacho for the home stretch. Pretty breezy, otherwise a nice day. I stopped at Oak Flat Campground to look around. My last time there was in March 2015. Things looked about the same, and there was plenty of water around. In Superior it was time for a meal stop at Los Hermanos. Old reliable, with still low prices and food as bland as any you might find in Kansas, Nebraska, or Iowa.

Not that I care though; I like the place.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Isolated at Oak Flat, but for the whole drive moderate.

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3 archives

Jan 11 2020

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Devils, AZ

Hiking		Jan 11 2020
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	8.79 Miles	2,231 AEG

Hiking	8.79 Miles	5 Hrs 54 Mns	1.78 mph
	2,231 ft AEG	57 Mns Break

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Devil's Canyon Hike

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We had a few options in mind but chose to head straight for the pools. Encountered 3 jeeps out having fun that included a lady who literally could not comprehend that we were able to walk here without riding in a vehicle. Needless to say, we more than doubled their speed.

On the descent, we got buzzed by a fighter jet about 300 feet agl, well below that surrounding terrain. It did some very sharp maneuvers, and there's little doubt in my mind that the pilot had us in view. It was the by far the coolest of the jet encounters I've had on my Arizona hikes.

The pools were beautiful. There's plenty of water and had it been just a touch warmer - or had there been sun in the bottom of the canyon - I would have considered a swim. Maybe next time.

Not sure why I hadn't done this before, but I'd definitely like to come back again.

We spent the night at Oak Flat. It took me a while to find enough dead trees to gather the firewood necessary to keep a big group satisfactorily warm for the evening!

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I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

4 archives

Dec 23 2016

SkyIslander18

Guides 4
Photos 4,732
Triplogs 2,607

55 male

Joined Sep 29 2004
Small Town USA

https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Dec 23 2016
		SkyIslander18 • Triplogs 2,607

Hiking	2.40 Miles	150 AEG

Hiking	2.40 Miles
	150 ft AEG

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Quick stop & hike around on my drive to Chandler for the holidays.
The overnight & morning rains had the campgrounds flooding & muddy.
I just mostly stuck to 2438 road for a look around.
Good leg stretcher before continuing on .....

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Sep 14 2016

CannondaleKid

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

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ

Oak Flat Lasso Loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 14 2016
		CannondaleKid • Triplogs 2,411

Hiking	7.60 Miles	1,365 AEG

Hiking	7.60 Miles	3 Hrs 28 Mns		2.25 mph
	1,365 ft AEG	5 Mns Break	20 LBS Pack

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trixiec

With only a half-day of hiking to work with and the Jeep out of commission for a week or so we wanted to stick with something close that we could reach with Tracey's Fit and hopefully with a little elevation.

Hmmh... lets' see, go North or East? Well it's not a Tuesday or Thursday so no traffic hold-ups for the blasting on US 60 near Oak Flat, so let's go out that way. Besides... it may not be too long before much of Oak Flat is off-limits.

When we arrived at the Oak Flat Campground we found a half-dozen empty tents and tables with literature(wet from the heavy overnight rain) supporting their cause. But with not a soul around I guess the "Save Oak Flat" Apaches don't camp out during the week?

On to the hike... we hadn't gone a hundred yards before Tracey's yelling "Oh, gross!" when she spotted a big fat green grub (caterpillar?) being attacked by ants. She took a few photos and we continued on.

Our plan was to hike a lasso loop going out on old 4x4 trails and returning on mining roads. As Resolution Copper ramps up the mining the old 4x4 trails will be modified and designated single-track for off-road motorcycle use only with 4x4's & ATV's prohibited.

Although we began at Oak FLAT, the roads we followed were anything but flat so we got a reasonable amount if elevation over the course of the hike. We were glad we weren't driving the roads as many sections have already been reduced to rock-crawling terrain. By the amount of rubber, paint and scrapes on the rocks/boulders it appears to do a bang-up job of tearing up vehicles.
No thanks... my Cherokee gets torn up enough without resorting to rock-crawling!

On the return trip we passed by two drilling rigs in action. I don't know how much pipe had already been used but on the first rig there was about a half-mile of pipe in a vertical stack waiting to be used. The second rig was down to about a quarter-mile of pipe left.

The air was clear after the heavy overnight rain so we were treated to great views. Temps were 75-80 but of course the humidity was a tad high, but we enjoyed strolling along the mix of dark green vegetation with huge boulders mixed in.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ants

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Truck Remains/Wreckage

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Hackberry Creek Kings Crown Peak

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CannondaleKid

Apr 03 2016

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Globe, AZ

Car Camping		Apr 03 2016
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Car Camping	0.20 Miles	12 AEG

Car Camping	0.20 Miles
	12 ft AEG

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Hikergirl81

Got to spend a lazy weekend car camping at Oak Flat for this year's Boulder Comp. I didn't win anything.

Got to spend a good deal of time talking to the folks fighting the oak flat land swap / mine thing etc. including some very cool new 3d models of how the mine will affect the area.

They were collecting signatures to support Rep Grijalva's bill to repeal the land swap, though it was more or less agreed that this is never going to happen.

An encouraging thing I learned is that assuming the land swap is finalized, the next fight is where the tailings will go. This is proposed to be west of Superior, north of Picketpost and the arboretum. Unlike the soon-to-be private land that the mine will be on, the tailings are planned to be on forest land. Ultimately, the mining company doesn't want to own the land the tailings go on because then they will be liable for anything that happens there, whereas if it's forest land and the FS approves it, any bad results will be the responsibility of the feds.

So if the FS can prevent the tailings plan through delays, environmental reviews, or flat out denial, this would force the mine to choose a new site for tailings. Which wouldn't stop things, but would make it significantly more expensive for them. Which ultimately could stop things. (Because profit is important here).

In any case, it seems like the location of the tailings is the next fight and is one that can delay the whole mine for a long time. Or that's how it was explained to me as a layman camper with a beer in my hand.

After that we all had a pleasant evening of fire, music, food, beverage, and canine love. My first time at Oak Flat. Hopefully it'll be there next time I feel like it's somewhere I'd like to spend a night.

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I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

Apr 25 2015

Routes 37
Photos 2,160
Triplogs 627

43 female

Joined Mar 01 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 25 2015
		juliachaos • Triplogs 627

Hiking	1.00 Miles	300 AEG

Hiking	1.00 Miles
	300 ft AEG

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Once again, unable to really leave the ground.. can't wait to spend May getting stronger. James and Rob both did really well working on their projects and piecing the problems together.

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Apr 18 2015

clairebear

Photos 188
Triplogs 163

43 female

Joined Oct 26 2011
Tempe, AZ

Oak Flats Bouldering, AZ

Climbing		Apr 18 2015
		clairebear • Triplogs 163

Climbing	1.00 Miles	300 AEG

Climbing	1.00 Miles
	300 ft AEG

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juliachaos

I met up with Lizard and James for a day outdoor climbing. I cannot believe how rotten the road out there has become. A time before a sedan could possibly make it out there, yet even in James' Tacoma but we felt every bump and became airborne a few times.~ Fun ride though. We were the only car there and never saw another living soul the whole time. We started of at the traditional warm up wall and moved on to Lady's Locker Room. This area has so many fun memories of camping and climbing trips and Tufafests, its weird to see the place so empty. I climbed until my hands hurt too much to continue. Which is a bummer because my hands gave out early since I haven't been climbing much lately. It seems my hands have gone soft. :oops:

and require some more callused protection against the rough climbing at Oak Flats. If only the rocks there were made out of sandstone...

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4 archives

Apr 18 2015

Routes 37
Photos 2,160
Triplogs 627

43 female

Joined Mar 01 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 18 2015
		juliachaos • Triplogs 627

Hiking	1.00 Miles	300 AEG

Hiking	1.00 Miles
	300 ft AEG

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clairebear

Claire, James, and I headed out of town for an easy day of bouldering. With all the running lately, I just didn't have the energy to get on the rock. I tried, but couldn't grip and stick. Claire was doing great on the problems she tried. James did a few and topped out on a couple really tough ones. We called it early and went back to town for resting and dinner.

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Apr 16 2015

AZLumberjack

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 4,109
Triplogs 494

84 male

Joined Feb 17 2010
Apache Junction,

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 16 2015
		AZLumberjack • Triplogs 494

Hiking	2.00 Miles	300 AEG

Hiking	2.00 Miles	2 Hrs	1.00 mph
	300 ft AEG

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After reading all this scary stuff about the proposed Resolution Copper Mine that, one day, will take over the Oak Flat Campgrounds, I figured that I owed it to myself to check out this place on top of the mountains just a few miles East of Superior. I've been past the turnoff to the campgrounds many times and kept telling myself I have to return one day and check this place out..... so today I drove up there to do just that.

It was a breezy, chilly start to the day in the valley so I was glad I had the foresight to wear a long sleeve shirt given the higher altitudes. It appears as though no one has the responsibility of maintaining the camping area as it's pretty messy and unkempt. There were a few campers and tents scattered around the grounds (scattered being the operative) but everyone must be asleep yet.... I didn't want to wake anyone so I just continued on down the blacktop road.

When I came to the gate and guardhouse, I guessed that I had gone as far as I was going to go on this road so I waved at the guard, turned around and retraced my tracks until I found an open gate and Forest Service Road #315. I turned down the gravel road and met pickup trucks with mining logos, the drivers looked at me like "what's this guy doing here?". Ahead was a large drilling rig setting right alongside the road and although the operators waved at me, I again got the feeling that I was trespassing on forbidden lands.

The scenery up here was everything I had expected it to be and even more. The volcanic activities of eons ago had left huge boulders, large rock formations and deep washes across this mountain top yet somehow Pinon trees, Manzanita and wildflowers found enough soil to set roots and grow. I unexpectedly came across water filled ponds with Mallard Ducks swimming among the reeds along the shoreline.

I continued on down the road but soon decided that I should probably turn around before the roads deteriorated too much and I got into trouble. My little Ranger's a good FWD but doesn't have good ground clearance and lacks skid plate protection so I turned around and retraced my tracks out.

The area up there's exciting and deserves a return visit to explore more of the roads before the mining company posts the land and entry will be prohibited. There's also a lot of work going on alongside the 60 West of Superior, pipelines are getting buried, roads are getting wider and it looks like they're removing the old RR tracks. As the mining operations swing into action, they have to get rid of the tailings and it appears as though the lands along the North side of the 60 will become the recipient of the toxic tailings. It's unfortunate but it appears as though Arizona needs the money from the mining company more than it needs the scenic lands that brings the tourists into the area. :yuck:

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Wildflowers Observation Light
The wildflowers in this area are quite scattered but plentiful in patches.

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On every trip into the Superstitions, I find another Gold Mine. Today the mine was filled with Memories. I can not wait for the next trip.

Mar 08 2015

rwstorm

Guides 1
Routes 136
Photos 22,415
Triplogs 1,041

77 male

Joined Feb 28 2003
Tucson, AZ

Wandering and Pondering, AZ

Scenic Drive		Mar 08 2015
		rwstorm • Triplogs 1,041

Scenic Drive

Scenic Drive

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Decided to take the long way home after leaving the wonderful poppy show at Peridot Mesa. Stopped in Globe for a few photos, then headed along that glorious drive between Miami and Superior.

Made a short side trip in to the Oak Flat area to look around, then stopped for Mexican food and beer at the always welcoming and reliable Los Hermanos.

From there I headed through Florence and down the Pinal Pioneer Parkway to Park Link Drive. This would get me back to I-10 near Red Rock for the final stretch home. Daylight was just about gone by then, but got some nice views of Picacho and Newman (where I had been the week before).

Yes, it was quite an interesting day! Now it was time to get ready to head to California to look for flowers in two days.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Yellow Primrose

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

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Apr 12 2014

DbleDutch

Photos 250
Triplogs 74

male

Joined Dec 10 2009
Tempe, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 12 2014
		DbleDutch • Triplogs 74

Hiking	6.20 Miles	300 AEG

Hiking	6.20 Miles
	300 ft AEG

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Camped just S of Oak Flat as a large group of Boulderers had occupied the campground. A good group. Hiked S on roads and jeep trails to Hackberry Canyon exploring and enjoying the breezes. A fidgety blacktail rattler let us know this was his territory. :scared:

Checked out many hoodoos and flowers. Watched a jeep caravan attack the ridge we just hiked with steps and boulders 3' high.

Made a small loop to the W on other roads and returned to our camp via original route.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black-tailed Rattlesnake

Wildflowers Observation Light

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Oct 27 2012

johnr1

Guides 4
Routes 17
Photos 8
Triplogs 340

78 male

Joined Dec 22 2007
tempe, az

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2012
		johnr1 • Triplogs 340

Hiking	2.50 Miles	300 AEG

Hiking	2.50 Miles	1 Hour 30 Mns	1.67 mph
	300 ft AEG

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AMC sponsoredroadside clean up on US 60. We went 1 mile eask from teh turnoff to Oak flats and collected 20 bags of trash. Best booty was $25 !

Many folks driving by expressed their appreciation and nbody shot at us!

Then it was off to upper devils for some climbing before heading to Firebird for racing.

Perfect day in many ways. I love the fall here :y:

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Apr 15 2012

Routes 37
Photos 2,160
Triplogs 627

43 female

Joined Mar 01 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Climbing		Apr 15 2012
		juliachaos • Triplogs 627

Climbing	2.00 Miles	300 AEG

Climbing	2.00 Miles
	300 ft AEG

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Camped the night before, then woke up and had a ginormous breakfast (eggs w/ veggies, plenty of fruit, some OJ, then a full-sized turkey tetrazzini Mountain House meal to top things off). We wandered the Oak Flat bouldering area, running into a few people we knew here and there. I attempted a V0 next to a V5(3) called Meat Suit.. interesting. Didn't top out because frankly, outdoor bouldering scares me a bit, and because the sun was in my eyes at the highest point in the problem. Not worth it. Had a lot of fun exploring the area and seeing what other problems were around though. Just got news that the agreement with RCM was signed again, so we have another six months of easy breathing.. sigh..

Came back to Phoenix early, as no one was really feeling the climbing today. Had a cheese and fruit party and watched some ghost shows and horror movies instead. Guess ya gotta have one of those days once in a while.

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Nov 28 2011

Charger55

Guides 4
Photos 542
Triplogs 573

46 male

Joined Oct 19 2010
Mesa, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Nov 28 2011
		Charger55 • Triplogs 573

Hiking	2.00 Miles	300 AEG

Hiking	2.00 Miles	1 Hour	2.00 mph
	300 ft AEG

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I stopped here after doing Apache Leap thinking there might be some trails here. It's just roads that wander through the campground. Not much to see here.

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"I've driven across deserts, driven by the irony, that only being shackled to the road could ever I be free"
- Frank Turner "The Road"

Nov 05 2011

Routes 37
Photos 2,160
Triplogs 627

43 female

Joined Mar 01 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Tufa Fest, AZ

Climbing		Nov 05 2011
		juliachaos • Triplogs 627

Climbing

Climbing		2 Days

no routes

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BigDeal

clairebear

Annual Tufa Fest! Once again met a bunch of cool climbers out at the old Oak Flat campground. We bouldered, climbed, had competitions, raffles, chili, drinks, and FUN! Made a few new friends and saw lots of old ones on the trails and at the fire. The burn bar was burned much later than most were willing to fight sleep, and I'm pretty sure I won every raffle prize available except the shoes and the crash pads. Go me! =P lol. QCC and CCA were both there to talk with people, and CCA held a delicious pancake breakfast in the morning, for those who were physically able to remove themselves from their tents. Had a great time and can't wait for next year's celebration!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Camp-fire

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Jan 30 2011

Routes 37
Photos 2,160
Triplogs 627

43 female

Joined Mar 01 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Car Camping		Jan 30 2011
		juliachaos • Triplogs 627

Car Camping

Car Camping

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Did a little car camping after the two day WFA class was over. Much warmer than the previous weekend, but it did sprinkle a little bit overnight. No bouldering this time around thanks to the forecasted weather, so we packed up early, grabbed breakfast in Tempe, and passed out on the couch for the rest of the day.

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1 archive

Jan 23 2011

Routes 37
Photos 2,160
Triplogs 627

43 female

Joined Mar 01 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Climbing		Jan 23 2011
		juliachaos • Triplogs 627

Climbing	2.00 Miles	300 AEG

Climbing	2.00 Miles
	300 ft AEG

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Met some climbers out at the boulders after spending the morning climbing with Cindy at Rocks n Ropes. Wasn't able to send any problems, but had fun tearing up my fingertips. Camped overnight at the campsite boulder but didn't play on the rock. We pulled up a couple small boulders near the fire and leaned the crash pad on them so it formed a couch! Very cool. Really fun night of camping.

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Jun 12 2010

jochal

Guides 2
Routes 25
Photos 1,890
Triplogs 604

41 male

Joined Sep 13 2009
Mesa, AZ

Sixshooter Trail #197

Sixshooter Trail #197

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Jun 12 2010
		jochal • Triplogs 604

Hiking	14.50 Miles	3,760 AEG

Hiking	14.50 Miles	6 Hrs 45 Mns	2.15 mph
	3,760 ft AEG

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Signal Peak 7812

Pinal Peak 7848

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Nice day. Spent an hour at the top walking around.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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Feb 20 2010

RickVincent

Guides 4
Routes 5
Photos 3,377
Triplogs 783

55 male

Joined Aug 20 2009
Mesa, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Feb 20 2010
		RickVincent • Triplogs 783

Hiking	1.00 Miles

Hiking	1.00 Miles

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Would love to have joined the 7 HAZ'ers who tackled Flatiron on this day, but was looking for something a little easier for my 8 year old boy, Justin. We headed out for Oak Flats at 6:45am, stopped along the way to photograph a spectacular sunrise, and met up with my friends Todd and Sara in Superior. We started our day with a little bouldering. We even threw some shoes on my son and he was soon tackling some small boulders. Hiked down into Euro Dog Valley which had flowing water down in the creekbed. Todd says the area is usually dry to the bone. We noticed some sprinkles along the way and gray clouds over head. We climbed a few walls at the bottom of the canyon and continued along. Then came the real rain. Todd decided to turn back to retrieve the truck so we wouldn't have to walk the road back in the rain. The boulder hopping started to get a little slippery and Justin was getting a little nervous. I kept him dry with an emergency rain poncho, but he still wasn't liking this rain hiking. Todd parked up top and headed down into the canyon to meet us. We walked up the ridge and jumped in the truck as the rain continued to fall. After I got home I sent Todd a text message. "We got out of there just AFTER the nick of time."

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This is my gym. I have to travel down a bumpy road to get there. There are no treadmillls, no machines, and no personal trainers. I walk..I run..I breathe the fresh air. I can go any time I want, as much as I want and there is no membership fee.

Sep 21 2008

mcolson6

Photos 16
Triplogs 4

male

Joined Sep 14 2008
Mesa, az