First Water Creek Overlook • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jan 10 2024

fdv75

Routes 255
Photos 1,071
Triplogs 245

68 male

Joined Feb 10 2008
Kent,wa

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 10 2024
		fdv75 • Triplogs 245

Hiking	6.47 Miles	2,060 AEG

Hiking	6.47 Miles	6 Hrs 4 Mns	1.31 mph
	2,060 ft AEG	1 Hour 8 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Canyon Lake to Peak 2811

Partners

none

no partners

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

Did point to point hike using two cars . Ending at Canyon Lake via Peak 2811.

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1 archive

Feb 11 2023

fdv75

Routes 255
Photos 1,071
Triplogs 245

68 male

Joined Feb 10 2008
Kent,wa

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 11 2023
		fdv75 • Triplogs 245

Hiking	5.46 Miles	1,797 AEG

Hiking	5.46 Miles	5 Hrs 9 Mns	1.29 mph
	1,797 ft AEG	56 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Little Four Peaks

Partners

none

no partners

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

So many high points above First Water Creek. Surprised to see cairns for much of the high route. Didn't see anyone else on the route today. Highly recommend this route to numerous high points for those okay remote travel and navigation. Doing the optional scramble up Little Four Peaks added spice.

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4 archives

Dec 31 2022

AZLumberjack

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 4,109
Triplogs 494

84 male

Joined Feb 17 2010
Apache Junction,

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 31 2022
		AZLumberjack • Triplogs 494

Hiking	2.80 Miles	770 AEG

Hiking	2.80 Miles
	770 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Like a lot of HAZ'ers, I wanted to squeeze in one more hike before the end of the year. I got a late start Saturday morning, but headed for First Water Road and got behind a terribly slow string of cars/trucks heading the same way. First chance I got, I made a turnaround and headed back and found my favorite spot along the trail, deserted. This was just a desperation outing to take advantage of a mostly-cloudy day and take some photos of a surprisingly green desert. The rains of December have helped keep the desert alive and if it continues into January, we should be looking forward to a good, to great Spring Flower Bloom.

I brought my camera & tripod along to take some photos of some Cholla in the near foreground with Saguaro and/or the mountain in the distant background....all in focus. This can be kinda tricky as it requires a number of shots with no movement of the camera or subjects.... windy days are out. The process is called "Focus Stacking", where the editing program looks at all the photos in the "stack" and selects the parts that are in focus and combines them into a single photo output. Without good sun, the potential colors are somewhat muted, but a few adjustments here and there, helped.

Surprisingly, I only ran into a few other hikers, although all the parking lots along F.W. Road were mostly full. This morning, I read Wally's report and should have followed his lead.

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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.

Oct 05 2022

AZLumberjack

Guides 4
Routes 20
Photos 4,109
Triplogs 494

84 male

Joined Feb 17 2010
Apache Junction,

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Oct 05 2022
		AZLumberjack • Triplogs 494

Hiking	2.90 Miles	299 AEG

Hiking	2.90 Miles	1 Hour 55 Mns	1.51 mph
	299 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Just doing a little follow-up on Scott Hika's trip report from 10-01-22 [ triplog ] looking for the lost hiker out of First Water TH.

I left early this morning out of the horse-trailer parking lot on First Water Road and followed the trail down to the Old Corral along First Water Creek. I then followed the creek upstream to the site of the old First Water Ranch along Second Water Trail. It must have rained recently because the pools long the creek look like they're half full now. During my hike, I stopped frequently to look around and 'sniff' the air but was unable to detect if anyone was around.

It was a nice morning for a short hike and it's extra nice now that the temp's are getting more comfortable. Didn't see any signs of SAR at the TH and only two other vehicles in the parking lot.... but that won't last very long.

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunrise

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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.

Nov 29 2021

fdv75

Routes 255
Photos 1,071
Triplogs 245

68 male

Joined Feb 10 2008
Kent,wa

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 29 2021
		fdv75 • Triplogs 245

Hiking	5.51 Miles	1,591 AEG

Hiking	5.51 Miles	4 Hrs 5 Mns	1.54 mph
	1,591 ft AEG	31 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

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

Nice views of Canyon Lake. No water in First Water creek.

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Jan 17 2021

rayhuston

Guides 1
Routes 447
Photos 4,407
Triplogs 938

68 male

Joined Mar 09 2012
Gilbert, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 17 2021
		rayhuston • Triplogs 938

Hiking	4.35 Miles	1,528 AEG

Hiking	4.35 Miles	3 Hrs 12 Mns	1.59 mph
	1,528 ft AEG	28 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I was busy Saturday and all morning Sunday so I didn't have time for a hike until Sunday afternoon. Not having a plan and knowing that all of my favorite places would be overrun by mobs, I decided to link up the rest of the First Water Creek Overlook trail that I started from the north end a few weeks back. The southern end starts at the Little Four Peaks trailhead, my third trip here in the last four weeks.

By the time I made it to the trailhead, it was already 2:00 so I didn't have much time to do little more than an out and back. While not much, some sections of the trail have enormous views. Plus it's a great workout suitable for just about anyone willing to huff and puff a little. A fairly well defined trail with plenty of cairns made it easy to follow throughout.

Following the Little Four Peaks trail in the clockwise direction, the overlook trail departs from L4P trail and veers north uphill towards a saddle. Up and over the saddle, I followed the trail until I reached my turnaround point from 12/12/20. I continued on farther to get some extra steps. I was following cairns instead of periodically checking the route so I missed an opportunity to visit the actual overlook until the way back when the creek was in shadows. No worries, the views were still outstanding.

On the way out, I took a cholla break to ply out a ball that attached itself to my left calf. On the way back, I made sure to get up to the overlook and took a longer break there. The views from that perch are some of the best I've seen in the western supes. I will surely be back to check that out again, perhaps when there is actually some water in the creek and the creek is not in shadows.

The weather was gorgeous. Not a cloud in the sky with temps in the mid-70's. I didn't see another person during my trek. The parking area across the road is coned off by SRP so I parked in the little cutout right at the start of the trail. There are several large crates of what appear to be water jugs, but I may be wrong.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ray Bain de Soleil

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1 archive

Dec 26 2020

jillyonanadventure

Routes 175
Photos 2,335
Triplogs 191

44 female

Joined Jan 21 2019
Pine, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 26 2020
		jillyonanadventure • Triplogs 191

Hiking	4.67 Miles	960 AEG

Hiking	4.67 Miles	3 Hrs 42 Mns	1.34 mph
	960 ft AEG	13 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

jharvey33

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

We set out to check out the overlook for First water canyon, as I’d never been there. It was a cool overlook, but I saw some cairns that peaked my interest and decided to follow them for a bit. I honestly thought they’d lead to a cool cave or something, so I convinced James to follow them with me! Given that the cairns were prominent and consistent, I was extremely curious where they would lead us. They led us up, up, up and there was some mild bushwhacking and loose rocks, etc. After a few miles, we kinda figured they might have been just a route overlooking all of the first water canyon, so we decided we’d turn back soon. I saw a peak nearby and decided to climb up there to check out the views and I’m so glad we went up there! This random peak offered really cool views all into the canyon, including canyon lake, the superstition Ridgeline and Geronimo head. After enjoying the views for a bit, we headed back but found an alternate route that cut off a nice chunk of what we hiked on the way in. It was a super random day, but I’m glad we got to check out some cool views. I have no idea if we were on an official/unofficial route, but I’m curious to see if anyone knows. Regardless, I always enjoy seeing new views in the Supes and we had it pretty much to ourselves!

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Restless between adventures...

Feb 12 2016

rtaylor3235

Routes 110
Photos 670
Triplogs 204

74 male

Joined Nov 02 2013
Apache Junction,

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2016
		rtaylor3235 • Triplogs 204

Hiking	5.90 Miles	1,487 AEG

Hiking	5.90 Miles	4 Hrs 42 Mns		1.82 mph
	1,487 ft AEG	1 Hour 27 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

hikingaz2

Didn't post route due to unexpected difficulties (see hikingaz2 post for details). Great views from on top though.

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Feb 12 2016

hikingaz2

Guides 1
Routes 169
Photos 1,616
Triplogs 218

81 male

Joined Dec 16 2011
Mesa,Az

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2016
		hikingaz2 • Triplogs 218

Hiking	5.90 Miles	1,487 AEG

Hiking	5.90 Miles	4 Hrs 42 Mns		1.82 mph
	1,487 ft AEG	1 Hour 27 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Little Four Peaks

Partners

partners

rtaylor3235

Great hike, started wrong but caught up to the right route, turned left at the ridgeline and headed towards Canyon Lake. Several areas the cairns were deceiving especially at the beginning and towards the end, need to go back and straighten this route out, because it's a great hike, great scenery and close to town. I would recommend doing a shuttle, due to the busy highway, and nobody picking up a couple of good looking HAZ'ers :scared:

. Rick said he had a sure fired way of catching a ride he said --- Watch Me--- :DANCE:

-- I went the old fashioned route Thumbs Up--- :pray:

( used to work 55 yrs ago, should have put my Uniform on ) Nothing worked, but our own to feet.. Great time today, getting HOT take plenty of water please..

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Holiday Spirit

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Aug 04 2014

CannondaleKid

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

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ

Apache Trail - Supes Western Borderline, AZ

Hiking		Aug 04 2014
		CannondaleKid • Triplogs 2,411

Hiking	2.90 Miles	1,194 AEG

Hiking	2.90 Miles	2 Hrs 44 Mns		1.09 mph
	1,194 ft AEG	5 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

First Water Creek Overlook

Partners

none

no partners

Rather than starting early and dealing with 43% humidity, I waited until early afternoon brought it down to around 25% before hitting the trail. So what if it was already 101° and would hit 104°? With a steady breeze at least I wasn't swimming in sweat.

I parked along Apache Trail between milepost 206 & 207 and set off with a quick ascent to the ridge, which approximates the western borderline of the Superstition Wilderness, just east of and roughly parallel to Apache Trail. Although the views were great in all directions, the views east over First Water Creek canyon were awesome. It's hard to believe there is so much more to see than the power lines along Apache Trail if one just takes a short climb.

I was a bit surprised to find some quite fresh bighorn sheep droppings at the first high point I reached... fresh enough they were still swishy. (No, I didn't pick them up for the squeeze-test, I checked with my hiking pole.) Unfortunately five Turkey Vultures buzzing me would be the only wildlife I'd see today.

Wanting to keep my hiking-in-the-sun time to 3 hours or less, I continued southward along up to each highpoint and across each saddle until I had 90 minutes under my belt, when I climbed up to one more highpoint before working back down toward Apache Trail. I didn't want to walk along the road to complete the loop so I stayed up on the east side until I was forced down to the road, when I crossed and dropped down the other side and take a more direct line back to the Jeep.

Just before crossing the road a Southwest Ambulance drove by headed toward Canyon Lake. While its lights were flashing, it really didn't seem to be in any hurry so maybe it wasn't for anything too serious.

I didn't feel like strapping on my GoPro so no video, but I made up for it by taking tons of photos. I posted 50 on HAZ with the full set of 90 on my web site.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Barrel Cactus

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Turkey Vulture

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Canyon Lake First Water Creek Hackberry Mesa Malapais Mountain Weavers Needle

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CannondaleKid

Mar 02 2014

ssk44

Guides 20
Routes 12
Photos 2,343
Triplogs 298

51 male

Joined Mar 31 2008
Gilbert, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 02 2014
		ssk44 • Triplogs 298

Hiking	0.50 Miles

Hiking	0.50 Miles

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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no partners

I've been drawn to this scene for many years. This photo was taken back in March. Very unique conditions with a short window of opportunity. I was essentially set up at the right place at the right time. Very cool.

Eric

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MATTHEW 11:28-30 / PSALM 84:1-2

Dec 25 2002

kiluam

Guides 1
Routes 3
Photos 101
Triplogs 100

male

Joined Feb 24 2003
Los Angeles

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

First Water Creek Overlook

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 25 2002
		kiluam • Triplogs 100

Hiking	2.50 Miles

Hiking	2.50 Miles

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

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cut me some slack jack

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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