North Peak Trail #24 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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00blackout

A fantastically long day out in the Mazatzal Wilderness. Wasn't entirely convinced I'd enjoy that ascent of the North Peak Trail, but I figured it couldn't possibly be worse than Carney Springs

, and with the promise of a loop hike, I wouldn't have to descend it.

We met up early, opting to do the hike clockwise out of the Mineral Creek Trailhead. As anticipated, there were no other vehicles at the trailhead, though we saw several cars and a couple of trailers parked along the roadside with camps set up.

The hike starts out pleasantly enough, gently ascending along side the Mineral Creek drainage....after the 3/4-mile warm up, the trail departs the drainage, ascending quickly. It was a slow grind with the steep grade and loose footing, though the views were wonderful. There are a few areas along the ascent where the vegetation gets in close, but there weren't any areas where the trail was completely obscured. In the higher reaches, we entered a manzanita forest that has seen some recent maintenance with the path wide and clear as we made our way onward through the mature (and surprisingly tall) stands. It was nice to see some young pines growing in the area as we passed through...also nice, a break from the relentless climbing, though there was still a bit of up and down before we wandered into the delightfully unburned Park and the junction with the Mazatzal Divide Trail.

We had thought to check out Pete's Pond and the Willow Springs Trail while in the area; however, our quick jaunt down to the Willow Springs junction quickly changed our mind as the intersection was marked with a cairn with no trail in sight. After looking at the topo and evaluating the route to Pete's Pond, we decided to skip it knowing the mileage we still had yet to cover to complete our loop. We took some time to rest for a bit at the park before continuing northward on the Mazatzal Divide Trail / AZT.

We made good time walking along the Mazatzal Divide Trail / AZT as it rambled up and down a couple times before crossing over a shoulder of Knob Mountain and beginning our long gradual descent. After contouring around on an area of reddish colored conglomerate rock and looking down into a pine-filled valley, we met up with the junction for the Red Hills Trail and departed the AZT to continue onward on the Mazatzal Divide Trail towards City Creek.

Once the AZT separated from the Divide Trail, things got a bit brushy in areas, though eventually opened back up again as we continued downward towards the foothills. As we carried on with our descent, we'd catch glimpses of our destined route out in the distance on much lower hillsides while North Peak also featured prominently in our views. We eventually caught sight of the road in the distance as we dropped closer to the city creek drainage though it would still be a bit before we were on it and heading up to follow Pole Hollow Canyon back to the Mineral Creek Trailhead.

The trail in Pole Hollow Canyon starts off as an abandoned two track, quickly narrowing down to an easy to follow single track path that meanders from side to side on the benches of the drainage making for fast walking. Unfortunately, once we hit the area near Pole Hollow spring, the trail evaporated, requiring us to rock hop and negotiate numerous deadfalls. Eventually, the path returned, moving through a bunch of young juniper before dumping out on the road just above the Mineral Creek Trailhead.

Others on the trail: One southbound section hiker passed us near the Park on the AZT. They indicated that they had passed a large group of northbound hikers earlier in the day (who we did not see) and also commented that those hikers noted that folks were working trail maintenance a bit further south on the AZT.

Wildlife: Evidence of bear, elk, a smallish cat observed. Spotted a few lizards, a couple of squirrel, a couple of bluebirds, and numerous other birds - most of which were not photographed. Also encountered a sonoran gopher snake taking in some sun on the trail.

Random notes: For some unknown reason, my watch was really far off on mileage calculation this time (I run it in low power mode on longer days in an attempt to salvage battery life and prevent total data loss). Usually it's pretty close to my hiking partner's RS results, but this time, it granted me an extra 1.75mi and 177ft of AEG... I opted to copy Jason's stats this time, since my numbers seemed too far off to be within a reasonable amount of error.

I'm really enjoying rediscovering the nearby wilderness areas. These long hikes are even more fun with good company. Thanks always for the invitation, J!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sonoran Gopher Snake Zebra-tailed lizard

Wildflowers Observation Light
Wildflowers were present, though at a significantly lesser rate than what we observed on the Barnhardt Y-Bar Loop. Alas, some of my photographs didn't turn out great, with the focus grabbing the background rather than the flowers I was intending to capture.

	Mineral Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	We didn't go looking for the outlet of the spring though there was decent water flowing across the trail in that area.

Dry

	Pole Hollow Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	some scummy pools and seeps in the creek

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

1 archive

Apr 27 2025

00blackout

Routes 31
Photos 4,724
Triplogs 187

50 male

Joined Mar 14 2016
Gold Canyon, AZ

North Peak Loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 27 2025
		00blackout • Triplogs 187

Hiking	17.55 Miles	3,875 AEG

Hiking	17.55 Miles
	3,875 ft AEG

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DesertNymph

Back in the Mazzies for the second week in a row, wanting to do something 'bigger', and this loop fit the bill perfectly. The road to the Mineral Creek TH is sedan-friendly with just a few smaller ruts to be careful with. Not surprisingly, no one else was at the TH when we started just after 7:30.

North Peak Trail #24
Easy grade for the first 3/4 of a mile. Once the trail goes left, the grade increases as it works its way up to a ridge. Did not check out Mineral Spring, however, there was water running across the trail in the area of the spring. Took a quick break up on the first saddle and continued. The second mile was the steepest. With a steep grade and tons of loose rock, it was a slow crawl up this section, but the views of North Peak are fantastic. From here, the grade moderates as it moves through a forest of Manzanita, which looked like it had some recent maintenance; it was nice and wide open. The last mile and a half is a bit of ups and downs before finally reaching the Park. We thought about heading up to the Summit of North Peak, but the wind started picking up, so we saved it for later date. The trail is in great shape from the start to the Park, no issues with route finding or brushiness.

Mazatzal Divide - AZT #23
We spent some time having lunch and taking in the scenery at the Park before heading east on the Divide trail to possibly putting in some miles on the Willow Springs Trail. Our minds quickly changed once we got to the 'junction'. The only reminder that a trail used to be here is a cairn where it should have started, and it is now the home to a forest of Manzanita. Mother Nature has reclaimed the Willow Springs Trail here. We turned around and started heading west on the Divide, which loses elevation a couple of times, only to climb up again; once right after the Park and the second heading up Knob Mountain. The AZT section of the divide trail is in excellent shape.

Mazatzal Divide Trail #23
By the time we reached the Red Hills junction, the wind was howling. I rarely get cold hiking, but the strong wind hitting the sweat on my back put me there. Past the Red Hills junction, the Divide Trail got brushy, really brushy in some spots for the first couple of miles down. It will need some work in the near future before it gets to be a bushwhack. We moved pretty quickly through the top section, trying to get out of the way of the wind, which we finally did about halfway down. The hike down to City Creek dragged on after a while, feeling like it would never end.

Pole Hollow Canyon
A brief road walk started us down this trail, which was easy to follow for the first 2 miles, as the cows have kept up with the maintenance. The last mile back to Mineral Creek was a fight as the 'trail' disappeared, so it was either fighting through tons of Juniper or walking the creek. When we were in the creek, it was full of downed trees that we had to go over and under time and time again. I was pretty exhausted at this point, so every extra bit of energy that had to be spent doing this was irritating. Finally, the last quarter mile, the trail returned, and it was an easy walk from there.

I'm really enjoying the Mazzies, but dam do they make you work for it.

Thanks S, for joining me again on another fun filled adventure.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Strawberry Hedgehog

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gopher Snake

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] North Peak The Park

Wildflowers Observation Light

Mineral Creek

Dry

Dry

	Pole Hollow Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	A couple of small pools in the creek.

_____________________

Hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee.

Apr 19 2025

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

AZT Mazatzal Divide - North Peak Trail Work, AZ

Hiking		Apr 19 2025
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	15.40 Miles	3,400 AEG

Hiking	15.40 Miles	3 Days
	3,400 ft AEG

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	alex1derr	scatdaddy
	slowandsteady

Hiked in North Peak Trail to the Park. Some snow left over from night before at the higher elevations. Stopped and cut several downed logs on North Peak Trail along the way. Once we hit the Park setup camp and grabbed a snack. Then hiked southbound on AZT and cut serveral more trees in the afternoon before the rest of the crew showed up.

Next day group of 12 of us worked southbound on the AZT from the Park. Work included brushing, benching, minor rock work and smaller tree cuts. Being April and high time for thru hikers about 25 or so northbounders passed through while we were working. After full day of trail work headed back to Park for the night.

Next day most of the group worked worked in the morning before heading. Alex and I continued brushing on the southbound of The Park until about 10am. Then headed back to camp and packed up. On they way out spent several hours brushing sections of North Peak Trail before hiking out about 2pm. Lots of work done and happy to work both AZT Mazatzal Divide and North Peak Trail.

_____________________

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May 19 2024

John10s

Guides 25
Routes 377
Photos 5,927
Triplogs 347

40 male

Joined Mar 01 2018
Chandler, AZ

Payson, AZ

Hiking		May 19 2024
		John10s • Triplogs 347

Hiking	10.98 Miles	4,230 AEG

Hiking	10.98 Miles	8 Hrs 23 Mns	1.66 mph
	4,230 ft AEG	1 Hour 46 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Height of Light Miscellaneous Survey Marker Summit Register Log

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TboneKathy

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

We were back in the Mazatzals again this weekend, with North Peak as the main destination. FR 414 was in good shape on the way to Mineral Creek Trailhead...some deep ruts along some stretches, but no problem for high clearance vehicles. Ours was the only vehicle at the trailhead, and there was a faint smell of smoke from wildfires as we got started.

North Peak Trail was in good shape and well-maintained aside from some overgrowth near Mineral Spring, but it opened up again quickly as we started the climb. The second mile was the steepest and loosest on the way up to the ridgeline to the northwest of North Peak, but the views were especially nice once the peak was visible. After two miles, the trail leveled out, and we hiked through a long stretch of flowering manzanita on both sides of the trail, buzzing with bees.

At three miles, we took a short break at the clearing where we'd leave the trail. I was expecting the off-trail to be a lot worse than it was--it was steep, loose, and brushy, but it was mostly manzanita and non-thorny branches that I could push out of the way, and I never took the clippers out...after some of the off-trail leaving one of the Doll Baby ruins sites two weeks ago, this felt like a walk in the park. The initial climb up from the trail to the next ridgeline was the most tedious with the brush, then it was rockier terrain but less dense brush the rest of the way. Lots of nice cactus blooms up higher, and after the short scramble up some rocks, it wasn't much farther to the top.

It's a very pleasant peak--flat and open, with lots of agave flowing cacti. Tips of a few of the Four Peaks are just barely visible in the distance toward Roosevelt, and I could see Doll Baby Ranch and the cliff with the ruins to the north/northwest. Someone built some low walls on the south side of the peak, so there was a small structure there. I didn't see a summit register, so I added one near the base of the height of light post.

[ youtube video ]

I took a short food break before starting back down toward the trail. Along the way, I came across a jacket in the brush on the ridge partway down...so if you lost a jacket near North Peak, there's a waypoint on the GPS route to find it

. I picked up some scratches on the way down but avoided any major bloodshed, and it was generally easier to see the gaps in the brush while descending.

We still had some time, so we hiked further along North Peak Trail, and I continued to the end and hiked a short distance on Mazatzal Divide to take a look at The Park, then raced back to catch up with TboneKathy. North Peak Trail was well-maintained to the end--wide and open nearly all the way. The hike out was uneventful, and we didn't see anyone all day. We also didn't see much wildlife during the hike but did see a road runner and a snake on the drive out.

On the drive back toward 87, we'd considered adding a short hike to Table Mountain to check out the small ruin there. On the topo map, it looked like we could hike up FR 193 a short distance, but there was no sign of a road there, just a wall of low trees and brush, so it would've been a lot slower than planned and we abandoned that idea. Overall, though, another fun day in the Mazatzals with great weather and solitude.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Columbine

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ladybug beetle

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Doll Baby Ranch Four Peaks Mazatzal Peak Mazatzal Wilderness Mount Peeley North Peak Sheep Mountain Peak 6996 The Park

	Mineral Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Light flow of water across the trail near the spring

2 archives

Dec 16 2023

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 842
Photos 22,068
Triplogs 1,994

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 16 2023
		chumley • Triplogs 1,994

Hiking	11.02 Miles	4,139 AEG

Hiking	11.02 Miles	7 Hrs 6 Mns	2.12 mph
	4,139 ft AEG	1 Hour 54 Mns Break

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A couple of friends were backpacking up on the divide and I didn't feel like committing to more than a day hike so I figured I'd try and summit North Peak and stop in for a visit at their camp. Bonus, I wanted to check out how the trail looks now that the manzy mashers had been through and cleared the path since the overgrown mess I encountered on my last trip here 9 years ago.

It was crazy windy on the drive up, and I would have bailed completely on the attempt if it had been close to that at the trailhead. Luckily it was just moderately breezy. I was surprised to find water running in Mineral Creek well below the spring, in addition to the regular flow I expected near the spring.

As I remembered, the climb on this one is no joke. But temps in the 50s all day made it quite pleasant. I turned off the established trail and made my way toward the peak. While this is by no means an easy route, I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of manzanita I encountered and found it to be a really enjoyable way to summit.

After some photos up top, I took a more direct route back toward the divide trail, and this was a significantly more challenging option. A little bloodied, I eventually found my way back to the trail, and met up with the others at their campsite and enjoyed a beverage with them before heading back down hill racing the limited December daylight.

I'll put this on my list for a solid enjoyable big-elevation dayhike relatively close to town worth doing again. It took me just over 7 hours but that included almost 2 hours of leisurely break time.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Giant Agave Bug

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] North Peak

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunset

_____________________

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

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Dec 15 2023

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Davenport Trail Maintenance - NorthPeakSummit, AZ

Backpack		Dec 15 2023
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Backpack	37.84 Miles	11,400 AEG

Backpack	37.84 Miles	7 Days
	11,400 ft AEG

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Barnhardt Trail #43

Davenport Wash Trail #89

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alex1derr

John9L

Two part backpack in the Mazatzal Range checking out The Park and North Peak before heading over to Davenport Trail for some maintenance for 7 day total. On Fridy hiked in North Peak Trail with John 9L and camped at the Park. After relaxing night at camp the next morning, I decided to hike North Peak while John decided to hike AZT to Rock Creek Trail and check that out.

The hike up North Peak is all off trail and very steep and my approach was from the south since we camped at The Park. It just so happened that Chumley was day hiking North Peak that day but approached from the north side since he was coming from the trailhead. We both had cell signal so was able to text on our progress and eventually we met at the summit for a break and take in the views. After the summit we hiked back down the south approach to The Park where were met up with John and hung out around camp for a bit. Eventually Chumley had to hike back to the trailhead while we enjoyed another night at The Park.

Next morning 9L headed out back to North Peak Trail while I hiked southbound on AZT towards Chilson Camp where I was meeting up with Alex around Noon. We literally hit the junction at Chilson the same moment and took a break. Then the 3.5 mile hike to our campsite to setup our trail maintenance.

First day of trail maintenance went well but the brush is really thick in this section. It’s the last section of the brushy spots before the trail starts to open up as it heads west towards Club Ranch. However, this section will not give up easily, so we really had to work hard to make the progress that we did.

Second, day was more of the same with hard slog cutting manzanita, scrub oak and other assorted scrub brush. However, we were able to consistently find old trail tread, so we knew that at least we were not cutting completely new trail even if it felt like it at times. Day 2 came to a close and headed back to camp around 4pm.

From the forecast we knew that it would rain overnight and it did quite a bit. Continued into the morning so we didn’t get going on trail work until around 10am. Of course, things were very wet and muddy so that slowed down the work. To compensate we worked until just before sundown to maximize the time. However, even with that we were not able to finish the really brushy section finishing about two tenths of mile from where the trail opens up more. Just have to make another trip out to finish it off.

Back to camp for the last night at the same spot. Next morning, we just had to hike out the 11.5 miles to Barnhardt trailhead. Nice hike back across the Mazatzal and managed to make it out by about 3pm.

	Hopi Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	very low water but was clear

	Pete's Pond	26-50% full	26-50% full
	water was a bit murky but plenty of it. There were some smaller pools nearby that had better looking water

_____________________

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Oct 07 2023

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Red Hills - AZT #24

Red Hills - AZT #24

Payson, AZ

Backpack		Oct 07 2023
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Backpack	23.50 Miles	4,766 AEG

Backpack	23.50 Miles	2 Days
	4,766 ft AEG

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slowandsteady

Started about 8am from Mineral Springs TH up the North Peak Trail. North Peak Trail has been cleared over the past several years so it's much easier to follow than in the past, but it's still really steep. Eventually we made it to The Park and took a break.

After the break the goal was to head north bound on AZT/Mazatzal Divide to just past the City Creek Trail junction. We are stewards for the AZT section from City Creek to Brush Spring so we wanted to check out our section for trail conditions and any needed work. There is a nice ponderosa section below the City Creek Trail junction and setup camp there before day hiking over to Brush Spring.

It was nice to drop the backpacks and put on day packs. Continuing north bound towards Brush Spring and checking out the trail. Eventually we made it to Brush Spring and went down to the actual spring which is a little off the trail. Spring was not as full as I've seen it but there were some ok pools just below the spring area. We filtered a couple of liters before heading back towards camp about 4 miles one way.

On the way back it started to get dark but I did remember before camp there were some good pools just off the trail. With the good water we decided to filter all our water for rest of weekend. After that it was just about 1/4 mile to camp and time to relax.

Next morning had a leisurely wake up. After packing up we headed up to the City Creek Trail junction and dropped packs to do a little bit of brushing from the junction downhill on the trail. Spent a couple of hours brushing but still more to be done on that slope north bound. Then we just had to hike back out to The Park and down North Peak Trail. Good recon of the trail and what needs to be done!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Black Rattlesnake

	Brush Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	spring seemed a bit low but the there were a couple of good pools just below the spring

_____________________

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Sep 11 2023

TooOld2Hike_EP

Routes 12
Photos 571
Triplogs 25

male

Joined Feb 11 2023

First mile of Trail 24 West, AZ

Hiking		Sep 11 2023
		TooOld2Hike_EP • Triplogs 25

Hiking	1.26 Miles	236 AEG

Hiking	1.26 Miles	1 Hour		1.30 mph
	236 ft AEG	2 Mns Break	11 LBS Pack

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Mazatzal Divide to The Park

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

This is a log entry for only the first mile of the North Peak Trail, starting at the Mineral Creek TH to the (non-existent?) Mineral Spring and its sister Spring.

Important things first:

1) From Phoenix: Beeline to Rye exit. FR 414 to FR 414A. (Take a GPS or you might miss the 414A turn off. (See photo.))

2) The second half of FR 414 (past FR 442) is very driveable - except where it's not. I was able to drive at 25 mph for most of it. But it still needs HC in a few places.

3) The TH and the trail itself show that while the trail gets some love, it doesn't get very much.

4) I could not find any of the three charted Springs. Nor has a gentleman who ATV'd up from the south.(A local (?) who hikes the trail frequently(?))

5) But I did see a very small pool of water to the side of the trail. (This was before a night of rain.) So if you were desperate ...

6) Two small deer jumped out in front of me and crossed the trail. So I presume there is good water somewhere.

7) I didn't see much bear scat on trail. None at the TH.

--------------------------

This was part 1 of 3 of a 3-day "excursion." Initially, I had assigned a 5% probability that I would visit North Peak Trail, a.k.a Mineral Creek. But after I noticed a prominent sign at the start of FR 414, saying "Mineral Creek TH [only] 8 miles," I thought "Hmm... might be good since they're advertising it." In this sense, it's an enigma.

I had been on FR 414 to FR 442 a few times this year now and it was the same drive for that part. About 15 mph max, with a few very rugged creek crossings that need High Clearance. (4x4 helps at those crossings.)

But after the 442 turn off, 414 turns into a very nice road. I was able to travel at 25 mph most of the way. Except where I couldn't.

You don't need 4x4 for 414 itself. But I suggest that you need 4x4 for the "road" 414A to the Mineral Creek TH.

Despite the prominent sign at the start that advertised the Mineral Creek TH, there was no signage thereafter. Most surprisingly, no sign at the turn off for the TH! I almost missed it.

The TH itself is underwhelming. (See photo.) Just a small bulldozed oval with some signs telling you that you've "arrived." Nothing like other TH's I've been to (some more remote) that have the large sign boards with maps and warnings about bears/snakes. Not even the engraved wood signs posted in the ground that say things like "MDT 4.2 miles."

Overall, with the wind blowing the dry dust around, it reminded me of a lonely desert scene from a Clint Eastwood Western. All it needed was blowing tumbleweeds to be complete.

Since I've become obsessed lately with trying to find charted Springs, my only purpose in making this hike was to see if I could find any of the three charted springs that my various apps showed. (The HAZ map shows two. My other apps show a third.) Who knows? Perhaps I'll be coming back this way from the MDT someday and will need water.

So I didn't take my full backpack. Just 2 liters of water and my emergency pack inside my full Gregory pack. (I'll pay the weight penalty for comfort.)

It was about 3 pm when I started out. OAT was 98 F. Thankfully a little wind. And since I was headed west, the peaks of the mountains provided some shade after a while.

The first Spring is charted to be 500 feet in, along Mineral Creek. I couldn't find it. (I even went back the next morning to look.) Sometime around here, two deer jumped out from the trees ahead of me and bounded up the trail. So I suppose that they know where there's good water. (The Creek was dry.)

While the start of the trail was obvious at first (photo), it wasn't as obvious as it weaved in and out of the Creek. If there were cairns to show the way, I didn't see them.

Despite the lack of direction, I was able to stay on track.

The trail is mostly up. With not many switchbacks. So sometimes you're looking at a straight length of trail that seems to go straight up hill. Sigh.

I rounded a bend to the south, where Mineral Spring and another unnamed Spring were supposed to be.

I probably don't understand "Springs." I thought that they were naturally occurring things, sometimes enhanced by man (Bear Spring), sometimes not. (Windsor Spring.) And I'm probably spoiled by the Volunteers who sometimes install plastic boxes at Springs (Chilson) and who sometimes mark them with prominent signage. (Bear, Chilson, Thicket.)

Here I didn't see any signs. Although I saw a cairn in the middle of the trail near where Mineral Spring was supposed to be. Perhaps that was a sign that I was suppose to descend into the thicket to the Spring?

It could be that you access the Springs from further west along the trail. But this is as far as I went.

The next day a couple of guys drove to the TH on ATV's. I asked them if they had hiked this trail before. ("Yes.") And if they had found the Springs. ("No.")

I dunno - perhaps some of these chartings are historical. (Whereas I'm used to the FAA updating air data on a 56-day cycle.) The AZT Steward for the Mt Peeley Passage told me that they had "recovered" Thicket Spring. Which I take to mean that they had cut back the way to the Spring itself, since Thicket looked to be a totally naturally occurring Spring with no tubs, piping, etc.

Anyway, I hiked back to the TH with the intent of driving to stage for my next planned hike. But as it was after 5 pm, starting to get dark (those mountains to the west), I decided that I didn't want to drive on a FR at dusk. So I camped in the Blazer for the night instead of letting the wind blow dust into my tent all night.

_____________________

Be careful. It really is "a jungle out there."

May 06 2023

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

City Creek loop, AZ

Run/Jog		May 06 2023
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Run/Jog	16.66 Miles	3,764 AEG

Run/Jog	16.66 Miles	5 Hrs 46 Mns	3.03 mph
	3,764 ft AEG	16 Mns Break

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With the cool-ish weather forecast in store for the weekend, decided it would be nice opportunity for a loop in the Mazatzals. I had done parts of this loop before, with the biggest unknown being Pole Hollow Creek between City Creek TH and Mineral Creek TH.

Pole Hollow ~3 miles

Much better than expected. Good, clear trail all the way up to the spring, and then just a couple of brushy areas beyond that. Easy going to Mineral Creek TH, with some water in the creek and some nice cypress thickets.

North Peak Trail ~4.5 miles

As expected, there's good water in the creek and solid flow from Mineral Spring. Love the first mile of this trail, and even the next two miles of grinding uphill isn't terrible. Climb was over before we knew it, then the pleasant traverse overlooking the upper part of City Creek. Last time I came through here, the last half mile or so was nearly impossible to follow; no such issue this time, it looks like someone has come through and cleared out some manzanita. As of this writing, North Peak trail has no routefinding required. I kinda like this trail.

AZT Trail - Mazatzal Divide ~3 miles

I misread the contour map and thought there were two climbs. There are actually three. Still, it's pleasant up there. Found a campsite with what seemed to be a hunter's abandoned gear. Some nice stuff, sleeping pad, a nearly full bottle of Crown Royal - fair game if anybody wants it, as far as I'm concerned. Not sure if he's planning on coming back up and retrieving it at some point, but I consider this to be litter.

Mazatzal Divide Trail ~6 miles

Vegetation is encroaching in some areas on the upper part, so running down didn't go as fast as hoped. The spring on the way down still had water. Ran into a couple on their way up, only people we saw all day.

Good day out there, I'd do this loop again.

	Mineral Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Good flow at the trail crossings.

	Pole Hollow Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	Light flow in most areas.

Pole Hollow Spring

Quart per minute

SE 5395 Spring

Quart per minute

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Dec 27 2022

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

North Peak Trail Maintenace, AZ

Hiking		Dec 27 2022
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	3.08 Miles	498 AEG

Hiking	3.08 Miles	7 Hrs 17 Mns	0.42 mph
	498 ft AEG

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Some unfinished trail work needed to be done on North Peak Trail. Hit the trailhead about 745 and started in with the focus being the first mile of the trail. Alex and John joined me and hiked to Mineral Spring and worked back towards the trailhead. I worked the middle section towards them.

Eventually our brushing and clearing efforts merged just before lunch. We continued brushing back toward the trailhead and then had a lunch break.

After lunch the goal was to finish up brushing to the trailhead hopefully by 4pm. Fortunately, we wrapped up at 405 done with the complete section. Good days work for a day trip. We have some clearing left above the spring but save that for another day!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Maintenance

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1 archive

Nov 01 2022

trekkin_gecko

Guides 10
Routes 673
Photos 7,281
Triplogs 4,660

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 01 2022
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Hiking	10.42 Miles	3,982 AEG

Hiking	10.42 Miles	7 Hrs 31 Mns	1.65 mph
	3,982 ft AEG	1 Hour 12 Mns Break

no routes

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	joebartels	LindaAnn
	The_Eagle

linda invited me to skip work and join her, bruce and joe for an ascent of north peak
nice opportunity for a new peak and a new trail in the mazzies
we got going around nine or so from mineral creek trailhead
mid 50s, mostly cloudy - good weather for a big uphill
steep hike up to a more moderate grade along a little ridgeline
we hiked all of north peak trail to the mazatzal divide trail
backtracked to start our ascent from the west
steep off trail with loose rock, other hazards included agave, manzanita and brush
probably should have worn pants
eventually topped out to great views
took a snack break, then started down a ridgeline to the northwest
it wasn't horrible, but glad i had a hiking pole
the remaining three miles on trail were all downhill
enjoyable day with this crew
thanks for inviting me

*averaging stats from three tracks

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

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hazhole

1 archive

Nov 01 2022

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,627
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 01 2022
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	10.76 Miles	4,013 AEG

Hiking	10.76 Miles	7 Hrs 30 Mns	1.72 mph
	4,013 ft AEG	1 Hour 14 Mns Break

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

Linda and I finally got our calendars to align. I'd mentioned that I had not done North Peak and it was on. Joe said last week he was not interested (Until Linda batted her eyes at him). The Gecko also joined.

As the others mentioned, the road to the TH is 10 miles of recently graded dirt. The only tricky spot is the final blind left hand turn to the TH.

The hike starts innocently in trickling Mineral Creek. When you turn out of the creek, the climb begins in earnest for the next 3 miles. The weather was perfect for the climb. At the 3 mile mark, we could see where we'd be rejoining our track on our way down/back.

We made it out to the Divide Trail where we'd turn around and go 2/3rds of a mile back to where we made our off trail assault to the peak. Wanting to preserve my legs for future modeling gigs, I wore long pants. Manzanita and other prickly items are present but can be mostly avoided.

The four of us and hundreds of ladybugs enjoyed the views at the top of the peak. It even got a tad chilly. Now for the steep loose descent. Foliage was more of the same also on the way down. No noises were heard in the brush, so Linda did not have to fire any warning shots.

Back on the trail, I could enjoy the views more going down (as opposed to watching my feet and huffing and puffing on the way up).

Glad I finally got this one done. It was one of the toughest short hikes to date.

Great hiking with Linda and Kelly again and of course... Joe as the Beaver.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Height of Light

Autumn Foliage Observation Light

	Mineral Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Did not check the spring location but clear water was running across the trail below the spring.

_____________________

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

Nov 01 2022

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,798
Photos 14,514
Triplogs 5,895

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 01 2022
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,895

Hiking	10.50 Miles	3,980 AEG

Hiking	10.50 Miles	7 Hrs 31 Mns	1.65 mph
	3,980 ft AEG	1 Hour 9 Mns Break

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	LindaAnn	The_Eagle
	trekkin_gecko

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

The road in has recently been graded. It is highway smooth for stretches. I have changed the guide page from post-fire 4x4, to high clearance. On a guaranteed dry day, a beater car with an intelligent driver could make it. Sycamores in the creek bed we're putting on a little Autumn foliage show.

There is a hint of avoidable catclaw in the lower 0.75-mi Mineral Creek stretch. The creek is stagnant and hidden in the grass over the trail at one spot just before heading up and soon after running across the trail.

The trail up is well-clipped. Still steep. No washed-out areas as I recall from yesteryear.

Our hike to the peak included hiking out to the Divide Trail, gandering at The Park for five seconds from afar, then back and up to the peak.

We went up a rock slide. The first stretch of rock was very stable the second stretch was a little wobbly. I brought pants for this off-trail portion but it's not catclaw.

After a break at the peak, we headed on down. A stand of pines on the northeast side of the peak might be a better rest stop if it's hot outside. I think we were all happy to be back on the well-trimmed trail. It is steep but just within reasonable steep.

Synopsis
Perfect weather. The forecast in two days is a 70% chance of snow. Far from a favorite of mine but hands down the best hike of the month thus far. Kinna tough hike for the mileage... dare I say, tiring. Thanks to Linda for driving and to all for the great company!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Sycamore Poison Ivy

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ladybug beetle

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Miscellaneous Survey Marker

Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Notably sycamores. Oaks are hitting but most are medium to smaller size or scrub. Poison ivy is very obvious down at the creek. Hints of oregon grape off-trail up to the peak.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
One bloom was left on an Arizona thistle. Two or three instances of isolated penstemon. Some purple asteraceae.

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- joe

Nov 01 2022

LindaAnn

Guides 110
Routes 2,248
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,602

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 01 2022
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,602

Hiking	10.01 Miles	3,953 AEG

Hiking	10.01 Miles	7 Hrs 32 Mns	1.58 mph
	3,953 ft AEG	1 Hour 13 Mns Break

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	joebartels	The_Eagle
	trekkin_gecko

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

Neither Bruce nor I will admit who planned or suggested this hike, but we both thought it was a good idea. When I asked Joe about joining us a couple of days ago, his response was basically “I don’t really like North Peak. What time should I meet you?” And then I invited Kelly to join us as well.

FS-414 is in good shape on the drive in, a few rocks here and there, and a few ruts a sedan might not like, but overall okay for any SUV.

Got started to pleasant temps and lightly overcast skies. Nice walking alongside the creekbed for a while, and then the steep uphill began. Up and up. I took a few stops to catch my breath.

Once on the ridge, the steepness backed off and it was pleasant hiking. The recent trailwork was obvious and it was nice to not have to push through manzanita. We hiked to the Divide trail to complete Trail 24, then turned around to head over to our offtrail portion up to the summit of North Peak.

Steep uphill, and we tried to stay at the edge of the manzanita, but the vegetation was generally not too bad. Although there was a lot of agave to dodge, some more successful than others. Some chunky rock to hike up through, and luckily it was mostly stable. We huffed and puffed our way uphill along the ridge and eventually reached the summit.

Took a nice break at the summit, then headed down the north-northwest side. A little more vegetation in places, and just as steep as the ascent. One short scramble to negotiate, then the rest of the way down was a matter of not falling on the slippery gravel, and pushing through manzanita.

Once back to the trail, the three mile descent back to the trailhead went by quickly. Steep, but felt like a breeze compared to the offtrail.

I took one good agave stab to the inside of my left foot, just above the arch. It hurt when it happened, then the pain quickly went away for the rest of the hike. By the time I got home though, it was killing me. I’m sure there will be a nice bruise tomorrow.

Excellent weather all day, with the clouds and nice breeze. Great company for the day, with almost constant fun banter. Traffic wasn’t too bad either. Happy to start off the month with a solid hike.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Miscellaneous Survey Marker

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

Oct 21 2022

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

AZT Trail Maintenance, AZ

Backpack		Oct 21 2022
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Backpack	16.50 Miles	3,160 AEG

Backpack	16.50 Miles	3 Days
	3,160 ft AEG

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scatdaddy

AZT trail maintenance event on section 23 Mazatzal Divide. Everyone hiked in on North Peak trail to the park and setup camp on Friday.

Saturday morning crew starting working about 730 and began brushing and some tread/rock work northbound from the Park. Full day until calling it just before 4pm and back to camp at the park. There was a water source in the drainage near the park that had some pools. It's just downstream about 300 feet from where the AZT crosses. Not sure the pools are there all year but after a decent monsoon and in the spring they should be fairly reliable.

That night a strong front came through. Very strong winds all night and several hours of rain but fortunately things calmed down by morning. We headed out for the days work again northbound from the park. The weather continued to improve through out the day and sun eventually came out. We were able to finish trail work brushing and tread work to Knob Mountain.

Most the crew stayed through Monday but I had to hike out Sunday late afternoon. Overall very productive weekend of maintenance with about 3 miles of clearing complete!

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1 archive

Sep 30 2022

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

North Peak Trail Maintenance, AZ

Backpack		Sep 30 2022
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Backpack	13.40 Miles	3,668 AEG

Backpack	13.40 Miles	3 Days
	3,668 ft AEG

no routes

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Joined some fellow AZT trail volunteers for a long weekend of trail clearing on North Peak Trail. It was a serious team effort with about 8 people involved. Most of the crew hiked up to The Park on Friday and setup camp.

From The Park we had a good start point to clear the worst parts of North Peak Trail. Right from the junction with the AZT the trail was in need of some serious brushing and clearing basically the top 2 miles. It took 3 days and some really hard work but we were able to brush and clear that entire section. Definitely satisfying to open up this trail because it was very difficult to follow especially in the last mile to the junction.

Great weekend in the Mazzies with something to show for it

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1 archive

May 29 2022

ScaredyCat

Guides 2
Routes 208
Photos 93
Triplogs 205

male

Joined Aug 08 2020
Phx az

Rock Creek Trail #42 - Mazatzals

Payson, AZ

Hiking		May 29 2022
		ScaredyCat • Triplogs 205

Hiking	7.30 Miles	3,483 AEG

Hiking	7.30 Miles	7 Hrs 58 Mns	1.09 mph
	3,483 ft AEG	1 Hour 15 Mns Break

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I've managed to catch up on reporting these outings. Had been wanting to attempt this trek for nearly 3 years. Temps were right & my die hard peakbagger friend was down.

Road in was tamer than expected. 4×4 not needed. Early on I crawled under some vegetation only to realize I was off trail. The 1st mile isn't so bad. The 2nd mile packs a whopping 1,200 ft gain. Plus trail a bit difficult to follow=1 hour.

Mile 3 is rockier & looks more like a path between the manzanitas than a trail. We veered off trail b4 completing this mile. This section packed a greater punch than I was expecting. The final mile has the most EG + bushwacking & scrambling in the upper sections.

Our path up was solid but we were running low on light on the way back so we pushed through more vegetation=u may wish to follow our path up but not down. Registry had vanished so I created a new 1. Stay safe out there!

Dec 15 2021

LJW

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

7388 - 7455 - North Peak Loop, AZ

Hiking		Dec 15 2021
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	20.58 Miles	5,353 AEG

Hiking	20.58 Miles	9 Hrs 20 Mns	2.71 mph
	5,353 ft AEG	1 Hour 45 Mns Break

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Peak 7388 - Mazatzals

Peak 7455 - Mazatzals

Rock Creek Falls - Mazatzal Wilderness

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

Last week I hiked the crest of the Mazatzals from Rock Creek south to Peak 6768. I came back this week to complete the crest north from Rock Creek to North Peak. The forecast seemed favorable for some low clouds and good run off, and it ended up being one of the best days I've ever spent in the mountains.

Got started around sunrise. Pulled off and parked along the road since I'd be walking it at the end anyway. The roads to Rock Creek are nicer than the road to Barnhardt, but it'll take high clearance to cross the two creeks on 442 when running. Clouds were settled below the crest and made for a nice sunrise. I expected them to dissipate, but they grew larger throughout the day. I ended up walking through the clouds for an hour and a half up Rock Creek Trail until climbing above the falls. There was an inch or less of snow on the trail. Falls were running okay, and I would think Deadman and Sandy were the same and will be so for a few days. I left the trail at some point between the leveling off after the falls and the saddle above Hopi Spring.

First stop 7388. Snowy and slippery up to the summit but easy to avoid bushwhacking. Very steep. Perfect amount of snow for cushioning the downsteps, and it added to the impossible quiet. No register or benchmarks on the top. A worthy summit relative to the traffic. Solid panorama of the Eastern Mazzies and Pine Mtn, the Bradshaws, etc. off in the distance.

Down to the saddle between 7388 and 7455. Maybe better than either summit is the forest on the saddle between. The open pine forest on the cliffs at the top of Alder Creek is one of my favorite places in the Mazatzals I've been to. Climbing the ridge to 7455 is open with sparser pines. The summit is flat and forested except for the views west. The cliffside views along the ridge are awesome.

The forest thickens along the ridge until turning off for the descent to North Peak's southern saddle. It was an easy walk down through the oaks with no bushwhacking. Clouds were cycling around east of North Peak and persisted for the climb and my time at the summit, occasionally passing over west before dissipating. The climb up from the south is a moderate bushwhack and at some times unavoidable. The manzanita etc were covered in wet snow and I was soaking wet by the time I made the summit. No views east for the clouds, clear views north and west. Can't imagine a better day to be up there.

Down the north ridge and in my attempts to avoid the snow-covered brush I overshot the saddle/lookout. Headed back up the trail a shortways and then back down. North Peak Trail was covered in snow most of the way, but the sun had taken care of a lot of it. Trail's in great shape if a little slippery.

Long road walk back. Opted for 451 which is in serious disrepair in some spots. Reminded me of Pole Hollow with the new forest growing in. Circled back around with 414 and 442. Didn't see anyone all day. I did North Peak last year in a loop with Mazatzal Divide, North Peak, and Pole Hollow, but this was definitely the better route.

Light flow

Medium flow

Medium flow

Gallon + per minute

Medium flow

Medium flow

5 archives

Feb 07 2021

fairweather8588

Guides 1
Photos 355
Triplogs 87

37 male

Joined Jul 22 2003
Scottsdale

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Feb 07 2021
		fairweather8588 • Triplogs 87

Hiking	7.00 Miles	3,400 AEG

Hiking	7.00 Miles
	3,400 ft AEG

no routes

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Still a little bit of snow in the higher elevations, had a nice frozen crust on it. Not the easiest trail to follow but the views are well worth it, being able to see all the way to the San Francisco peaks off in the distance. Turned around just before The Park, but we’ll be back for a backpack trip in that area in the future

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No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength

Kerouac

1 archive

Dec 20 2020

LindaAnn

Guides 110
Routes 2,248
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,602

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

North Peak - Mazatzals, AZ

Hiking		Dec 20 2020
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,602

Hiking	7.46 Miles	3,418 AEG

Hiking	7.46 Miles	6 Hrs 31 Mns	1.35 mph
	3,418 ft AEG	59 Mns Break

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