Whiskey West - Red Tanks Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 01 2025
		00blackout • Triplogs 187

Hiking	14.75 Miles	2,162 AEG

Hiking	14.75 Miles
	2,162 ft AEG	7 Hrs 50 Mns Break

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DesertNymph

Vashti

I was unsure if I would hike on Saturday as I had to work a couple of football games Friday night and all day Sunday. I decided to hike an extended version of the Miners Needle loop with a couple of my new hiking peeps. A bit of a later start so the circus had already begun on Peralta. Arrived at the TH at 8:30 and we were able to snag one of the last spots at the TH. The masses were heading up the Peralta Trail well prepared wearing sweats, jeans, and a small bottle of water as we made our way down the Dutchman. We made our way through Barkley Basin, climbed up Miners Needle, and hiked down on Whiskey Spring. No water at Whiskey Spring but there was a medium size pool just before the Red Tanks junction. The hike down Whiskey Spring and Red Tanks was my favorite of the day with all of the different geology and the recent maintenance made it nice and fairly bloodless. We got to the La Barge area, had lunch and I showed my hiking partners La Barge Spring. The spring was up the side of the creek in a vine forest. It is a muddy, walk to the spring box as the box is overflowing down onto the path. The water out of the spring box is the clearest I've seen in the Supes. We started our hike back making a stop at Bluff Spring. The pipe is flowing with nice water laying on a rock. Rehydrated there for a few minutes and made the uneventful hike back to Peralta making a quick stop to show them the Peralta Rock in Barks Canyon. The weather was just a tad warm, but we had a nice breeze for a good portion of the day; great hike with great company.

	Bluff Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Flowing from the pipe.

	LaBarge Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Clear water overflowing the spring box, running down the side to the creek.

Dry

	Whiskey Spring Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	A small pool that is filterable.

_____________________

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

2 archives

Feb 01 2025

Vashti

Guides 17
Routes 297
Photos 1,808
Triplogs 276

female

Joined Mar 11 2002
Gilbert, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 01 2025
		Vashti • Triplogs 276

Hiking	15.50 Miles	2,181 AEG

Hiking	15.50 Miles	7 Hrs 52 Mns	2.22 mph
	2,181 ft AEG	54 Mns Break

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Miners Needle Loop

[ checklist ] Bluff Spring La Barge Canyon LaBarge Spring Miners Needle Red Tanks Canyon Whiskey Spring Canyon

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00blackout

DesertNymph

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

First time doing this loop as a day hike! To add something new, we checked out the major springs along the way!

My previous visit was full of water. This time everything was dry except for a few pot holes of water here and there due to the bit of rain we had a couple of days last week.

My favorite section of this loop is red tanks. The views are expansive. The red rock formations are majestic. The views on whiskey are also beautiful.

La Barge spring was a real treat. Completely surrounded by vines, the spring is hidden in its own secret lair!

There is a trail carved through the vines to get there. The trail itself is a muddy slip N slide, as the spring box is overflowing and water is running down the trail like a small creek. It is quite magical!!

🩵

The water rains down into the spring box from above. There were 2 backpackers camping at the campsite closest to the spring, and another two filled up water before heading down red tanks.

Next stop was bluff springs, which I have been by so many times and never stopped to see!

From the main campsite just off the trail, follow the main trail back towards the canyon and into the trees. There are lots of game trails, but there is still one main large trail going back. Just before entering the trees, there is a large piece of sheet metal. The water is coming directly out of a pipe and splashes down onto a large rock. The flow was a consistent small stream, but you would need to catch it in something to filter.

After bluff spring, we were in the home stretch. We noted the exact location of the Ely Anderson trail for a future trip. The trail is noticeable and cairned. There was no water in bluff spring canyon. Just a few small puddles near the giant rock in the wash.

Jason pointed out the Peralta rock in Barks canyon. I don't think I have seen it before. It is hiding in plain sight!

Before you know it, we were down cardiac hill and back at the car! Another beautiful winter day in the desert full of sunshine!

In addition to the 2 groups of backpackers we saw at La Barge, we saw another 2 groups of backpackers heading in on bluff springs. It is certainly a fine weekend for it! We saw 4 day hikers when we were starting out on Dutchman. Not too bad crowding wise. The parking lot was a zoo when we arrived at 840a. Of course, thankfully all those people confine themselves to Peralta, leaving the rest of the wilderness relatively unscathed!

I normally like to get an earlier start, but had some commitments in the early morning. The drive in was also a bit of a zoo. And there were unsurprisingly 30 cars at the carney springs TH at least. Craziness!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Purple Nightshade

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

	Bark at Dutchman Crossing	Dry	Dry
	Few puddles of water only.

	Bluff Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Water coming out of the pipe onto a large rock

	LaBarge Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Lots of water. Spring box full and overflowing creating a mini creek of the trail leading up to the spring box. Spring is surrounded by vines.

Peralta Creek at #102 Crossing

Dry

	Whiskey Spring	Dry	Dry
	Didn't see anything in this exact area. There were some potholes of water here and there. And there was one area with some actively running water into a tiny pool in the creek bed.

_____________________

1 archive

Feb 01 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 43
Photos 2,120
Triplogs 81

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 01 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 81

Hiking	15.19 Miles	2,293 AEG

Hiking	15.19 Miles	7 Hrs 53 Mns	1.99 mph
	2,293 ft AEG	14 Mns Break

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00blackout

Vashti

The last time I hiked a variant of this loop was well over 20 years ago. I remembered enough to know that I enjoyed the views along portions of the trail...so when trying to find someplace to hike this weekend, I slid the route on the table, hoping it would prove amenable to my hiking partners. After a little bit of dithering, they capitulated to my request - huzzah!

We had slightly later start than usual, following the slow caravan to Peralta Trail head, but lucked out and managed to snag one of the last spaces in the lot.

After signing in at the register at the behest of the volunteer ranger, we headed off and away from the hoards heading up Peralta. Not far into the hike, well before we started heading up towards Miners Needle, we passed less than a handful of other hikers headed back out (a pair and two singletons)....we'd have the trail to ourselves until La Barge Spring, where we encountered two pairs of backpackers. As we continued on our way out the Dutchman Trail on our homeward stretch, several additional groups of backpackers appeared....including one pair with an incredibly late late afternoon start.

We were able to maintain a surprisingly fast (for me) pace, given the slightly warmer weather today. We were aided by some apparent recent trail fairies who had clipped back the catclaw to allow for unhindered walking. The views were enjoyable, and it was nice to see the both Bluff and LaBarge Springs....though the brambly vines guarding LaBarge Spring demanded a blood sacrifice

(just a drop, and fear not, the spring remained uncontaminated).

There was a tiny bit of flow observed on some slickrock in the drainage possibly near Whiskey Spring, but I wasn't paying attention to the location, so I'm not lodging an official report. All drainages and washes were otherwise bone dry with maybe a pocket or two of water that will disappear in the next few days, I'm sure.

Only wildlife of note was perhaps the largest, plushiest velvet ant I've ever seen. It was terribly uncooperative for photographs though.

Possibly of interest to some, it seems I managed to take a photo from nearly the exact same spot about 25 years apart…it’s sad to see how fires have changed the landscape.

The hike didn't disappoint, and neither did the company

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Purple Nightshade

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Velvet Ant

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bluff Spring LaBarge Spring

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Spotted one optimistic ocotillo and then some purple nightshade at Bluff Spring.

	Bluff Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Steady flow observed from the pipe/tube.

	LaBarge Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	The box at the spring was full to overflowing....access is up a dirt slope and then by walking very carefully over the muddy bank amongst brambles. Be careful....the brambles proved to be more bloodthirsty than the catclaw!

_____________________

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

2 archives

Nov 29 2023

pseudalpine

Guides 59
Routes 1,100
Photos 1,176
Triplogs 1,290

male

Joined Jan 01 2023
Arizona

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Nov 29 2023
		pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,290

Canyoneering	18.96 Miles	3,838 AEG

Canyoneering	18.96 Miles	8 Hrs 23 Mns	2.46 mph
	3,838 ft AEG	41 Mns Break

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Trap Canyon - West Entrance Loop

Herman Mountain

Herman's Cave

[ checklist ] Four Peaks La Barge Box Miners Needle Tortilla Mountain Trap Canyon

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

Trap Canyon is definitely aptly named, especially considering the upper labyrinth of boulders, chutes, gaps, pockets, sand, shelves, turns and tunnels! It would likely be much tougher if it had flowing water, but to consider this a canyoneering route is somewhat silly. I'm delighted I did the complete canyon (unlike many of the other previous trips).

I despise the uninspiring Hoolie Bacon Trail so much that I decided spur of the moment to instead hike over the top of Herman Mountain. It was a great decision that turned out better than expected. Not too shabby of a view in all directions. There were three parties vaguely signed in at the summit. The first was illegible (maybe Feb.'21?). The second was Jordyn & Lee and the third was your DPS DADDY! AKA Trail Ghost or just Greg.

Clear bottles as summit registers don't work well as the writing fades quickly. I also detoured to Herman's Cave for a quick lunch, which was very peaceful. The Whiskey Spring Trail isn't a favorite of mine, but it gets the job done. Also, some stupid jackholes have left a bunch of trash in the firepit near the spring Cottonwoods. Might have to haul that out next time I'm hiking through.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Saguaro

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

Bark at Dutchman Crossing

Dry

Pools to trickle

Dry

Dry

Dry

Dripping

Upper LaBarge Box Canyon

Dry

Dripping

Whiskey Spring Canyon

Dry

6 archives

Mar 19 2023

ttretta

Photos 71
Triplogs 40

60 female

Joined Jul 28 2015
Gilbert, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 19 2023
		ttretta • Triplogs 40

Hiking	13.40 Miles	2,150 AEG

Hiking	13.40 Miles
	2,150 ft AEG

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I did this hike clockwise, starting north on Bluff Spring, over to Red Tank, Whiskey Spring and finishing on Dutchman. There was LOTS of water flowing everywhere and plenty of creek crossings. I managed to find a way to boulder hop across all of them without getting my feet too wet. I went off trail once where Bluff Spring came to the first big creek crossing. I inadvertently followed cairns that led west across the stream, instead of heading north. Took me up a pretty mountain but realized my goof and headed back. Gorgeous day, lots of folks out and about.

Wildflowers Observation Extreme

_____________________

Feb 12 2023

Vashti

Guides 17
Routes 297
Photos 1,808
Triplogs 276

female

Joined Mar 11 2002
Gilbert, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2023
		Vashti • Triplogs 276

Hiking	7.71 Miles	977 AEG

Hiking	7.71 Miles	5 Hrs 5 Mns		1.92 mph
	977 ft AEG	1 Hour 4 Mns Break	32 LBS Pack

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Route on the way back to the trail head from camping at the mouth of trap canyon.

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Upper LaBarge Box Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow

	Whiskey Spring Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow

_____________________

Feb 11 2023

Vashti

Guides 17
Routes 297
Photos 1,808
Triplogs 276

female

Joined Mar 11 2002
Gilbert, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 11 2023
		Vashti • Triplogs 276

Hiking	8.01 Miles	1,271 AEG

Hiking	8.01 Miles	5 Hrs 33 Mns		1.95 mph
	1,271 ft AEG	1 Hour 27 Mns Break	33 LBS Pack

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My first foray onto whiskey spring and red tanks trails, woo hoo! 6 of us had a super enjoyable backpacking trip.

There was so much water. Everywhere! It was delightful! We looked unsuccessfully for the actual LaBarge spring, but the location it is shown to be at is a brambly, washed out section. Plus there sounded to be a hive near by, so we didn't stick around too long looking. There was so much water in every wash, many of them flowing, and others with deep pools.

The loop is well maintained and clear. As we walked through a sea of dead and living catclaw, I was very thankful for the trail maintenance that had been done.

We camped at the mouth of trap canyon in an established campsite just off the trail. We didn't see many people out over 2 days. 3 solo hikers on the way in, none pass Ely Anderson. 1 horseman on the way up the whiskey springs hill on the way out. Otherwise, only a few hikers on the Dutchman, all between the trailhead and coffee flats trail. The horseman was telling us about some mountain lions he had seen, but we only saw a few rabbits and many lizards!

The wild flowers are just starting to bloom. More at the lower elevations, but there were scattered wildflowers throughout the loop.

It was about 30F at night, with ice forming in our water bottles during the night.

A great weekend in the superstitions!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Red Maids Wiry Lotus

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Bluff Spring Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow

	LaBarge Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute

Light flow

Upper LaBarge Box Canyon

Medium flow

Gallon per minute

Whiskey Spring Canyon

Medium flow

_____________________

Aug 27 2022

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Dutch - Whiskey - Bluff Springs Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 27 2022
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	15.55 Miles	2,272 AEG

Hiking	15.55 Miles	10 Hrs 44 Mns	1.87 mph
	2,272 ft AEG	2 Hrs 25 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] American black nightshade Blackfoot Daisy Brandegee Mexican skullcap Desert Wishbone Bush Dodder Fairy Duster Red Devil's Claw Trailing Four O'Clock Trans-Pecos morning-glory Water Jacket

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The road rides like the Autobahn for half, then it's rutted from recent rains. A few bad ruts but cars didn't seem to have trouble getting over... I was behind a five-car parade of sedan crawlers. 10 cars at the trailhead in August on a hot humid buggy morning. They all turned left on Peralta and that was the last human life.

Dutchman Trail #104
I usually despise Barkley Basin. It's so lush that it would make a nice two to three-mile out-and-back morning hike now. Lots of spider webs to bust through, a few with spiders waiting for a fly or such. New Mexico Locust is 6 ft tall in the ravine coming down from Miners Needle. Luckily it's not mature, I waded through it blindly without mishap.

Whiskey Spring Trail #238
No agony of wet feet all day as I experienced in the wetlands up at Rogers. Minimal catclaw on the Dutchman to Whiskey junction, either untangled or easily avoidable. Waist-high friendly vegetation wading in the upper switchbacks at Miners.

catclaw gets vicious a good quarter mile before Whiskey Spring. I had an early lunch at Whiskey Springs because the hike I had planned was seeming like a bad idea with 'Bama humidity and more catclaw than expected early on. Switched from shorts to pants. No breeze but boy howdy was the shade nice. The bottom mile or so on Whiskey was unfriendly catclaw.

Red Tanks Trail #107
Trickling water down at the junction with Whiskey/Red Tanks. Clear pools, red/orange dragonflies, blue damsel flies, butterflies, general peaceful easy feeling.

Red Tanks is a jungle. Perhaps more so now with the creek trickling at various points.

8.47 miles - 11:54 am
Unexpected cool breeze and sprinkles. This never happens and no helicopter flying in Bear Grylls.

8.87 miles - 12:10 pm
10 to 15 minutes of rain was the highlight of the day, if not summer. The death star laughed and cranked the humidity dial past murder. So much for dry feet too, all this damn vegetation is wet now... Lol

Bluff Springs Trail #235
Stopped for a break at the saddle up from the Terrapin junction. Out of water with ~2.4 miles to go, nice to be at minimal weight. Switched out of pants to shorts hoping that was the end of the catclaw. It was like ditching a dump truck for a Ferrari.

Low AEG hikes are a drag but I was excited to finally ascend. By far the quickest mile of the day at 20m20s.

Took a short break before heading down because it was the first internet I had all day. In the short span heading down, I got caught in a good old-fashioned deluge. Just my truck upon return, there were three cars at Wave Cave.

All the ravines crossing the road we're running well on the way back. One flat section over the length of a football field was a lake.

[ youtube video ]

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] White-lined Sphinx Caterpillar

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Barkley Basin Whiskey Spring

Wildflowers Observation Light
wiry lotus, lots of wolfberries, a large patch of red spidering below Miners Needle, and also occasionally the trail later in the hike. Sandmat, desert globemallow

	Bark at Dutchman Crossing	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	A large pool and the sound of a waterfall that I couldn't see. The creek was not running.

	LaBarge Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Overflowing, it's a b**** to get to it now. Several fallen trees and a mini jungle. Something vicious in the mix. Similar to the fine thorn canes of raspberry but I doubt they grow in the desert.

	Upper LaBarge Box Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Trickling downstream by the Whiskey -Red Tank Catclaw Hell Trail junction

_____________________

- joe

Jan 22 2022

DarthStiller

Guides 27
Routes 669
Photos 12,096
Triplogs 856

56 male

Joined Jul 05 2006
Mesa, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 22 2022
		DarthStiller • Triplogs 856

Hiking	14.77 Miles	2,553 AEG

Hiking	14.77 Miles	8 Hrs 1 Min	1.95 mph
	2,553 ft AEG	27 Mns Break

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	adilling	ScottHika
	wallyfrack

The original plan was to hike the Red Tanks/Coffee Flat loop (19 miles), but that didn't work out. We probably still could have, but the skies looked kind of threatening at times, and rain was forecast as a possibility around 3pm, which we would still have been out there by then. On the way to the trailhead we saw rain on the windshield. I had not seen rain in the forecast, so I didn't pack a raincoat.

Wally and I got started from Peralta at 5:45am. Andy and Jason were starting from Buzzard's Roost even earlier and we were trying to time a meetup at the junction of LDT and Coffee Flat. We had planned to meet Scott at Peralta at 6am, but I was jumpy and out ahead of schedule, so we left early before Scott showed up. Lots of moving parts.

We saw Andy's and Jason's headlamps as we approached the junction. We got there before they did. Seemed like they were moving slow. As we hiked up the LDT to Miner's Saddle, Andy and Jason got to the junction. Wally yelled out to them to pick it up, calling them slackers, jokingly. Scott was still not to be seen. Andy started uphill himself. He caught up to us just below the saddle. Jason wasn't feeling well and turned around. This left Andy with no ride back except for me and Wally. This also left us without the option we were considering of shortening the big hike by going their parking spot and getting a ride back to Peralta. Scott was on his way up to the saddle. We kept moving.

Scott caught up with us halfway down Whiskey Springs. due to the weather we decided to not do the bigger loop and do this slightly shorter loop. We kind of forgot to tell Scott until we were past the point of no return. Once he figured it out, he was disappointed, but not devastated. Wally pointed out several distant ruins he discovered over the years and other historical spots that you're generally unaware of unless you hike with him.

We had lunch at the junction of Red Tanks and LDT. the hike back wasn't too bad, despite the fact that there were several short, rocky climbs. Hiking down Cardiac Hill turns it into Arthritis Hill at our age, but today I didn't feel too bad. We never did encounter any rain, but I was on my last 12 oz bottle of Gatorade a mile out, so it was a good idea to opt for the shorter loop today.

The closer we got to Peralta, the more foot traffic we saw. all the lots were packed and the traffic down Peralta Road was a busy as the 60. Felt sore and tired on the ride home, but very good regardless. Nice to meet Scott, sorry we didn't get to meet Jason. but we saw him from a distance. got to try this again with the Buzzards Roost bail option, we ain't gettin' any younger.

_____________________

Jan 22 2022

adilling

Guides 2
Routes 267
Photos 9,816
Triplogs 402

62 male

Joined Dec 02 2014
Mesa, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 22 2022
		adilling • Triplogs 402

Hiking	16.65 Miles	2,212 AEG

Hiking	16.65 Miles	8 Hrs 34 Mns	2.14 mph
	2,212 ft AEG	47 Mns Break

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Coffee Flat Trail #108

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	00blackout	DarthStiller
	ScottHika	wallyfrack

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

The plan was to park near Buzzards Roost off Elephant Peak Road and make a loop from Coffee Flats to the Dutchman, down Whiskey Springs Trail, up and over Red Tanks back down to Coffee Flats and then take Coffee Flats Canyon back to the start. Jason and I would start there and Wally, Chris and Scott would start from Peralta Trail. We made it to Milk Creek Canyon about 5am and started hiking out. It was windy and was trying to rain.

We reached Coffee Flats via Whitlow Canyon, Jason was struggling with his chest and a cough. We could see headlamps along the Dutchman and assumed (correctly) that was probably Wally and Chris.

By the time we made it to the Coffee Flats/Dutchman junction, Jason was really having problems. He decided he should probably turn back at this point. He told me to keep going and he would be ok. I probably should have cancelled and hiked back with him, but he made it ok back to his truck.

I started up the Miners Saddle and met up with Chris and Wally near the Whiskey/Dutchman junction. We saw Scott hiking up and started heading up Whiskey Springs. Scott caught up with us near Whiskey Springs.

We decided to modify the hike and just the Red Tank Loop and started up to meet the Dutchman Trail. Lots of evidence of recent high water flow along La Barge Creek. Red Tanks was a little overgrown and had the same catclaw forest as Whiskey Springs.

We stopped at the sycamore grove near the Red Tanks/Dutchman junction and had some lunch. Then it was on to the Dutchman heading south to Bluff Springs.

Lot of backpackers out near Bluff Springs and we passed several other groups heading up the Dutchman.

The parking lot at Peralta was full and we could see lots of hikers going up Peralta and a few hiking up Bluff Springs.

Wally and Scott are speedy hikers and left Chris and I in the dust most of the way back. I was feeling the duration and elevation towards the end, but we still made a steady pace of almost 2mph the entire hike. That’s not bad for me, especially after 16+ miles.

I will work on another day to hit the lower Red Tanks Trail, but this one was a nice one as well. Jason ended up going to the doctors and found out he has bronchitis. It was nice to finally meet Scott Hika. And, it’s always a pleasure to hike with Chris and Wally.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trap Canyon

_____________________

"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."

instagram: @andydilling

Jan 22 2022

ScottHika

Guides 2
Routes 31
Photos 902
Triplogs 50

male

Joined Sep 19 2020
Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 22 2022
		ScottHika • Triplogs 50

Hiking	15.00 Miles	2,200 AEG

Hiking	15.00 Miles	7 Hrs		2.14 mph
	2,200 ft AEG		15 LBS Pack

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Bark at Dutchman Crossing

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	00blackout	adilling
	DarthStiller	wallyfrack

Saturday I got to hike with the dream team. Arrived at Peralta a little after 6am. I was late, so I blew through the early part in the dark. I actually prefer Barkley Basin in the dark due to the fire damage. Caught a spectacular sunrise and then headed up Miners to the saddle. Jason’s been sick, so he had to return. Wally, Andy, Chris and I continued on to the Whiskey Springs short loop. I had packed for the super loop but I'm used to carrying extra, so no worries. There were several young people tenting right on the windy ridge of Miner’s saddle.

We visited a historic plane wreck in Whiskey Springs canyon. I enjoyed the general flow of conversation and water as we wound through the canyons. We chilled near La Barge spring and grabbed a snack. Several groups of backpackers crossed paths, a large “Good Friends” group of about 20 at Terrapin, and various day hikers.

Generally, it’s still really green and also a few emerging wildflowers were here and there. I didn’t do any RS water reports because basically water was everywhere. By the end of the road we all had caught a mild case of “Cat Scratch Fever” but no complaints. Peralta was a beehive when we returned and there were two rangers. Lots of happy hikers at all ages. It was nice connecting with the HAZ legends and will look forward to the next one.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Signs and Markings

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunrise

Wildflowers Observation Light

Light flow

Light flow

Whiskey Spring Canyon

Medium flow

4 archives

Jan 22 2022

wallyfrack

Routes 93
Photos 7,758
Triplogs 1,691

64 male

Joined Mar 11 2003
AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Jan 22 2022
		wallyfrack • Triplogs 1,691

Hiking	14.77 Miles	2,553 AEG

Hiking	14.77 Miles	7 Hrs 50 Mns	2.00 mph
	2,553 ft AEG	27 Mns Break

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	adilling	DarthStiller
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Chris and I started hiking from the Peralta TH at 5:50 am. The Dutchman trail from Peralta TH to the Coffee Flat junction looks better by headlamp. I turned my headlamp off at the Coffee Flat junction. We saw Andy & Jason hiking up Coffee Flat trail so we continued up the hill. Jason wasn't feeling well so he turned back and told Andy to continue on. We stopped at Miners Summit and could see Scott hiking up the trail. Andy told the camper at Miners Summit to let Scott know we took Whiskey Spring trail. Whiskey Spring trail has seen some trimming and is in better shape than my last trip. We regrouped at the Red Tanks Junction and because of weather, age and the price of pork bellies opted for a shorter loop. Scott said he had a connection and could get wholesale pricing on pork bellies but that wasn't enough to change the call. Red Tanks trail has seen some trimming and we followed the trail (vs the creek bed) most of the way to La Barge Spring. We stopped refuel near the spring and before heading out. The usual talk of where the flying saucer crashed and mine locations etc. went on most of the trip. Scott was attacked by killer ants when we stopped to wait for Chris & Andy but was able to fight them off. There were several groups of hikers on Buff Spring trail but it wasn't crowded. Once back at the trailhead there was the traditional changing of the shoes and we all vowed to return another day.

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3 archives

Dec 07 2021

tannshell

Routes 9
Triplogs 4

54 female

Joined Mar 29 2017
Gold Canyon, AZ

Peak 5057 via Balanced Rock, AZ

Hiking		Dec 07 2021
		tannshell • Triplogs 4

Hiking	8.30 Miles	3,088 AEG

Hiking	8.30 Miles	8 Hrs 32 Mns	1.27 mph
	3,088 ft AEG	2 Hrs 1 Min Break

no photosets

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6 linked trail guides

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

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1 archive

Nov 23 2021

hikerdw

Routes 268
Photos 2,969
Triplogs 541

66 male

Joined Aug 16 2009
Mesa,AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 23 2021
		hikerdw • Triplogs 541

Hiking	14.83 Miles	2,241 AEG

Hiking	14.83 Miles	7 Hrs 27 Mns	2.32 mph
	2,241 ft AEG	1 Hour 3 Mns Break

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

A little overgrown with sights of the recent fires but still a great loop hike in the western Superstitions. We hiked in a counter clockwise direction.

The drive to Peralta TH
Peralta Road aka FR77 is in great shape, they may be grading it weekly as there is a grader sitting along the road as you drive in. We arrived at the TH just before sunrise and there were only a couple vehicles parked but this was a Tuesday during a holiday week so conditions may vary.

Dutchman Trail to Whiskey Spring Trail
Trail conditions here are great but it will be were you'll notice the impact of the recent fires the most. Wide open views are nice along this stretch. It did seem like the trail is a little more "sandy" than I recall in the past, probably erosion due to the recent monsoon rains. Reached Miners Summit in good time.

Whiskey Spring Trail
Whiskey Spring Trail is the most overgrown and rough trail along the loop. Conditions are the worse as you drop into and hike through the canyon. We were in shorts so the legs took the brunt of the punishment, pants are recommended. Whiskey Spring was dry. Once you climb out of the canyon the conditions improve slightly as you hike over to the Red Tanks Trail junction.

Red Tanks Trail to Dutchman Trail
Red Tanks Trail is almost a overgrown as Whiskey Springs Trail but being able to hike the dry creek bed spared us the torture. Took our lunch break near the entrance of Trap Canyon on a small hill that allowed great views. The tree canopy at La Barge Spring was a welcomed sight. Nice flow of water at La Barge Spring as expected.

Dutchman and Bluff Springs Trails back to the TH
The hike back to the trailhead along Dutchman and Bluff Springs went by very quickly. This section of the Dutchman was is good condition, some rough spots but overall pretty nice. Bluff Springs Trail is in excellent condition and is were we ran into the only other hikers we saw during the entire loop. Was greeted at the trailhead by a FS volunteer, unloaded, and closed the chapter on another great hike in the Superstition Wilderness.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] LaBarge Spring Whiskey Spring

	LaBarge Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Very nice flow.

	Whiskey Spring	Dry	Dry
	Damp only.

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Expect to self rescue

1 archive

Nov 20 2021

wallyfrack

Routes 93
Photos 7,758
Triplogs 1,691

64 male

Joined Mar 11 2003
AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 20 2021
		wallyfrack • Triplogs 1,691

Hiking	14.70 Miles	2,314 AEG

Hiking	14.70 Miles	6 Hrs	2.45 mph
	2,314 ft AEG

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Mo Supes. The weather was a little cooler so I decided on a moderate hike. Peralta trailead wasn't as busy as I expected. The start was warmer than last week at First Water but once getting in a mile it cooled down. The Bluff Spring trail is okay. Washed out a bit but easy enough to follow. The same for the Dutchman trail. Red Tanks trail and Whiskey Spring trail I'd say bring clippers or bushwack away. On Red Tanks trail you can hike the creek to avoid the mess. I made a detour up Trap Canyon to check the spring. Trap Spring is filled in with sand/silt so I wouldn't expect to find water there this year. Hiking up Trap Canyon was like a walk on the beach for me. Whiskey Spring trail gets a little better as you climb out toward the Dutchman trail. Barkley basin is still depressing to see so look up at the hills. I only passed 3 other hikers on the loop.

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Feb 28 2021

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Herman & Music, AZ

Hiking		Feb 28 2021
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	20.61 Miles	5,142 AEG

Hiking	20.61 Miles	11 Hrs	1.87 mph
	5,142 ft AEG

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Walworthjordyn

I knocked out a big day in the Supes with Jordyn today. We opted for a couple of walk up summits in the backcountry, Herman and Music Mountains.

We cruised to the summit of Herman and were signing the register a mere three hours after we had left the trailhead. We took the first obvious drainage that looks like it goes from the Red Tanks Trail after crossing LaBarge Creek. A dryfall with a black streak is visible from the trail and we took the chance that the fall could be bypassed or climbed. Some light scrambling and an exposed third class move was required to climb the fall and we were soon making our way up the grassy slopes of Herman. As we hiked up Herman we noticed that there was a pretty direct route from Trap Canyon up to the summit of Music. So after signing the register, we made the steep and somewhat spicy descent into Trap Canyon. From there, we shot a direct azimuth up the steep grassy slopes to the summit of Music.

The line we took to Music was steep and a little strenuous, but there wasn´t much brush and it seemed to go rather quickly. We replaced the summit register and tried to interpret the names in the old register, which appears to have been taking on water for awhile now. All the names appeared to be HAZ users, however, the register had not been signed since 2012. The descent from Music got tedious to say the least. I had remembered seeing some lines above LaBarge Spring that appeared to get through the Bluffs over the years, but these could not be located that easily from above. We ended up taking a very steep descent into and unnamed drainage that drained into Music Canyon. We ended up in a good old Supes bushwhack for a period there and found ourselves walking across overgrown brush as if we were floating at times. After the brush portion it was time to earn our canyoneering badges. We had several interesting down climbs for about a .3 mile stretch, highlighted by a tremendous rock slide area that had created a literal Maze of house sized boulders to navigate. The going was extremely slow through this short section of unnamed canyon. I hope I never get as excited and relieved as I was today about reaching fire damaged Supes terrain. From the fire damage it was just a quick knee rattling descent to the trail.

We returned via Bluff Springs Trail #235. Some how we only saw one hiker all day and it was a great day to be out in the Supes, especially after the clouds moved in. Its been awhile since I stretched my legs like this in the Supes and it felt good. Thanks for getting me motivated for this one Jordyn and thank you for the patience on the Music descent.

Barks Canyon

Pools to trickle

LaBarge Spring

Gallon + per minute

Dripping

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4 archives

Feb 28 2021

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Caught in a Trap (Canyon) IV, AZ

Hiking		Feb 28 2021
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	19.30 Miles	3,169 AEG

Hiking	19.30 Miles	8 Hrs 55 Mns	2.71 mph
	3,169 ft AEG	1 Hour 47 Mns Break

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7 linked trail guides

Trap Canyon - West Entrance Loop

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It was a nice winter day, so I decided to make another trip to Trap Canyon.

We went in the west side, and we went a bit farther than I had gone before -- we were probably 2,000 feet or so from the east end of the canyon. I could tell that a couple of my compadres were not really interested in going farther, so we reversed course and went back to the Red Tanks Trail on the west side of the canyon.

It was a great day to do the hike -- the temperature was around 60 and it was sunny and breezy. Early on we saw a few backpackers, and we saw a few more backbackers within a mile of the TH. I think that we only encountered one day hiker the whole day, and that was around Miners Needle.

As we neared the TH, at the Bluff Springs-Dutchman trail junction, we saw a group of about 10-15 bighorn sheep on the cliffs to the west. The sheep hung around for a long time, and that was cool to see.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bighorn Sheep

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Intrepid Back Shot Spring Box Throwing a Wendy

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] LaBarge Spring Trap Canyon

Wildflowers Observation None
There are no wildflowers blooming at this time.

LaBarge Spring

Gallon + per minute

	Trap Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	There were a few pools of water in Trap Canyon. Most were stagnant water, but you might have been able to filter water in a couple of the pools.

	Trap Canyon Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	There was a little bit of water around the spring.

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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

Feb 07 2021

ScottHika

Guides 2
Routes 31
Photos 902
Triplogs 50

male

Joined Sep 19 2020
Phoenix

[ checklist ] Bluff Spring Mountain Browns Peak Coffee Flat Mountain Herman Mountain Trap Canyon Spring Weavers Needle Whiskey Spring

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 07 2021
		ScottHika • Triplogs 50

Hiking	20.00 Miles	3,999 AEG

Hiking	20.00 Miles
	3,999 ft AEG		15 LBS Pack

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Herman Mountain

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Friends wanted to watch football. Rather than watch Tom Brady win again I opted for Herman Mountain. I’ve wanted to summit Herman, and as a new experience I’ve never been atop before! I did a solo summit hike with a few side trips. Apparently I’m not as fast as I once was. It’s getting harder and harder to do things like this in one day. To be honest, much of this trip was passing through scorched earth in order to get to the places I wanted to see.

It was 39F when I started. Sadly, Barkley or Miners basins are tough for me to look at these days. One exception is that the fire makes it easier to see old trails. In this case the old Miners trail going up to Miners Saddle. Back in the day, Miners trail was the only route from QCU up to the saddle. (It was the route Adolph Ruth took among countless others.) This was before forest service rerouted Dutchman’s and replaced the old track in the 1960s with the current 104 route (east side). You can still see it faintly winding up the west side of the draw. I might just start using that old trail to keep if from disappearing completely.

Whiskey Springs was rush hour traffic! I passed about a dozen overnighters packing out in the morning. Then I didn't see a soul for the rest of the day. Whiskey Springs is where the destination began to come into view. Herman Mountain appears straight ahead. I searched all over and had a hard time finding summit completions. I noticed that @wallyfrack was there in 2014 and 2015. I didn’t follow his path, but that was really helpful. Thanks Wally!

From Red Tanks I picked a route that I thought an old miner would take to go up to the mesa. With no trail and in the middle of nowhere I spotted a horseshoe signaling that I was on the right track. Then I found cast off cans and bottles encouraging me to continue. Then I found hidden prospect sites getting more exciting. Finally I found the Miners den! That was really thrilling. I played around that area way too long, which would later cause me to come back in the dark. No regrets.

Herman Mountain is cliff ringed meaning there is no easy way up. It is also bigger on top than is seems. It is cut by Trap Canyon to the north and La Barge to the south. Red Tanks trail winds around two sides and Hoolie Bacon borders the east. The plateau is littered with quartz, crystals and conglomerate sparkling in the sun. Atop I played and interesting game of operation. My sunglasses fell deep into a thicket of catclaw. The operation was a success. There were two summit cairns, so I chose the one with the old wooden survey stake. Both appear about the highest elevation. I found no summit log so I left a small bottle for anyone else to sign. Hopefully I picked the correct summit. They are not far apart. The choice was 50/50 (better than the odds on today’s big game).

I thought it would be fun to slide down into Trap canyon and take an alternate route out. It didn’t look bad on topo, but that proved to be a poor decision. I was really slowed down with more canyoneering than hiking. I also had to push past impassible plant growth barriers. The fires never make it down into Trap there. The plus was the emergence of pleasant streams and pools and waterfalls. I’ve been missing the sound of water during my hikes. Trap was really nice on the way out and I need to make a pass all the way through one day.

More boulder hopping and then back to La Barge for a recharge. By then I was on autopilot back to my car at Peralta. The trip clocked just under 20 miles, but RS crashed twice so I figure I get my 20 for sake of argument.

The sunset was spectacular.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pincushion Cactus

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Chalcedony

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cairn Horseshoe Mine Shaft Old Rusty Stuff

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Bark at Dutchman Crossing	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle

	LaBarge Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute

	Trap Canyon	Dry	Dry

	Trap Canyon Spring	Dripping	Dripping

	Upper LaBarge Box Canyon	Light flow	Light flow

	Whiskey Spring	Dripping	Dripping

2 archives

Jan 22 2021

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Caught in a Trap (Canyon) III, AZ

Hiking		Jan 22 2021
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	18.60 Miles	2,838 AEG

Hiking	18.60 Miles	8 Hrs 49 Mns	2.46 mph
	2,838 ft AEG	1 Hour 16 Mns Break

Linked

6 linked trail guides

[ checklist ] Miners Needle Superstition Mountains - Ridgeline Trap Canyon Weavers Needle

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It was a nice day so I decided to make another trip out to Trap Canyon. Like the last time, I did the Whiskey West-Red Tanks loop CW with an in-and-out side trip into Trap Canyon.

From the Red Tanks Trail, I went 2 miles into Trap Canyon. I would have liked to continue, but I got a late start to the hike and it was 1:15 when I decided to turn around, since I had almost 10 miles to turn around and hike back to the TH. Trap Canyon is pretty cool, and I am hoping to start earlier and go all the way through the canyon next time.

It was a good day to be out -- there was some cloud cover part of the day which was welcome with the mid 60's temperatures. I only saw 3 people all day -- one hiker on the Bluff Springs Trail and two backpackers on the Whiskey Spring Trail.

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite Horseshoe

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage Fire Burn Area & Recovery

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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

2 archives

Jan 17 2021

Watauga

Photos 60
Triplogs 10

male

Joined May 14 2020
Tempe

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Jan 17 2021
		Watauga • Triplogs 10

Backpack	13.40 Miles	2,150 AEG

Backpack	13.40 Miles	2 Days
	2,150 ft AEG		16 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked