Signal Peak 7812 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Pipeline Trail to Signal Peak

Partners

partners

chumley

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

Chums and I met at 6AM and were on the trail ~7:45AM, starting at the top of Kellner Canyon Trail from a parking spot along FR 651. We had good cloud cover to start, with 4+ miles of downhill on Kellner until we reached the intersection with Icehouse, the low point of the loop at ~5,200'. Just as we approached the intersection, the sun came out in time for the long climb up toward Pinal Peak, and the humidity made it a real sweat-fest.

We took a break once we got back into better tree cover near the Icehouse/Telephone intersection, then continued up Telephone, which had some serious trail maintenance done last year and remains nicely cleared. The final approach up to Ferndell Spring was steeper than I remembered, but the pipe at the spring was flowingly nicely. From there, we took Ferndell Trail (also steeper than I remembered) up to the top and saw two deer just south of Pinal Peak as we headed over to Ladder Rock.

The clouds had returned, and with minimal wind, we took another break on top of the rock...very pleasant except for an extremely persistent bee that tormented me for several minutes. As dark clouds started to gather above us, we climbed down and headed north toward Signal Peak, with a quick stop at Pinal. We found one of the reference marks, but the benchmark must be missing or buried.

The forecast called for a 40% chance of rain, and it started to sprinkle on the way over to Signal, so Chumley pulled out the umbrella, but the sprinkles remained relatively light. We took Pipeline to avoid more road hiking, then made the final approach up to the peak and chatted with the guy stationed at the lookout tower. He let us borrow his picnic table for another short break as the rain started up again, but it let up almost immediately after we put on rain gear and had dry conditions and partly sunny skies the rest of the way.

To finish off the loop, we took a pleasant off-trail route that let us avoid the road and provided some nice views of the Superstitions and impressive thunderheads over the Sierra Anchas. The hiking gods rewarded Chumley for drawing up such a nice route with a Motorola walkie talkie/MP3 player we found on the way back...it looked like something out of the 80s but was only a few years old. We were done at 1PM and hadn't seen any other hikers/bikers all day.

Not much wildlife other than the deer, but it was a fun loop with good weather despite the sprinkles--the sun felt warm on some of the exposed uphill stretches, but the temperature never reached 80°, and it was nice to get out of Phoenix and hike somewhere that doesn't rhyme with Mouth Fountain for a change.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Century Plant

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mine Shaft Reference Mark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] East Mountain Ferndell Spring Icehouse Canyon

	Dog House Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Spring box below the spring was full, but water was murky

	Ferndell Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Steady flow from the pipe

	Trail Junction Mine Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Small amount of stagnant, mucky water in spring box

Jul 19 2025

chumley

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

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Kellner Telephone Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jul 19 2025
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	12.99 Miles	3,217 AEG

Hiking	12.99 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	2.91 mph
	3,217 ft AEG	47 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

10 linked trail guides

Pipeline Trail to Signal Peak

Partners

partners

John10s

Fun little loop in the Pinals. Cloud cover kept things very pleasant all day, with a high of only 76. Some light rain threatened to increase just long enough for me to model my skirt for the fire lookout and his black lab.

I hadn't been on Kellner in years, and found that while the trail was in excellent shape, it was more exposed than I remembered and we were happy to be blessed with overcast skies.

I forgot how insanely steep the stretch of Icehouse from Kellner to Doghouse is. And again the grade on upper Sixshooter. A real grind. There were some nuisance gnatish flies on that stretch too. And next up Ferndell will quickly remind you you're not at the top yet.

The Pinal rock was a nice break spot that featured a skunk and a bee that really really liked John. We sauntered across to Signal via the Pinal high point and the Middle and Pipeline trails. I had mapped out a route that followed a couple of ridges from the summit down to the top of Kellner, avoiding the road, and this turned out to be highly enjoyable, with trouble-free terrain and stellar views.

For a 107 day in PHX, the clouds made this one ideal. In the sun, it would likely be a little too warm in the lower stretches.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Century Plant Manzanita

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Inscriptions

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ferndell Spring Signal Peak Lookout Tower

	Dog House Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Springbox was full. Water had an unappetizing film on the surface.

	Ferndell Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Nice steady trickle with full cold springbox

	Trail Junction Mine Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Springbox was about half full. Drainage had stagnant pools.

_____________________

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

Apr 26 2025

John10s

Guides 25
Routes 376
Photos 5,897
Triplogs 346

40 male

Joined Mar 01 2018
Chandler, AZ

Pinals Loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 26 2025
		John10s • Triplogs 346

Hiking	17.81 Miles	5,006 AEG

Hiking	17.81 Miles	7 Hrs 35 Mns	2.53 mph
	5,006 ft AEG	32 Mns Break

Linked

[ checklist ] Asbestos Point Ferndell Spring Icehouse Springbox Pinal Peak Signal Peak

Partners

partners

johnlp

LindaAnn

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

I did a shorter variation of this loop about a year ago and enjoyed it a lot, so I was happy to return to the Pinals for just the second time. The three of us met at 5:30AM and hit the trail just after 7AM, starting from the pullout near the bridge to avoid the charred manzanita eyesore near Icehouse campground. As we started the steady climb up Sixshooter Trail, the canyon had a little water but was, predictably, quite a bit drier than last year. Still, a very enjoyable climb with plenty of shade and improving views as we gained elevation.

I didn't see any mountain bikers on my last visit, but quite a few were coming down on our way up--but no other hikers. We made a quick stop at Ferndell Spring, then took Ferndell Trail over to the ladder rock. We went up for a quick look but didn't stay long because of strong winds that felt almost cold. From there, over to Pinal Peak, where we failed to find a benchmark (topo indicates there is/was one), and a loose manhole cover tried to eat my leg. I inadvertently came very close to putting the 'man' in 'manhole', which sounds stranger than intended...

Leaving Pinal, we hiked the road past the cabins--interesting to see how some fared much better than others in the fires despite the close proximity to each other. At Signal Peak, we took a lunch break at the base of the fire tower and relaxed a while, then walked the road over to Icehouse and down to Telephone Trail. That was a new one for me, and the maintenance work was well done and made our next long ascent much easier. Nice views of Four Peaks, the Sierra Anchas, and the mines, though it was a little hazy today.

We reconnected with Sixshooter again for a final, short climb before a long downhill to close out the loop. Great weather today--I was comfortable in a T-shirt from start to finish--and the trails were quiet other than a few groups of bikers. Not much wildlife, though--John saw a javelina and a giant rat on the drive through Globe in the morning, but other than a dead bird, a cow, and some squirrels, we came up empty during the hike. Nice reuniting J-squared and hiking with Linda and John again. And thank you Linda for organizing/driving!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Miscellaneous Survey Marker

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

	Icehouse Springbox	Dripping	Dripping
	Spring box full

	Six Shooter Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	A few small pools

Apr 26 2025

johnlp

Guides 1
Routes 14
Photos 7,202
Triplogs 5,208

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

Pinals loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 26 2025
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Hiking	17.62 Miles	4,888 AEG

Hiking	17.62 Miles	7 Hrs 35 Mns	2.57 mph
	4,888 ft AEG	43 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

Partners

partners

John10s

LindaAnn

It's hip to be square. John that is.
Linda organized a Pinal hike that looked challenging, hitting the better parts of the Pinals. John10s and I (John squared) joined Linda after a few other invitees couldn't make it.
We started up Sixshooter from the bridge parking spot. It's a climb to the top. We stopped by Ferndell Spring on the way. Not much happening there anymore, I think they rerouted the flow. Next, we climbed up the ladder rock. Windy and cold up there. Not quite as bad on Pinal Peak, and comfortable on Signal Peak once we made our way over there. We then descended Icehouse to the intersection with Telephone, where we started back up to meet Sixshooter again. I had not been on Telephone in quite a few years. Good piece of trail so to speak.
Once we connected back up with Sixshooter it was mostly downhill the rest of the way.
We saw 10 mountain bikers and no other hikers. Quiet for a Saturday.
Great hike and company! Thanks for driving Linda.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Canadian white violet

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

1 archive

Apr 26 2025

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Pinals loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 26 2025
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	17.33 Miles	4,803 AEG

Hiking	17.33 Miles	7 Hrs 35 Mns	2.52 mph
	4,803 ft AEG	43 Mns Break

Linked

Partners

partners

John10s

johnlp

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

Kelly went to extreme measures to avoid today’s hike, so it ended being me and John-squared. Met up around 0530, and were hiking around 0700. Parked at the bridge, then headed up Sixshooter. I like the mostly moderate grade of this one, and a fair amount of shade in the morning. Saw about 10 mountain bikers. A little bit of water in places.

Headed east on Ferndell. At the top, we headed over to the ladder rock, but only stayed up there for a moment because of the high winds. From there, we walked over to Pinal Peak, then continued west on the road over to Signal Peak, surveying the state of the cabins along the way.

Had lunch on Signal Peak, which has the better views, then headed down Icehouse. Saw two more bikers. There is a slightly rocky section of trail just above the junction with Telephone, but not too bad. Back uphill on Telephone, where I was questioning my hiking choices. There are some good views to the north. Some very fresh bear scat.

Once back at Sixshooter, we headed back down (although up for a short stretch) to the truck at the bridge. A tad warm at the finish. This is a great hike for building endurance while on excellent trails. Good footing, and minimal brush. Decent drive from Phx. Didn’t see any other hikers. Noticed a fire burning south of the 60, just west of Picketpost. Thanks, John & John, for joining me on this one.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Icehouse Springbox	Dripping	Dripping
	Springbox is brim full.

	Six Shooter Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Trickling water

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

1 archive

Nov 10 2024

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Pinals loop, AZ

Hiking		Nov 10 2024
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	18.25 Miles	4,697 AEG

Hiking	18.25 Miles	8 Hrs 30 Mns	2.34 mph
	4,697 ft AEG	42 Mns Break

Linked

Partners

partners

danielac

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

Parked near the bridge where Sixshooter crosses the road, and headed uphill. Pleasant temps, trail in good shape. Past the peak of fall color, but some maples were still looking good. More snow than I was expecting to see on the trail, but no issue with it as far as hiking goes. Noticed some fairly fresh bear tracks in the snow. Tons of bear scat on all the trails today.

Headed east on Ferndell, which also had some snow. Trail is in good shape. Quick stop on the ladder rock, then Pinal Peak. Walked the road over to Signal Peak, where we had lunch.

Down Icehouse, which had a little bit of snow. Trail is in mostly good shape, with some rocky spots lower down. Nice fall color, but definitely past peak.

At the junction with Telephone, we spent a few minutes hunting for the trail to head back uphill to reconnect with Sixshooter. The first quarter mile or so on Telephone is hot garbage. The trail is obscured by tons of deadfall. I kept us mostly on the right track. After the deadfall, the trail became a lot clearer, then there was a section of overgrown locust. Once past that mess, the rest of Telephone was fine.

Breezed back down Sixshooter, finishing up before 4pm, which was earlier than anticipated. Once that 3/4 mile of Telephone is cleared up, this will be a great hike for avoiding the lower sections of these trails. Overall, a fairly easy hike for the stats.

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Past peak. Oaks are done. Aspen are dull. Maples still have some remaining color.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

2 archives

May 12 2024

John10s

Guides 25
Routes 376
Photos 5,897
Triplogs 346

40 male

Joined Mar 01 2018
Chandler, AZ

Pinal Mountains Sixshooter - Icehouse Loop, AZ

Hiking		May 12 2024
		John10s • Triplogs 346

Hiking	15.07 Miles	3,931 AEG

Hiking	15.07 Miles	8 Hrs 11 Mns	2.05 mph
	3,931 ft AEG	50 Mns Break

Linked

[ checklist ] Asbestos Point Icehouse Canyon Icehouse Springbox Pinal Mountains Pinal Peak Signal Peak Signal Peak Lookout Tower

Partners

partners

TboneKathy

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

We hadn't hiked in the Pinals before, and this looked like a good higher-elevation loop to get out of the heat and see something new. We started on Sixshooter Trail from the empty Ice House Campground parking area. The first mile and a half was underwhelming through the fire-damaged area, but the scenery improved quickly after crossing the road near the bridge. Leaving the fire area behind, it was a pleasant climb with the creek flowing and a plenty of shade and greenery.

We connected with FR 651C and passed few cabins on the way up to Pinal Peak. Three people were walking down as we approached, but we had the peak to ourselves. The map shows a benchmark up there, but I didn't see one in the brief time I spent looking. The views are nice for a peak with a road, buildings, and communication towers, and this one had a lot of tower accessories scattered around.

Leaving the peak, we hiked over to Ladder Rock and passed a few tents and a horse in a corral nearby...turned out it was the three people we'd seen walking down from the peak. The views from Ladder Rock were nice looking off toward East Mountain with the lack of towers and unobstructed view in that direction.

Next up was Signal Peak, the second road/communication tower summit of the day. We took the road back to the west and passed a few more cabins, then connected with Middle Trail and Pipeline Trail. That was another area badly damaged by fire. Both trails were easy to follow in most places, and neither was especially overgrown, just scorched. Pipeline led us back to FR 651, where I saw a deer on the way up to Signal Peak. There was at least one person and a dog or two in the lookout station, and I took a look around and headed back down.

We followed 651 over to Icehouse Trail to loop back toward the starting point. There was some deadfall to climb over, but the trail was in pretty good shape overall. Lots of pleasant shade and a steady flow of water in the creek bed. Further down, the canyon become a lot more rugged far below the trail, and there were some impressive falls deep in the canyon. We also passed some nice cactus blooms with 30+ flowers packed together. We took a short lunch break with a mile and a half to go, then finished the loop back to the campground. Other than the three campers near Pinal Peak and a few vehicles on the roads, we didn't see anyone else all day.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Poison Ivy

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] American Robin Arizona Sister Butterfly

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Spring Box

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

	Dog House Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Steady flow in the creek bed near the spring

	Icehouse Springbox	Dripping	Dripping
	Spring box half full of stagnant water, no obvious flow

Oct 26 2023

johnlp

Guides 1
Routes 14
Photos 7,202
Triplogs 5,208

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 26 2023
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Hiking	14.50 Miles	3,750 AEG

Hiking	14.50 Miles
	3,750 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	joebartels	LindaAnn
	trekkin_gecko

Linda set up a fall color hike up the Sixshooter trail in the Pinals. 2019 was the last time I had hiked here.
Fall colors were pretty good though muted, pretty much what I saw along my road trip to PA recently.
Good conversation made the miles and elevation gain go by faster than expected. Fun group.
Trail is in good shape even with the recent fire. Nice to get back in the Pinals again.
Thanks for organizing and driving Linda.

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

Oct 26 2023

trekkin_gecko

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

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 26 2023
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Hiking	14.50 Miles	3,750 AEG

Hiking	14.50 Miles	6 Hrs 15 Mns	2.56 mph
	3,750 ft AEG	35 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	joebartels	johnlp
	LindaAnn

linda put together an up and back on sixshooter, hitting pinal and signal peaks
i hadn't been in the pinals in four years and always enjoy a fall color hike here
we parked up the road, cutting off the tedious lower part of sixshooter
headed up around 0800 in cool temps
this trail provides a good uphill to the telephone junction, then a little bit more to ferndell
fire damage wasn't as bad as anticipated, torched in spots but overall not terrible
unless you were one of two cabin owners up top
we did the road walk to the ladder rock, pinal peak and then signal peak
a decent amount of fall color along the way, and it should be good for another week or so
lunch break at signal peak, then headed down
just two other hikers all day, and a few vehicles up top
linda spotted a kingsnake, otherwise no critters
great hike, enjoyable day with good company
late lunch in miami at guayo's el rey - love that place

thanks y'all!
*splitting the difference between linda and joe's stats

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Mountain Kingsnake

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

hazhole

Oct 26 2023

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 26 2023
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	14.26 Miles	3,715 AEG

Hiking	14.26 Miles	6 Hrs 15 Mns	2.52 mph
	3,715 ft AEG	35 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	johnlp	LindaAnn
	trekkin_gecko

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

Sixshooter 54°
We started from the road instead of the Ice House CG/Trailhead. Few enjoyed the 1.35 mi lower stretch before the fires(2017 Pinal / 2021 Telegraph). Now that it's torched, I imagine fewer yet will hike it. From the road it's torched. New vegetation is 1 to 2 ft tall and gaining going up. Steep lil f'r.

0.5 mile: larger vegetation is back. There's a little bit of avoidable catclaw, nothing of concern but inquiring minds wanna know.

1.38 miles: first hint of red in the creek bed.
1.57 miles: A decent array of yellows in this area. Box elders and ash.
1.65 miles: Large walnut trees made an appearance.
The next 2.25 miles are burned in areas but enough of the canopy is intact that it doesn't seem horrible.

4.15 miles: Telephone junction vicinity is torched, sign unsathed.
4.47 miles: notable golden maples.
5.48 miles: After 2,900 ft of elevation we opted for the road. Which was nice with occasional Autumn breezes sweeping leaves across the road.
7.00 miles: A ranger pickup passed us on the road.

We crawled up Pinal Peak then over-n-up to Signal Peak. Had a fabulous 30-minute lunch at a private picnic table. Then we jogged down. We only passed two hikers. They had large packs but appeared to be dayhikers. They were excited to see deer. Descending Sixshooter, one assent definitely reminds you it's not all downhill.

Synopsis
Better than expected for Pinal 4X*0.25. Perfect temps & fun company, it was great to get out. Thanks to Linda for organizing and inviting! Likewise thanks to trekkin'G & jlp for picking up the Linner tab at Guayo's El Rey!

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Canadians, Vermont & Massachusetians would be seriously disappointed. Nice enough for me!

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Wildflowers are minimal trace to lacking excitement

_____________________

- joe

Oct 26 2023

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 26 2023
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	14.71 Miles	3,801 AEG

Hiking	14.71 Miles	6 Hrs 14 Mns	2.59 mph
	3,801 ft AEG	33 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	joebartels	johnlp
	trekkin_gecko

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

I’d been wanting to get back out to the Pinals after a couple year hiatus. Issued an invitation to Kelly, then the weather forecast turned iffy; once it looked good again, we invited Joe & John to join in as well. Most of us had no interest in hiking the first 1.50 miles of Sixshooter, so we parked where the trail crosses the road and started from there. This is a good option if doing an out and back, or coming down Sixshooter as part of a loop.

Started hiking a few minutes before 0800, with the uphill quickly ending any talk (not from me) of being cold for the next few miles. I was pleasantly surprised to see minimal fire damage along the trail. Overall, the trail is in decent shape—easy to follow, moderate grade, one short eroded spot, a few downed trees of little concern, and a stretch of locust encroaching on the trail. Plenty of shade, and a nice amount of fall color.

Once we reached Ferndell, we opted to jump onto the road, not knowing the condition of the upper part of Sixshooter or Ferndell, which can be overgrown at times. Turns out, all the trails at the top looked pretty clear, but the roads allowed for faster travel. We headed to “Ladder Rock” first, where we confirmed the strength of the ladder and welds can support at least two hikers at a time. Then over to the Pinal summit, always kind of a blah summit, but you have to get the high point. Walked past the cabins on our way over to Signal. At least two cabins were lost to fire, but nearly all the rest survived seemingly unscathed. Signal has the better views, and we ate lunch there before heading back down Sixshooter.

Uneventful hike down. The tiny climb in the middle is tough on morale, but really not that bad. I didn’t cry too much. Only saw two other hikers, and a couple of vehicles up top. Had a late lunch in Miami (thanks Kelly & John!) then a bit of traffic on the drive back to the Valley. Fun hike, almost perfect weather, nice dose of fall color, and great company & conversation! Good way to spend a day.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Mountain Kingsnake

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Oak, maple, and a few aspen.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

Aug 29 2022

Mike_W

Guides 104
Routes 256
Photos 16,118
Triplogs 528

53 male

Joined Dec 30 2005
Tucson, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Aug 29 2022
		Mike_W • Triplogs 528

Hiking	1.80 Miles	241 AEG

Hiking	1.80 Miles	1 Hour 1 Min	1.77 mph
	241 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I originally planned on hiking both Pinal and Signal from the Pioneer pass area. I knew the Pioneer pass campground was closed. I thought the road would be open, but it was not. Therefore, I was forced to drive up the road to the upper campground (Pinal campground). From that area, this hike isn't too challenging. First I set up camp and then hiked from the campsite to Signal peak. It started getting dark just as I arrived to the peak. There are some communication towers at the top and the peak is nothing special, but it was one of the few highs points that I was able to hike to in this area. Instead of taking the road down, I just bushwhacked down to the road making a loop.

_____________________

Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us

May 07 2021

LJW

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

East - Pinal - Signal Loop, AZ

Hiking		May 07 2021
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	21.17 Miles	4,968 AEG

Hiking	21.17 Miles	7 Hrs 37 Mns	3.08 mph
	4,968 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

Linked

14 linked trail guides

East Mountain - Pinal Mountains

Una Del Oso Trail #201

Toll Road Trail #200

East Mountain Trail #214

Telephone Ridge Trail - Pinals

Partners

none

no partners

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

Another favorite hike of last year I had another go at. Changed it slightly, figured why go all the way up the mountain only to walk the road instead of upper Six Shooter, Middle, and Pipeline Trails. Started around sunrise and went clockwise.

Six Shooter to Una Del Oso water in the one creek, nothing on Oso. Overall drier than June last year. Tread is good, cold in the drainages and warm in the sunrise.

Toll Road through East Mountain Trail the scenery picks up. Into the forest, good wilflowers along the way. East Mountain ridgeline fun as ever. Too early for ladybugs. Up the north ridge and down the west through the pines like last year. Not much of a bushwhack but it's steep.

Pioneer up to Pinal Peak and the climbing was out of the way. Relaxing cruise for Ferndell - 6 Shooter - Middle - Pipeline. Leaves higher up yet to regrow, lower down the oaks, maples, etc are fleshing out. Made for less shade on Ferndell than in June. Still a lovely trail and network between the cabins and campgrounds. Middle Trail a particular favorite. Lost Pipeline on the north side but found the end at the road. It's there just got impatient and climbed up to the campsite.

Signal Peak fire watch season is already underway. Tower was occupied, loud phone conversations and radio static the first signs of human life on the day.

Down the roads to Kellner. Passed a sedan that had driven up, only person I passed all day. Kellner trail starts in the canyon of fir and oak. Oaks are still bald and the canyon largely unshaded. Once out of the canyon the trail winds around to Icehouse through shady pines.

Icehouse slog back. First hike in new boots. Hadn't broke them in. Last few miles were painful. Got back to a few cars at the Icehouse CCC TH, but I didn't see any hikers all day.

Wildflowers Observation Light
Good purples and golds on Toll Road, East Mountain Trail, East Mountain ridgeline, lower Kellner Trail.

2 archives

Apr 29 2021

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Six Shooter - Icehouse loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 29 2021
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	13.94 Miles	3,867 AEG

Hiking	13.94 Miles	6 Hrs 24 Mns	2.23 mph
	3,867 ft AEG	9 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

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

Headed up Six Shooter. The lower two miles are boring, but nice after that. Some water flowing in the canyon. No deadfall, trail is in good shape.

At the top, we headed up Ferndell. Seems like some of the brush has been cleared back, which was nice.

Quick stop at Ladder Rock, then Pinal Peak, before walking the roads over to Signal Peak. Cool, with a nice breeze along the top.

After that, we headed down Icehouse. The top mile or so of Icehouse is in immaculate shape, obviously very recently maintained. The upper two miles of this one are some of my favorite hiking in AZ. Saw one coatimundi. The lower two miles suck—rocky, brushy, ugh. Just not fun. I was glad that was the last two miles of the hike.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Claret Cup Cactus

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Coatimundi

Wildflowers Observation Light
A good amount of flowers at the lower elevations on both Six Shooter and Icehouse.

	Dog House Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Springbox was full, a little murky. Better water flowing in the creek just below it.

	Ferndell Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Light flow.

	Icehouse Springbox	Dripping	Dripping
	Springbox was full.

	Six Shooter Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	Light flow. Water looked good, but there are cattle in the area, so treat accordingly.

	Trail Junction Mine Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Not sure I’d want to get water out of here, but it was full.

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

Apr 10 2021

hikerdw

Routes 268
Photos 2,969
Triplogs 541

66 male

Joined Aug 16 2009
Mesa,AZ

Kellner Icehouse Loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 10 2021
		hikerdw • Triplogs 541

Hiking	12.74 Miles	3,344 AEG

Hiking	12.74 Miles	5 Hrs 17 Mns	2.81 mph
	3,344 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

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

Perfect weather on this day for this loop. Arrived to an empty TH and only 3 other vehicles when we finished. All the trails are in good condition, Kellner and Icehouse did have some deadfall to navigate around. The lower portion of Telephone was in excellent condition. A trail maintenance crew arrived at the top of Icehouse as we started our decent. First trip to Signal Peak. Views were outstanding. Nothing negative about this loop, it is a favorite.

	Kellner Canyon Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Nice flow.

_____________________

Expect to self rescue

Aug 09 2020

Jim

Guides 73
Routes 176
Photos 10,174
Triplogs 2,324

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Pioneer Trail #196

Pioneer Trail #196

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Aug 09 2020
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	10.00 Miles	3,100 AEG

Hiking	10.00 Miles	6 Hrs 30 Mns		1.74 mph
	3,100 ft AEG	45 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

7 linked trail guides

Telephone Ridge Trail - Pinals

Partners

none

no partners

Two dry summers in a row meant I went out to do this with a zero percent chance of storms and no rain gear. Didn't need it, either, not even close. If anything, it was hot, 93 at the trailhead at 5:15, and warm most of the hike. You can tell the mountain has had barely any rain, as everything looks dry. Lots of dry plants on the Pioneer, and on top trees are losing leaves. Usually it is wet about now.

Up Pioneer, skipped Pinal Peak both times, down Ferndell to Six Shooter, which I took to the Telephone Trail, and once I got to the ridge I turned up that. Partly, because I didn't feel like losing any more elevation, and partly because I thought the trail was higher up, not slightly below. I then went up the ridge to Signal Peak. Someone was playing Peter and the Wolf by flute in the tower, as well as a few other things. I saw no wolves, or bears, FYI. After the brief segments of the Pipeline and Middle trails, I stopped at the exotic trees and the hummingbird feeder collection. The trees are losing leaves due to drought, but are fine. There are fewer hummingbird feeders, and I only saw two birds. Nothing like last July when there were dozens of birds, it seemed. I then went back down the Pioneer. Nice views from the Baldy in the White Mountains, to the Catalinas and Rincons.

Not enough decent routes for me to use or piece together, so I added the AEG from the Pioneer and the Telephone Ridge up to Signal Peak. Might have lost some from the Pipeline and Middle. Miles, is a safe guess.

	Squaw Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Nasty!

_____________________

Jun 06 2020

LJW

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

East - Pinal - Signal Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 06 2020
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	22.06 Miles	5,062 AEG

Hiking	22.06 Miles	7 Hrs 58 Mns	3.06 mph
	5,062 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

Linked

10 linked trail guides

Una Del Oso Trail #201

Toll Road Trail #200

East Mountain Trail #214

Partners

none

no partners

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

Had never been to the Pinal Mountains before. Recent triplogs, particularly a post from @hikerdw about East Mountain, had me waiting for temps in June to chill out for a day or two. Being a first timer, wanted to see as much as possible. Started up the road from Ice House CCC with East Mountain the first summit on the docket and no firm plan on how I'd come back down from the mountains after Signal Peak.

Got to enjoy the least enjoyable parts of not only Six Shooter but Ice House too. Day only got better. Lower Six was smooth and made the going easy. Six Shooter and Una Del Oso had a surprising flow of water. Windy and cool at sunrise.

Toll Road makes for nice hiking. Was under pines in under an hour. From there the whole route was delightful. East Mountain maybe my favorite trail on the day. Once the trail makes the ridgeline, the views open up and balance out the pine forest lower down. East Mountain summit from the north is steep but clear. Thousands of ladybugs on the summit living their complicated lives. South ridge is thick with manzanita, but there are seams. Opted to come down the west side. Very steep but clear and rejoins the trail in one of its best stretches.

Passed two groups of hikers around Pioneer Pass. Pioneer is dense with ferns and undergrowth, smooth and never too steep. Saw a small rattlesnake. Trickle from Squaw Spring.

Pinal Peak and the ridge under it have more or less the same views as Signal and the road below it, only it's all farther away. Cold and windy on top. From Pioneer Pass and again at the peak, smoke was visible in the Southern Pinals.

Ferndell is a half mile gem that carries along the slopes toward Six Shooter through dense forest. Showcase of the diversity of trees on the loop. Road walk to Signal was nice and shady. Little car and foot traffic given how perfect the weather on top was.

Signal Peak LO was occupied by a man named Jerry. At least I think so, bad with names. When we met he was luring a squirrel to his doorstep. Asked about the fire. He said it was on BLM land and they had an engine on either side. ~30acres. Conversation ensued. Aztec Peak, Ed Abbey, the nature of looking out, Pinals in October. We agreed that I should save Six Shooter or Icehouse for the fall and finish up on Kellner. Bigger views, play to the season.

Kellner was in good shape but had the rockiest tread of the day. Starts in the canyon, ends up on the mountainside, beautiful either way. Meets up with the lower mile or so of Icehouse, which wasn't too bad. Views of Globe and the San Carlos Reservation. Crossing the creek back to the road I think uses Telephone 192. Only saw two groups of hikers on the trip. Not too many cars. Road is good for low clearance all the way to Pinal Peak, and if I had to bet Pioneer Pass as well.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Black Rattlesnake

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Kellner Canyon Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	A guess based on water in the creek.

Six Shooter Canyon

Light flow

	Squaw Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Good enough flow, runoff from pipes and fenced-off spring box.

2 archives

May 31 2020

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Pinal Signal loop, AZ

Hiking		May 31 2020
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	14.62 Miles	3,907 AEG

Hiking	14.62 Miles	7 Hrs	2.30 mph
	3,907 ft AEG	38 Mns Break

Linked

Partners

partners

danielac

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

Parked at the Icehouse CCC lot and decided to head up Six Shooter first. Since I hate the lower mile of Six Shooter, we walked up the road for the first mile, then got on Six Shooter. Temps were nice, plenty of green vegetation, and there was a lot of flowing water. We saw a band of coatis; I counted about 12 but only got pics of 2 or 3 of them. Six Shooter is in great shape the entire way up. Very buggy though.

At the top, we headed east on Ferndell, which is brushy in a few places, but still easy to follow. Once at the top of Ferndell, we headed over to the ladder rock, then over to Pinal Peak. Hazy views, as expected. From there, we headed over to Signal Peak, which I prefer over Pinal. After lunch on Signal, we headed over to Icehouse. Temps had been pleasant all morning, but started to warm up on Icehouse.

Icehouse has about 15-20 downed trees across the upper 2 miles of the trail. Most are easy to step over or around, but 4 required some bypass effort. The top mile of the trail is slippery with layers and layers of old maple leaves. At the junction with Telephone, which took some effort to find, we decided to take Telephone the rest of the way back down in order to skip the boring road walk of the last 2 miles of Icehouse. I hadn't been on that portion of Telephone since before the fire 3 years ago, so was curious to see what it looked like. The boring road walk would have been much better. In some places, the trail almost entirely disappeared in manzanita and locust; it did not appear to have received any maintenance since the fire. After passing through some gates, the trail became much more distinct, and showed signs of recent maintenance. Other than a few steep spots, it was an easy, but hot, walk back to the parking lot.

Good to get this loop in, and other than the last few miles, it wasn't too hot. More green and water than I was expecting to see too. Didn't see anyone else all day, which was nice.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Coatimundi

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

May 17 2020

Jim

Guides 73
Routes 176
Photos 10,174
Triplogs 2,324

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Globe, AZ

Hiking		May 17 2020
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	11.00 Miles	3,500 AEG

Hiking	11.00 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns		2.00 mph
	3,500 ft AEG		10 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Really beautiful afternoon hike up & down Icehouse with both mountaintop summits. Didn't see too many hummingbirds at the bird feeders, but they're hanging in the cabin area. I heard lots of birds otherwise, including Hermit Thrushes in the forest, which is very enjoyable while coming down after 5. I was really surprised to hear tree frogs barking in the canyon in the lower section of Trail, but there is a lot of water flowing right now including at the creek crossing near the beginning of the trail.

There are no Trail signs as you descend Icehouse Canyon, so if you did not come up Icehouse look for the metal sign talking about revegetation for where you will turn right and down a hard to discern Trail back to the trailhead. The barbed wire fence and gate at the creek crossing is shortly after that point.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

	Icehouse Springbox	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Maybe not the springbox but plenty of water flowing in the canyon, and it's accessible at several points. Also the disgusting cattle tanks are filled with rancid appearing water, but who wants that?

_____________________

1 archive

Oct 27 2019

BiFrost

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Icehouse-Sixshooter Canyon Loop, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2019
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	14.94 Miles	3,987 AEG

Hiking	14.94 Miles	6 Hrs 48 Mns	2.51 mph
	3,987 ft AEG	51 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked