Crackerbox Canyon • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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May 20 2023

chumley

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

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Cracker East Miller, AZ

Hiking		May 20 2023
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	6.35 Miles	651 AEG

Hiking	6.35 Miles	3 Hrs 47 Mns	1.74 mph
	651 ft AEG	8 Mns Break

no routes

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Crackerbox Canyon

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BiFrost

John9L

The forecast called for 100% not Supes, so we headed for the rim to enjoy a rainfree weekend of camping, hiking, and paddling. All these rim canyons run together in my memory, but with lingering snow drifts, there's still water flowing in every drainage making for ideal conditions for maximum enjoyment.

Thinning crews have done a number on Battleground Ridge this spring. The sheer amount of timber being cut and removed is impressive. No sign of them doing any work in the drainages however, just the ridge tops.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sedge

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Toad

_____________________

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

May 20 2023

BiFrost

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Crackerbox - Middle Miller Canyon, AZ

Hiking		May 20 2023
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	5.68 Miles	497 AEG

Hiking	5.68 Miles	3 Hrs 44 Mns	1.78 mph
	497 ft AEG	33 Mns Break

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Crackerbox Canyon

Middle Miller Canyon

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chumley

John9L

Car camp weekend on Battle Ground Ridge. Headed out for a hike dropping a vehicle several miles from camp. From there we dropped into Crackerbox Canyon and had a patch of left over snow and water right from the start. It was rocky with some small pools and bit slow going in the beginning. The pools got bigger heading down stream and eventually things opened up. However, the canyon walls were great along the way with several larger pools. Really nice section in Crackerbox before we hit the confluence of Miller.

We continued down Miller Canyon for a few more miles as the canyon continued to get wider and a more flat gravel bottom. Easy hiking on the bottom section of Miller before we hit the exit point. Exit was relatively easy after the first 100 feet out of the canyon. Nice stroll back to camp!!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] False Hellebore (Corn Lily)

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1 archive

May 15 2022

chumley

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

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Crackerbox Hi Fuller, AZ

Hiking		May 15 2022
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	6.03 Miles	903 AEG

Hiking	6.03 Miles	2 Hrs 57 Mns	2.14 mph
	903 ft AEG	8 Mns Break

no routes

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Crackerbox Canyon

Hi Fuller Canyon

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John9L

Tough_Boots

Kyle was looking to do a hike and 9L and I were camping on the rim with a group of others, so after a loop yesterday with el aguila we opted for these canyons near where Kyle came up from Wash Park on the Devin. Crackerbox was surprisingly dry, with just a few spots with pools for Echo to splash and drink. We climbed out to the west not far from Jiffer Tank and 9L and Hillary opted for the direct route back via 501 while the rest of us dropped down the very steep entry into Hi Fuller. This one was loaded with water and features some nice sections of geology.

Bonus on the day near the south end we got a 100 yards or so from a family of black bear, momma and 3 cubs that were large enough that they had to be yearlings. They scurried off to clear the way for us to continue, which we did, enjoying the cooler temps and pleasant rim canyon scenery.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black Bear

_____________________

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

1 archive

Aug 08 2020

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Miller Canyon - AZT #27 - Crackerbox, AZ

Hiking		Aug 08 2020
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	13.42 Miles	1,305 AEG

Hiking	13.42 Miles	6 Hrs 3 Mns		2.42 mph
	1,305 ft AEG	30 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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Blue Ridge - AZT #27

Crackerbox Canyon

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

To get to my start, I traveled in on the Rim Road, to FR 320A. The length of my hike hike today was dependent on how far I could get in on the FR. Success, all the way to the end with NP. Nice camp spot where I parked.

I hiked CW down into Miller Canyon heading towards East Clear Creek. Miller has pockets of water, but the farther you got down canyon, the water disappeared. This is the easiest canyon on the rim I've hiked in. I kicked up on good sized bull elk in velvet along the way.

Up the good ole' AZT to get back on top. The road portion of it drug on for awhile. I broke it up by exploring down FR9709Y to find a vantage spot for my lunch. It looked back down into Miller Canyon.

Back on AZT single track, I made my way to the drop into Crackerbox Canyon. The last 100' into the canyon was a bit of a pucker, but follow those elk trails and they'll eventually get you down.

Crackerbox Canyon was the gem of this hike. Clean water, flowers, greenery and flowers everywhere. I'll come back to this one. Some obstructions, but simple to maneuver around.

Once I hit East Miller, I made the climb back to my car.

On the way out, I took 141H, to 141. A bit longer by a few miles, but smoother and less yahoos than FR300.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

	Crackerbox Canyon	Light flow	Light flow
	Lots to filter

	East Miller Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Scattered pools

	Miller Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Mostly scattered pools from previous rains

_____________________

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

Jul 27 2019

chumley

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

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

East Miller AZT Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jul 27 2019
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	25.27 Miles	2,868 AEG

Hiking	25.27 Miles	10 Hrs 44 Mns	2.63 mph
	2,868 ft AEG	1 Hour 7 Mns Break

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General Crook Trail #130 - Coconino NF

Crackerbox Canyon

Fred Haught Trail #141

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John9L

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

I call the rim east of General Springs "kyleland". In the past year or so, it seems that west of there should be called "prestonland" given @kingsnake 's plan to hike all these rim canyons.

I was planning to put together a route that let me meet up with two different groups of people who I knew were backpacking separate trips. I was hoping to avoid the cabin loop, and was able to put together a route that covered all new hiking terrain for me.

We started at General Springs and took Crook to the west before dropping into Crackerbox Canyon heading upstream before crossing over to West Miller. We followed this downstream 7 miles before hopping out of the canyon and taking AZT27 back to General Springs. Sunday we resumed where we left off following the canyon north for the final 4 miles to East Clear Creek. Again, we used AZT27 to return back to our starting point.

It was nice to cover the full length of East Miller/Miller to the AZT crossing at the top of CC Cragin. And I had never hiked that section of AZT north of Fred Haught, so that was nice too. Gotta get Shawn out there to build some singletrack and get the route off the boring road! ;)

Miller was diverse over the 11+ miles. I'd definitely make a loop that drops in there again though.

[I wasn't sure what kind of water we would find. Historical satellite photos show that spring and fall can have much more water in some sections of the canyon than we encountered. But I think it could be drier in early summer pre-monsoon some years too. This year featured an especially wet winter, and though monsoon rains had not yet started to drain into the canyon, I think some of the residual winter moisture made it somewhat wetter than the driest it might get. Some times of year this might be require a lot of wading. This weekend it was possible to keep your feet dry, but sometimes just easier not to.]

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Black Rattlesnake

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Coconino Sandstone

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Old Rusty Stuff Trail Signs and Markings

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Crackerbox Canyon East Clear Creek East Miller Canyon McCarty Draw Miller Canyon

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Forecast

_____________________

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

4 archives

Aug 21 2018

markthurman53

Guides 187
Routes 990
Photos 12,079
Triplogs 865

72 male

Joined Jun 27 2015
Tucson, Arizona

Crackerbox Canyon Upper Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 21 2018
		markthurman53 • Triplogs 865

Hiking	3.70 Miles	300 AEG

Hiking	3.70 Miles	1 Hour 56 Mns		2.24 mph
	300 ft AEG	17 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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Crackerbox Canyon

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After finishing the Barbershop trail I had the rest of the day so I decided to do a little of the Crackerbox Canyon Trail. It was 2:00 in the afternoon so I figured I could spend 2 hours in this canyon before heading back to Payson for the evening. Because of the early morning rain the creek was running with the upper portion near the Rim road rather "Marshy". The sun was out and in the canyon there was no breeze so it was really muggy. Temps were in the 70's and the bugs were out. The walk along the stream was fairly easy but had to stay to either the west or east of the stream because of the water. This made walking a little more difficult because of the constant stepping through brush and over tree falls. At about one mile in the water in the stream disappeared underground so stream bed walking was possible. At about 2 miles down stream I turned around and headed up the ridge to the east to FSR 123 Battleground Ridge Road. Followed this road back to the Rim Road. Before hitting the Rim Road the General Crook Trail comes in from the east, heading up Battleground ridge from General Springs Cabin. At this junction in a tree is an insulator that was part of the telegraph lines that ran along the general Crook Trail. I heard these could still be found and it appears I found one. Not sure if these lines are as old as the trail though. So if you are at this junction look up.

This was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon, but I'm not sure I will head back down this canyon any time soon. Not real interesting and there are a lot of other more interesting places to try. After seeing how the afternoon turned out I'm not so sure I shouldn't have just finished the U Bar trail when I was on the Barbershop Trail. Was hesitant to do a 15 mile hike with my knee (and couldn't do it without it) and the weather wasn't looking too good at the time. Oh well.

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Sep 15 2017

kingsnake

Guides 117
Routes 337
Photos 11,399
Triplogs 894

63 male

Joined Dec 20 2010
Sunnyslope, PHX

Crackerbox Canyon

Payson, AZ

Crackerbox Canyon

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Sep 15 2017
		kingsnake • Triplogs 894

Hiking	11.60 Miles	749 AEG

Hiking	11.60 Miles	4 Hrs 55 Mns	2.36 mph
	749 ft AEG

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Driving the west end of Rim Rd. is a pain in the donkey — literally, with all the bumps — and it took us 45 minutes to drive the 12 miles to Crackerbox Canyon.

Like East Miller Canyon, Crackerbox has tons of elk sign, both scat & bones. I saw a vertebra and leg bone south of the barbwire fence. Just north of the fence, I found a nearly intact skull. Some of the skull’s structures had needle sharp points. I wrapped the skull in a mylar balloon I had picked up, then stuffed it in my pack. Sweet find. No way I was leaving it behind!

As a result of negotiating Crackerbox’s obstacle course over the final 1.5 miles, I acquired my usual array of scrapes, bumps & bruises.

It was a relief to reach the junction with East Miller Canyon after three moving hours. (Plus an hour of photos, GPS consultation, etc.) I took a sit down break on some rocks, enjoying a sandwich, vinegar chips — my fave! — and G-2 sports drink.

After lunch, I looked up at the bluff. It was rocky, and steep, but not sheer like much of the previous 1.5 miles. It looked like there were a couple of routes up. I picked one, that turned out to be a bit of a water channel. It ended up taking me only 15 minutes to get to the top.

Crackerbox has plenty of shade, so I was sweating more from the labor than the temps. Thankfully, the trek back south on FR 501 also had plenty of shade. It was also breezier on top. I thought I smelled smoke, or maybe cooking food.

I heard, but did not see, wild turkey at Jiffer Tank. Just north of Tracy Lynn Tank, I saw a camper, which would explain what I had smelled three miles earlier.

On the way back to AZ-87, we saw a number of hunters, on foot, in Razrs and on ATVs, both with firearms and bow & arrow. Is it turkey season? The shadows, glare from the lowering sun & dust on my windshield made it really hard to see the road, or the several oncoming vehicles going way too fast for conditions.

Hike Video: [ youtube video ]

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gilled Mushrooms

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Elk

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ - Selfie

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Tracy Lynn Tank

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Several trees at the intersection of East Miller & Crackerbox were turning straight to yellow.

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http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored.

1 archive

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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