Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

login for filter options

Nov 18 2016

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

The Needle - HRC Wilderness, AZ

Hike & Climb		Nov 18 2016
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Hike & Climb	11.28 Miles	3,272 AEG

Hike & Climb	11.28 Miles	9 Hrs 26 Mns		1.63 mph
	3,272 ft AEG		25 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Partners

none

no partners

Oh what to say about this one other than this may have been the craziest thing I've ever done and I'm blessed to be back on safe solid ground. :lol:

With the HRC only being 45 miles from my house I'm mad at myself that this is my first time visiting this awesome area!
I'm not sure what the talk was about taking a car on Constellation road but I'd certainly never do that if you care about your sedan because you may not only lose some car parts as Bruce said but you may also slip of the edge in a few areas as I could feel my 4WD drive working in many sections of that winding road, a car would make it safely to the first initial Williams Ranch Sign but further is at your own risk.
Anyway I parked my trusty QX4 on Gold Bar Mine rd just around the first major bend and decent parking area, so it tacked on 3/4ths of mile but no problem since it was only 7am and I felt great!
My friend Brandon and I started the hike out in our jackets and beanies as the the strong winds and crisp moring air was certainly a cold mix but we were soon stripping layers once the sun rose and I'm pretty sure I was in a t-shirt by the time we reached Needle Point Overlook.
This really would be a primetime backpacking spot if it wasn't for the all the cow feces just like Joel described in his description, It's a bummer the area is so over ran by cattle but those beefcakes sure do a good job at upkeeping trail maintenance as it was easy travel throughout the whole day on the trails which was new for me.
Upon hitting the Yampa I only spotted a couple stagnant pools of water but downstream from our crossing there certainly appears to be more water indicated by the healthy vegetation.
I easily located the side wash that transfers to the unmarked "Needle Trail" on the opposite side of the river and near its entrance is where we took a break in the cool shaded sand and also made a water and jacket cache for our return.
I seriously loved traveling on the trails throughout the day as they were certainly well groomed by those cattle and very easy to follow which always gives a strong sense of confidence especially for what was about to take place next.
We took a break near the eastern side of The Needle close to where Bruce took his deceptive photo of the monolith...
Looking up at The Needle from this spot gives many promising and almost "easy" looking summit routes and gave me so much excitement that once we began our off trail ascent I actually started whistling and hollering with enthusiasm but that was soon to be quickly shut up.
Upon hitting the once promising eastern base I soon realized it was not going to be that way, the spot that from below that looked beyond easy was in reality a very exposed narrow gap that consisted of some of the most eroded and loosest rock I've ever encountered. As a matter of fact the whole Needle itself basically could be compared to a stale old crumbling cookie that is literally slowly falling apart day by day, I've truly never seen such dangerous rock to climb, I'll post videos to show what I'm talking about.
First video shows poor quality of the hand and footholds near the southeastern face.
youtu.be/TxYJEEfSAPk
Second video shows a 200+lbs rock that I would have stepped on as it crumbles down to earth on the once promising eastern face.
youtu.be/WObFlFHhaMU

Maybe a legend like JJ or Bob P could have easily made it up without second thought but I don't have balls of steel and the horrible rock condition in combination with the risk, exposure and remote location made me think twice about going for it just yet.
I found another promising way up on the northwest side where there is a lone tree and small gap but again we were meet with even more crumbly rock and exposure. It was so weird because there are numerous areas that at first glance look so easy and doable but once you actually start to get into the moves you soon realize there is just no way up those paths due to the awkward pitch and poor quality of the rock, I've climbed other formations in similar exposure and difficulty just fine but the eroded condition of this rock is like nothing I've ever seen.
My friend took refuge under the shade and by the tree on the NW side while I examined the remaining circumference of The Needle looking for a weak point, the whole true south side is sheer vertical cliff wall so that wasn't an option but it was the southeastern face that gave a sign of hope!
I saw 3 different spots on that face that looked doable but once again when I began to start climbing all my foot and handholds crumbled from under me. It was at that point I started to realize I may not get on top of The Needle and became a bit disappointed but at no way was I ready to truly give up. I made my back back to the western side of the Needle where my friend was patiently waiting, I discussed the options to him and he decided to check out the southeastern face with me and give it look.
With the confidence of my buddy nearby I decided to fully go for it up the crumbly 20ft chimney chute but I had yet another foothold crumble and violently sent me back down to earth.
After we were literallty about to call it quits and friend was packing up his bag I'd decided to go for it one last time and sure enough I did it!
Going up the chimney I had to make some very risky moves that were well out of my comfort zone but once I got up that section it was a short scramble to the true summit and I was there!
It was almost surreal standing atop this impressive geological feature especially considering I almost gave up moments before, although I really wasn't able to relax and enjoy myself because of the fact I was truly fearful of being able to safely get down as it appeared much harder to go down the chimney than it was to come up :scared:

a hikers worst nightmare and a position I had promised myself I'd never put myself in!
Since it was leap of faith to get up there and kind of a last chance move I did not have a backpack with me or anything on me which was a true bummer because there was no summit register up there just small pile of rocks. I prepared for that and brought a freshly taped summit jar with a new pad and pencil but it was 30 feet below me in my bag and I was already of course on the summit. My friend who is usually the crazy one decided to stay down below as he did not feel comfortable making the risky moves required to ascend the summit so I tried having him throw me my empty water bottle with the pad and pencil inside but that just resulted in many failed throw attempts and my favorite water bottle broken shattered in the end.
I almost forget to mention that near the entrance of the chimney was a hornets nest of some sort as there were 6 or 7 of some of the physically largest hornets I've ever seen and I must have pissed them off because my friend was stung multiple times and was in a battle with them down below the whole time I was on the summit.
I didn't stay long on top as I was so focused on getting down but I did make time to say my thanks and soak in the unique 360° views as it certainly was spectacular!
Like I was saying there was no register but instead a small pile of rocks on top as if maybe there was a register but perhaps those that made it up prior were just like me and didn't have a backpack or somebody just took it which I can't imagine because just getting up here requires a certain amount of respect for the land.
I had to leave my mark on this place in some way so I checked my pockets and all I had was my cellphone, chapstick, remote key and a lighter so I decided to leave my lighter underneath the pile of rocks so that the next brave person to summit will find a bright pink BIC lighter since that's my favorite color of course.
I was fortunately able to make my way down the crumbly chimney but it literally took every ounce of energy and strength in my body to cling on for dear life as one false move could have resulted in serious injury. I was literally so relieved to touch solid ground after I got down that im pretty sure I almost kissed the dirt! :sweat:

After that the mission was accomplished I was so content so I cracked my would've been summit beer as we made our way back down to the nicely groomed unamed trail. The rest of the hike back was warm and uneventful as my friend and I both were already feeling a little bit of fatigue, he somehow didn't even sleep a single hour the night before and showed up at my house at 4:30am in the morning, dudes a machine! While hiking back up the Overlook trail I kept thinking of how nice it would be to backpack in this seldom traveled area because there is so much to explore in this wilderness and I'll definitely be back this upcoming spring when the Yampa is flowing.
It was truly a great day and humbling experience out in the HRC, I don't think I'll ever do it again but I sure am glad to say I successfully summited "The Needle". : rambo :

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Hassayampa River Hassayampa River Canyon Wilderness Sam Powell Peak The Needle

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Decent color in the Hassayampa River bed but nothing extravagant.

_____________________

1 archive

Dec 27 2014

The_Eagle

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

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

The Needle via the Hassayampa, AZ

Hiking		Dec 27 2014
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	11.21 Miles	2,365 AEG

Hiking	11.21 Miles	5 Hrs 33 Mns		2.34 mph
	2,365 ft AEG	45 Mns Break	16 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Partners

partners

	johnlp	lil_tortoise_hiker
	Tortoise_Hiker

Denny and I started a tradition in 2010, to do a hike as close to New Years Eve as we could, to celebrate a great year of hiking, and to look forward to the next. Since the first year, we've tried to amp it up and make it something or someplace memorable.

From 12/31/10 :next:

http://hikearizona.com/photo=172020
From 12/31/11 :next:

http://hikearizona.com/photo=229712
From 12/30/12 :next:

http://hikearizona.com/photo=306676
From 12/28/13 :next:

http://hikearizona.com/photo=383571
From 12/27/14 :next:

http://hikearizona.com/photo=466928

This year the Turtle has had a wounded knee and has ventured mainly to the dark side of two wheels... so we haven't had much hiking time. I threw out a couple of suggestions for this year and the Turtle snapped back with this area. Knowing I wasn't going to make a 2 hour drive for a 5 mile hike, I looked to add something Turtle-able. (Yep they both complain).

The drive in was half the adventure on this one. The summer rains took a bit of a toll on the road. When dry any HC vehicle can make it. Could a car make it? I would not drive a car on it, as there are a few places where you could loose some parts. From Route 60, it's 13.3 miles to your turn off of Constellation Road. This unmarked road (Gold Bar Road?) has has recent dozer action to make repairs. I opted to stop .25 miles in, when the dozer action stopped, at the first turn around spot. We walked the final .75 mile of road to the TH. As it turns out, it was in good enough shape to drive to.

My first time into the Hassayampa River Canyon Wilderness.

A windy 34 at the trailhead had us bundled in all the cloths we brought. Hiking the ridge (Black Rock Mine Trail?) before dropping down towards The Needle and the Hassayampa River (Rosebud Trail?) afforded expansive views with the morning sun rising. You get a good idea of the amount of mining done in this area.

The trail down the canyon was much easier to follow than I expected. There were a few areas closer to the river that got thin, but we were lucky enough to be following recent horseshoe prints.

At the Hassayampa River, we had to hike upstream a bit to find a spot to cross. The wet sand was still frozen, which made it easier.

We hiked up a wash a bit, before we got on a trail I saw on GE taking us up to "The Needle" area. Once again pretty easy to follow for the most part. After a brief discussion as to whether we were going to climb it, we decided our schedule did not allow it. One of the other plans had us looping on trails around "The Needle", but lil' Turtle was on a short leash.

We dropped into another wash for the trip back south to the Hassayampa. This turned out to be a fun, easy and scenic wash, with only a few down climbs, 30' being to largest.

We decided to do the same on the way back up the other side, taking the wash up until it crossed the trail. A fun alternative.

Thanks to LP and Lil'D for joining us.
There's plenty, I mean plenty to explore in this area!

HAZZY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Also:
The answer to the question of the day. The Hassayampa flows into the Gila, close to Palo Verde.
The name of the river is Indian in origin and means "the river that flows upside down."

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bobcat

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Holiday Spirit

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Hassayampa River Canyon Wilderness The Needle

_____________________

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

1 archive

Dec 27 2014

lil_tortoise_hiker

Routes 8
Photos 143
Triplogs 156

38 male

Joined May 23 2011
Mesa, AZ

The Needle via the Hassayampa, AZ

Hiking		Dec 27 2014
		lil_tortoise_hiker • Triplogs 156

Hiking	11.21 Miles	2,365 AEG

Hiking	11.21 Miles	5 Hrs 33 Mns	2.34 mph
	2,365 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Partners

partners

	johnlp	The_Eagle
	Tortoise_Hiker

This was a very cool area. The road to the trailhead was pretty rough and so was the first half of the trail. We took a couple of really nice washes on the way back. Great hike with some great people.

_____________________

Dec 27 2014

Tortoise_Hiker

Guides 1
Routes 148
Photos 9,924
Triplogs 3,652

63 male

Joined Apr 02 2005
Mesa, AZ

The Needle via the Hassayampa, AZ

Hiking		Dec 27 2014
		Tortoise_Hiker • Triplogs 3,652

Hiking	11.21 Miles	2,365 AEG

Hiking	11.21 Miles	5 Hrs 33 Mns	2.34 mph
	2,365 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Partners

partners

	johnlp	lil_tortoise_hiker
	The_Eagle

This is the hike Bruce and I chose for our end of the year hike. John and LiLD were nice enough to brave the cold temps and early drive time to join us. The road in was rougher then I thought it would be but Bruce is an old pro. We started around 7:30 just like Bruce said we would. Brrr it felt cold with the wind and temps in the 30's. Once we got moving we were ok. Some great views and jackets were off by the time we hit the river. The views of the needle were pretty nice and you could see for miles and miles. We hiked close to the neddle but I was spent so we turned around at the needle. Bruce had some nice route options mapped out and I think the ones agreed on turned out to pretty sweet. One wash and then another took us all the way back to the river with a couple small down climbs. I thought this was a really nice route. Then after a break we took another wash that got us half way back from there with a few up climbs that were pretty cool too. I wanted a new wlderness photo but don't know if this one counts. This hike turned out better than I expected and the company was top notch. Thanks to Bruce for driving and John and LiLD for joining us. Good Times! :y:

_____________________

Tortoise Hiking. Stop and smell the Petrichor.

Dec 27 2014

johnlp

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

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

The Needle via the Hassayampa, AZ

Hiking		Dec 27 2014
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Hiking	11.21 Miles	2,365 AEG

Hiking	11.21 Miles	5 Hrs 33 Mns	2.34 mph
	2,365 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Partners

partners

	lil_tortoise_hiker	The_Eagle
	Tortoise_Hiker

When Denny asked if I wanted to go on a New Years hike I was a little reluctant because of all the football games I want to watch. When I found out that their New Years hike isn't on New Years Day, I was in. Turns out they are 0 for five for actually hiking on New Years :-k

.

The two Turtles picked me up at o'dark thirty en route to meet the Eagle in N Phx. The drive to the trailhead took quite a while as we traversed dirt roads outside of Wickenburg for about 13 miles.

The beginning of the hike was very cold and windy, but I knew it would warm up once the sun came up and we dropped down towards the river out of the wind. Once we got halfway to the river conditions were nice for hiking. The area reminds me of the Arrastra Wilderness, another cool place to explore.

The trails were much more defined than I had expected though parts were rocky and faint like some of the trails in the Sierra Ancha. Views are expansive almost everywhere here. Nice flow in the Hassayampa River. Would have like to have explored up and downstream but time did not permit. This would be a good spot to spend a day or two backpacking.

The Needle looks like it is most likely climbable but we didn't have enough time to check it out to climb as we were already running behind schedule to get back home by mid afternoon.

Interesting area with lots of old (and some current)mining activity. Off trail opportunities look to be endless.

Fun hike. Thanks for letting me tag along and thanks Bruce for driving.

_____________________

“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

Nov 22 2009

JoelHazelton

Guides 16
Routes 11
Photos 1,006
Triplogs 410

39 male

Joined Mar 22 2006
Phoenix, AZ

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Prescott, AZ

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Nov 22 2009
		JoelHazelton • Triplogs 410

Hiking	6.50 Miles	1,500 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	4 Hrs	1.63 mph
	1,500 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I hiked about a mile of this trail last year and returned yesterday hoping for some flowing water in the Hassayampa. This was not the case, although I've been led to believe it was perennial through the wilderness. I may or may not be back during spring.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Strawberry Hedgehog

_____________________

"Arizona is the land of contrast... You can go from Minnesota to California in a matter of minutes, then have Mexican food that night." -Jack Dykinga

http://www.joelhazelton.com

Nov 22 2009

VVebb

Guides 3
Routes 4
Photos 18
Triplogs 23

41 male

Joined May 16 2008
Flagstaff, AZ

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Prescott, AZ

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Nov 22 2009
		VVebb • Triplogs 23

Hiking	6.00 Miles	1,500 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles	4 Hrs	1.50 mph
	1,500 ft AEG

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

JoelHazelton

This particular trail is interesting, but not spectacular. If you plan to hike in this area, I definitely suggest a full-day hike or a backpacking trip. I seem to recall that there was a trail that went around "the needle" that would've been really fun to do. As long as it's so desolate, backpacking the area would actually sound really good. Plus, the AEG isn't bad, so you could cover ground pretty quickly, even with a full frame pack.

_____________________

"The farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom. Yet to camp out at all implies some measure of this delight."

-- Theodore Roosevelt, The Publishers' Weekly, Nov. 25, 1905

Feb 17 2009

JoelHazelton

Guides 16
Routes 11
Photos 1,006
Triplogs 410

39 male

Joined Mar 22 2006
Phoenix, AZ

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Prescott, AZ

Hassayampa River via Needle Overlook

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Feb 17 2009
		JoelHazelton • Triplogs 410

Hiking	6.00 Miles	1,500 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles	1 Hour	6.00 mph
	1,500 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Went with my friends this weekend to do some car camping and a short hike at the edge of the Hassayampa Canyon Wilderness. We camped at the unsigned trailhead of the Black Rock Mine Trail off of Gold Bar Road. This is one remote location, as we literally camped next to the road and didn't see a single person the whole time on this holiday weekend. We got there Sunday afternoon, drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of charred meat and passed out relatively early that night. I woke up early Monday morning and tore down my tent and packed everything up and went for a short hike on the trail. Hiked the Black Rock Mine Trail a little ways then connected with the Rosebud at a saddle with views of the Needle, then followed the Rosebud a mile or so down a canyon towards the Needle. Turned around when I decided I'd lost enough elevation and didn't feel like giving myself a more difficult hike back up and headed back. I arrived back to Ryan awake and the other two still snoring in their tent. Made coffee, hung out at the fire, and we eventually left later that morning. I will be back soon to do a backpack trip deeper into the wilderness. I saw lots of cow prints, but the cow patties were few and didn't see any cows. In spite of some accounts I've read about this area, it offers a real wilderness feel and I look forward to returning.

_____________________

"Arizona is the land of contrast... You can go from Minnesota to California in a matter of minutes, then have Mexican food that night." -Jack Dykinga

http://www.joelhazelton.com

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.

username		X
password		X