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| | | Tour of the Goldfields, AZ | | | |
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Tour of the Goldfields, AZ
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| Hiking | 17.20 Miles |
2,415 AEG |
| | Hiking | 17.20 Miles | 8 Hrs 1 Min | | 2.42 mph |
| 2,415 ft AEG | 54 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | It's been a long and stressful week at work, and I needed a physical outlet. I settled on heading out the Goldfields--a place that I have spent relatively little time in--and never coming from the OHV entrance on the way to Canyon Lake.
So, I headed out in the predawn hours with several route options downloaded on route scout. The only semi-dedicated goal was to make it down to Saguaro Lake via Willow Canyon. A year or two ago, my daughter and I kayaked across the lake from Butcher Jones to hike up the canyon, but the water flow from recent rains prevented us from getting very far.
I arrived at the Bulldog OHV parking area, just down the road from Needle Vista around 6:30 am. It just so happened that the only other car in the vicinity, pulled in to the same TH at the same time, and the two gentlemen inside, started on the same trail as me. 
I wanted to arrive before sunrise, so I could catch the sunrise on the trail, but it was still dark, so I hiked the first mile or so by headlamp. The other 2 hikers and I leapfrogged a bit, but the day was mostly one of solitude.
I don't recommend the Willow Springs Canyon Upper route. It's a 4x4 road walk, and the scenery isn't that great. I much preferred my return route on this section, which cuts down the road walking substantially and gets to more interesting scenery sooner.
As it was, I bailed on the WSC Upper route at the Willow Spring-Rough and Ready Crossover, and the scenery improved greatly.
That lower portion of Rough and Ready was one of the highlights. There were still several pools in the drainage, and a fun little spot with some "caves" that connect to each other with some window openings in between.
I was amazed to see tire tracks all through this section of of the canyon, as several of the obstacles looked impossible to navigate by vehicle. On my return trip, I ran into a couple of jeeps on the lower end, and a group of side-by-sides on the upper end of this section. Not sure if they ended up tackling this section, but kudos to the rock-crawling skills of those who can navigate that!
Rough and Ready eventually reconnected with the Willow Springs Canyon Upper trail/road. From there, I continued on Willow Springs Canyon Lower all the way to Saguaro Lake. I didn't see anyone in this section. The canyon is fairly wide in most places, providing "relatively" easier access to the rock crawlers. It doesn't slot up until close to lake, with a short 30-40 yard narrow section, followed by a large boulder jam that precludes further navigation by vehicle. Navigating the boulder jam required me to get my shoes wet. Beyond the boulder jam, it was a short jaunt to the lake inlet.
I was hoping to find a way to climb up out of the drainage for a view of the lake, but the only options were clogged with poky overgrowth, and with another 8 miles + of return hiking, and being solo, I wasn't interested in the bloodletting affair that it would have required.
So, I reversed course.
At the Rough and Ready junction, I retraced my steps. About 1/2 mile in, I noticed a pretty side drainage and decided to explore a bit. Once in the side drainage, I noticed a ver well-cairned route. I assumed that meant there was something interesting to see and committed to following it for a bit. It looked like it climbed up to a saddle that would provide some decent views.
As I was approaching the saddle, I encountered a hiker coming the opposite direction. I asked where he was coming from, and he said he has been out to the "arch." He said it was not far, and I of course, got excited to add this serendipitous geological destination to my itinerary.
I continued up the trail and it indeed provided some vistas back over to Weavers Needle and Flatiron. Not long after that, I spotted the arch from across the canyon, and then descended into the intervening creekbed of Black Glass Canyon.
The route to the arch continued to be very well cairned and easy to follow, with one minor exception. Once I dropped into the Black Glass Canyon, it wasn't entirely clear how long to stay in the canyon before climbing out the other side and up to the arch. Turned out that the route goes past the arch (NE) and then ascends, for a short backtrack.
The arch is very cool and a worthy destination. I learned it is called Triple Arch, and though I was able to locate a second (less impressive) arch, just SW and uphill from teh main arch, I couldn't see a third arch in the area (?) 
After exploring a bit beyond the second arch in search of the third, I didn't really want to retrace my steps to descend back into Black Glass Canyon, and it looked like there was a decent option for descending off the SW end of the ridge before reconnecting with the route back to Rough and Ready Canyon.
Other than being a bit gravelly, the descent was great and I might actually recommend it as a way to get UP to the arch (it would cut some distance from my starting direction and would likely be even easier to ascend).
Just as I was reaching the floor of Black Glass Canyon, I encountered a cardinal. Always cool to see them in the wild--their red plumage stands in stark contrast to the desert surroundings.
Back in Rough and Ready, I was starting to lose steam/interest and ready to be done. Just beyond the junction with the crossover I had taken earlier in the day, I found a well-groomed path/horse track that paralleled the creekbed and made hiking much easier.
The route I had downloaded had me following Rough and Ready back to SR 88 and then road walking back to my car. But, I came across another well-groomed/established horse trail (I believe part of the Razorback trail on HAZ) that provided a more direct route. Some very nice geology in this section and an American flag posted on the top of one of he high points.
It was a long day on the trail, but provided the injection of nature therapy I was looking for. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Lots of cool rock formations and stuff to see. Only saw a hand full of people all day!
Route 
The trails are unnamed and there are many spur trails as nice as the one you are on but I did end up where I planned to go so that was good. One more loop on Sonoran Trail #306 and I'll have a complete route. The longest hike we'll have to do is 7 miles so I think the turtle can muster that. 
So, I reluctantly decided to hit up a section of the Goldfields that I hadn't explored. I knew it would be hot, but hoped for the best.
