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| Hiking | 20.60 Miles |
5,090 AEG |
| | Hiking | 20.60 Miles | 14 Hrs 58 Mns | | 1.57 mph |
| 5,090 ft AEG | 1 Hour 50 Mns Break | 24 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | March 15, 2019: Drove from Phoenix to Parker Canyon Lake area. Tried to leave one vehicle at trailhead but road was too muddy. Left car at nearby cabin (checked with owner) instead, packed everyone into second vehicle and drove to Montezuma Pass Overlook Parking (Lat:31.350783 Lon:-110.285413). Started hike south to border monument around 11:30 am. Hiked to Mexico border, took some pictures, goofed around, and hiked back. Total distance: 3.7 miles r/t and total time 1 hr 48 min (including goofing around time). Montezuma Pass Overlook is apparently always windy and this portion of the hike was very windy as well. If leaving a vehicle at Montezuma Pass overnight, make sure to stop at the Visitor Center about 3.5 miles down Montezuma Pass Road (headed towards Miracle Valley/Palomitas) to get a vehicle permit (basically just give them vehicle info).
After the border portion of the hike we drove to Bisbee, explored a few of the stairwells, walked around town, ate at POCO (delicious!), hiked up to The Shrine, and returned to our Airbnb (Rose's Place on Brewery).
March 16, 2019: Left Bisbee around 6:30 am and drove to Montezuma Pass Overlook. Started hike at about 7:30 am with wild whipping winds & very cold temps (temp was around 38-40 deg but wind chill made it much colder). Luckily the wind died down quickly as we headed North and up the mountain. Pretty steady incline immediately and for the next few miles until Miller Peak TH intersection. Took a few short breaks and one probably 15 min break just before the snow got serious on the trail. Snow started about 0.3 mile before Miller TH. Was icy & slick in some places, easy in others. We made the extra 0.5 mile hike up to Miller Peak & it was so worth it! Incredible views above the clouds. We met a couple guys day-hiking to Miller and a group of maybe 6 people through hiking the AZT.
After Miller we hiked through snow for about 7 miles with deepest snow between Miller and Carr. We ran into border patrol agents hiking in four groups of two between Miller and Carr. They were nice and friendly and happy to be out hiking. We took another 15-20 minute break and refilled water at Bathtub Spring, just before the Carr Peak TH. Took another long break at Bear Creek TH...snow hiking was wearing on us. Just before Rattlesnake Spring there is a steep decent of switchbacks, marking the end of the "up" portion of Passage 1. Snow ends around Rattlesnake Spring. Rattlesnake Spring had nice flat campsite areas and we stopped there for the night. Another group (2 women, 1 guy) came in after we were bundled in tents and camped just up from us. The night was cold (low temps were supposed to be around 38 deg but it felt colder) but we did just fine with the gear we had. Day 2 distance: around 9.2 miles, total time: 9 hr 45 min (including breaks), max elevation: 9443 ft.
March 17, 2019: Woke up, quickly packed and started moving to warm up. Ran into another woman hiking in - being a group of 4 women ourselves, it was awesome to see so many other women on the trail!). The trail is all downhill from here and is quite different from the trail we had hiked the previous day. Plentiful water from just past Rattlesnake Spring to Scotia Canyon parking area near the end of Passage 1. Sunnyside Canyon Trail is absolutely beautiful with flowing streams & swimming holes (if the temps were warmer) throughout. Ended Day 3 at exactly 7 miles, 3 hr 13 min time (including breaks). |
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Bathtub (Tub) Spring |
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Gallon + per minute |
| | | Bathtub full and spring water seeping from ground |
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Sunnyside Canyon @ AZT |
Heavy flow |
Heavy flow |
| | | Flowing streams from Sunnyside Canyon to Scotia Canyon parking area | | _____________________
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
We checked out the visitor’s center and then drove up to Montezuma Pass. The AZ Trail passes right through this parking area….going from Joe’s Canyon trail to the Crest Trail. 
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. Wildlife, very minimal. Saw some Mexican cows, just on the other side of the fence. Didn’t look like they were trying to cross. Ironically, the grass was not greener on the other side of the fence. Did see a roadrunner, which always makes my day 
. It's a nice part of the passage heading around Coronado Peak to a Saddle and some sweeping switchbacks down and down and then south to the border. We encountered only two other people on our way down. The temps were nice especially when a breeze would blow in. The views are fabulous almost everywhere you look. As I was going up I could see where the trail goes up the mountain until I couldn't tell anymore. All I know is it goes way up.
We were both startled, and it decided that charging me wasn't the best plan and hopped off into the long grass. A neat close-up experience. 
