Hyde Mountain #6 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Hiked from the trailhead on FR 95C up to the lookout, then back down from the lookout on #5 to Brown Spring, then took #5 back to its intersection with #6.

The roads from Williamson Valley all the way to the trailhead were in good shape--FR 68 usually is, but I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of FR 95C. Thinning operations had just taken place, so I think they smoothed out the road for that. Some ruts had started to form, but it was nothing that even my little SUV couldn't handle. The signage to the trailhead was pretty good, and there were new metal signs at both the start of #6 and on the other side of the hike at the beginning of #5 that clearly marked each start.

Hyde Mountain Trail #6 was easy to follow all the way to the top, with intermittent shade. It certainly is steep, and the first section has quite a few loose rocks that make it a bit slippery if you're not careful. As you pass the upper intersection with #5, less than a quarter mile from the old lookout, the brush thickens slightly, but doesn't impede progress any more than the steep trail does. The view from the top was absolutely worth it, though: you get a 360-degree view of everything for miles around, and on a day like today that wasn't real hazy, it was stunning. A lot of the infrastructure is still up by the cabin: the building itself is missing a few windowpanes but you can see the old map table along with a portable radio tower, some shed-like structures, and an outhouse.

I veered right on my way down at the upper intersection of #5 to check out Brown Spring; green grass grew around it, and it trickled down to an old water trough. A couple of deer were hanging out in the area too. I took #5 back to its lower intersection with #6 to turn it into sort of a quasi-loop. This part of the trail was also intermittently shaded, particularly at the bottom, where taller pines grew. This was certainly a welcome relief from the scrubby junipers at the top of Hyde Mountain, although the breeze was unsurprisingly much nicer at the top of the mountain.

Bring lots of water on this one, especially if doing it this time of the year, but it's worth it at the top for the unparalleled view of the surrounding landscape! Definitely choose a clear day for this one.

	Brown Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Trickling down to water trough. Could dig it out to filter at the source, which would give you enough for one or two people.

Mar 23 2022

LJW

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

Hyde Mountain Loop, AZ

Hiking		Mar 23 2022
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	26.51 Miles	3,707 AEG

Hiking	26.51 Miles	10 Hrs 20 Mns	2.84 mph
	3,707 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

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Apache Springs

Dead Steer Basin Trail #9908 - Prescott NF

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

Thinning operations are taking place SW of the Hyde Mountain area around Camp Wood and Yolo Ranch. Thinning will be taking place for approximately two months, with logging traffic on the road. The closure area will spread north as thinning continues into the slated 627 acres. From now until monsoon season, I would consult PNF on closure status for accessing Apache Creek Wilderness.

Wanted to remix a hike from last year to include Apache Creek from the springs down, as well as try out an alternative ending using an old ranching track and Dead Steer Basin Trail. Got going with Stringtown Wash heading toward Hyde Mountain.

Memories of Stringtown only a year old undersold. Tight walls and a bed of slick rock in the middle turns into relaxing open pine forest on the upper end. Good flow of water where it mattered, some of the way it was underground. Catching the trail on the upper end from the creek bed is tricky.

Hyde Mountain trail rocky and loose to hazy views. Almost no snow left on the shady slopes. Down 7up to Browns Spring and then up to the saddle and onto Pinetop Mountain. Followed the fenceline up and found a gate on top near the end of the road. Delighted by the big junipers and pines on top. Easy road walk to Apache Springs.

Apache Creek along the trail is easy going, defined by the grassy meadows, open pine forest, and lazy creek flow. From the springs to that point it's a gnarly canyon of granite boulders and outcroppings, forested but with healthy undergrowth. Can follow the water down except for in several spots where the water pours off and work-arounds are necessary. Some scrambling, light bushwhacking. The best of the creek is above the trail.

The Upper Graver Wash/Apache Creek jct is grassy and could be confusing heading up. Graver and the way down Apache Creek Trail is obvious. Decided not to cut it short and went all the way down to Graver, then walked the road back to Upper Graver TH. To the east there is a corral and an obvious trail. The trail leads down into Hyde Creek and dead ends at another corral. At that point I went over the ridge and into Dead Steer Basin, where I found the trail.

Dead Steer Basin Trail is an old double/OHV track. It is less pretty than the trail to Hyde Creek; it got burned over pretty bad. It's easy to follow and in good shape until the last creek crossing near where I picked it up. Once to the TH and FR95, the diversion started to make sense. The rest of the roadwalking back to Stringtown is through some awesome forest. The new sections and route finding made for a more engaging but difficult way to end.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

Apache Creek - Apache Creek Wilderness

Light flow

	Apache Springs	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Total guess, good enough creek flow

Pinetop Trick Tank

51-75% full

Stringtown Wash

Pools to trickle

3 archives

Nov 10 2021

BobP

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Hyde Grapevine Lasso Loop, AZ

Hiking		Nov 10 2021
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	5.39 Miles	1,550 AEG

Hiking	5.39 Miles	2 Hrs 32 Mns	2.16 mph
	1,550 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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joebartels

T.C. Hyde was born in Ireland in 1868 not that far from the Blarney Stone. He came to the US in 1888. Upon entering Castle Rock, he entered the Army and headed to CO. He fought in Cuba, China, Philippines, and in the US. In the early 1900's, he settled in MA and married. He worked on the USS Constitution and then in a munitions factory. T.C. fathered 9 children in 13 years. T.C. died when his wife was pregnant with child number 9. He died after reading a book. I'm not sure what the title was but I visited the spot where it happened. T.C. spent some time in Leavenworth, KS. He was a giant of man when standing next to his 5'3'' brother. Not sure how tall his other brother was but when you add the rope he hung from he towered over them all.

Hyde Mountain is not named after T.C. but if you visit Ireland and tell them his name the most likely answer will be all Hyde's are related.

The hike was nice and the weather was fab maybe a tad too chilly at the start. Joey was Joey and sometimes he acted like Seph. He whined about not wearing his pack correctly for about an hour. I think it had more to do with him chewing on cardboard and drinking Monster. Then he blamed it on my driving

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If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Nov 10 2021

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Hyde Grapevine Lasso Loop, AZ

Hiking		Nov 10 2021
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	5.39 Miles	1,550 AEG

Hiking	5.39 Miles	2 Hrs 32 Mns	2.16 mph
	1,550 ft AEG	2 Mns Break

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Gaddes Canyon Two Trail #9037

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BobP

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

Hyde #6 is a road that turns into a trail. Pretty good all the way up, except some Y-Bar ankle busters for stretches. Itty bitty dead itchies hitch a ride on your socks at the top and on the way down Trail #5. #5 is a hint of a trail but is as the 2012-11-18 Official Route depicts, at least to Grapevine #9825 where we turned off. Easy enough to negotiate but occasional juniper limbs just need a quick snip.

Grapevine is a road. Easier to follow, nice to look forward and stroll across the forest.

We had a few options for a secondary peak heading back to the valley. After three strikes, we threw in the proverbial towel.

The retired four-year-old still rambles around and amuses/mystifies/intimidates his surroundings... ahem, non-stop. Good times with little Robbert Senior!

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- joe

Jun 24 2021

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,485
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,375

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Verde Valley LO - Mingus LO - Hyde LO, AZ

Hiking		Jun 24 2021
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,375

Hiking	12.50 Miles	2,992 AEG

Hiking	12.50 Miles
	2,992 ft AEG

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Coleman Trail #108

Gaddes Canyon #110

[ checklist ] Hyde Mountain Fire Lookout Mingus Mountain Fire Lookout

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I decided to head into the Prescott NF on the last day that it is open before closing due to fire danger. I did 3 different hikes and bagged 3 fire lookouts that I had not done before: the Verde Valley Fire Lookout; the Mingus Fire Lookout; and the Hyde Mountain Fire Lookout.

Verde Valley LO
At an elevation of 3,980', this is the lowest of Arizona's 120 Fire Lookouts(past or present). Actually this lookout no longer exists and at the site you could not tell that a lookout was ever there -- the site has been graded and leveled. A road now goes just below the site of the former lookout -- the hike was 383' in length with 13 feet of elevation gain. It is obvious that they don't really want you up there, so I did not tarry -- it took me 108 seconds to do the hike, so this was my quickest hike ever.

Based on what I can gather, this lookout was in use as early as 1931, and a cabin was built in 1938 at this site between Jerome and Clarkdale. The land was donated by the Upper Verde Public Utilities Corporation.

Mingus Mountain LO
I had been by the Mingus LO several times but had never hiked up to it. It is a trivial hike to get there, but I decided to make a legitimate hike out of by doing a CW loop on the Coleman Trail, Gaddes Canyon Two Trail, and the Gaddess Canyon Trail. I started at the day use recreation area near the top of Mingus Mountain.

Mingus Mountain was first used as a daily patrol fire lookout in 1911. A tower was first built there in 1921. The current tower is still in use, although I not sure when it was constructed. The Mingus Lookout complex was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Hyde Mountain LO
The LO Cabin is at the Hyde Mountain Summit. I did an out-and-back hike on Hyde Mountain Trail #6. Not surprisingly, I did not see any other hikers. I did not see any wildlife, although there was a fair amount of bear scat in some sections of the trail. I like this area, and wouldn't mimd going back out there and do some more hiking in the area.

The windows in the cabin/house are boarded shut. I located the benchmark and both reference marks, which are on the east side of the cabin. There are great 360 degree views at the summit.

The lookout is a cabin/house instead of a tower. It was constructed in 1937 or 1938 and is no longer in use. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

I have now been to 34 fire lookouts in Arizona -- only 86 more to go. I doubt if I will get to them all, but I should be able to do 70-80 of the 120.

Distance and elevation gain for the Mingus and Hyde hikes are below. Stats above are the sum of the two.
Mingus: 7.7 miles with 1,535 feet of elevation gain
Hyde: 4.8 miles with 1,457 feet of elevation gain

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Apache Plume Arizona Thistle Century Plant

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Fire Lookout Structures Reference Mark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

_____________________

Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

2 archives

Apr 03 2021

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Apr 03 2021
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	24.00 Miles	3,000 AEG

Hiking	24.00 Miles	10 Hrs	2.40 mph
	3,000 ft AEG

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Long haul out to this area but worth it, thanks to @LJW for the recent report. I would have never thought anywhere in AZ could have this much flowing water right now, still don't know how the small, relatively low Santa Marias apparently stay relatively wet. No doubt I'll be back.

Parked about 3/4 mile from the trailhead, did the loop CCW. Apache Creek and the summit of Hyde Mtn are great, most of the road walking is not unpleasant. Stringtown from the west side follows the creek before climbing SE out of the drainage fairly close to the route shown on the FS map, and there is a decent path cut through the manzanita and pink ribbons help stay on track. Even so I eventually lost it, but easy to continue east to hit FR95.

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Apr 01 2021

LJW

Routes 154
Photos 1,505
Triplogs 266

31 male

Joined Jun 02 2019
Phoenix, AZ

Hyde Mountain Loop, AZ

Hiking		Apr 01 2021
		LJW • Triplogs 266

Hiking	23.21 Miles	3,063 AEG

Hiking	23.21 Miles	7 Hrs 49 Mns	3.17 mph
	3,063 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

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

Original plan was to do a shuttle from Hyde Mountain through the full length of Apache Creek Trail with a stop at Granite Knob. Ended up solo, so I tried to come up with a loop and decided to forgo Granite Knob on account of the added miles. Came up with this one that starts at Stringtown Wash near the Camp Wood area and circles back using roads from the Graver Wash TH. Went clockwise around 8:15am.

FS maps show a road on the east side of the wash and the trail only going about half way through from the west. Figured it wouldn't be too much to work up the wash and connect them. Cows roam Stringtown, so there's all sorts of trails, almost to the point that the FS could just stick plastic cairns in the ground, update their maps, and call it a day. Ended up unexpectedly one of my favorite parts of the trip. There was water trickling through the wash, a few small cascades and a tiny waterfall. Nice forest of pine that gets nicer farther west. It is a little tricky to find where the trail picks up to the west, but if it comes down to it following the wash the whole way makes it to the road.

Brief road walk to Hyde Mountain Trail. Quickly works its way up to the summit. Rocky and loose in parts. Really nice views of Northern and Western AZ from the top.

Down the west side of the mountain the trail conditions are deteriorated but not too bad and it's easy to follow. Made it down to 95B and walked that to the upper Apache Creek TH. Really nice stretch of road through the pines. Goes along Hyde Creek, which had a light flow of water. Most every creek and drainage was flowing, and there was some snow left on the north side of Hyde Mountain.

Apache Creek Trail starts on the north end in a beautiful clearing in the pines. Not much in the way of parking or signage. There's a small wilderness sign that leads across the creek to the trail. Upper end is steep and the views are big and bouldery. Personal favorite stretch was everything after linking up with Apache Creek. Trail's in good shape, creek had a good flow of water. For a while it's all meadows and pines. The oaks have yet to regrow their leaves.

Graver Wash trail to swing back round. It had the only FS signage and register box by the TH of the trails I saw. It's in good shape and is a nice trail especially for the looping options it affords, but after Apache Creek it won't stop anybody in their tracks. 95A and 95B between the TH and Camp Wood are mighty rough. Road walk was frankly too long but gets good closer to Camp Wood where it enters the forest. Day ended up partly cloudy, low 40s to low 70s. Didn't see anyone on the hike.

Apache Creek

Medium flow

	Brown Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	A guess, but there was a light flow in the creek

Stringtown Wash

Light flow

4 archives

Mar 20 2021

kingsnake

Guides 117
Routes 338
Photos 11,399
Triplogs 894

63 male

Joined Dec 20 2010
Sunnyslope, PHX

[ checklist ] Agassiz Peak Bill Williams Mountain Camp Wood Mountain Granite Mountain Humphreys Peak Hyde Creek Mountain Hyde Mountain Fire Lookout Kendrick Peak

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Mar 20 2021
		kingsnake • Triplogs 894

Hiking	5.49 Miles	1,605 AEG

Hiking	5.49 Miles	2 Hrs 48 Mns	1.96 mph
	1,605 ft AEG

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After a complete lack of flowers at Picacho Peak and Phoenix Sonoran Preserve the last two weeks, I decided to skip this week’s scheduled Phoenix-area flower hunt. Instead, I contacted my hiking buddy @Prescottstyle, to see if he wanted to do something up near him on Saturday? Hyde Mountain Trail #6 was his suggestion.

Camp Wood Rd. crosses Hitt Wash and Williamson Valley Wash before entering a large burn area between Johnson Mountain and Cottonwood Mountain. I tried googling the fire, but found nothing. It appears recent, maybe 2020, due to the lack of new grass or shrubbery. Anyone know anything about it?

After crossing Stringtown Wash, which had running water, Hyde Mountain Trail #6 climbs 200 ft. in a ⅓ of a mile. At the top of the climb, on the left, is a small Balance Rock. Paul was also mineral hunting, finding several good samples of muscovite, which in the Santa Maria Mountains has thin, silvery, layers. Every time we stopped, Lily would whine to keep moving.

Past the Balance Rock, Hyde Mountain Trail #6 seemingly levels off the next ⅔ of a mile, but still climbs 300 ft. There is lots of pinyon and juniper along the trail, which was littered with lavender juniper berries. Between the Balance Rock and the junction of Grapevine Springs Trail #9825 — marked by a broken wooden “⬅ Brown Spr.” sign — there are several absolutely massive manzanita. (One had a 14″ trunk, and another may have been two feet!)

Hyde Mountain Trail #6 then begins its summit push, climbing 1000 ft. in a mile. It felt less steep than it is, due to the long switchbacks. There’s a good shade alligator juniper at the Lower Saddle, but the views from the Upper Saddle are much better. Paul and I took pictures while Lily played in the snow. (There was still spot snow in the shade above 6,000 ft. on north-facing slopes in the Santa Maria Mountains.)

Hyde Mountain Trail #6 is rocky for most of the first two miles, but between the Upper Saddle and the summit it is grassy. The sky was sunny when we started, by the time we reached the summit, clouds started rolling in. It was so windy I had to pocket my baseball cap, giving me an earache.

The Hyde Mountain Lookout was established in 1936, and abandoned some time between 1985 and 2004. (The lookout, S. Booth, carved a wood sign each fire season he worked, most recently 1985, and a 2004 triplog [ photoset ] indicated the shelter was boarded up.) I tried the door, but it was locked, so I settled for shooting a few pix through a grimy window.

On the east side of the Hyde Mountain Lookout, was a “power box” containing at least five 12v batteries. There were also several old solar panels on the summit. There were so many ladybugs next to the power box, I horked one!

The Camp Wood 2 benchmark was vertically placed on a boulder on the south side of the Hyde Mountain Lookout. The geocache was a few feet away, next to reference mark 2. (Reference mark 1 is close to the power box.)

After nearly an hour on the Hyde Mountain summit — it didn’t seem that long — we headed back down, reaching the trailhead on FR 95C around 2:00 p.m. It’s a bit of a drive, but I really enjoyed it. Recommended!

Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/527530001

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Manzanita

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dog Ladybug beetle

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Muscovite

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Cag Shot Geocache HAZ - Selfie Trail Signs and Markings

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Snow

Wildflowers Observation None
Not single one.

_____________________

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

Sep 28 2020

rcorfman

Guides 1
Routes 226
Photos 1,675
Triplogs 1,867

65 male

Joined Oct 17 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Sep 28 2020
		rcorfman • Triplogs 1,867

Hiking	7.71 Miles	2,043 AEG

Hiking	7.71 Miles	3 Hrs 44 Mns	2.38 mph
	2,043 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

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I parked at the trailhead at the end of 95C and started my hike. I was expecting about 5 miles round trip but I missed the turn and took the Grapevine Springs Trail instead of going up to the summit. I ended up walking a bit past Brown Spring before turning around. I was sure to not miss the turn again and made it up to the summit and lookout without trouble.

A lot of the trail is very rocky but I managed easily enough. I really liked the Grapevine Springs Trail as it went through pine and oak and was very pleasant. I saw a good sized set of bear tracks along the trail too.

After the turn to the summit, there is a marked lower saddle and upper saddle. Not far past the upper saddle, there is a turn off for a trail down towards Brown Spring. I didn't see it when I was down there and it looked overgrown and lightly used so I'm not sure how easily it would have been to use.

The views from the lookout are exceptional and give one a good sense of what the Camp Wood area is like. I'll have to come back and explore some more.

It looks like the lookout is boarded up and no longer in use, even though some of the equipment seems relatively new.

While looking around at the summit, I noticed I was at the tail end of one of those mass lady bug conventions. I moved a rock looking for a geocache and there was hundreds of lady bugs on it and the one it was next too. There were also thousands of beetle shells from others that had finished their lives.

	Brown Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Wet, puddled ground at spring. small pools maybe 30 to 50 yards below spring past broken troughs.

_____________________

Go find a LonelyCache

Aug 19 2017

SpiderLegs

Guides 2
Routes 10
Photos 42
Triplogs 893

58 male

Joined Jul 12 2012
Oro Valley, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Aug 19 2017
		SpiderLegs • Triplogs 893

Hiking	2.70 Miles	1,418 AEG

Hiking	2.70 Miles
	1,418 ft AEG

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Livi-Divvi

Inspired to check out this forgotten corner of Arizona from attending the 2014 HAZFest, I came back for another camping trip. Headed off to the Camp Wood area, then took FS95C as far back as I could drive (about 1.6 miles). Found a nice quiet camping spot and mostly just poked around my campsite most of the weekend for short hikes here and there. Our longest hike had us hiking the non-drivable section of FS95C which started about 50 yards from our campsite, though I did see a Jeep with slightly higher clearance make it past the last third of a mile stretch. Once at the end of FS95C we went north and followed the creek for a bit, snapped a few pics and let our dogs play in the water. From there we backtracked and headed back. Then took the turn off to Hyde Mountain and followed that trail for about a mile up. Turned around because our dogs were starting to drag and it was heating up. So didn't go all the way to the top.

Love this area and plan to do a lot more exploring back here in the future. On the way home we took County Road 68 the long way out to Bagdad. Always amazed at the beauty around the YOLO ranch.

The best part of the weekend is that we only saw three people the entire weekend. If you like solitude this part of Arizona is for you. On the drive out we only counted 4 campsites from Camp Wood all the way down to Bagdad.

_____________________

See my pics on Instagram @tucsonexplorer

Sep 13 2014

BiFrost

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Stringtown - Pinetop - Apache Creek Loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 13 2014
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	19.72 Miles	3,498 AEG

Hiking	19.72 Miles	10 Hrs 19 Mns	2.34 mph
	3,498 ft AEG	1 Hour 54 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Apache Creek - Apache Creek Wilderness Apache Creek Wilderness Brown Spring Camp Wood Mountain Hyde Mountain Fire Lookout Pinetop Trick Tank

Apache Springs

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The_Eagle

Bruce put this loop together in an area that's been on the list. And it happened that Chumley planned HAZfest there as well so after leaving the valley early Saturday morning we rolled into Camp Chumley to find everyone up and about. Took some time to catch up with friends and see if anyone wanted to join on our loop but no takers.

Finally started a bit late after 8am and heading up Stringtown Canyon which was off trail and very cools narrows section about 1 mile from the TH. From there we headed out of Stringtown and linked up with Hyde Mountain Trail. Headed up Hyde Mountain to check out the lookout with great views on top. Spent a few minutes enjoying the views of Juniper Mesa and Humphreys to the north.

The next objective was Pinetop Mountain which required about 1/2 mile bushwhack up steep terrain but turned out to be easier than expected (less Manzanita). Once on top we hiked over to the coolest tank I've ever seen...it has catchment roof system that drains all the water into 6 foot high about 30 foot wide tank. After taking several pics of the area we headed down the road from Pinetop Mountain. The views were better than expected especially looking down into Apache Creek area that we were heading to.

We took roads off Pinetop Mountain but once into Apache Creek it's all off trail. It's not too long before pools of water show up and then some flow to the creek. Soon the best part of the loop develops with nice sections of boulders and narrow slots with small pools. This section continues for about 2 miles but unfortunately for us the thunderstorms rolled in and a downpour ensued. Some of the lightning was very close the last big boom in particular maybe 50 yards away. We smelled burnt pine and sure enough a ponderosa had been struck with pieces of tree lying around. Eventually after more than an hour of hard rain it stopped near the end of the boulder section. There is a nice pool right at the end that we took a swim and a few jumps. Definitely want to do this section again in better weather.

Once out of Apache Creek we hit the trail and then the road for the last 6 miles back to the vehicle. Pretty easy hiking and made it back by 630. Then back to Camp Chumley to socialize and grill some burgers and dogs and share some beverages. Nice to hang out a bit after the hike

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

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3 archives

Sep 13 2014

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Stringtown - Pinetop - Apache Creek Loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 13 2014
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	19.93 Miles	3,270 AEG

Hiking	19.93 Miles	10 Hrs 18 Mns		2.28 mph
	3,270 ft AEG	1 Hour 34 Mns Break	17 LBS Pack

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Apache Springs

[ checklist ] Camp Wood Mountain Hyde Mountain Fire Lookout Pinetop Trick Tank

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BiFrost

We made the drive out to HAZVille and arrived to a mostly awake camp at 7:45.

After our quick hellos to the gang, a scan to see if we had any takers on our hike, Karl and I headed out with no takers.

I wanted to head up the Stringtown Wash from the east, to see if we could find any sign on the Stringtown Trail #9917. The Prescott Nat. Forest web site description and the PNF GPS track don't come close to agreeing with each other. We did find remnants of the trail starting at about .75 miles from it's Western TH continuing to that spot.

On the Hyde Mountain Trail #6 now, I turn west off the Grapevine Springs Trail #9825 to try something new. The trail name didn't make any sense to me, because the actual spring is to the east and this trail goes to the west off of #6. Checking Sat. views now, it appears there's a faint unofficial trail that goes towards the spring, and what could be a spring box/s .1m off #6, a 1/3rd of the way to the spring location.
Anyway, Karl went up to the top of Hyde to check out the views and we met back up at the lush Brown Spring.

From Brown Spring, we were on a new to me section of the 7up to Hyde Mountain #5 Trail. We went up the saddle and down to the western terminus of this trail by the dry, Camp Wood Tank. We were able to find a blood free route to the top of Pinetop Mountain to check out one of them most elaborate tanks I've seen. This covered tank, uses the roof to funnel the water into the tank. Chumley's math placed it at 22,000 gallons.
FR19 took us off the top of Pinetop Mountain, with it's big views to Juniper Mesa and the Apache Creek Wilderness area we'd be in next.

The 3 mile trek from the Springs to "The Swimmin' Hole", through the water, slots and boulders is the reason we were doing this loop. Wow is this a sweet little off trail jaunt!!
Highly Recommended..... I suppose with a little work you could avoid the water, and like us you'll try for awhile, but don't waste your time. enjoy it!

When we started the day, the skies were blue, with not a single cloud. With only a 30% chance of rain, there was no reason to bring the Chrome Dome, Rain Jacket or waterproof GoPro. Yep we got dumped on and had electric spears thrown at us for almost an hour (back at HAZVille, they did not see a drop).

There was a brief pause where we thought we were in the clear, then a Flash/Boom with zero delay. That was close. 50 yards further up was a Ponderosa that was struck and spewed a 7' section of pine, another 50' away. Based on some of the weather I've hiked in this year, I'm glad I don't have Astraphobia or Ombrophobia... but I should.

With the rain now stopped, we took a dip in "The Swimin' Hole". On the Apache Creek Trail #9905 it was clear sailing back to HAZVille now for some Burgers, Dogs and Barley Pops with the crew.

Video http://youtu.be/NJnKPAy2p_o

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pamina Bulls Eye Moth

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Camp-fire HAZ - Hike HAZard HAZ - Selfie

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Forecast Lightning

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Apache Creek - Apache Creek Wilderness	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Plenty of filterable water the entire length we hiked.

	Apache Springs	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Spring areas were lush green and water could probably be found. No need though because there was water for the entire length of the Apache Creek

	Brown Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Enough to filter if needed, creek below was flowing with large holes. Careful of cow activity in the area

	Camp Wood Tank	Dry	Dry
	Dry as a bone even after recent rains

	Panther Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Hard to tell where the spring source was with all the water in the area

	Pinetop Trick Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	7' tall and 30' around filled with filterable water

	Stringtown Wash	Light flow	Light flow
	Water almost the entire length we hiked next to. Recent rains I'm sure contributed

	Upper Hyde Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Searched for source with no luck. Plenty of water in the wash area, beware of cattle activity.

_____________________

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

Aug 16 2014

Tough_Boots

Routes 67
Photos 2,708
Triplogs 755

89 male

Joined Mar 28 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Hyde Mountain - Apache Creek Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 16 2014
		Tough_Boots • Triplogs 755

Hiking	25.00 Miles	3,468 AEG

Hiking	25.00 Miles	11 Hrs 16 Mns	2.79 mph
	3,468 ft AEG	2 Hrs 18 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	chumley	FOTG
	John9L	The_Eagle

long day... cool hike... so so company

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

Aug 16 2014

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

male

Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Hyde Mountain - Apache Creek Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 16 2014
		John9L • Triplogs 1,647

Hiking	25.00 Miles	3,468 AEG

Hiking	25.00 Miles	11 Hrs 16 Mns	2.79 mph
	3,468 ft AEG	2 Hrs 18 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	chumley	FOTG
	The_Eagle	Tough_Boots

Big loop in the Apache Creek Wilderness. This was my first time in the area and I was pleasantly surprised. The hike had a bit of everything including a fun swim hole near the halfway point.

We started from a large car camping area that would be worth returning to. We made good time to Hyde Lookout which was very cool! From there we continued north and entered the Apache Creek Wilderness. This was my favorite part. The trail is easy to follow but faint in places. Some route finding was in order and it helped carrying the GPS track. The landscape is rugged and dense. It had a unique beauty in itself. Great area!

Around the halfway point we had lunch and then detoured to the swimming hole. This was the highlight of the trip. The water was cool and refreshing. I need to do this more! Afterward we continued our hike and we headed east at this point. The trail was still faint but it was well cairned. There were large piles of rocks every few hundred yards. It was easy to follow. After a while we turned to the south and continued.

We eventually hit a road and from there had eight miles to go. We basically put our heads down and hiked. A group of jeeps passed us about an hour later. They looked like they were having fun except I didn't see any alcohol. Weird! The last couple of hours blended by as we grinded back to the vehicles. All of us were happy when back to the car to Flat Denny waiting for us.

This was a great area and fun group. It was great to hike with Bruce for the first time. Let's do it again soon! And nice job putting this route together. I really enjoyed it! Thanks Lee and Chumley for driving!

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

Aug 16 2014

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Hyde Mountain - Apache Creek Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 16 2014
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	25.00 Miles	3,468 AEG

Hiking	25.00 Miles	11 Hrs 16 Mns		2.79 mph
	3,468 ft AEG	2 Hrs 18 Mns Break	16 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Apache Creek Apache Creek - Apache Creek Wilderness Apache Creek Wilderness Brown Spring Camp Wood 2 Lookout Tower Granite Mountain Hyde Mountain Fire Lookout Juniper Mesa Ruins Tank

Partners

partners

	chumley	FOTG
	John9L	Tough_Boots

Chum's and I had been tryin' to get in a hike, for what seems like forever. Our schedules never meshed. We'd both scoped out the Juniper Mesa and Apache Creek areas and had ideas on some hikes.

We decided on a loop I'd put together, with an exploration portion for a future adventure.

Somehow Toughboots, 9L and Boy with Dog found out and joined us.

After they wrote letters to their moms, blew their noses and made sure to put on clean underwear, we were off ... slightly late.

We started from the Camp Wood area. Some great camping areas back here! It's a 16 mile drive on a dirt road (FS21, ie Camp Wood Rd) off of Williamson Valley Rd. When dry, this road is doable by just about any vehicle.

After the ladies got all their food, beverages, skirts, snacks, etc.. ready, we were off like a heard of turtles just after 8am. Blanco is a good dog an listens to everything lee says. He did a good job of pointing out the Fauna to us. Numerous deer, Rabbits, Squirrels, Lizards were spotted.

The hike started by gaining 1/2 our daily AEG in the first 4.3 miles to the top of Hyde Peak at 7270'. The Hyde Mountain Trail #6 was slightly overgrown but easy to follow except one short section just below the Lower Saddle. 360 views from up top were just spectacular.
The lookout building from 1936 has a brand new Generator Unit and never used outhouse, but the property does not seem to have been used for a year or more.

Next down the 7 Up to Hyde Mountain Trail #5. This got us into some more tall pines, green grass at the Brown Spring area. At this point Hyde Creek was next to us on the pleasant walk in the pines on no longer used FR52. There was filterable water the entire length.

Off of 52B and on to the Apache Creek Trail #9905. There is no indication for the southern TH. We built a few cairns just off the road for future hikers. The trail is obvious once you get in a 100'. The southern portion area is a bolder wonderland, reminiscent of theWilderness of Rocks trail.

Once we got to Apache Creek we took some lunch and then took the .6 mile hike to what appeared to be a pool of water on the satellite views. We were all surprised to find lot of water on our way up there. For the highlight of the day, we arrived at 30' x 20' and 10' Deep pool of the best swimmin' water around. We took a 1/2 hour cooling off, jumping off the rocks and cooling down.

It's now 2pm and we're only 10 miles into a 25 mile hike, time to move on.

The scenery was not arizona-like at all. More water, pines, deciduous trees, grasses and tall flowers.

We hit the Gravers Wash Trail #9904, and made the turn to the barn.

FR 95A was a slog, but not as bad as first feared. There were views to be had, some shade and even water along the way. It was the ankle busters that get tiresome hiking on. Not everywhere, but enough in the final 8 miles to say... enough.

Short Video from Hyde and the Swimmin' Hole :next:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Ues1T ... UA&index=3

Chum's shared some of his private stock of Natural Lite with us at the end and it was appreciated!

Good to finally hike with Chum's, 9L, Boy With Dog and again with Bootsie.

Thanks for driving Chum's. We have unfinished business out there

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Moss

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dog

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Swimming Hole

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

	Apache Creek - Apache Creek Wilderness	Medium flow	Medium flow
	There was water in Apache Creek almost the entire length of our hike. At the point of this waypoint, the water was 30' x 20' and about 10' deep. I would think even in the driest times there would be water in this spot

	Brown Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	The spring area was dripping, but the creek below was running.

	Ruins Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	As far as tanks go, I'd filter it in a pinch. But there was no need on this day as there were pools of water all along the way.

_____________________

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

Aug 16 2014

chumley

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

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Hyde Mountain - Apache Creek Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 16 2014
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	25.03 Miles	3,468 AEG

Hiking	25.03 Miles	11 Hrs 18 Mns	2.92 mph
	3,468 ft AEG	2 Hrs 43 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Benchmark Informational/Interpretive Sign Swimming Hole

Partners

partners

	FOTG	John9L
	The_Eagle	Tough_Boots

When I learned that Joe had bequeathed an eagle to me while getting his affairs in order before heading out to go Bass fishing, I decided I better take it out and see if it could fly without him.

I was happy to see that things went well. I had previously known that I can rely on him to do everything and all I have to do is show up. Worked great! I had come up with an alternate plan, but I'm glad we stuck with the original -- with a short detour just to get a little taste of the area I had proposed. Turned out to be a highlight of the day. And by highlight, I mean bright, pasty white, blinding, sunlight reflecting... Luckily the water was perfect and we spent a while diving, swimming, and just having a good time in the middle of our hike.

Apache Creek was flowing for it's entirety, and the monsoon has obviously brought enough moisture here to spring this area to life. It was loaded with green grass and flowers everywhere. It appears to be a healthy ecosystem, with numerous deer sightings, tons of birds, and plenty of scat from coyote, bear, and kitties.

The return portion of our loop was a long road hike that none of us were looking forward to. It ended up being much more tolerable than we thought, but I wouldn't want to attempt to drive it. No stock vehicle could do it. We did pass a group of 6 Jeeps that were making a day of it. I'd have to say that it won't be too many more years before not even Jeeps can make it.

I drank 4.5 liters of water. I think Bruce said it hit 97 in the sun, but I don't think it was ever out of the 80s for real. There was plenty of shade to be found, the breeze kicked up when needed, and late afternoon shadows saved us from getting baked on the road hike. My GPS decided to take a nap for a while, so I'm stealing Bruce's stats.

Great day. I'll be back here for certain.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Moss

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Apache Creek Apache Creek Seep Apache Creek Wilderness Brown Spring Camp Wood 2 Lookout Tower Camp Wood Mountain Granite Knob Granite Mountain Hyde Creek Mountain Hyde Mountain Fire Lookout Juniper Mesa Mohon Peak Mount Hope Pinetop Mountain Wabayuma Peak

_____________________

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

Jul 18 2004

Abe

Guides 17
Photos 296
Triplogs 59

66 male

Joined Jun 09 2002
Prescott, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jul 18 2004
		Abe • Triplogs 59

Hiking	4.00 Miles	1,372 AEG

Hiking	4.00 Miles	4 Hrs	1.00 mph
	1,372 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

The first entry this morning from my hiking journal:

"A bear! I am shaking from fear and excitement! Sitting on a rock to change from sandals to shoes (hiking), I heard heavy slow crashing thru the brush. I thought it odd because it was heavy so I looked up from tying my hiking boots up."

And thus began my day today hiking up Hyde Mountain. Standby by for summary and pics, later this week.

_____________________

"Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome for the character." James Russell Lowell

Sep 19 1993

mazatzal

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,347

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Sep 19 1993
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,347

Hiking	4.40 Miles	1,418 AEG

Hiking	4.40 Miles
	1,418 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked