Whetrock Canyon Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Mar 09 2017

Steph_and_Blake

Guides 100
Routes 63
Photos 2,548
Triplogs 184

76 male

Joined Nov 21 2015
Grand Junction,

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Mar 09 2017
		Steph_and_Blake • Triplogs 184

Hiking	6.50 Miles	700 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	7 Hrs 30 Mns	1.04 mph
	700 ft AEG	1 Hour 15 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Never having utilized the Woodbury trailhead and wanting a loop hike that was of moderate difficulty and less than 8 miles long, we chose to do the Whetrock Canyon Loop. To be clear, we didn't actually utilize the Woodbury trailhead. Rather, we parked at the locked gate that blocks the road to the JF ranch. From there we followed a GPS route already posted on HAZ and went in a clockwise direction as we wanted to be sure we didn't miss the left-hand turn to go up Whetrock Canyon (which could happen in you go counter-clockwise). The hike started out rather easy, following along a fenceline and ending up on old FR1928. We passed the mining chute and came across the Superstition Wilderness sign that disallows motorized vehicles, bikes, and, of all things, hang-gliding (which was a first for us all). We continued on what seemed like it was still FR1928 (but could have just been a road used for mining). Around the bend we saw one of two mines we came across during the hike. There wasn't a whole lot to see, just timbers and mine tailings, as the mine had been filled up with dirt. Shortly after the first mine, the road ended and we headed down and to our right to get to Whetrock Canyon. At this point our pace slowed as there was loose rock and time involved finding the best way down. I don't recall if it was before or after entering Whetrock Canyon, we saw the second mine, the dairy truck (how in the world did it get there???), an old refrigerator and a rusty 55-gallon drum. I'll be honest, our time in Whetrock Canyon wasn't exactly fun. It was serious bushwacking with really nasty cat's claw that went right through hiking shirts and pants. And if we crossed that stream once, we must have crossed it a hundred times. We finally got out of the canyon and took a right to head up Fraser Canyon on the Coffee Flat Trail (#108). It was much easier going in Fraser Canyon and we saw the JF Ranch, but by this time we were all kinda' pooped. The last section of the hike was on FR172B and it just went up, and up, and up. Needless to say, we were quite happy to get back to our camp for cold refreshments! I don't think any in the group would recommend this hike to others. But, if you do, note that there isn't much shade and, if there's been a lot of rain (like we've had thus far this year), you should expect Whetrock Canyon to be running high enough to require constant effort to keep your feet dry. On the upside, we did see a very interesting crested saguaro. So, I guess the hike had one redeeming quality.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Saguaro - Crested Sugar Sumac

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ - Hike HAZard Truck Remains/Wreckage

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fraser Canyon J F Ranch Whetrock Canyon

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

Whetrock Canyon

Medium flow

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Stephanie and Blake Barnard

Apr 27 2014

Oregon_Hiker

Guides 9
Routes 473
Photos 8,433
Triplogs 626

79 male

Joined Dec 07 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 27 2014
		Oregon_Hiker • Triplogs 626

Hiking	9.50 Miles	1,905 AEG

Hiking	9.50 Miles
	1,905 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

FOTG

Grasshopper

Thanks to Lee for putting this hike together - it's not easy getting 4 other hikers to agree on dates and start time. Hank and I drove to our rendezvous location at the gate to the FJ Ranch on FR172. I'm new to this area so Hank was the tour guide on the way in. We drove by a former Camp Grasshopper at the base of Byous Butte off of FR172. He pointed on Elephant Arch which I finally was able to see after stopping and scanning the hillside for 5 minutes - it had been right in front of me all the time. After getting home and looking at the picture on my PC it was easy to see the elephant's head and trunk.

We started off hiking the loop clockwise and soon came to the first of three mines we would see (there are probably more) along the route. It appears that copper was the primary mineral being mined. There was also the remains of a loading chute probably used to load ore from the several mines in this canyon into dump trucks. Lee and Jim led us to a mine on a side road they had used as a water source on a previous backpacking trip. Jim and Blanco went into the mine to check it out. The rotting timbers supporting loose rock at the entrance kept me out. No one in our group was sure of dates for the mines - best guess was 1940s.

We stopped to check out the milk delivery truck in the bottom of the wash. Some research indicates it is most likely a Divco delivery truck based on matching pictures of this truck with ones found on the internet. Divco, an acronym for Detroit Industrial Vehicles Co, was founded in 1926 to make delivery type trucks. They used the same basic body design as the one in Whetrock Canyon from 1939 until the company closed its doors in 1986. It was a very popular design for milk delivery trucks.
Update: Looks like I was wrong on the ID of this wreck. It's probably not a Divco. The body was manufactured by Herman of St Louis who made delivery van bodies to fit Chevrolet, Ford, Studebaker, Dodge and possible other truck front ends. See comments in photo set.

There was some light duty bushwhacking going down Whetrock Canyon. We stopped for lunch at the location of a rock wall ranching fence. They had used a wash coming down the canyon side as a cattle barrier filling in gaps with rock walls to keep cattle from crossing. When we reached the mouth of Whetrock Canyon at Fraser Canyon where the return route started Lee informed us that Joe wanted to take a detour down Fraser Canyon to check out the water flow at Dripping Spring where Randolf and Fraser Canyons meet. We still had lots of time and adequate energy left to add this extra 3 miles so off we went. Dripping springs was a nice oasis with tall lush green trees. There was actually more water coming from an unnamed spring about 50-100 yds up Randolf Canyon. Dripping spring had a very slow drip.

The hike up Fraser Canyon to the JF Ranch went quickly with a fairly gentle uphill grade and trail bypasses for rough patches in the bottom of the canyon. The bypass trails are well marked with rock cairns but you have to keep an eye out for them. An Angus bull in one of the corrals at the JF Ranch gave us a menacing stare from the distance as we walked by. Thankfully Blanco left him alone. The road up the hill from the ranch to our parked cars was a long grind but we were soon at the cars and the end of a great day in the Sups.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Signs and Markings Truck Remains/Wreckage

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dripping Spring Elephant Arch - Hewitt Canyon Rd (FR172) Randolph Canyon

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Apr 27 2014

Grasshopper

Guides 48
Routes 510
Photos 9,555
Triplogs 578

79 male

Joined Dec 28 2006
Scottsdale, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 27 2014
		Grasshopper • Triplogs 578

Hiking	10.00 Miles	1,900 AEG

Hiking	10.00 Miles	8 Hrs 20 Mns	1.71 mph
	1,900 ft AEG	2 Hrs 30 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Coffee Flat Trail #108

Dripping Springs from Woodbury

Partners

partners

FOTG

Oregon_Hiker

In December'07 while vehicle camping under Byous Butte for Christmas week with friends (re: my then typical holiday week at "Camp Grasshopper" [ photo ] ), one of our planned day hikes was to attempt the upper mining section down to Whetrock Canyon to visit the old wrecked "Modern Dairy- Globe,AZ" milk truck that I had only seen in

HAZ pictures-

[ photo ]

Here is a quote from my Dec 26th 2007 triplog:
"It was a beautiful blue sky day with no wind as we topped-out at the saddle. Heading down the backside of this saddle it was only about .125mls before this old, rocky mining road became completely washed-out and disappeared with bushwhacking required to reach the lower mine and our planned stopping point at that old Dairy Truck. Just too much of a hassle for us to enjoy continuing." In hindsight now 6+ years later, that rocky old, washed out, bushwhack mining road really did not disappear. What happened is that shortly after the 1st mine adit (see my posted GPS Route), the old road took a 90 degree turn to the right downhill, and I just missed it and continued straight "into a blood sucking jungle" ;) .

Honestly I never thought I would have the opportunity again to correctly hike this loop, but thanks to the invite from our HAZ- friendofThundergod(Lee), his long time Supes backpacking buddy-Jim, and Oregon Hiker(Larry) offering to drive us, I was off on another Whetrock Canyon adventure. This time a much more enjoyable visit and success! :thanx: [ photo ]

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sonoran Mud Turtle

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Azurite Copper (Native)

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mine Shaft Truck Remains/Wreckage

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dripping Spring Hackberry Butte J F Ranch Superstition Wilderness - West Whetrock Canyon

	Dripping Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	A "slow drip only" from wet rock/cliff wall and it would be difficult and time consuming to await a liter of water to filter or treat from this actual perennial spring source location. As of this date there was a number of water seeps and pooling within the slick rock intersection area of Dripping Spring (ie, at the intersection of Fraser Canyon and Randolph Canyon).

	Whetrock Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Some pool seeps in the middle and lower sections only. It should also be mentioned that it did rain some the day prior.

_____________________

(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")

Nov 17 2012

CannondaleKid

Guides 44
Routes 162
Photos 24,766
Triplogs 2,411

75 male

Joined May 04 2004
Mesa, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Nov 17 2012
		CannondaleKid • Triplogs 2,411

Hiking	7.20 Miles	1,522 AEG

Hiking	7.20 Miles	4 Hrs 41 Mns		1.90 mph
	1,522 ft AEG	54 Mns Break	20 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Dripping Springs from Woodbury

Coffee Flat Trail #108

Woodbury Trail #114

Partners

partners

trixiec

After the beating Tracey took on our White Canyon Promontory hike last week she wanted something a bit less challenging featuring an actual trail. Maybe a hike in the Supes but somewhere we hadn't hiked before. We'd never hiked west from Woodbury TH so figured that might be a good place to start. Then scanning the trails and GPS routes of the area the lines got a bit blurred and we settled for Whetrock Canyon loop... only a 6+ mile loop hike.

Now if she had read the description or any of the triplogs, I'm sure she would have put the kibosh on that real quick-like. But, she didn't, so who was I to say anything. [-(

But in truth, neither the drive up nor the hike were anything like what I read in the triplogs.

Even with the Cherokee being over a foot longer than a Wrangler and a 6" longer wheelbase, with a little extra care choosing the line we made it up FR1928 fine. Ok, so Tracey was ready to bail out a few times, but it really wasn't that bad... I didn't use either front or rear locker.
Note: The road is FR1928, not FR192B as designated in some triplogs.

As far as the trail conditions... yes there was plenty of thorny brush and cats-claw, but with no beaten path other than game trails it was just a matter of careful route selection to stay out of it. Neither of us got so much as a scratch from brush, and the only scrape Tracey got was from falling down when a rock turned over as she stepped on it.

The mine areas were interesting but we spent the most time taking photos at the remains of the old New Modern Dairy truck body hung up in the wash below the mines. With no frame who knows the how and why of it being there. From there we traversed across the slope for a while before dropping to canyon floor where we stayed for most of the hike while in Whetrock Canyon. The closer we got to Coffee Flat Trail, the more the terrain looked like White Canyon, Tracey's nemesis of last week. So once we turned onto the Coffee Flat Trail it was clear sailing for us. Most of the time when the trail left the wash we kept to the wash to avoid the somewhat overgrown thorny areas.

The road segment from JF Ranch to the gates above Woodbury TH went the smoothest of course, but it was just the beginning of our climb way back up to where we began. From the gates it was cross-country loosely following what may have been a road possibly 75 years ago crossing a fence line back and forth a number of times to avoid steep drops. So when we came over the last hill and saw the Cherokee below us, boy did that feel good.

And now the drive back down... a little more care was required on two deeply rutted turns than on the uphill but the only drama was how tight Tracey held onto the oh :pk:

! strap.

Overall though, it was a great hike and we took tons of photos. I cut it down to to the 50 I posted here on HAZ with the full set on my website as usual.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Automobile Remains/Wreckage HAZ Rides

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] J F Ranch La Barge Mountain Tortilla Pass

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CannondaleKid

Nov 29 2010

sventre

Guides 14
Routes 71
Photos 474
Triplogs 71

male

Joined Nov 24 2006
Mesa, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Nov 29 2010
		sventre • Triplogs 71

Hiking	6.50 Miles	700 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles
	700 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

This morning was prime time for this hike. At the trail head (I opted to begin the loop at the intersection of FR172A and old FR192) it was 26 degrees, but the uphill climb (did the loop clockwise) quickly warmed me. At the Wilderness Boundary I first followed 192(?) taking a left fork uphill but soon ran out of "trail" . Backtracking, I took the right fork about 100 yds past the gate, downhill, and followed that, more or less, into Whetrock Canyon. I say "more or less" because that trail too has become seriously eroded by landslides and my goal was to make it into the canyon by means other than sliding the entire descent on my back. Some bushwhacking was the only alternative I could choose. Didn't see a soul the entire hike which I thought unusual for Woodbury TH. I did note that the road to the trail head has once again begun to show signs of damage from drainage since the last time the Forest Service graded it-- consequently, I would not recommend trying to access the TH in a passenger car.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dog

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Automobile Remains/Wreckage HAZ Rides

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Whetrock Canyon

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Dec 26 2007

Grasshopper

Guides 48
Routes 510
Photos 9,555
Triplogs 578

79 male

Joined Dec 28 2006
Scottsdale, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Dec 26 2007
		Grasshopper • Triplogs 578

Hiking	4.75 Miles	550 AEG

Hiking	4.75 Miles	2 Hrs 25 Mns	1.97 mph
	550 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

blk

On our last full day of Merry Christmas week camping under Byous Butte, I took our group further up FR172 to the intersection of FR172B/192B to hike up FR192B.

The plan was to hike past the Millsite Canyon TH, then up and past that old wooden mine shoot at the end of FR192B, then continue past the wilderness boundary fence and down the backside of the saddle on an old mining road to explore the area around two old mines and hopefully find that old Globe Dairy Truck that was ditched down in Whetrock Canyon. It was a beautiful blue sky day with no wind as we topped-out at the saddle. Heading down the backside of this saddle it was only about .125mls before this old, rocky mining road became completely washed-out and disappeared with the bushwhacking required to reach the lower mine and our planned stopping point at that old Dairy Truck just too much of a hassle for us to enjoy continuing.

It was still a nice ~5 mile in & out day hike in the Superstitions and I made-up for what I was not able to deliver on the hike by cooking for five hungry hikers, a nice stir-fry shrimp, fresh vegetable, and pasta lunch! :biggrin:

_____________________

(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")

Nov 01 2007

Grasshopper

Guides 48
Routes 510
Photos 9,555
Triplogs 578

79 male

Joined Dec 28 2006
Scottsdale, AZ

Maverick Camp via 192B

Globe, AZ

Maverick Camp via 192B

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Nov 01 2007
		Grasshopper • Triplogs 578

Hiking	3.60 Miles	750 AEG

Hiking	3.60 Miles	3 Hrs	1.20 mph
	750 ft AEG

Linked

linked

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Millsite Canyon Trail #237

Partners

partners

Henry Pixley

Back in late March'07 I hiked the south section of this Millsite Canyon TR#237 for 4.25mls in from its TH start at Quail Springs(no signage) to Maverick Springs. While camping under Byous Butte this 10/31-11/3/07 trip, I wanted to complete this trail hike by starting at the northern TH start at its intersection with FR172(trail start which is actually 1.2mls in on FR192B from the intersection of FR172/192B).

Let me start by re-emphasizing Irv Kanode's 10/27 triplog comments regarding the 1.2ml drive in/out on serious 4x4 road FR192B IF you so chose to do so: For safety reasons, in my opinion, unless you are an experienced 4x4 driver with a very capable, non-stock vehicle(33" tires or larger,lower gears,differential locker(s)..& "not" all wheel drive), and also have a short wheel base vehicle, then don't try driving it. Instead, as per Joe's hike description recommends, park at the intersection of FR172/192B and just enjoy the scenic hike in on FR192B for 1.2mls to this old mining road/trail#237 canyon start(veer left).

Pixley and I hiked past the 1.2ml intersection on FR192B with Tr#237 and continued further up FR192B for another .8mls to its road end at around 3900'elev. on a nice saddle area where a large old wooden ore mining chute was still partially in-tact. We explored this immediate mining area for about 30 minutes on foot looking for more old mines, but we did not find any. There appears to be a lot of possibilities for more mining history and cool finds in this area*, but it was approaching 11am and we had not even started our planned hike yet.

We started in on our planned Trail#237 hike at 11:30am. On this HOT day we took advantage of the small pockets of shade and scenic-rugged rock formation views along the way to the old Maverick Camp where we had a relaxing lunch just off the trail among the shade of some large sycamore trees. On our much hotter afternoon hike back we viewed from a distance one very nice "Superstition Arch" back in on the southwest side between Maverick Camp and Maverick Springs. We saw no water seeps or pooling along this whole route, but did see recent 4WD activity on this designated hiking TRAIL

Also, just to update since this hike description was originally issued in Dec'03, at TR#237 start:
The "flimsy fiberglass marker states no motorized travel beyond this point" no longer exists as of this triplog writing, and also no longer exists that "a not so old Chevy lodged in the declining creek".

Update at 11/12/07: * =Reference HAZ Hike Description "Whetrock Canyon Loop" for details of this mining history that abounds in this area- on the old mining road PAST the "large old wooden ore mining chute".

_____________________

(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")

Feb 11 2007

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Feb 11 2007
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	6.50 Miles	700 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	5 Hrs 12 Mns	1.25 mph
	700 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Drove up in the dark to get a sunrise start. Turned out to be cloudy so the sunrise never panned out. Parked at the green gate to JF and headed off for a clockwise loop. About two minutes in I turned around and went looking for my gaiters as I've seen Whetrock from the ridges above. Realizing I hadn't brought 'em I opted for the trekking poles.

I headed out with a programmed route to ease into 192B. Heading down into Whetrock via the old road is pleasant. Passed a dumped atv after the upper mine. The road fades out at the lower mine. Up to this point I was rating this hike a fabulous 4!

The next 1.25 miles to Fraser Canyon took about 3 hours in shorts. I stayed in the canyon bottom as much as possible. Had to climb out maybe four times to avoid thickets. The flora requirement for Whetrock is all plant life must have thorns. Not little prickly thorns, we're talking skin rippin' man stopping force thorns. After the first hour the stabbing almost became therapeutic.

Whetrock never seemed to end. There's a few nice stretches of slick rock in various deep red hues. I crossed paths with one of the nicest looking Pinon Pines I've ever seen. This healthy bad boy was protected by the canyon and grew straight as a post but wider than most. It was raining at the time so I didn't get a photo. I bent over to avoid a limb and thought I felt my sunglasses falling off. A quick check and they were still on my cap.

About five minutes down the canyon I realized I didn't have my left trekking pole. I believe it fell out near the pine as it was stowed in my pack. I couldn't stomach turning around even for a minute and figured I could really use a new pair anyhow!

Whetrock just never seemed to end. It was good to the last drop in thickets of razor sharp thorns. Heading up Fraser it started to really pour. The pain of Whetrock continued as the water ran down the scrapes. Saw a few horses at JF and finished the hike and headed home through the atv crowds.

I'm glad I went but I hesitate to recommend.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Automobile Remains/Wreckage Truck Remains/Wreckage

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] J F Ranch Superstition Wilderness - East Whetrock Canyon

_____________________

- joe

Feb 14 2006

AZLOT69

Guides 177
Routes 249
Photos 10,213
Triplogs 2,215

74 male

Joined Feb 12 2002
Gold Canyon, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Feb 14 2006
		AZLOT69 • Triplogs 2,215

Hiking	6.50 Miles	700 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	6 Hrs	1.08 mph
	700 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

DID A GEO CACHE IN THE AREA, SO BEING INTERESTED WITH THE WRITE UPS ON THIS TRAIL DECIDED TO OPEN UP THE SOUTHEAST WILDERNESS WITH THIS HIKE. IT STARTED OUT ON THE TAME SIDE PROCEEDING THROUGH FRAZIER CANYON, AND PROCEEDS TO BE WELL MARKED AND MUCH MORE INTERESTING AS YOU PROCEED PAST THE JF RANCH. SAW SEVERAL DEER IN THE ARE AND KEPT AS CLOSE WATCH FOR THE NARROW ENTRANCE TO THE WHETROCK CANYON, A GREAT PLACE FOR LUNCH. IT IS NOW ALL UP HILL. THE CANYON DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE HAD ANY VISITORS FOR QUITE A WHILE. IT IS EASILY TRAVERSED AND QUITE INTERESTING. MAINLY A BUSHWHACK LONG PANTS ARE A PLUS. A LITTLE WATER WOULD SURELY ADD TO THE AMBIENCE. THE FEATURES MENTIONED IN THE OTHER triplogs ARE ACCURATE AS WELL AS " A HIKERS GUIDE TO THE SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS INCLUDING THE MINES, AND THE MILK TRUCK. SAW ONLY ONE CAIRN THE ENTIRE CANYON, SO ROUTE FINDING IS NOT MUCH OF A PROBLEM JUST STAY WITH THE OBVIOUS. DIDN'T SEE ANOTHER SOUL. THIS IS TRULY A WILDERNESS HIKE. THE GPS HELPED IN LOCATING WHETROCK
CANYON-ITS ON THE TOPO MAPS.

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It's best for a man to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open his mouth and remove all doubt.
--Mark Twain

Oct 17 2005

kanode

Guides 7
Routes 57
Photos 1,107
Triplogs 64

77 male

Joined Jan 07 2004
Tempe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 17 2005
		kanode • Triplogs 64

Hiking	5.40 Miles	700 AEG

Hiking	5.40 Miles	4 Hrs 30 Mns	1.20 mph
	700 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I did this trip in the reverse order from Tim's report--going downhill. That made the route finding easier and was "supposed" to make for an easier hike.

However it still wasn't easy bushwacking from the lower mine down down to Fraser Canyon. It took 2 - 3/4 hours to make the trip from the upper mine down the canyon. Catclaw led to bloody legs and arms but other plants were bigger causes of our slow progress. Knee high grass made it hard to see the footing through rocky terrain, plus thickets of Common Cocklebur slowed us down when in the wash bottom.

Here's a picture showing the old truck and the two mines. It illustrates Tim's comments about not heading up the wash past the truck when hiking up Whetrock Canyon. It's a lot easier to backtrack down a little from the truck and climb out the right side of the ravine. Once on top, you can see both the mine tailings and the road and pick from many gradual uphill routes.

We didn't do the full loop but parked one Jeep at the gate to JF ranch on FR 172B and another at the end of FR 192. There's parking and a gate in the Wilderness boundary fence just past the old ore chute..

Starting elevation at old ore chute: 3818'
Bottom in Fraser Canyon: 2831'
Locked gate at road out from J-F ranch: 3500'

WARNING:
Don't drive FR 192 with anything larger than a Jeep Wrangler that has been modified for trail-use with skid plates, sway-bar disconnects, and large (33") wide (10") tires. AIR-DOWN your tires to 12-15 pounds. High clearance is a must for the washed out, rutted road but the bigger danger is in sliding off the road! There's 3-4 spots where the road is narrow, covered with loose decomposed granite, and has bad washouts on the downslope side.

The backend of the Wrangler tended to break loose and slide towards the ravine.

A good alernate hike would be to park to the east of the FR 192 - FR 172B junction, hike up FR-192, down to the lower mine & milk truck, and then backtrack. This gives you 90% of the value of the hike with half the effort. The decomposed granite and slopes on FR-192 will be slippery to walk on--I'd recommend hiking boots (not tennis shoes), plus treking poles, or a hiking stick. The road from the upper mine to the lower mine is obvious but overgrown and you can expect some scratched legs--even if you don't bushwack down to the truck.

_____________________

Irv

Apr 24 2005

Sredfield

Guides 4
Routes 29
Photos 1,691
Triplogs 467

male

Joined Sep 08 2002
Ahwatukee, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 24 2005
		Sredfield • Triplogs 467

Hiking	6.50 Miles	700 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	4 Hrs	1.63 mph
	700 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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no partners

A nice surprise. It's good to see the JF Ranch in real life to compare with Stuart and Carlson's photos. Their reference point of a cottonwood tree at the west end of the ranch has died, but it is still standing. Kollenborn says a guy was murdered at the JF. Hard to imagine a road thru the canyon but the remnants are there. The mines at the head of the canyon are all caved in. The lower one had rail to haul the ore out. Saw the panel truck down in the bottom of the canyon.

Wildlife spotted today included a gila monster. Do you think there is any truth to the rumor that these are the larval stage of yeti? He puffed up and hissed at me but we left each other alone.

All in all, a nice little Sunday jaunt on the gift of a cool weekend this late in the season. Whetlock Canyon is a bushwhack, no trails evident.

Recommended.

_____________________

Shawn
The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see.

Mar 21 2005

Tim

Guides 10
Triplogs 432

63 male

Joined Feb 25 2002
Scottsdale

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Whetrock Canyon Loop

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Mar 21 2005
		Tim • Triplogs 432

Hiking	6.50 Miles	700 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	4 Hrs 15 Mns	1.53 mph
	700 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

See Hike Description.

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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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