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| Hiking | 6.30 Miles |
2,129 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.30 Miles | 3 Hrs 55 Mns | | 1.61 mph |
| 2,129 ft AEG | | | | |
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First of all this was a very enjoyable hike! I noticed there was an old railroad bridge crossing the Gila river, so in theory, it was possible to do both the North Butte and South Butte summits in one day, but I didn't arrive until after 10 am and there just wasn't enough time. Furthermore, the route to summit North Butte from South Butte, apparently is quite brushy, steep, and since I've never hiked it, I didn't think it would be a good idea to start this at 3 pm.
I drove further down the wash than I planned on because I wanted to find a good place to park away from the other tracks and away from any sandy areas. From where I parked, I started heading South and Southwest down the wash. After 1/3 of a mile I saw a wash on the right which I thought would be a good place to enter. Looking up at the South Butte, it was all steep cliffs on the East side. I walked up the canyon until I hiked a total of 1/2 mile. I saw a side channel going left that looked a bit steep but safe enough. I ended up taking this route. After several days of rain this area was a bit wet and I just stayed in the dry areas as much as possible. There was some exposure here so I just took my time. If I ran into cliffs, my plan was to go back to the main canyon which was East of this side canyon and look for another route up. In the canyon, I saw an animal jump out of a bush that was about 15 feet away from me. It didn't run away at first. It just stared at me but the damn bush was in the way so I didn't get a real clear look at it. But, I believe it was a small ringtail cat. It eventually ran down the canyon and I didn't see it again. Anyway, everything worked out OK and I made it to a flatter area. I ended up West of the saddle about 100-200 feet above the low point.
From here, I looked up and saw a lot of rock formations. It was difficult to know where to go but I found a route on HikeArizona.com which I used as a general guideline. I found some cairns higher up most of which were helpful, but there were not enough cairns. When I got higher up it was hard to know which way to go. I ended up changing my direction several times because it wasn't obvious which direction the summit was until the very last few minutes. Overall, the route finding on this hike was definitely a challenge.
At the summit, there was a 5 foot tall rock structure and I found a registry inside which could be accessed by moving just one rock. From the summit I could look down and see the Gila river with a lot of water flowing. Looking North I could see the North Butte. Looking Northeast I could see the snow covered Pinal mountains in the distance.
On the way down I hit a dead end near a cliff so I needed to hike partway back up and look for a better route down. I eventually found one. It actually look me longer to descend because of this reason. Maybe about 1/2 mile from the summit coming down, I saw 3 or 4 javelina coming up. I thought it's quite amazing that they made it up there because the route finding was so challenging. I noticed more cairns on the way down because I felt that I needed them more on the way down, especially considering that there were some wet and potentially slippery areas. This time I descended all the way down to the saddle and stayed further East, zig-zagging and staying more on the ridgeline rather than in the canyon. This was an easier and better route. When I got back to the canyon I hiked North and Northeast back to where I parked my truck. I had some extra time so I thought I would explore the old railroad bridge crossing the Gila river.
I don't believe this railroad bridge or track is used any longer. By the look of it, it had to be 100+ years old. In my head, I signed my own waiver and walked across the bridge. I could tell the wooden ties were quite old and I took care walking across. Once across I saw a tunnel that was blasted through the rock up ahead and an old rusted train car that was de-railed. I couldn't find any dates engraved on anything.
I decided that I would walk into the tunnel just until it got too dark, then walk back out. After walking in a few hundred feet it was quite dark but I noticed a light up ahead, so I knew I was about halfway through. I kept going and made it to the other side. I'm sure this was the first time I ever walked through a railroad tunnel before. If a train did come, which was highly unlikely, there was enough room on the side of the tracks to be safe. After crossing through the tunnel, I looked North to see if I could see North Butte, but all I found were some messy canyons and steep cliffs. It was already after 3:30 pm by this time. I decided I didn't have enough time to explore around looking for a route up. I turned around and hiked back to where I parked. Along the way, I saw about 5 cattle in the wash which ran away from me and went over to the Gila River. When I caught up to them again, they bolted into the hills and ran South down the wash. On my drive out, I believe I saw the same cattle 3 miles away. It's hard to believe they made it that far that fast, or maybe they were different cattle...
Driving directions: (4x4 only to where I drove in) Take AZ-79 to E. Cactus Forest Rd and drive East. After 3/4 mile turn left going North on N. Diffin Rd. Continue for 3 miles and then turn right on E. Florence-Kelvin Highway. Continue for 12.7 miles and take your next left on Cochran Rd. It's all paved until this point and once you're on Cochran Rd it turns to a well-graded dirt road. Continue for 5.8 miles and take a left at Donnelly Wash. At Donnelly Wash it can get quite sandy and this is where you'll need 4 wheel drive and high clearance. I had my 4x4 on the entire time and made it fine. There were a few spots where the sand was a bit deep and my truck swayed a bit. I just kept the speed up above 10 MPH in these areas. There are a few branches but the tracks all seem to converge to the same place. Take whichever branch looks best. Continue in the wash for 3.0 to 3.2 miles and park anywhere on higher ground where it's not so sandy. You may see free range cattle and javelina in this wash. Be careful driving in washes during wet periods. Flash flooding is definitely possible at certain times of the year.
Stats: (includes exploration of Gila River, old railroad bridge, old de-railed train car, tunnel, etc.)
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Distance (round trip) = 6.3 miles
AEG = 2,129 feet
Strava moving time = 3 hrs 20 mins
Strava elapsed time = 6 hrs 27 mins |
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Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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