Grapevine Springs Canyon Trail #4 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Oct 20 2024
		diablo • Triplogs 47

Hiking	5.94 Miles	761 AEG

Hiking	5.94 Miles	2 Hrs 30 Mns	2.49 mph
	761 ft AEG	7 Mns Break

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Nice day at Grapevine. Weather was chilly, around 50 when I started but was perfect. These cooler temperatures have been so pleasant. Trail has really gotten overgrown and hasn’t been maintained in a while. Cows are still out as well. It appears flooding has changed the trajectory of the triple decker waterfall at the end. Pup got in the water but too cold for me!

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

Grapevine Creek

Light flow

Feb 02 2023

MEWhiteman

Guides 47
Routes 96
Photos 850
Triplogs 385

81 male

Joined Dec 24 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Feb 02 2023
		MEWhiteman • Triplogs 385

Hiking	5.60 Miles	900 AEG

Hiking	5.60 Miles	2 Hrs 43 Mns	2.06 mph
	900 ft AEG

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hiazny10

Tom and I began the day planning to hike the Moscow Peak Loop, but couldn't reach the trailhead due to deep snow on E Poland Rd. We got stuck about 1/2 mile from the trailhead and decided not to to on. Grapevine Springs was the nearest backup which neither of us had done so we did it. We parked at a pullout before the end of the road, hence the longer mileage. It was a pleasant hike along the creek. The trail veered off to the north and uphill away from the creek toward the end. We followed it to about the end of the All Trails track and retraced our steps back to the car.

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Jun 22 2019

BiFrost

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Little Wolf - Pine Creek - Grapevine Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 22 2019
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	16.32 Miles	3,867 AEG

Hiking	16.32 Miles	10 Hrs 24 Mns	1.81 mph
	3,867 ft AEG	1 Hour 23 Mns Break

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joebartels

The_Eagle

Joe and Bruce had hiked this same loop in 2013 but it's changed a lot since the fire that pretty much took out 80% of the route. We had various conditions from road hike, trail, bad trail, and no trail. The no trail was particularly rough with very thick Manzanita and scrub Oak that took us awhile to negotiate. However, to counter the tough sections we took some nice breaks in the sections that survived the burn. There are some good stands of ponderosa still left especially on Big Bug Mesa and the area around Seaton Spring where we had lunch.

Near the end of the hike we dropped off Big Bug Mesa and did more off trail down to Grapevine Spring. It was steep down to the spring but not the thick brush we encountered earlier in the hike. Again some of the ponderosa forest survived above the spring and made for a decent hike. The spring had good water with decent pools along the creek. From here it was probably best trail of the day for the last 2 miles back to the vehicles.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Yellow Columbine

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Little Wolf Creek

Wildflowers Observation Light

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Jun 22 2019

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Little Wolf - Pine Creek - Grapevine Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 22 2019
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	16.32 Miles	3,867 AEG

Hiking	16.32 Miles	10 Hrs 24 Mns	1.81 mph
	3,867 ft AEG	1 Hour 23 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Antelope Horns Bluestem Prickly Poppy Wild Bergamot Yellow Columbine

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BiFrost

joebartels

Big Bug Mesa Trail 9434 seems to have taken a hit after the Big Bug Mesa fire of June 2016.
There was some trail at the beginning and some at the end towards the saddle. In between, we scrambled around the washouts. The first of many scrambles on the day.

At the saddle is where we intersected the Little Wolf Creek Trail #304. This one was in great shape because of recent fence repair and horse traffic. So recent, that we ran into the group doing repairs. We expressed our thanks and exchanged pleasantries in different languages and were on our way.

A bit of road walk over to where we went off trail last time. I remembered this section only being bad after jumping out of the wash. This is the last time for this hiker taking this "Shortcut". Manaznita push is not fun.

Great to be back on a trail again. We took the Pine Creek Trail #289, up to the dry Seaton Spring area for a well deserved lunch.

After lunch, Off Trail again, straight uphill to the NE and North through more thick stuff and rock climbing.
Joe woke up a rattler on the way up.

The walk across the mesa was a welcome one with flashbacks of flash floods, 6 years ago, hiking with Joe and Turtle.
[ photo ]

We opted to drop off the mesa to the east to get to Grapevine Springs. In hindsight, we should have continued a little further to a/the real trail.

Once on the Grapevine Springs Canyon Trail #4, It was clear sailing. Plenty of water, tons of Columbine, Ponderosa, and croaking frogs. This is the section that gets all the traffic to the area.

Thanks to Karl for driving allowing us to cut 1.6 miles off of the hike.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Light

Coyote Spring

Dry

Gallon + per minute

Seaton Spring

Dry

_____________________

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

Jun 22 2019

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Little Wolf - Pine Creek - Grapevine Loop, AZ

Hiking		Jun 22 2019
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	16.29 Miles	3,766 AEG

Hiking	16.29 Miles	10 Hrs 23 Mns		1.89 mph
	3,766 ft AEG	1 Hour 45 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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[ checklist ] Alligator Juniper Golden-Beard Penstemon Palmer's Penstemon Parry's Agave Wild Bergamot Yellow Columbine

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BiFrost

The_Eagle

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

Moderate drive, pines, creek, relaxing pine road walk on the mesa. Those are memories from 6 years ago. An element of nature has changed it for the balance of my lifetime.

The drive in is semi gnarly. Confident 2WD probably squeaks through. It'll rattle your noggins regardless.

Luckily Karl drove. He got us 0.8 mi further then our 2013 lasso loop. Scorched pines among other mayhem greet you to the grapeless vine vicinity. We negotiated mild brush from 0.8 mi to 1.5 mi heading up towards Coyote Springs. Karl took a slightly lower route. Which I now see as a fair game trail on satellite.

This loop was possible in late June due to rare cooler than average temps. We still slow poked and enjoyed more breaks than average. Early on it was apparent it was going to be a long day.

Little Wolf Creek Trail #304
We stumbled upon a fencing crew as mentioned in this caption. No one loves this trail but I'm glad it exists and gets enough traffic to keep it relevant.

FR 67
Cabins in the vicinity meant the fire was tackled for a stretch. The nice forested views didn't last long. We stretched the 1.9 mi road-stroll out to 50 minutes.

Back to Business Men
After an easy 0.3 mi on a narrow path Bruce called a fire break ( not, never was, wrong! ) things got real. Roughly 10 yards of the path disappeared to dense chaparral. Karl busted through while Bruce and I suited up. We took turns slaying manzanita uphill with Karl directing overhead. Next, after 0.55 miles of easy off trail it was another chaparral war
7.27 mi - 12:02pm
7.72 mi - 12:42pm
Not terrible like the 10 yards of manzanita but listen kids, it's June...lol

We forged on another mile on a good trail to the Seaton Spring vicinity for a well deserved lunch break.

Bug Up!
Getting up Bug Mesa turned out to be another slice of adventure. I fell backwards on the slope near the top. Aside from a nasty bruise on my left thigh today it was no big deal and we continued onward.

"Top" of the mesa was supposed to be a relaxing stroll. It was far better than bushwhacking. I wouldn't advertise as enjoyable.

Bug Down
The anticipated horrible part of the day just held our attention intensely. It was over quicker than figured.

Seedless, still juicy
Grapevine was a welcomed trail. There is plenty to desire. There is plenty to dissuade it from being crowded.

Synopsis
Bruce has officially written this one off. Understood. Yesterday I thought I was in that boat. Short stretches were enjoyable. Minus a fist sized bruise on my thigh, the pain has worn off. I'll probably plow through this crap again someday.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Bluestem Prickly Poppy

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- joe

Jan 18 2018

kelly14

Routes 92
Photos 885
Triplogs 160

30 male

Joined Sep 27 2015
Phoenix

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jan 18 2018
		kelly14 • Triplogs 160

Hiking	7.03 Miles	1,358 AEG

Hiking	7.03 Miles	5 Hrs 49 Mns	1.33 mph
	1,358 ft AEG	33 Mns Break

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Did this back on January 18. This is one of my favorites. Finally got to check it out after the Goodwin Fire and wow. It is devastating/incredible. It was so sad to see so much devastation, but in a weird way also very cool. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before. From where most people park to the actual trailhead Id say 90% of the area is completely burned. We ventured off trail into the canyon bottom where there was plenty of water flow and you could definitely tell the canyon changed with all the post fire flooding. Down in the canyon there was a tree here and there spared by the fire. In the past getting to the official trailhead was always exciting because you know from that point on you were in the pines and in the forest and that is no longer the case. All the pines around the trailhead and surrounding drainiages were completely scorched. I think I saw 1 pine tree that lived. Continuing on the Grapevine Springs Canyon Trail, the next 1/2 mile to 1 mile stretch was just as bad. All the trees in the canyon and surrounding hillsides were completely scorched. It was really sad. But water was flowing the entirety of the hike and really brought life to all the scorched earth.
Thankfully it wasn't all bad! If you have been on this trail before in the dry parts of the year, the area where the water starts flowing on the trail seemed to have dodged the worst of the fire! I assume the moist riparian canyon bottom fended off the fire. Because for the rest of the hike it didn't appear bad at at all. Maybe a few burned trees here and there but for the most part plenty of living trees! The south facing slopes though were scorched all along the way. But the forested north slopes and the canyon looked just as pristine as ever. It was a big relief. I can't wait to see this area recover over the next few years. In the past I had seen gila trout in the creek but read online the fire seemed to have killed them off. Hope they reintroduce them.
This hike continues to be a favorite and am surprised in my 4-5 times there have never seen another soul.

	Grapevine Springs	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	water was running the whole way

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Oct 07 2017

Eartheist

Routes 7
Photos 273
Triplogs 234

54 male

Joined Jul 16 2011
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Oct 07 2017
		Eartheist • Triplogs 234

Hiking	5.08 Miles	552 AEG

Hiking	5.08 Miles	2 Hrs 38 Mns	1.93 mph
	552 ft AEG

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Parked at a large turn around area just before Butternut Spring; right after that, the road gets pretty rough, and didn't want to chance anything in the Outback. Not too long of a hike to the actual trail anyway. The jeep trail actually smooths out a bit just past that first section. Definitely need high clearance though. It was about a mile and change to the actual start of the trail.
Lots of burn from the Goodwin fire from June, so this trail would've been much more enjoyable. When you get to the actual trail, there's lots of trees and would've been pretty shady. A couple miles in, the creek showed up and was flowing the entire length of the trail. The further in you get, the greener it gets, with some actual fall foliage.
Weather was nice, no other people around, enjoyable hike pretty close to Phoenix. Will definitely have to come back in a couple years after some new growth.

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

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Aug 04 2017

Peter_Medal

Guides 9
Routes 128
Photos 1,379
Triplogs 87

54 male

Joined Feb 19 2013
Prescott, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Aug 04 2017
		Peter_Medal • Triplogs 87

Hiking	7.40 Miles	1,971 AEG

Hiking	7.40 Miles
	1,971 ft AEG	15 Mns Break	8 LBS Pack

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This little Fitness Friday, pre-work hike should be named the Goodwin Fire Up Close and Personal. I have hiked this loop many times in the past and today was a shocker. 65 Degrees for my 545am launch.

Grapevine Canyon Road (which is just east of Milepost 274 on Highway 69) was washed out in places. 4WD and/or HPV necessary in a couple spots. Thats a new issue. I was to meet up with a guy from the Prescott Hiking Group, he was not comfortable crossing and I apparently was too occupied playing air guitar to AC/DC hauling pumpkin on the ride in to miss passing him.

The forest road (87A) from the parking lot trailhead is unrecognizeable in many places... washed out or filled in ashy sand bars. It was nice to see the scrub oaks and the holly already growing lots of saplings from their burnt trunks throughout the affected fire area. Manzanitas were toast with no re-growth, buts only been a month.

The former Bulletin Board for Trail #4 has been burned down. No remants of the board though, wondering if the PNF salvaged it before the fire came through.

The entire hike there was that putrid musty water on a camp fire smell.

After taking a break on top of Battleship Rock atop Big Bug Mesa I began my freestyle drop down into the canyon. With much of the area devasted from the fire, you could hear the sounds of the water falls, which I overshot about 1/2 mile west, the drainage had deep cuts from the flooding (I was chasing the waterfall sounds). Tyson chased a pack of deer and was gone like a bullet. I had startled a baby deer which he missed. We reconvened in the drainage.

With the fresh rains Grapevine Creek was running good. Entire swaths of Trail #4 were washed away with exposed roots of the previous vegetation OR was covered over with flows of sandy mud and rock. Mother nature was pretty fierce on changing the water flow of the Grapevine Creek drainage. Previously all the springs fed into the Grapevine Falls, now the water drains on both sides with deep cuts and erosion throughout the area. The flooding must have been fiece. Much of the area was unrecognizeable. I estimate 1/2 mile from TH going WEST of the Grapevine Riparian Protected Habitat was completely burned...as you meander west up towards the springs that it was only slightly affected. More noted on photo comments.

The pictures do no justice. Come on up and check out this former "Baby Fossil Creek"... Highway 69 turnoff at Interstate 17 is Milepost 262, Grapevine Canyon Road is just before Milepost 274, then just a 2 mile meander to the TH.

Gallon + per minute

Grapevine Waterfall

Medium flow

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"Before there was a trail..... there was no trail"

May 13 2017

arizona_water

Guides 9
Routes 118
Photos 1,079
Triplogs 118

35 male

Joined Mar 06 2016
Salt River Valle

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		May 13 2017
		arizona_water • Triplogs 118

Hiking	7.08 Miles	1,225 AEG

Hiking	7.08 Miles	2 Hrs 33 Mns	2.78 mph
	1,225 ft AEG

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This a fun trail with wonderful perennial water, Douglas Fir and aspen. And only 65 minutes from central Phoenix. The FS has an interesting interpretive board at the true trailhead, listing the 12 springs for Grapevine Creek as the most of any creek in Central Arizona (key word creek not river). I would definitely come back here again and make a loop with Big Bug Mesa. Starting early, this would be a great place to spend some time in the summer.

We parked at an obvious pullout before the road gets rough and then hiked the access road. I think that maybe (maybe) my Subaru Forester could make it over the rough parts. The road is only high-clearance mandatory in a few places. Mountain Biking would be the better choice.

Gallon per minute

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- there's nothing like finding Water in the Desert -

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Mar 01 2017

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Mar 01 2017
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Hiking	9.22 Miles	1,638 AEG

Hiking	9.22 Miles	6 Hrs 27 Mns		2.03 mph
	1,638 ft AEG	1 Hour 55 Mns Break	25 LBS Pack

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I was trying to take advantage of the the recent storms by hitting up a significant seasonal waterfall that was also dog friendly which certainly leaves it to slim pickings.
I thought I may get lucky with this one but in all reality I may have been a day early since there was still significant snowpack at the 6400' level and even more much higher.
Even though Grapevine Falls didn't have the flow I was hoping for it was still such a nice day stretching the legs on this scenic gem of a trail.

Grapevine Creek itself was raging with immense power from top to bottom and the snow capped Big Bug Mesa along with literally the best sunny weather one could ask all made for one remarkably pleasant day that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The FR 87 crossing near the confluence of Big Bug and Grapevine was tire deep but with 4WD I made it across no problem.
It was nearly impossible to keep a dry boot during this heavy snowmelt, the bottom portion of the trail is basically a running creek in many areas due to every drainage ovelowing with water not to mention the actual Grapevine Creek crossings were 2 feet or more in depth and 15 feet wide.

Kind of surreal to realize that around this time last year was my first hiking trip with my camera...
I had literally no real idea what I was doing as I laid down on the ground without a tripod as my camera sat balanced on a creekside rock while I pressed some buttons and hoped for the best.

I'd like to think I've come a long way since that day but I'm also very aware that I have so much to learn and develop.
One thing I do know for certain is my passion for this art has turned into more of a lifestyle than just some hobby.
It's hard to elaborate in words but I get completely absorbed in the moment when I'm behind the lens, my concept of time goes away, sounds get blocked out and I just zone out.
Few things in life have ever made me feel that way and photography is one of them, there is just something special about capturing everlasting moments that bring back vivid memories and feelings upon sight.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Grapevine Creek Grapevine Waterfall

	Butternut Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Could not visibly see it but the road was a running creek around this area.

	Grapevine Creek	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Powerful flow from top to bottom.

	Grapevine Springs	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	More like Grapevine miniature river.

	Grapevine Waterfall	Medium flow	Medium flow
	More flow than I've ever seen in photos but definitely not this waterfalls true potential.

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Aug 20 2016

Nightstalker

Routes 189
Photos 7,236
Triplogs 1,740

57 male

Joined Apr 25 2011
Goodyear, AZ

Grapevine BB Mesa Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 20 2016
		Nightstalker • Triplogs 1,740

Hiking	9.20 Miles	1,903 AEG

Hiking	9.20 Miles	5 Hrs 26 Mns		2.18 mph
	1,903 ft AEG	1 Hour 13 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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I first stumbled upon this trailhead in 2012 while riding through on FS87A and always wanted to return on foot to explore the area further. I've studied the few trip reports on the area from Joe, JJIII, and Peter_Medal and put my on loop together. I recruited my most tolerant hiking partners to accompany me into the great unknown. We drove in on 87A all the way to the trailhead in my Jeep. There's a couple of spots I would recommend high clearance and if you're adverse to Arizona pinstripes, you'll want to hike that 1.5 miles in to the trailhead. The Grapevine Springs trailhead was wet and full of mosquitoes so we didn't waste any time and proceeded straight to the well marked and easy to follow Grapevine Springs Canyon Trail #4. There was plenty of water flowing in the creek and a number of muddy areas flowing from the adjacent springs. We followed trail #4 all the way to the saddle. Just before reaching the saddle we ran across a lone hiker with his dog who provided some valuable trail information (which altered my plan). As instructed, after reaching the saddle and passing through the gate, we turned left and followed the cairned route to the north along the rim of the mesa. Apart from the cairns, there was no footpath beaten in to follow. We would eventually run into another gate and the end of an old jeep road. This gate also held a carbonite sign indicating trail #4! I wasn't expecting that! We continued on the jeep road west/southwest until intersecting a more well traveled jeep road and parking area. Turning left we followed a faint jeep road for a ways until it ended and then bushwacked south to FS103. We went east on FS103 until we saw the sign for Wolfcreek #304. I was expecting to see 9434 before getting to 304, but a short stint on #304 and an opportunity to cross the barbed wire fence we bushwacked our way over to the 9434 trail I had GPS'd. We played around on the big rock pile at the edge of the mesa before dropping off the side on 9434. Storms were rolling in and we made great time going down the easy to follow 9434 back to the parking area. Great loop! Everyone was pumped up and starving so we blasted into Mayer and stopped at Teskey's for some excellent burgers and fries. We got to see some turkeys on 304 and a nice big horny toad. We also heard some heavy trees dropping near the intersection of Grapevine and Big Bug Trail that I suspected may be a bear in the trees, but no visual confirmation.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Lots of clover and mushrooms!

Gallon + per minute

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Jun 14 2016

kelly14

Routes 92
Photos 885
Triplogs 160

30 male

Joined Sep 27 2015
Phoenix

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Jun 14 2016
		kelly14 • Triplogs 160

Hiking	5.57 Miles	814 AEG

Hiking	5.57 Miles
	814 ft AEG

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Hiked Grapevine Springs Canyon this afternoon. Weather was a bit warm at but it turned out to be very nice overall. Had the whole place to ourself. Brought along my pup Riley. It was a nice hike to let her off the leash and not have to worry since she's still learning. Parked about a mile or two out from the official trailhead like others have. The first stretch was hot but once we reached the forest and the trailhead it was about perfect. I was expecting to see water right away but was met with just a couple holes/pools here and there but after maybe 1/4 of a mile I started to see water and quite a bit actually. There was good flow and a couple nice pools for Riley to swim in and she loved it. Water was cold.... felt so good. Didn't see any fish unfortunately (maybe higher up?) Ended up cutting the hike short cuz Riley was pretty pooped ( and maybe i was too) but all in all it was beautiful and can't wait to come back and finish the trail. Oh yeh and saw a fox bound away and a couple nice sized piles of bear crap

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Apr 18 2016

HikingBuddy

Guides 1
Routes 13
Photos 444
Triplogs 12

76 male

Joined Nov 10 2014
Peoria, AZ

Grapevine Trail Bike and Hike, AZ

Hiking		Apr 18 2016
		HikingBuddy • Triplogs 12

Hiking	3.50 Miles	870 AEG

Hiking	3.50 Miles
	870 ft AEG

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I hiked to trailhead #4 on previous visit to area but didn't have time to hike trail itself. What I found on first visit was that road to trailhead was best suited for high profile vehicle or bike. So a few weeks later I came back to hike trail and brought my old "mountain bike". I road my bike from parking area to trailhead (~1.5 miles), parked da bike and hiked the trail. It's a beautiful area, plenty of water even though no recent rains -- the water fall at top wasn't flowing but I imagine that it flows

nicely after a little rain. I hiked on a monday and I didn't see a soul.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cliff Fendlerbush

Wildflowers Observation Light

Bootlegger Spring

Dry

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3 archives

Mar 10 2016

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Mar 10 2016
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Hiking	3.50 Miles	870 AEG

Hiking	3.50 Miles	6 Hrs	1.08 mph
	870 ft AEG	2 Hrs 45 Mns Break

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Nice little stroll to the Grapevine Springs yesterday with a sole purpose of testing out my new toy (Nikon D5300).

It's been a long time dream of mine to capture all of the unique and beautiful locations in Arizona the way the were meant to be seen. I think I truly may have discovered a new passion yesterday as I found myself literally laying in the creek taking photos for two and half hours. :lol:

The vivid greens in the area are starting to appear and lots of signs of wildlife. During my descent just after the sun set and as I was approaching the official start of the TH I crossed paths with a javelina on the trail who quickly ran away from me. Did not encounter a single person the entire day and I'm looking forward to coming back to do a Big Bug Mesa/Grapevine Springs loop.

Wildflowers Observation Light

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3 archives

Feb 19 2016

Peter_Medal

Guides 9
Routes 128
Photos 1,379
Triplogs 87

54 male

Joined Feb 19 2013
Prescott, AZ

Big Bug Mesa to Grapevine Falls, AZ

Hiking		Feb 19 2016
		Peter_Medal • Triplogs 87

Hiking	7.39 Miles	1,971 AEG

Hiking	7.39 Miles	5 Hrs 37 Mns		1.44 mph
	1,971 ft AEG	30 Mns Break	3 LBS Pack

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HAZ - Event

From the TH; its 1.5 miles to the Grapevine Canyon TH (Trail #4). This unnamed jeep trail, we shall call Grapevine Creek Road should only be driven if you desire to have "AZ Pinstripes" on your rig. Ohh and High Profile Only. Its faster to trail run then drive in. The water was flowing all along Grapevine Creek. Loud actually. We could here the water from the road. From the Grapevine Canyon TH, embarked on Trail #4 for about 1/3 of a mile which then forked off "9434" on the left and "4" on the right. This would be our lasso loop junction, we will be returning down 4 from the Grapevine Falls.

Once on 9434, its a little tricky to find the east ridgeline summit trail to Big Bug Mesa, 9434 actually continues south.

Once on the ridgeline trail its a constant climb 1500' in elevation gain in 1.1 miles. Turn around often, views just keep getting better and better. Once above the forest tree line; the forest looks like an hour glass. Approaching summit you see the "Battleship Rock"... This was the fifth or sixth time I have summited up to Battleship and then usually banked west; northwest with a "freestyle drop" into Grapevine Canyon. There were lots of snow piles, particularly in shady "north face" areas. This trip, decided to make this excursion the "official" Big Bug Mesa 6906' summit bag with Grapevine Falls option. I continued West looking for the high point USGS 6906'. Traversed it for sure after the fact. After summitting, took off north and looked for a juicy entry into the canyon. A little down climbs here and there with lots of snow. Tried to maintain flanking the main drainage where the springs above the falls are. You can here the water flowing about 1/2 way down into the canyon drop. As always, water falls flowing, and water tasty, right from the tap. Forgot to bring some salad dressing for the wild water cress floating in the pools in and around the falls.

There is a path/trail on the north side of the Grapevine Creek which connects back on Trail #4. The heavy water flow was a real treat.

	Grapevine Springs	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	i filled a 1/2 quart in about a minute.

Grapevine Waterfall

Heavy flow

_____________________

"Before there was a trail..... there was no trail"

Nov 02 2015

ASUAviator

Guides 1
Routes 9
Photos 1,560
Triplogs 45

36 male

Joined Nov 06 2010
Phoenix, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Nov 02 2015
		ASUAviator • Triplogs 45

Hiking	3.50 Miles	870 AEG

Hiking	3.50 Miles
	870 ft AEG

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If you plan on driving to the Trail Head, plan on pin strips. Beautiful creek and area!

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Dec 20 2014

bendorbreak

Routes 2
Photos 125
Triplogs 20

45 female

Joined Nov 19 2012
Prescott, AZ

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Dec 20 2014
		bendorbreak • Triplogs 20

Hiking	3.50 Miles	870 AEG

Hiking	3.50 Miles	3 Hrs	1.17 mph
	870 ft AEG

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We ended up parking quite a ways up on the road, as the bushes were pretty overgrown and would have caused a lot of pinstriping. We started up the trail and took our time taking pictures of the water. At one point the trail veers away from the river and heads uphill, we decided to take the creek instead. This was a great choice and gave us some good chances for pics of the river. It was a little chilly, as the sun didn't ever make it over the mountain. Great day hike though.

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Sep 14 2013

Tortoise_Hiker

Guides 1
Routes 148
Photos 9,924
Triplogs 3,652

63 male

Joined Apr 02 2005
Mesa, AZ

BB Mesa-L Wolf Crk-Pine Crk-Grapevine Lp, AZ

Hiking		Sep 14 2013
		Tortoise_Hiker • Triplogs 3,652

Hiking	18.65 Miles	3,795 AEG

Hiking	18.65 Miles	11 Hrs 3 Mns	1.69 mph
	3,795 ft AEG

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joebartels

The_Eagle

Another adventure hiking with Joe and Bruce.There were Springs,Pioneer Ruins,Mining stuff and Mine,4 or 5 old Deer stands,Flowers,Mushrooms,Huge Juniper,a Healthy Forest,3 big Bucks,a Little Waterfall,and some Nice Views.There was also the gash in Bruce's Leg.(great stitchwork hom-ec came in handy for Bruce)Then the Rain and Hailstorm.Then the Flash Flooding.Then Joe's encounter with the Toxic Catepillar

.A couple of tough Hombres!A pleasure to hike with them and I hope they are both OK!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fly Agaric Mushroom

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ Gear Hunting Blind

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Flash Flood Hail

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Tortoise Hiking. Stop and smell the Petrichor.

Sep 14 2013

joebartels

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Little Wolf - Pine Creek - Grapevine Loop, AZ

Hiking		Sep 14 2013
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	18.70 Miles	3,630 AEG

Hiking	18.70 Miles	11 Hrs 3 Mns		2.01 mph
	3,630 ft AEG	1 Hour 45 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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The_Eagle

Tortoise_Hiker

We parked in the spot before the green gate 0.8mi before the official trailhead for Grapevine #4. Followed #4 0.2mi from the TH to #9434 turnoff. Followed #9434 for a mere tenth of a mile.

Next we followed Coyote Springs Canyon aprox 1.4mi up to Little Mesa Saddle. No clue where Bruce got the track but there was an actual trail in fair shape. Route finding was questionable near the bottom and top otherwise a fantastic quaint canyon.

There was a minor blip trying to locate the trail down LWC which Bruce fought a rusty barbed wire fence. We took a break for him to tape up his leg. Then found the trail down that jj and I ascended in late August. This doesn't really agree with topo as #304... we did go to the spot as depicted on topo for the top (turn) of #304 and did not find any sign or trail heading SSW.

Upper LWC is not shaded yet I continue to enjoy the views all around. Met up with FS67 and followed it 1.9mi to another mysterious track Bruce acquired.

From 10:35am to noon we traveled 1.4mi through uncertain "which way do we go" terrain to Pine Creek Trail #289. The last ten minutes got interesting as a storm started to unleash splat sized raindrops.

We boogied up to the Seaton Spring Overlook for lunch in the same spot jj and I took a break. Things weren't looking so great. We tried to stick to our planned loop however it just wasn't happening. The next few hours involved a lot of swearing, arguing, gang signs and whatnot before we found a way to survive unexpected tortures. I'm just glad no one got hurt. Especially Bruce as at one point I nearly took my 1.5-inch jj knife and killed him if he said "turn right" one more time.

After turmoil we found FS 103 and headed off-trail down to Grapevine Waterfall. Along the way I got an unexpected stinging pain moving an oak branch. It felt like I grabbed a filament haired cactus such as prickly pair. Thought it might be Mala mujer. Turns out I grabbed an automeris caterpillar. Having recently read phrases containing "poison" and "toxin" I was concerned. Everything turned out fine. Later read "deadly in severe cases". Imagine that would be dozens with an allergic reaction or such.

Unsure about my hand we didn't spend much time checking out the waterfall. A third storm sprinkled on us back to the end. Perhaps some time needs to pass to heal the wounds... I'd still like to check out these trails more in the future. The Bradshaws continue to intrigue...

	Coyote Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	just enough filter, several tiny and shallow pools dot the canyon below

	Grapevine Springs	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Typical flow, perhaps a tad more.

	Grapevine Waterfall	Light flow	Light flow
	More than a trickle. Slightly disappointing considering all the rain. Either the immediate catch area did not receive what we experienced or it really soaks in fast.

	Little Wolf Creek	Light flow	Light flow
	very light flow in some areas One riparian area was about the same as late August, the rest was recent runoff.

	Pipeline Canyon	Dry	Dry
	bottom of Pipeline was dry

Seaton Spring

Dry

	Taft Canyon	Dry	Dry
	bottom of Taft was dry

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- joe

Sep 14 2013

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

BB Mesa-L Wolf Crk-Pine Crk-Grapevine Lp, AZ

Hiking		Sep 14 2013
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	18.65 Miles	3,795 AEG

Hiking	18.65 Miles	11 Hrs 3 Mns		2.12 mph
	3,795 ft AEG	2 Hrs 15 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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