Trap Canyon • Canyon Trip • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 19 2025
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	15.81 Miles	2,755 AEG

Hiking	15.81 Miles	8 Hrs 54 Mns	2.04 mph
	2,755 ft AEG	1 Hour 10 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Bark at Dutchman Crossing Miners Needle Trap Canyon

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We hiked into the mouth of Trap Canyon and the surrounding area via the Dutchman Trail and the Whiskey Springs Trail out of the Peralta Trailhead. I wanted to look for a few old campsites and signs of rock piles. The trails were in excellent condition and the temps perfect. There were a handful of people out and we surprisingly finished to a less than half full parking lot. There were signs from the recent rain storm, however, in general the area is very dry and there is not much water out there. No wildflowers. I think I picked a nearly perfect day to make a trip back to one of my favorite areas. It was nice to see a some modest recovery from the recent fires going on. A lot of unburnt grass from last year still lingering around. Keep your fingers crossed.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

	Bark at Dutchman Crossing	Medium flow	Medium flow
	A large puddle is a more accurate description, no flow.

	Whiskey Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	A couple of small puddles in the spring area, but I would not count on it as a backpacking source right now.

_____________________

Mar 16 2025

DesertNymph

Routes 43
Photos 2,120
Triplogs 81

female

Joined Dec 09 2024

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 16 2025
		DesertNymph • Triplogs 81

Hiking	13.79 Miles	2,708 AEG

Hiking	13.79 Miles	8 Hrs 19 Mns	1.75 mph
	2,708 ft AEG	26 Mns Break

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JF Trail #106

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partners

	00blackout	adilling
	wallyfrack

I was enticed back to the JF/Tortilla THs with an offer I couldn't refuse...a ride. In a vehicle. Out and back on the notorious FS213.

The day started early, since we knew there was a potential for it to be fairly long, what with the planned exploration of Trap Canyon. We jostled down the road, with the conversation touching on other interesting explorations in the area - it was definitely much more enjoyable than the last time I was on the road (walking!) We arrived at the trailhead, scaring off several desert cottontails as we headed off down the trail.

After a short walk up the JF Trail, we hit the junction for Hoolie Bacon. The area around Tortilla creek was as I remembered it, though this time it had a decent amount of flowing water (with marinating cow pies). Climbing out of Tortilla Creek, looking back, there were nice views of the snow frosted Four Peaks, and as we hit the saddle, there were nice views of Music and Herman's Mountains.

On our descent towards Trap Canyon, I was glad to discover that I'm not the only experienced desert hiker who can walk right past the designated trail - I only cackled in delight a little bit

and in fairness, the gents were talking amongst themselves and didn't make it far before figuring out they'd missed the curve in the trail.

Once we hit the mouth of Trap, Wally took the lead, blazing a path through the brush. The mouth of the canyon is plenty enticing, with neat geology to lure you in. Not too far down canyon, we were treated to a section riddled with metates/mortars - they were definitely more mortar shaped (circular openings, and some quite deep) than what I typically think of as metate shaped (oblong and shallow). Sadly, no sherds were found, but they could be buried under the copious amounts of sand that moves in with any large flow event.

After exploring the metate shelves, we made our way further down canyon until we hit a constriction between some house sized boulders and a pair of chockstones. The drop from the lower stone looked to be 8-10 feet and a challenge to upclimb (and the downclimb wouldn't have been particularly delightful either). We decided to turn around and return at a later date to see if we could explore Trap from the other side.

In lieu of exploring Trap, we decided to head towards Brad's Water to have a look at what remained in the area. The walk up Brad's Canyon towards Brad's Water is an exercise in finding the path of least resistance - sometimes finding a clear path on one of the benches, sometimes walking in the drainage itself, and sometimes picking your way through catclaw. Not far from Brad's Water are the remains of Brad's Cabin, which was really neat to see. The cabin remains include the concrete foundation and mortared walls along with an array of old tools including a pickaxe, some pliers, and an axe head, amongst other things.

After exploring the site, we headed back the way we came, stopping in a shady spot for lunch. The recent rains left the ground damp in places, and all that moisture certainly contributed to higher humidity levels. We were glad for the occasional breeze that kicked up as we made our way back to the trailhead (I swear there were more uphill sections that I recalled on the way in!).

It was a fantastic day to be out hiking with wonderful company - it was great to meet both Andy and Wally and get a chance to hear about their explorations in the area and elsewhere.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Strawberry Hedgehog

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
a singular strawberry hedgehog was spotted in bloom.

Brads Canyon

Medium flow

Cedar Basin Canyon

Medium flow

_____________________

Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually

2 archives

Mar 16 2025

adilling

Guides 2
Routes 267
Photos 9,816
Triplogs 402

62 male

Joined Dec 02 2014
Mesa, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 16 2025
		adilling • Triplogs 402

Hiking	13.86 Miles	2,466 AEG

Hiking	13.86 Miles	8 Hrs 20 Mns	1.85 mph
	2,466 ft AEG	51 Mns Break

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	00blackout	DesertNymph
	wallyfrack

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

Jason suggested a visit to Trap Canyon and Brad’s Water. I have hiked right past both of these cool places but have never visited.

Wally and Stephanie joined the trek as well. Jason drove his rig down the lovely FS213. It was in great shape, and it was a smooth ride down to the JF Trailhead from Tortilla TH. Except, of course, for the near impassable rocky crap that seems to get worse with each year. It might be time to hike the extra miles soon, unless Jason is still willing to beat the crap out of his Yoda.

The weather was very nice at the start, but we figured it would heat up a bit as the day went on. We hiked through the cow pasture area and then started up to the saddle (and false saddle too). Looking down from the saddle, Music Mountain and Herman’s Mountain came into view and a still snow covered Four Peaks in the other direction.

We made it to Trap Canyon and Wally showed us some really cool metate stones, many of them. It makes you wonder how life was in this place 500-700 years ago. We made our way to the namesake of the canyon – the trap. And, we decided to turn around at the first real challenging drop down. We didn’t get a unanimous vote to keep going. Such a beautiful area. Some of the largest boulders I’ve seen in any canyon in the Supes, for sure.

We hike back out and started down to the Red Tanks/Hoolie Bacon junction. The trail get’s a little sketchy in this area. We made the turn up to Brad’s Water and found some wonderful catclaw forest. So nice to hike through there. My white long-sleeved shirt magically got a bunch of red polka dots after pushing through the nastiness.

The well/spring was really interesting. Wally said it was mine, and they struck water! Not as full as it has been in the past, I was told, but a lot of water. The little drainage coming down was also running. It was the most water I’ve seen in the Supes in a while. Wally then said there was a cabin further up. I never knew that was there. Very interesting for sure. A concrete foundation and mortared rock walls. At some point, this cabin had been a sturdy structure.

After a quick visit, we made our way across the catclaw patch and had a little lunch at the only tree along the Red Tanks Trail (that wasn’t burnt up). Off we went back up the Hoolie-Bacon Trail. A bit of a trudge going up and down, but we made it up to the saddle and then started back down towards the trailhead.

A nice day in the Superstitions. It’s always a pleasure to hike with Wally and Jason and it was nice to meet you, Stephanie!

_____________________

"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."

instagram: @andydilling

Mar 16 2025

wallyfrack

Routes 93
Photos 7,758
Triplogs 1,691

64 male

Joined Mar 11 2003
AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 16 2025
		wallyfrack • Triplogs 1,691

Hiking	13.93 Miles	2,367 AEG

Hiking	13.93 Miles	8 Hrs 15 Mns	1.80 mph
	2,367 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

no routes

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JF Trail #106

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	00blackout	adilling
	DesertNymph

A hike in the Supes with Larry(me), Curly, Moe & Shemp. Curly Miller drove the smooth road and we bounced down to the trailhead. We started early and the temps were nice. the Hoolie Bacon trail was easy to follow but got a little messy around Tortilla creek with the cattle trails. There are more ups and downs than we remembered but the climbs kept us honest. Shemp laughed at as when we missed a turn but we always found the trail again. Trap Canyon was cool and shaded but we stopped at the leap of faith. Curly was the voice of reason. Moe Dilling looked for a bypass but it led to another drop off off so we opted for Brad's Water & Brad's Cabin foundation as a plan B. There was plenty of catclaw in Brad's canyon but we endured the gauntlet. It started to warm up a bit in the sun, so we filtered water and took a break in the shade. The hike out was warm but the breeze on the saddles was nice. A good day in the Supes with a vow to return to Trap canyon from the other west end in the fall.

_____________________

4 archives

Mar 16 2025

00blackout

Routes 31
Photos 4,724
Triplogs 187

50 male

Joined Mar 14 2016
Gold Canyon, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 16 2025
		00blackout • Triplogs 187

Hiking	13.93 Miles	2,367 AEG

Hiking	13.93 Miles
	2,367 ft AEG	8 Hrs 15 Mns Break

no routes

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JF Trail #106

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	adilling	DesertNymph
	wallyfrack

I wanted to check out some areas yesterday and after twisting arms for a minute S, Wally, and Andy were game. The road down 213 is always an adventure as it continues to deteriorate every year. Parked at the upper TH and headed up the JF Trail. After a mile, we reached the Hoolie Bacon junction and started down into Tortilla Creek, making a quick stop in Cedar Basin before climbing up to Horse Ridge. We stopped for some pics of the great views on top of the ridge then continued down through Horse Camp Basin before reaching our first destination, Trap Canyon. There is no 'trail' in Trap Canyon, it is a boulder brushy maze trying to make your way through. The Supes encyclopedia showed us an area with a ton of bedrock mortars. From there came the 2 and 3-story house-size boulders. We navigated around the first few but came to a section where the only way past it was an 8-10-foot drop. After scoping it out and not confident we could get back up if we needed to we decided to backtrack to Hoolie Bacon and continued on. Made it to the Hoolie Bacon/Red Tanks junction, made a left then after about a half mile bushwhacked up a small creek while also getting shredded by catclaw to Brad's water and the remains of Brad's Cabin. Tons of water at Brads and I highly disappointed Andy when I forgot my speedo at home so I couldn't swim it.

Wally advised there are remains of the cabin at a site just north of that, which is now an outer rock wall with an inner rock wall and concrete foundation. There are a ton of old tools and a bed still at the site. From there we found a nice lunch spot in the shade and started the uneventful hike back to the truck, where once we got to the top of Horse Ridge, Wally put the afterburners on and waited for us at the JF/Hoolie Bacon junction. Was pretty chilly at the start of the hike but got hot on the hike out as Hoolie Bacon has no shade at all from the sun. Saw a couple of backpackers at the Red Tanks/Hoolie Bacon junction asking about water and that was it for the day and no wildlife besides a couple of rabbits. Hoolie Bacon has a good amount of catclaw, most of it just off-trail some hangers will get you from time to time. I will have to try Trap from the Red Tanks side in the fall as the canyon is beautiful. Thanks, Wally, Andy, and S for joining, it's always a good time!

	Brads Water	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Swimming pool.

Cedar Basin Canyon

Medium flow

	Horse Camp Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Seeping down into the creek with a small pool.

_____________________

Hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee.

2 archives

Dec 09 2023

Guides 25
Routes 376
Photos 5,897
Triplogs 346

40 male

Joined Mar 01 2018
Chandler, AZ

Trap Canyon - Herman Mountain Exploration, AZ

Hiking		Dec 09 2023
		John10s • Triplogs 346

Hiking	19.82 Miles	3,665 AEG

Hiking	19.82 Miles	10 Hrs 24 Mns	2.07 mph
	3,665 ft AEG	50 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Bark at Dutchman Crossing Buzzards Roost Dacite Cliffs Herman Mountain Miners Needle Miners Summit Peralta Canyon Superstition Mountain 5057 Trap Canyon Trap Canyon Spring Upper LaBarge Box Canyon Whiskey Spring

Herman Mountain

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TboneKathy

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

My plan for today was to try out a ~20-mile route-trip route to the summit of Herman Mountain from Peralta, hiking up through the west side of Trap Canyon. There are shorter/more direct routes up Herman, but this one looked like one of the flatter approaches and had the added bonus of some hiking in Trap Canyon, which I always enjoy.

We headed out on Dutchman right around sunrise, and cars were pouring into the parking lot at Peralta as we got started. Within a few minutes, a Pinal County Sheriff helicopter passed overhead and flew up Peralta Canyon and back, then landed in the Lost Goldmine parking lot, where there were some flashing lights...not sure if that was training or an early morning rescue operation.

Not quite a mile in, we stepped off the trail to let a guy pass, and he started sharing his theories on the helicopter and then moved on to other stories from his recent Superstition hikes. I wouldn't have minded story time if he'd at least kept moving, but he just stood there talking as the minutes passed, and I eventually had to cut him off and tell him that we needed to keep moving...

We saw two more people on Dutchman, and Whiskey Spring and Red Tanks Trails were in about the best shape I've seen them--there was a little catclaw in some spots, but it looked like someone had done recent trail maintenance, so that saved us a lot of time and scratches. Not surprisingly, it was very dry out there--we didn't see any water at Bark at Dutchman or Whiskey Spring and only occasional, small puddles in the creek beds.

TBoneKathy waited near Trap Spring, and I hiked into Trap to try out the route. When I was there last February, Trap Canyon had water everywhere--deep pools and small waterfalls, and we had to take our boots off and wade through some spots and find creative ways around the deeper pools. Today was the opposite--other than a few small, shallow pools, everything was dry. Not as scenic, but it was great for moving quickly through the canyon, and it was nice not stepping in quicksand today. I passed a tent and some camping equipment near the arch, but the backpacker must've been out exploring.

Brush/catclaw are the big obstacles getting out of the creek bed, and I picked a rocky area to avoid that, but I ended up leaving the creek too early and wasted time dropping back down to a very brushy drainage and up the other side, cutting through catclaw along the way. I followed the drainage until it flattened out, and the terrain was easy up on top, but I'd lost a lot of time. On the way up, I saw a few very tall, deliberately-built cairns in random spots, which was odd.

I came within ~2/3 of a mile and ~500 feet of elevation from the peak and could see it ahead, but TBoneKathy had already been waiting an hour at that point. If I continued to the summit and spent a little time there before turning around, I figured she'd end up waiting ~ three hours total and didn't want to make her do that, so I made that my turnaround spot and started back. [ youtube video ]

I took a more efficient route down into the creek bed in Trap on the way back, but there's no way to avoid the catclaw. Following the creek bed toward the west entrance, I crossed paths with the backpacker and talked to him for a few minutes--he'd hiked to the traps but didn't go all the way through to Hoolie Bacon. I rejoined TBoneKathy for the hike out, and we saw three more people before taking a food break at the Whiskey Spring/Dutchman intersection. While she started down Dutchman, I made a quick detour up to Miner's Summit and signed the register. I'd never been up there and figured it could be the consolation peak today since I came up a little short on Herman

.

I caught up with her, and we finished off the last few miles with nice late afternoon shadows and were back at Peralta around 5:15PM. I'll probably come back and try Herman again soon while the trails are in good shape and Trap Canyon is dry, because conditions were perfect for moving quickly, and the route is straightforward and would've worked well if I'd just stayed in the creek bed a little longer on the way in.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Tansyleaf Spine Aster

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Aircraft Cairn Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunset

Bark at Dutchman Crossing

Dry

	Trap Canyon	Dry	Dry
	Dry creek bed heading into the west entrance of Trap

	Trap Canyon Spring	Dry	Dry
	Moisture/seepage on a few rocks and one very small stagnant puddle nearby, but essentially dry

Whiskey Spring

Dry

3 archives

Nov 29 2023

pseudalpine

Guides 59
Routes 1,100
Photos 1,191
Triplogs 1,290

male

Joined Jan 01 2023
Arizona

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Nov 29 2023
		pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,290

Canyoneering	18.96 Miles	3,838 AEG

Canyoneering	18.96 Miles	8 Hrs 23 Mns	2.46 mph
	3,838 ft AEG	41 Mns Break

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8 linked trail guides

Herman Mountain

Herman's Cave

[ checklist ] Four Peaks La Barge Box Miners Needle Tortilla Mountain Trap Canyon

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

Trap Canyon is definitely aptly named, especially considering the upper labyrinth of boulders, chutes, gaps, pockets, sand, shelves, turns and tunnels! It would likely be much tougher if it had flowing water, but to consider this a canyoneering route is somewhat silly. I'm delighted I did the complete canyon (unlike many of the other previous trips).

I despise the uninspiring Hoolie Bacon Trail so much that I decided spur of the moment to instead hike over the top of Herman Mountain. It was a great decision that turned out better than expected. Not too shabby of a view in all directions. There were three parties vaguely signed in at the summit. The first was illegible (maybe Feb.'21?). The second was Jordyn & Lee and the third was your DPS DADDY! AKA Trail Ghost or just Greg.

Clear bottles as summit registers don't work well as the writing fades quickly. I also detoured to Herman's Cave for a quick lunch, which was very peaceful. The Whiskey Spring Trail isn't a favorite of mine, but it gets the job done. Also, some stupid jackholes have left a bunch of trash in the firepit near the spring Cottonwoods. Might have to haul that out next time I'm hiking through.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Saguaro

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

Bark at Dutchman Crossing

Dry

Pools to trickle

Dry

Dry

Dry

Dripping

Upper LaBarge Box Canyon

Dry

Whiskey Spring

Dripping

Whiskey Spring Canyon

Dry

6 archives

Feb 18 2023

Guides 25
Routes 376
Photos 5,897
Triplogs 346

40 male

Joined Mar 01 2018
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Feb 18 2023
		John10s • Triplogs 346

Canyoneering	18.61 Miles	2,667 AEG

Canyoneering	18.61 Miles	10 Hrs 44 Mns	1.97 mph
	2,667 ft AEG	1 Hour 18 Mns Break

Canyon Hiking - Non-technical; no rope; easy scrambling; occasional hand use

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

Linked

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[ checklist ] Buzzards Roost Cathedral Rock - Superstitions Trap Canyon

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ishamod

Ishamod and I hiked into the east end of Trap Canyon in late 2021, and I went into the west end a short distance about a year ago...today, we planned to try the west entrance again and explore further into the canyon and/or leave the creed bed and go up to the summit of Herman Mountain. We left a little earlier than usual because of another closure on Hwy 60 east, and we got to Peralta around 7AM and started out on Dutchman.

We saw one or two campers and a trail runner along Dutchman, but the trails were pretty empty in the morning. The brush along Whiskey Spring was mostly cleared off the trail, which helped us keep a good pace, and we reached the exit off Red Tanks Trail to Trap Canyon around 10:30AM, which gave us quite a bit of time to explore before we needed to turn around.

[ youtube video ]

But water slowed our progress a lot once we were in the canyon--which was both a blessing and a curse. There were a lot more deep pools and small waterfalls than last year, and it was especially beautiful in there this time, but scrambling around the pools through brush killed our pace, and wading wasn't an option in some places because the pools were more than waist deep (one looked to be ~10 feet deep in the middle), and the sandy bottom was like quicksand in some areas. It was clear early on that we weren't going to have time to get anywhere near the traps or up to Herman Mountain, but we'd go in as far as we could with the time we had.

We finally had to take our boots off and wade through one shallow spot where it was impossible to avoid the water, but otherwise we made our way around the pools with boots on, but not without plenty of battles with catclaw. I had a few run-ins with quicksand on the last visit and gave ishamod a heads up not to trust any damp-looking sand, but it got him anyway, and he ended up shin-deep in liquid sand with both feet.

We got farther into Trap than I did last March but were still a long way from the traps toward to the east end before we decided to turn around and headed back into the water obstacles. On the way out, we saw a light-colored frog swimming in a pool [ youtube video ] . I hadn't seen that kind before, but it blended in with the rocks really well. We didn't take the time to go to the upper alcove today, but below the overhang along the creek bed, we noticed an unusual nest hanging from the ceiling that looked like a coconut...maybe a bee or wasp nest [ photo ] ?

Once we were back on the trail, we started to see more people, including a couple who complained that it was "a little toasty" today. Must not be from around here...I've never heard locals complain about low 70s

. The early evening shadows were great on the hike out, and we got back to Peralta a little before sunset. We didn't get close to the traps or up to Herman Mountain today, but it was still a fun one a great day to be outside. We still want to get back again and see the traps...next time I'll bring water shoes or wait for drier conditions

.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Canyon Tree Frog Cardinal

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cross-bedding Natural Arch

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunrise Sunset

	Bark at Dutchman Crossing	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle

	Trap Canyon Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute

4 archives

Feb 12 2023

Vashti

Guides 17
Routes 297
Photos 1,808
Triplogs 276

female

Joined Mar 11 2002
Gilbert, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2023
		Vashti • Triplogs 276

Hiking	7.71 Miles	977 AEG

Hiking	7.71 Miles	5 Hrs 5 Mns		1.92 mph
	977 ft AEG	1 Hour 4 Mns Break	32 LBS Pack

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

Route on the way back to the trail head from camping at the mouth of trap canyon.

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Upper LaBarge Box Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow

	Whiskey Spring Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow

_____________________

Feb 11 2023

Vashti

Guides 17
Routes 297
Photos 1,808
Triplogs 276

female

Joined Mar 11 2002
Gilbert, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 11 2023
		Vashti • Triplogs 276

Hiking	8.01 Miles	1,271 AEG

Hiking	8.01 Miles	5 Hrs 33 Mns		1.95 mph
	1,271 ft AEG	1 Hour 27 Mns Break	33 LBS Pack

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

My first foray onto whiskey spring and red tanks trails, woo hoo! 6 of us had a super enjoyable backpacking trip.

There was so much water. Everywhere! It was delightful! We looked unsuccessfully for the actual LaBarge spring, but the location it is shown to be at is a brambly, washed out section. Plus there sounded to be a hive near by, so we didn't stick around too long looking. There was so much water in every wash, many of them flowing, and others with deep pools.

The loop is well maintained and clear. As we walked through a sea of dead and living catclaw, I was very thankful for the trail maintenance that had been done.

We camped at the mouth of trap canyon in an established campsite just off the trail. We didn't see many people out over 2 days. 3 solo hikers on the way in, none pass Ely Anderson. 1 horseman on the way up the whiskey springs hill on the way out. Otherwise, only a few hikers on the Dutchman, all between the trailhead and coffee flats trail. The horseman was telling us about some mountain lions he had seen, but we only saw a few rabbits and many lizards!

The wild flowers are just starting to bloom. More at the lower elevations, but there were scattered wildflowers throughout the loop.

It was about 30F at night, with ice forming in our water bottles during the night.

A great weekend in the superstitions!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Red Maids Wiry Lotus

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Bluff Spring Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow

	LaBarge Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute

Light flow

Upper LaBarge Box Canyon

Medium flow

Whiskey Spring

Gallon per minute

Whiskey Spring Canyon

Medium flow

_____________________

Dec 07 2022

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Dec 07 2022
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	16.98 Miles	2,959 AEG

Hiking	16.98 Miles	9 Hrs 25 Mns	1.99 mph
	2,959 ft AEG	53 Mns Break

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SecretMtnLover

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

It has been almost 2 years since I have been to Trap Canyon, so I figured it was time to go out there again.

We did a CW loop and went into Trap Canyon from the west.

I have been dealing with a foot injury, so the going was slow. The rocky, rubbly, and overgrown trails didn't help matters any.

There was more vegetation in Trap Canyon than I remembered, and there was more water in the canyon than I have seen before. The overgrowth and water presented some additional obstacles to deal with. We climbed up to an upper alcove and had lunch before proceeding further into the canyon. With the slow going we did not go as far into the canyon as I had gone the last couple of times that I was there.

In terms of overgrowth on the trails, the Bluff Springs Trail was the best of the bunch. There was a good bit of catclaw on the Red Tanks Trail, and in some places this trail is barely recognizable. The Whiskey Spring Trail was somewhat better, but not by a lot. It seems like there has been some erosion on many sections of the trails, with rocks and rubble littering the trails. I guess that after paving parking lots and building lavish restrooms at ranger stations, the Tonto NF has no money left over for trail maintenance and improvements.

Synopsis
There is lots of water in this area of the Supes right now. Trails are overgrown and in need of tread repair.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Epilobium Hummingbird Trumpet

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trap Canyon

_____________________

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

Mar 06 2022

Guides 25
Routes 376
Photos 5,897
Triplogs 346

40 male

Joined Mar 01 2018
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Mar 06 2022
		John10s • Triplogs 346

Canyoneering	17.07 Miles	2,366 AEG

Canyoneering	17.07 Miles	10 Hrs 13 Mns	1.90 mph
	2,366 ft AEG	1 Hour 15 Mns Break

Basic Canyoneering - Scrambling; easy climbing/downclimbing; frequent hand use; rope recommended; easy exit

A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit

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[ checklist ] Bark at Dutchman Crossing Herman Mountain Miners Needle Superstition Mountain 5057 Trap Canyon Turks Head - Superstition Boundary Upper LaBarge Box Canyon Weavers Needle

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TboneKathy

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

I hiked into Trap Canyon from the east entrance back in November, and the plan today was to explore Trap from the west side. Peralta Trailhead had the usual mass of Weaver's Needle hikers, but the crowds thinned out immediately on Dutchman Trail, and the morning shadows and haze after sunrise were beautiful as we headed toward Miner's Needle. I was pleased to find that someone had done a lot of trail maintenance along Whiskey Spring Trail since my last visit. There was a half-mile stretch before and after the spring where the catclaw had overtaken the trail in November, but everything was trimmed back this time, which saved a lot of time and bloodshed.

Along Red Tanks, even before entering Trap Canyon, the geology was already looking very interesting. The inside of the canyon was even more impressive, with all kinds of caves, alcoves, jumbles of boulders, and at least one arch that we saw. As soon as we entered Trap, we passed the large "second story" alcove on the north side of the canyon. There was plenty to explore, but we kept moving to get as far in as we could before turnaround time.

[ youtube video ]

In the part of the canyon we were in, we didn't encounter any spots where we had to go in the water, though I did unexpectedly sink shin-deep into wet sand near some shallow pools. It looked like solid ground, so it was a surprise when I took a step and felt my boot continue sinking. On the hike out, the same thing happened again with the other foot in a slightly different spot. I guess the silver lining was that my boots were equally full of water and sand, so the weight wasn't lopsided for the hike out...fool me once, shame on the quicksand; fool me twice, shame on me

We did a little more exploring on the hike out, and I climbed up to the upper alcove. It's a huge space and seemed like a prime spot for cliff dwellings, but there weren't signs of any up there--just a lot of boulders and some modern stacks of rocks. I also went over and took a look at an alcove along the base of the cliff wall on the opposite side of the canyon and found the same thing--some modern "walls" stacked inside, but not much else.

Upper alcove: [ youtube video ]
Lower alcove: [ youtube video ]

We spent a few minutes searching for the mysterious black "Apache curse" handprint on the way out but didn't see it...but, if it's truly cursed, maybe that's for the best

. We only went a relatively short distance into the canyon and were still far from the traps, but there was an impressive amount of variety in scenery even in that limited section of Trap, and it would be easy to spend hours exploring deeper into the canyon. Trap is still on my list for a return visit to complete the thru-hike and see the good stuff in the middle...and that handprint.

We decided to hike our same route back to Peralta instead of completing the full Trap west entrance loop. Wildflower season is starting to kick in, and we saw a lot of color today. The temperature was perfect, and other than around the trailhead, we only saw four backpackers all day.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Prickly Pear Strawberry Hedgehog

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Red-tailed Hawk

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cross-bedding Natural Arch

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

	Bark at Dutchman Crossing	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle

	Trap Canyon Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Multiple pools and some light trickles

	Upper LaBarge Box Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle

	Whiskey Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Small pools, a trickle of water at the spring box

	Whiskey Spring Canyon	Dry	Dry

1 archive

Dec 07 2021

tannshell

Routes 9
Triplogs 4

54 female

Joined Mar 29 2017
Gold Canyon, AZ

Peak 5057 via Balanced Rock, AZ

Hiking		Dec 07 2021
		tannshell • Triplogs 4

Hiking	8.30 Miles	3,088 AEG

Hiking	8.30 Miles	8 Hrs 32 Mns	1.27 mph
	3,088 ft AEG	2 Hrs 1 Min Break

no photosets

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

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

_____________________

1 archive

Nov 07 2021

Guides 25
Routes 376
Photos 5,897
Triplogs 346

40 male

Joined Mar 01 2018
Chandler, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Nov 07 2021
		John10s • Triplogs 346

Canyoneering	19.01 Miles	3,046 AEG

Canyoneering	19.01 Miles	11 Hrs 26 Mns	2.08 mph
	3,046 ft AEG	2 Hrs 18 Mns Break

Linked

linked

[ checklist ] Herman Mountain Miners Needle Picacho Butte Superstition Mountain 5057 Trap Canyon Upper LaBarge Box Canyon Weavers Needle Whiskey Spring

Herman's Cave

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ishamod

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

We set out from Peralta Trailhead just before sunrise with plans to explore Trap Canyon, entering from the east side off of Hoolie Bacon Trail. We weren't sure if we'd have time to hike through the full length of the canyon and make it a loop...if not, we planned to make it an out-and-back...either way, it was going to be around 18-20 miles round trip, and we'd have to make a decision based on time and the conditions in Trap.

It was a comfortable morning, and we made good time on Dutchman but started to run into catclaw on Whiskey Spring Trail as we approached the spring. It had been almost two years since I last hiked in that area, and there's been a lot of regrowth after the wildfires, but, unfortunately, a lot of that regrowth is the sharp, thorny stuff. The spring was dry, and we trimmed a lot of branches out of our way as we hiked, but the brush slowed us down, and we still picked up a lot of scratches.

We followed Red Tanks Trail through Upper La Barge, and there was quite a bit of water in the canyon--more than we'd seen all day. Since we had a lot of miles to cover, we didn't make the climb up to Herman's Cave but continued to Hoolie Bacon #111 and headed for the east entrance to Trap Canyon. Calling #111 a trail is generous in a lot of areas...for the first quarter mile or more past the intersection with #107, it's not much more than occasional cairns, with almost no discernable route--it's clearly an area that doesn't get a lot of use.

As we entered Trap Canyon, it was clear that hiking the length of the canyon and completing the full loop was going to be optimistic for the amount of daylight we had left. But we explored some of the small overhangs/caves along the canyon wall and saw the grinding holes. It was hard to tell for sure if they are manmade or formed naturally through erosion--there were larger recessions in the floor in that area that looked natural, but some of the holes on top of the boulders were almost perfectly spherical and looked manmade...either way, an interesting area.

[ youtube video ]

We continued a little further into the canyon and started to see the massive boulders that form the traps. We didn't make it to the infamous "big" trap before reaching our turnaround time. We would have had to start scrambling down to continue further...getting down would have been no issue; getting back up might have been iffy given the slick rock and lack of handholds in some areas. It didn't seem wise to risk committing ourselves to a through hike when we were short on time and didn't know what other obstacles or pools of water were still ahead of us, so we stopped there and ate lunch on the boulders before turning around.

[ youtube video ]

We battled the catclaw again along Hoolie Bacon and decided to make a quick stop at Herman's Cave on the way out as a consolation for not getting to explore further into Trap Canyon. The climb up to the cave was less brushy than I remembered from my first visit there four or five years ago, but it seemed like there was more loose dirt this time. There was a strong skunk smell near the entrance to the cave, but at least it temporarily masked the fainter guano smell on the inside

.

On the hike out, we just followed the creek bed toward Whiskey Spring to avoid more of the brush on the trail, and we took one more short break at the Dutchman intersection to eat again before finishing off the hike. We had a nice sunset and a sliver of the moon overhead over the last few miles, and we were back at Peralta just after the sun completely set. We could see flashlights from people coming down from Peralta as we packed up. We didn't see anyone else on the trails all day, and it was fun exploring the little bit of Trap Canyon that we saw. I'd love to return to Trap and do the full through hike with someone who's done it before and knows the obstacles--there's a lot of great stuff to see in there.

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite HAZ - Hike HAZard

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Moon

	Bark at Dutchman Crossing	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle

	Whiskey Spring	Dry	Dry

	Whiskey Spring Canyon	Dry	Dry

Feb 28 2021

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Caught in a Trap (Canyon) IV, AZ

Hiking		Feb 28 2021
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	19.30 Miles	3,169 AEG

Hiking	19.30 Miles	8 Hrs 55 Mns	2.71 mph
	3,169 ft AEG	1 Hour 47 Mns Break

Linked

7 linked trail guides

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It was a nice winter day, so I decided to make another trip to Trap Canyon.

We went in the west side, and we went a bit farther than I had gone before -- we were probably 2,000 feet or so from the east end of the canyon. I could tell that a couple of my compadres were not really interested in going farther, so we reversed course and went back to the Red Tanks Trail on the west side of the canyon.

It was a great day to do the hike -- the temperature was around 60 and it was sunny and breezy. Early on we saw a few backpackers, and we saw a few more backbackers within a mile of the TH. I think that we only encountered one day hiker the whole day, and that was around Miners Needle.

As we neared the TH, at the Bluff Springs-Dutchman trail junction, we saw a group of about 10-15 bighorn sheep on the cliffs to the west. The sheep hung around for a long time, and that was cool to see.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bighorn Sheep

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Intrepid Back Shot Spring Box Throwing a Wendy

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] LaBarge Spring Trap Canyon

Wildflowers Observation None
There are no wildflowers blooming at this time.

LaBarge Spring

Gallon + per minute

	Trap Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	There were a few pools of water in Trap Canyon. Most were stagnant water, but you might have been able to filter water in a couple of the pools.

	Trap Canyon Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	There was a little bit of water around the spring.

_____________________

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

Jan 22 2021

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Caught in a Trap (Canyon) III, AZ

Hiking		Jan 22 2021
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	18.60 Miles	2,838 AEG

Hiking	18.60 Miles	8 Hrs 49 Mns	2.46 mph
	2,838 ft AEG	1 Hour 16 Mns Break

Linked

6 linked trail guides

[ checklist ] Miners Needle Superstition Mountains - Ridgeline Trap Canyon Weavers Needle

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It was a nice day so I decided to make another trip out to Trap Canyon. Like the last time, I did the Whiskey West-Red Tanks loop CW with an in-and-out side trip into Trap Canyon.

From the Red Tanks Trail, I went 2 miles into Trap Canyon. I would have liked to continue, but I got a late start to the hike and it was 1:15 when I decided to turn around, since I had almost 10 miles to turn around and hike back to the TH. Trap Canyon is pretty cool, and I am hoping to start earlier and go all the way through the canyon next time.

It was a good day to be out -- there was some cloud cover part of the day which was welcome with the mid 60's temperatures. I only saw 3 people all day -- one hiker on the Bluff Springs Trail and two backpackers on the Whiskey Spring Trail.

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite Horseshoe

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage Fire Burn Area & Recovery

_____________________

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

2 archives

Dec 24 2020

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Caught in a Trap (Canyon) II, AZ

Hiking		Dec 24 2020
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	18.00 Miles	2,729 AEG

Hiking	18.00 Miles	8 Hrs 24 Mns	2.48 mph
	2,729 ft AEG	1 Hour 9 Mns Break

Linked

7 linked trail guides

[ checklist ] Autumn - Color Foliage Fire Burn Area & Recovery

Partners

none

no partners

I decided to make another trip to Trap Canyon -- this time I went in from the west side. I followed the route from the "Trap Canyon - West Entrance Loop", although I went farther in the canyon than on this loop hike. Even so, I only got about half-way through the canyon. I would have liked to go further, but I got a late start and didn't want to spend Christmas Eve night hunkered down in Trap Canyon.

This was my first time to be on the Bluff Springs Trail since the fires last summer. There was no fire damage for about 1.25 miles, but after that there was quite a bit of damage in places. It got torched pretty good close to the Dutchman Trail. I was happy to see that the large trees in the riparian area near La Barge Spring survived the fire. In fact, they had some nice fall color!

I saw 7 people on the Bluff Spring Trail and did not see another person until I got almost back to the TH, where I saw another hiker. I am not counting the 2 dead bodies in Trap Canyon -- just kidding; but I would not have been to surprised to find a body in there, as it is a bit creepy in Trap Canyon.

I plan to go back again and see if I can make my way all the way through the canyon, and I'll have to decide whether to come in from the east side or the west side.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Agave Arizona Sycamore Saguaro

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ghost? Inscriptions

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Music Mountain Trap Canyon

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

_____________________

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

1 archive

Dec 15 2020

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Caught in a Trap (Canyon), AZ

Hiking		Dec 15 2020
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	18.40 Miles	3,578 AEG

Hiking	18.40 Miles	8 Hrs 42 Mns	2.39 mph
	3,578 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Partners

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We're caught in a trap
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much, baby

With the weather being nice, I decided that this would be a good day to go check out a bit of Trap Canyon, which I had never been to. I decided to go in on the east side, and I wound up going on 3 trails that I had not been on before: Whiskey Spring, Red Tanks, and Hoolie Bacon.

I started a bit later than I intended, and the going was a lot slower on the Red Tanks Trail than I envisioned, so I was not able to get very far into Trap Canyon due to time constraints. I plan to get out there again and go into the canyon from the west side and check it out. Sometime I'd like to go all the way through the canyon, but I'll have to start earlier than I did today. On today's hike, from Trap Canyon I went back the same way that I came, so it was an out-and-back hike.

I enjoyed hiking in a part of the Supes that I had not been to before, although there was some significant fire damage on some portions of the hike. The worst damage was on the Dutchman Trail, including the area around Miners Needle. I imagine that thousands of saguaros will die -- even if new saguaros started now, as slow as they grow it would take 75-100 years for them to get back to the way they were.

The Whiskey Spring, Red Tanks, and Hoolie Bacon trails were all a bit overgrown -- you'll brush up against a bit of catclaw on these trails, although it isn't TOO bad.

I did not encounter even one person on the hike -- there were a few cars at the parking lot, but I guess that the people there went up the Peralta Trail trying to find the Wave Cave!...lol

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Catclaw Acacia

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Miners Needle Trap Canyon Weavers Needle

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fire Burn Area & Recovery

_____________________

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

2 archives

Nov 14 2020

wallyfrack

Routes 93
Photos 7,758
Triplogs 1,691

64 male

Joined Mar 11 2003
AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering		Nov 14 2020
		wallyfrack • Triplogs 1,691

Canyoneering	16.90 Miles	2,909 AEG

Canyoneering	16.90 Miles	8 Hrs 20 Mns	2.03 mph
	2,909 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

I haven't been into Trap Canyon for a while so it was time. I took a short cut through a side canyon then up over the saddle, up a summit and then into Trap canyon. I forgot how nice it is inside that canyon. You have shade most of the time it's cool and scenic and nobody else is there. I hiked almost to the end but decided to turn around and return via the canyon to avoid the sun. I saw about 4 other hikers all day.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cardinal

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trap Canyon

_____________________

2 archives

Apr 12 2015

wallyfrack

Routes 93
Photos 7,758
Triplogs 1,691

64 male

Joined Mar 11 2003
AZ