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| Hiking | 6.40 Miles |
788 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.40 Miles | 3 Hrs | | 2.13 mph |
| 788 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Saturday, February 14th, 2004 Burro Flats Trail
Burro Flats, tucked away neatly in the Hells Canyon Wilderness area northwest of Lake Pleasant, has the feel of being much farther from civilization than it really is. Rugged peaks and few visitors make for a great experience in this part of the Hieroglyphic Mountains.
Two routes are possible, the first preferable for those not in a hurry and driving vehicles with no 4WD and medium clearance. Follow 17 north to the Carefree Highway, head west to Castle Hot Springs Road, take this north approximately 9.7 miles, then left for another 7 miles, during which you will pass the old Castle Hot Springs Resort, an amazing piece of history currently off limits and under reconstruction. The road will stop at a T intersection, turn left ( west ) to continue on Castle Hot Springs Road for another 5.8 miles to unimproved road on your left ( south ). There should be some signage with land usage rules. Take this south for another 2.5 to access the Horse Spring trailhead, then about .8 miles to the Burro Spring Trailhead.
Then second route requires higher ground clearance and possibly 4WD, depending on tire size and tread. There are some tight sections in the wash that can result in a mild case of Arizona pinstriping. It's shorter and in many sections smoother, than the first route. Instead of turning off Carefree Highway on to Castle Hot Springs road, continue west another 1.3 miles , then turn right and reset your odometer. Head north on the asphalt road leading to the Morgan City Wash, 1.1 miles further. Turn left and head northwest in the bottom of the wash, following the main drainage upward. Ignore the turnoff for #10 to the left after 4.5 miles, continuing on to 5.6 miles to a cattle gate. Pass through and follow the wash until mile 7.7, where you will see a windmill and water tank on your right, immediately after, turn up out of the wash to the right and head northeast. At mile 9.1 you should see a metal trailhead log podium for Burro Springs on your right.
I decided to head north along the road on foot up to the Horse Spring Trailhead, making a clockwise loop of both trails. No one had signed the trail register for all 5 months of last summer. Only a dozen or so had been here since. Other than quite a bit of cowpatties on the trail, the area is pristine. 30 minutes and 1.52 mi. later, I arrived at Horse Spring. With plenty of shade and beautiful white stone, the pools contain about 500-1000 gallons of crystal clear water. I kick back in some comfortable seating and have a snack. After some pictures I continue southeast towards Burro Spring into the Burro Flats proper. Along the way I see a Burro watching me from the other side of the wash, I stop and return the stare, adding a few of my best Burro "flubberlip" impersonations. These he eventually returns as well, and I am quite pleased. I continue on, only to hear is even more hysterical bray echo from the canyon walls. This is a great place. I pass two campsite fire rings, one still smoldering from last night. Both are free of litter and command nice views of the area. Last nights camper may have good taste, but they were careless. I urinate on the coals to the best of my ability and continue on to Burro Spring. This takes about 45 minutes, covering approximately 1.9 miles on easy terrain.
Though I was pleased to find a great grotto formed by an elephant size boulder lodged overhead, I did not see evidence of a spring. This would be a good destination to escape summer sun, as the seating is quite comfortable. From there, I headed west along the trail another 1.95 miles to the Burro Springs trailhead. This took about 50 minutes and was not as pretty as the Horse Spring Trail.
This 6.4 mile loop can be done in as little as 2 hours, but this little gem could keep you busy for a week, the 4 main peaks that dominate the skyline all appear to be non-technical, the one directly south of Burro is exceptionally dramatic. A must for peak baggers. I'll be back for at least an overnighter in the future, looking for that spring and hopefully bagging a peak or two. Anyone interested? |
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The past, the present, and the future walked into a bar.
It was tense. |
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