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| Backpack | 13.00 Miles |
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| | Backpack | 13.00 Miles | 3 Days | | |
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| no partners | | Short version: Sycamore Canyon Trail between Lower Sycamore Spring and ??? is very overgrown and hard to impossible to find.
Long version:
Working for the Forest Service and Sky Island Alliance, we backpacked into Sonora Basin (the drainage between Rattlesnake and Sycamore) to validate water rights at an old dam/spring. We had permission to come in through Power's Hill, so we parked on Rattlesnake Mesa, and hiked in the last 3 miles of the road. We headed down Power's Hill, and turned off onto the Sycamore Trail about halfway down, at the sign (which is fallen over). Like last fall, there is a fair bit of catclaw mimosa to deal with on this trail. Rattlesnake Creek was running well. The trail is pretty easy to follow and decently cairned until Sycamore Canyon Spring (really, Lower Sycamore Spring). A fair bit of catclaw between Power's Hill and the Rattlesnake Creek crossing, but manageable. We camped up on the top of the hill (man, that's a steep hill!) between Rattlesnake and Sycamore - a sweet little spot for a few tents, with great views. The next day, we headed up Sycamore Canyon. The trail was mostly easy to find to the spring. Once you cross Sycamore Creek, go about 15' downstream, up on the other bank, and through the corral. Then climb the hill and continue up canyon. It's easy to lose the trail on the final approach to the spring, but by then you can see where you're aiming for anyway. After that, the trail is really hard to find. We alternated between following it, and shoving through catclaw in the general vicinity of where the trail should be. Lots more catclaw, one several minute stretch where I really wasn't on the trail, and I managed to lose the trail on the way back and came in too far below the spring. Anyhow, we only went about 3/4 mile past (south of) the spring. Once we came back down to the creek, we just went right up it until we reached a side drainage on the west side, where we bushwhacked up to a saddle that drops you into Sonora Basin. This was surprisingly easy. Headed down into the basin, found the dam, which must be fed by a nearly-perennial spring or groundwater. Beautiful pools below it, ash, dock, sedges, deergrass. Then back to camp. As you near the top of the hill to drop back into Sycamore Creek at the corral, it's so easy to keep going on a game trail. I've done this hike twice now, and missed the turn both times. Anyhow, we found our way back the right way eventually. Backpacked back out the next day (missed a fork near Power's Hill and came out a little below the trail sign), only had to hike up half the Hill (yay!), then back down the road, with another exciting bushwhack detour with full packs over to Grapevine Spring. What a pretty spot.
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Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Ash in full swing. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Turpentine bush was all pretty yellow. |
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Lower Sycamore Tank |
26-50% full |
26-50% full |
| | | This is upstream, at the Dam marked on the topo. The dam is filled with sediment, but there were large pools below it. |
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Sycamore Canyon Spring |
Gallon + per minute |
Gallon + per minute |
| | | Really running strong. Couldn't climb the first small waterfall to get to the main hanging garden, cause it was too wet. | | _____________________
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