johnmc22's Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Mar 17 2023

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Paradise-Haunted Canyon Loop, AZ

Backpack		Mar 17 2023
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	9.00 Miles	2,500 AEG

Backpack	9.00 Miles	2 Days
	2,500 ft AEG

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Paradise Trail # 271

Haunted Canyon #203

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Six of us did a 1-night backpack on the west end of Haunted Canyon. We left a car shuttle at the Upper Haunted Canyon Trailhead and then proceeded to the Paradise Trail TH to start the hike. The plan was to hike in the Paradise Trail and then connect with the Haunted Canyon Trail going southeast. We would camp overnight at a campsite near Tony Ranch and then retrace our steps along Haunted Canyon Trail, following it all the way back to the Upper Haunted Canyon TH along FR 287A (with a car shuttle back to the Paradise Trail TH to complete the loop).

We did this hike just a little more than one day after a fairly significant rain soaked the area, so there were streams everywhere. The waterfall about 1/2 mile in along the Paradise Trail was absolutely raging. In hindsight, I wish we had stopped and spent more time there, but you encounter it so quickly after you start the hike that you are inclined to keep going rather than to stop and enjoy it. Oh well... next time. As we continued on the Paradise Trail, there was quite a bit of overgrowth that we had to plow through. Fortunately, on this stretch of trail, the overgrowth was mostly that AZ shrub with the holly-like leaf (name?) without too much of the catclaw (which would have made things much worse). There's a fairly significant vertical climb on the Paradise Trail (~1500') and when you combine that with the trail overgrowth, this was not my favorite section of the hike. Plus, the weather was starting to turn by that point and a light rain started to fall. As we approached the 5000' saddle (adjacent to Government Hill), that rain turned to a light hail which made our planned lunch stop at the saddle pretty cold and a wet. Fortunately, the rain/hail moved on after that and we remained dry for the rest of the trip.

Once we got within a mile or two of Tony Ranch, we encountered a few stream crossings that were tricky due to the high water, but there was nothing we couldn't handle. We arrived at the planned campsite and setup camp, but we soon realized our planned short hike to see Tony Ranch was in question due to the high level of water in Haunted Canyon (nowhere to cross). We've been to this exact campsite before and the stream was dry that time, but it was a different story this time (March '23). Eventually, a few of us persevered and found a place to jump/rockhop across the stream with only a moderate amount of boot soaking, but most of the group avoided this entirely by staying in camp.

Overnight, we were reminded of a very strange phenomenon within Haunted Canyon (which we've seen before). Namely, the low temperatures are significantly below what is expected for a 3800' elevation. Case in point, the Globe forecast (at 3500' elevation) for this particular evening showed a low of 42 degrees. The temperature we experienced that night in Haunted Canyon was 26 degrees! Now, we always account to a colder low temp than the nearest town, but that adjustment is nearly always 5-10 degrees. A 16 degree delta is significant. Keep this in mind if you ever plan to backpack to Tony Ranch in the colder months.

The hike out the next day was uneventful. Another 1000'+ climb, but it just didn't seem that bad without the overgrowth, rain or hail. We passed "Dirt Tank" on our way out and it was a gorgeous lake due to all the recent rains. On the last leg of the hike between Dirt Tank and the Upper Haunted Canyon TH, we encountered a large crew of volunteers clearing brush along the trail and moving some fallen trees. We were extremely grateful to the group and mentioned that maybe they should tackle Paradise Trail next (but I don't think that was in their plans for that day).

Overall, this is a short backpack with a lot of elevation gain, a significant amount of overgrowth and a camp area that seems eternally cold. Compared to hiking in Haunted Canyon the "normal way" (off FR 287), this route is quite a bit more difficult, but if you're looking for something different this just might be the thing.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dirt Tank - Haunted Canyon Haunted Canyon

Wildflowers Observation Light
We were still a little early in the season for wildflowers, but it will undoubtedly be a strong season starting around the end of March.

	Dirt Tank - Haunted Canyon	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Dirt Tank was a gorgeous lake on this visit. There has been significant rain recently.

	Grapevine Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Trough was full.

	Paradise Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	There was so much water everywhere (due to recent rains) that it was hard to estimate whether the spring was generating any.

	Tony Ranch Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Trough was full. Streambed was full. Lots of water on this visit.

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Nov 18 2022

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Haunted Canyon #203

Globe, AZ

Haunted Canyon #203

Globe, AZ

Backpack		Nov 18 2022
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	12.00 Miles	1,000 AEG

Backpack	12.00 Miles	2 Days
	1,000 ft AEG		26 LBS Pack

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Wow, what a gorgeous part of the Superstitions! I've been hiking the Supes for 20 years and I've never explored this southeast corner. This area checks all the boxes. It's gorgeous, unburned, has amazing fall colors, multiple water sources and has a beautiful camping area 5.4 miles in. Plus, it's only 1.5 hours from Phoenix. Sure, the access road through the mine is a little confusing, but just stay on FR 287 all the way until just before the 1-lane bridge and then take a left onto FR 3037. 1/4 mile down 3037 is the trailhead and a small parking area that can accommodate 8 cars or so. Very few people hike this trail, but I'm not sure why. To date (late 2022), it is one of the last unburned areas of the Superstitions.

The Technical Details:
Six of us backpacked the Haunted Canyon Trail #203 on Nov 18-19, 2022 starting from the east trailhead (near intersection of FR 287 & FR 3037) and ending at Tony Ranch, retracing our steps the next day. We camped 5.4 miles in near the Y intersection where the trail to Tony Ranch splits off of Trail 203. Temperatures were pretty chilly at night, where a reliable digital thermometer (hung up in a bush) read 25 degrees just before dawn. The Globe forecast for the same day predicted a low of 34, so it looks like the "canyon adjustment" is minus 8-10 degrees from the Globe low. Daytime highs were consistent with the Globe forecast (around 60 on these days). Water was crystal-clear and readily available at Tony Ranch Spring, 0.15 miles from our campsite. The pipe was flowing and the trough was full.

On the route in, there was one particular spot at the 4 mile mark where we took a wrong trail. I included a picture of that spot with descriptive captions in my photoset. There was a creek crossing (one of many) where it appeared the only way to go (other than walk in the creek) was up a steep trail. After a steep climb, the trail peters out, forcing you to retrace your steps back to the creek. Upon returning to the creek (and scratching our heads), we noted a subtle red spray-painted arrow on the rock cliff face pointing you to go into the creek, heading upstream on a series of stepping stones. Once you get past the first 15 feet, you're back on the shoreline again and all is well with the world. See photo set to save you the hassle.

Other than that spot, the trail was pretty easy to follow, although we did have the GPS track handy on our phones and referred to it whenever we weren't 100% sure. The bottom line on this hike is you should never have to hike directly up the creek bed, aside from that one spot mentioned above. You will always be crossing the creek bed (multiple times) to pickup a trail on the other side.

There were trail reports indicating an excessive amount of brush (live oak and catclaw) on the trail. While this trail sees little use, we didn't see any more brush that we normally see on other Superstitions hikes (which is to say, there was frequent brush, but nothing that we couldn't plow through). We brought a pair of garden clippers, just in case, but we didn't end up using them. I think some of the brush that had built up over the summer had died off once the nighttime temps got below freezing, so we didn't see the worst of it.

Overall a great hike in a beautiful, less-traveled area of the Superstitions.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Tony Ranch Spring William Toney Ranch

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
We were late in the season, but there was still some nice color remaining.

	Haunted Canyon Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	There was water in the creek bed downstream from the spring. Not sure if this was from the spring or from rain runoff, but there's water just the same. Flow rate was difficult to measure, but there was substantial water.

	Tony Ranch Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Nice flow out of the pipe and into the trough. Water was crystal-clear with only a small amount of green stuff in the trough.

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3 archives

Dec 10 2021

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Cave Creek / Skunk Tank Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Cave Creek / Skunk Tank Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Dec 10 2021
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	13.00 Miles	2,334 AEG

Backpack	13.00 Miles	1 Day 3 Hrs 31 Mns
	2,334 ft AEG

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Cave Creek Trail #4

Skunk Tank Trail #246

Cottonwood Trail #247

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We headed out to the Cave Creek trailhead in Seven Springs early on Friday morning for a 1-night backpack. Four of us backpacked the Cave Creek / Skunk Tank Loop in the clockwise direction, with an added 1 mile spur (2 mi. RT) to find a good campsite along Cave Creek.

The road to Seven Springs was fine even though we had 1/2 inch of rain the night before. Just a few sections of light muddiness. We hiked in from the Cave Creek trailhead, skirted the Seven Springs Campground, and soon got to the signed junction with the Cottonwood Trail. The signed junction is a few hundred yards after you cross the cattle fence on one of those ladder thingys. There is another false trail before the signed junction, so be sure not to take that.

Heading up Cottonwood Trail, you cross the creek and, if you're not careful, you can quickly lose the trail. Note that, after crossing the creek, the trail (counterintuitively) turns to the left and proceeds upstream for a bit before turning uphill. There are some cairns there for you to follow if you look for them. Once you start heading uphill, it turns into an old 2-track jeep road, so it's fairly easy to follow the trail all the way to Skunk Tank. After a short distance, you encounter another trail junction where Cottonwood Trail cuts off to the left and Skunk Tank Trail continues straight (which is the way you should go).

Skunk Tank Trail does some climbing over the next 3 miles or so with 3 distinct trail peaks and 1 mini-peak. You'll definitely feel it, especially if you're carrying a 30 lb pack but, on this cool winter day it didn't seem so bad. The trail's definitely rocky but the footing was decent throughout the whole loop. While the climb is steep at times, you are rewarded with some fantastic views of the surrounding mountains along the ridges (along with some of the healthiest looking saguaros I've seen anywhere). Once you've topped out at the 3rd peak (4100'), you'll see the signed junction for the Quien Sabe trail. Stay on Skunk Tank Trail and start your decent down to the Skunk Tank itself.

Upon arriving at Skunk Tank, the 2-track road comes to an end and you have to pick up a single track trail. This is tricky, so if you have GPS, use it. In a nutshell, right before you get to the tank, there is a faint trail to the right and a cattle fence with a sign that says "close gate after you." Cut through the cattle fence at that gate and follow the faint trail. The first 100 yards are the trickiest. A previous triplog said "stay to the left of the cut" which made no sense to me at the time, but when you see "the cut" (or gorge, or mini-canyon) you will know it. After that point, there's some mild uphill to get to a point where you can cross "Blue Rock Canyon" (at least that's what we called it). The trail is pretty easy to follow from that point all the way down to Cave Creek. At one point, we encountered a huge bull and 3 calves which alarmed us a bit, but they weren't happy to see us either so they started heading down the mountain in front of us. Turns out they were pretty surefooted so they went all the way down to Cave Creek (about 800' vertical down) in front of us. This was just a taste of things to come.

As you head down the last mile to Cave Creek, the views of "Blue Rock Canyon" and the surrounding terrain are absolutely gorgeous. And there's a spectacular array of saguaros that, as I said above, are the healthiest I've seen anywhere. I can't believe more people don't hike this trail. The scenery is fantastic. And we didn't see a single other person all day.

Now, here's what's not so fantastic. Once you get to the Cave Creek Trail, we headed left to find a campsite along the water. The cattle have overtaken this gorgeous, riparian area. We stopped about every 200 yards at potential campsites along the creek and there was so much cow poop there literally wasn't a spot to pitch a tent. Plus, the cattle have trampled everything in sight along the creek. It's a real shame. We backpacked this route in Feb 2020 (a shuttle hike from Seven Springs to Spur Cross) and I don't remember a single visible sign of cattle grazing. Now, it's a mess and, c'mon man, something needs to be done to save this wilderness.

Back to the hike... After heading ~1 mile south of the Skunk Tank trail junction, we found a suitable campsite along the creek that had a fire ring and less cow poop (not zero, mind you... just less). With some creative poop relocation, we were able to create a pretty nice campsite. That night, the low was 29 degrees, so it was a bit cool in the morning.

Our hike out on Cave Creek Trail #4 the next day was lovely but uneventful. Following the trail along the creek gave us completely different scenery vs. the day before. It took us about 3 hours to cover the 5 miles (with full packs and with occasional breaks).

Overall, this was an absolutely beautiful loop hike and I highly recommended it. There's very few people on the trail and we didn't see any other people camping on a Friday night. Even though I vented about the cattle grazing, don't let that stop you from going. We really need some more people to hike this loop to keep the trails from fading away.

Overall: 4.5 stars with the only deduction being due to the cattle situation.

	Big Maggie May	Medium flow	Medium flow
	The creek is flowing nicely

	Quien Sabe Spring	Dry	Dry
	No flow near the trail. I did not explore up to the spring itself

	Skunk Tank	Dry	Dry
	No water in the tank.

	Skunk Tank Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	I could see pools down in the canyon but Cave Creek is so close (and flowing), so it's much easier to access.

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Jun 05 2021

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Cabin Loop - Mogollon Rim

Payson, AZ

Cabin Loop - Mogollon Rim

Payson, AZ

Backpack		Jun 05 2021
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	16.50 Miles

Backpack	16.50 Miles	3 Days
			28 LBS Pack

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Barbershop Trail #91

U - Bar Trail #28

Houston Brothers Trail #171

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Backpacked the East Cabin Loop (Barbershop/U-Bar/Houston Bros) over the weekend, starting at the intersection of FS139 and the Barbershop Trail and taking the loop counter-clockwise. Total distance for the loop was 16-17 miles and we did it in a leisurely 3 days/2 nights. Camped at Dane Spring on Friday night and at Aspen Spring on Saturday. There was plenty of water at Dane Spring with a steady flow coming out of the pipe. Aspen Spring was also flowing fine, but the shallow water level of the stream meant you needed to go down stream a little (to just beyond Aspen Cabin) to collect out of one of the larger pools. Around the loop, there was water at Barbershop Spring, Dane Spring, Barbershop Canyon Stream, Pinchot Spring, Aspen Spring, McFarland Spring (low flow), and Houston Draw Head.

While temps were 100+ in the Valley, the Cabin Loop remained hospitable throughout the weekend. High temperatures were around 80 all 3 days, making it warm in the sun, but since the loop is 80% in the shade, it wasn't a big deal. Overnight lows were in the low 50's. Overall, the loop was wonderful and not terribly crowded. We only saw 3 other people on Friday (at Dane Spring) and zero on Sunday. As you might expect, Saturday was the busiest where we crossed paths with a dozen or so people, but it still wasn't bad. We had one other camper at Dane Springs on Friday night and one other group of 5 at Aspen Spring on Saturday night.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Barbershop canyon creek Barbershop Spring Dane Spring Houston Draw Houston Draw Head McFarland Spring

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunset

	Aspen Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	A moderate flow out of the spring, but it's difficult to collect near the source since the stream's only about 1 inch deep. Downstream a little from the Aspen Cabin was a pool big enough to fill a collapsable bucket (although it was a bit cloudy).

	Barbershop canyon creek	Light flow	Light flow
	Some nice pools in the creek bed with light flow. One of the more gorgeous campsites was nearby.

	Barbershop Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Hard to say what the flow rate was, but there were a few large pools to filter from and a nice campsite (or 2) nearby.

	Dane Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	A nice steady flow coming out of the pipe right next to the U-Bar Trail.

	Houston Draw Head	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	A nice big pool by the source with a flow down the drainage for about 100 yards.

	McFarland Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	The spring is lightly flowing, but there's only a few places where it would be deep enough to collect water for filtering.

	Pinchot Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Some decent pools near the spring and flow all the way from the spring down to the Pinchot Cabin.

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1 archive

Nov 16 2019

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Bob Bear Trail #18 - Fossil Creek

Camp Verde, AZ

Bob Bear Trail #18 - Fossil Creek

Camp Verde, AZ

Backpack		Nov 16 2019
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	4.56 Miles	163 AEG

Backpack	4.56 Miles	2 Hrs 48 Mns		1.71 mph
	163 ft AEG		27 LBS Pack

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

Six of us did a short overnight backpack into Fossil Creek and it was glorious. While camping is not allowed between April 1 and September 30, it is allowed all other times (no permit required). We got lucky with a fairly warm weekend in mid November (which was good because camp fires aren’t allowed at any time).

We were the only backpackers down there except for a trail maintenance crew that were diligently working on improvements to the lower half of the trail. We camped just a little beyond the first stream bed crossing, a few hundred feet from the raging springs that feed Fossil Creek. From the campsite, it was just a short 1 mile RT day hike to see the awesome Fossil Creek dam.

The hike in is a breeze as it’s all downhill and pretty gentle at that. Hiking out the 1500 vertical feet was a bit of a bear with full packs, but we still were able to cover the 4+ miles in about 2 hours. Keep in mind it was a cool November day. Your mileage may vary.

Overall, it was a nice, short overnighter into one of the most gorgeous creeks in Arizona. 4 stars.

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Some nice fall colors down in the canyon bottom.

	Fossil Springs	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Wow! The most productive springs I’ve ever seen.

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4 archives

Apr 27 2019

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Hell's Hole Trail #284 - Salome Wilderness

Globe, AZ

Hell's Hole Trail #284 - Salome Wilderness

Globe, AZ

Backpack		Apr 27 2019
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	11.00 Miles	1,724 AEG

Backpack	11.00 Miles	2 Days
	1,724 ft AEG

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Backpacked into Hell's Hole with some friends. We did the same hike last year and enjoyed it then, so we thought "let's do it again!" Bad call. This year, the overgrowth on the last 1.5 miles of the trail is horrible. We were warned by previous HikeAZ posters to wear long pants and, fortunately, we all did (as you'd end up a bloody mess without them). Even with long pants, the constant pushing through holly bushes with a full pack slows you down considerably and saps your energy on a warm, sunny day. It took 1.5-2 hot, sweaty hours for us to cover the last 1.5 miles.

One other important note. About 3-3.5 miles from the trailhead, you'll reach a mesa with a few flat campsites and lots of juniper trees. That would make a lovely destination if you don't mind dry camping (as there is no water up there). 1/2 mile beyond that, as the trail starts its long descent into Hell's Hole canyon, there is a FALSE TRAIL heading off to the left of the main trail. Look for it and do NOT take it! It looks so much like a real trail that nearly everyone hiking that day (in our group and others) mistakenly took it. For the first 50-100 feet it looks more like a real trail than the real trail. Then, it has several slippery drop offs that, if taken, will drop you down into an 'off trail' area, making it very difficult to make your way back up after you realize you are lost. On our way out, we loaded up some sticks, logs and rocks to make it much more clear for future hikers.

While all that sounds pretty bad, there were some highlights to this trip. We did locate the small waterfall that HikeAZ user 'ALMAL' noted in a previous triplog and it is still flowing lightly and absolutely gorgeous. We were also lucky enough to get a campsite down at the river on a Saturday night. There are 3 sites down there and, if they're all full, then you'll have to hike 1000 vertical feet back up to camp on the mesa (WITH all the water you'll need for the night). Ugggh.

Another note: Several guidebooks (like Arizona Highways) show a photo of a gorgeous watering hole and waterfall with an implication that that's what you'll see when you get to the campsites. It's not. To get to that photo spot (near the confluence of the Workman and Salome Creeks), it's a rough bushwhack and rock scramble for an additional 1.2 miles past the campsites. We explored in that direction for a distance where we had to climb up to the top of a rock shelf (on the left side of the creek) to make headway. We didn't make it to the confluence but we estimated it would take at least 1 hour each way (beyond the campsites).

There are two water sources on this trail as it crosses/encounters the Workman Creek at the 2 mile mark and again at the campsites. Both times we visited were in April and the creek was running well both times. Seems to be year-round, but I don't want to make that claim since I've never been there summer/fall.

Overall, this trip had some pretty significant highs and lows. We definitely wouldn't do it again until there is some trail maintenance. It doesn't seem like that will be anytime soon.

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3 archives

Feb 10 2018

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Canyon Lake to Second Water Canyon Backpack, AZ

Backpack		Feb 10 2018
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	7.30 Miles	1,500 AEG

Backpack	7.30 Miles
	1,500 ft AEG

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Boulder Canyon Trail #103

Second Water Trail #236

Second Water Canyon

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A few of us did an overnight backpack trip in the Supes in early February 2018. Our route took us from the Canyon Lake Trailhead, south on Boulder Canyon Trail to Second Water Trail (about 4 miles). We then headed west of Second Water Trail, camping near the spot where the pools of water cross the Second Water Trail.

Since the Arizona winter had been quite dry up until this point, we weren't certain of water sources. A brief Water Report review on Hike AZ just before the hike noted that Second Water Canyon had just a trickle of algae-laden slime, so we decided to carry all water needed. That made for an arduous task on day 1, coming up the incline from Canyon Lake and back down again into La Barge Canyon. We settled into camp along Second Water Canyon. In actual fact, the water source there could have been used to pump (although it was admittedly pretty gross), but we found a better source by scrambling (without packs) up Second Water Canyon to the true Second Water Spring. The water at the headwaters of Second Water Spring was actually pretty clear. See my photos for pics.

Overall, a nice overnighter in the Supes. Hiking out was a joy with only a few liters of water to carry.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Second Water Spring Tugboat

	Boulder Creek at #103 / #236 Jct	Dry	Dry
	Not a drop in Boulder Creek.

	Second Water Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	There are several pools where Second Water Trail crosses Second Water Canyon (1/4 mile west of Boulder Canyon Trail junction). There is about a 100 yard stretch of pools starting at the Second Water Trail crossing and heading down stream from there. Some are pretty sketchy with thick layers of algae on top. Some are fairly deep. None of them looked particularly pristine, but we were surprised with the amount of water there, even after this long period with no rain. This report is for the unnamed spring located where Second Water Canyon crosses the Second Water Trail. There is a cleaner water source up Second Water Canyon if you are willing to hike off-trail 1/3 mile to Second Water Spring (see Second Water Spring Water Report).

	Second Water Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Plenty of water to filter from. Not much flow, so I'd have to rate it as "dripping" but there is about 100 yard stretch that has many pools of water, some fairly deep. Some are yellowish and covered in algae, but others are clear and OK for filtering. We hiked all the way up the canyon to the spot of the actual spring. Water was very clear at that spot with a small pool about 4 inches deep (33° 29.6482' N, 111° 24.6130' W) Note that this Water Report is for the actual Second Water Spring up canyon about 1/3 mile from Second Water Trail. It takes some off trail work to get there. There is a second unnamed spring where Second Water Trail crosses Second Water Canyon. See the "Second Water Canyon" Water Report for an update on that one.

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1 archive

Mar 31 2012

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Reavis Ranch via 109 South

Globe, AZ

Reavis Ranch via 109 South

Globe, AZ

Backpack		Mar 31 2012
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	13.60 Miles	2,350 AEG

Backpack	13.60 Miles	27 Hrs		1.94 mph
	2,350 ft AEG		30 LBS Pack

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Wow, I didn't even realize there was terrain like this in the Supers. Once you pass the saddle, it will seem more like you're hiking in Oak Creek Canyon than the Supes. Fantastic hike! One of the best overnight backpacks we've done in AZ (not including the Canyon, of course).

We started out from Phoenix at 5:45am on Saturday. There were 6 of us in two vehicles, so we rendezvous'd at the Chevron station right off the 60 at Goldfield Rd. Excellent opportunity to pick up those last minute Slim Jims for the hike. We arrived at Rogers Trough TH at 7:50 after 50 minutes or so along the dirt road. We had two 4WD vehicles and could have probably gotten by without the 4WD, but the high clearance was a must. The access road is long and rough.

Temps in Phoenix this day topped out at 94, but the highest we experienced was a pleasant 80 degrees in mid-afternoon at Reavis Ranch. It's roughly 3.5 miles to the top of Reavis Saddle (after a 1000' climb) and another 3.5 miles to Reavis Ranch, give or take. Elevation starts at around 4800, drops to 4400-ish, climbs to 5200 and then returns to around 5K... again, give or take. The good news is you never drop below around 4350, so this is a great hike when it's too hot to comfortably hike the western Supes (Peralta TH and the like).

We covered the first 3.5 miles and the 1000' climb up to Reavis Saddle in around 2 hours. There's a nice log bench up there at the saddle to rest after the climb. As we rested, we decided that we just had to verify one of the nearby springs for Hike AZ. We chose Reavis Saddle Spring, since it was the closest one to the trail and there were no reports (yet) on Hike AZ. We exited the west side of the trail and GPS-tracked to the site of the spring. We scouted the area and found something that seemed like it could have once been a spring, but it was dry. About 100 feet away, there was a drainage that had water pooling in it, so we thought that might be the spring but, upon closer inspection, it appeared to be just plain ol' pooling. Which is to say that, at the present time, the Reavis Saddle Spring appears to be dry. Just to be clear, there was plenty of water to be had on this hike since it rained/snowed pretty heavily 2 weeks back. Water was never a problem as there was pooling along the entire length of the trail with the one exception being along the 1000' climb (too steep... no where to pool). But, the spring itself seems to be dry.

Back on the trail, the stretch from Reavis Saddle to Reavis Ranch is fantastic. A mixture of Ponderosa Pine, Alligator Juniper and Manzanita make for a pleasant 3.5 miles, even on a warm day. It's mostly in the shade the entire stretch. The stretch took us another 2 hours, but mostly because we were in no big hurry.

We arrived at Reavis Ranch at around 12:30, procured a campsite under a big shade tree and explored the ranch. The Reavis Stream is flowing nicely and we had a little access trail from our camp down to the creek to fill our Katadyn Basecamp gravity-fed filter (a fantastic investment if you're sick of pumping water while in camp). We talked about heading to Circlestone, but we were all feeling lazy, so we just hung around camp all afternoon. There were a few other groups at Reavis, but not too many and the campsites are spread out over a fairly large area so it never felt crowded.

It got down to around 32 that night, so it was a little chillier than expected but still manageable. The next morning, we hit the trail at 8:15am, headed back the same way we came. We ran into a fun guy at the saddle who was hiking the length of the Arizona Trail. He had some great stories as we killed a good 15-20 minutes sitting on the bench at the saddle listening to his adventures. Even with that lengthy rest stop, we were still back at the TH by 11:45, so the total time on the way out was 3.5 hours.

Overall, a great trip, especially that stretch between Reavis Saddle and the Ranch. It's well worth the painful 50 minutes on the dirt road to get there.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Reavis Saddle Spring

	Reavis Saddle Spring	Dry	Dry
	We GPS-tracked to the site of this spring off the west side of the Reavis Ranch trail. We scouted the area within 50 feet of the GPS coordinates and found something that seemed like it could have once been a spring, but it was dry. About 100 feet away, there was a drainage that did have some water pooling in it (on 3/31/12), but it was just pooling, not a spring.

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Feb 18 2012

johnmc22

Guides 1
Routes 8
Photos 202
Triplogs 9

65 male

Joined Sep 02 2003
Phoenix, AZ

Dripping Springs Super Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Dripping Springs Super Loop

Phoenix, AZ

Backpack		Feb 18 2012
		johnmc22 • Triplogs 9

Backpack	19.00 Miles	3,200 AEG

Backpack	19.00 Miles	33 Hrs 30 Mns		0.57 mph
	3,200 ft AEG		30 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Dutchman Trail #104

Whiskey Spring Trail #238

Red Tanks Trail #107

Coffee Flat Trail #108

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no partners

Wow, what a trip!... and I mean that in more ways than one. We set out on a perfect Saturday morning to do a 2 day (1 night) backpack around the Dripping Springs Super Loop (or, the Coffee Flat Loop, depending on your chosen terminology... same loop, different name). Our plan was to navigate the "Super Loop" clockwise rather than counter-clockwise as others have reported. We intended to camp near the intersection of the Red Tanks and Hoolie Bacon trails, covering about 8 miles the first day and 11 miles the second.

Everything was going to plan as 5 of us departed the Peralta Trailhead at 7am on Saturday. We made great time across the flats on Dutchman's Trail and up the climb past Miners Needle. We arrived at Whiskey Spring at around 10:15am where we found the usual pools of water, plenty deep for pumping. One pool was even deep enough to submerge and fill our Katadyn, gravity-fed, hanging water filter, so that made the refill operation go that much quicker (no pumping... just watching the water fill our bottles while we enjoyed an early lunch... ahh, sweet luxury). Water availability near our selected camp spot for the evening was not a certainty, so we each tanked up with 6 liters of water per person (ouch!). We departed Whiskey Spring at around 11am and intersected the Red Tanks Trail shortly thereafter. There were plenty of pools of water near the Whiskey/Red Tanks Junction, but we didn't need any at this point. As we headed up the Upper LaBarge Box, we were feeling the pain of all the weight of the extra water, but we persevered to the top. There's a fabulous display of Poppies in Upper LaBarge right now, not to mention other wildflowers. We were whipped by the time we reached the top of "the box", but we quickly found an awesome campsite along the Red Tanks Trail about 300 yards east of the Hoolie Bacon junction.

We had a mission on this trip... find and record the existence (or non-existence) of the famed "LaBarge Spring Number Two". It's on all the maps, yet there's never been a single report on the Spring Flow Reports within HikeAZ. So, as a late-afternoon project, we set out to find why it has never been reported. And... wow... did we ever find out. The good news... there IS a thriving spring at the exact GPS coordinates listed on HikeAZ for LaBarge Spring #2. Bad news: it is almost impossible to get to due to a massive growth of catclaw along the 500 or so feet between the nearest access (Upper LaBarge Wash) and the actual spring. There is no trail whatsoever leading to the spring, so your only access is a small dry wash that connects to LaBarge Wash. If you're on the Red Tanks Trail coming from the Hoolie Bacon junction, you enter LaBarge Wash at the first trail crossing and rock hop about 1/4 mile (give or take) to a smaller rocky "tributary" that heads off to the right (south). Then, you fight the catclaw ~500 feet to the spring. The idea is simple but, the execution... that's another story. Unless you happen to have a machete handy, you will literally end up crawling on your hands and knees at times along the rocky wash to get under, over, around and through thick fields of catclaw and holly. If this spring is your only hope as a water source in the area, then you should pack in some tools and some special clothing to attack the catclaw head on. Some kind of kevlar suit, maybe.

When we successfully made it to the spring on this mid-February day, 2012, we found several nice pools of water, much like Whiskey Spring. We couldn't tell what the flow rate was, but it is a very localized spring spanning about 20 feet along an otherwise dry wash. The spring source itself is under the pools, and I would guess it's only "dripping," but there were about 3 pools that were plenty deep enough to pump water out of. Even though we didn't need the water, we brought a pump and a bottle anyway because we weren't going to make all that effort for nothing. And, boy, let me tell you... that bottle we pumped was the most incredible tasting water ever. The sweet taste of victory!

Back at the campsite, the evening was nice and cool and the stars, magnificent. So, here's where things got really interesting. It got cold overnight... I mean, REALLY cold. We had a cheapie thermometer that read 18 degrees at one point! We're not sure if it was 100% accurate, but, by morning, there was ice on the tents, frost everywhere, and chunks of ice in our water bottles, so it was definitely well below freezing. Of course, we weren't planning for an 18 degree night... we had thought it would be more like 32 degrees, so we were caught a little off guard, gear-wise. None the less, the only real damage was an extra late start to our hike on Sunday morning since we couldn't even get out of our tents until around 7am for fear of hypothermia.

We shivered through a quick breakfast and coffee and quickly recovered as the sun finally came up over the mountain. Our gear was covered in frost which quickly turned to water, so we ended up carrying some damp gear the rest of the trip. We hit the trail at 9:00am and headed down Red Tanks toward Dripping Springs. As many have reported, there are extensive sections of this trail that are overgrown with brush (some of it the dreaded catclaw). Sure, we could argue that, perhaps, last years brush was worse than this years, but it is brushy none the less for much of the way between Red Tanks Divide and Dripping Springs. We didn't have much trouble following the trail, although there were a few sections where it was awfully faint and you had to stop and confirm you were actually on a trail. Bottom line: With a full pack, this section of trail (to Dripping Springs) is slow-going and it took us nearly 3 hours to negotiate the 4.5 miles.

While we didn't actually witness the "Dripping Spring" itself, the Dripping Springs area is loaded with water right now. Many large pools and a moderate flow rate in the stream itself. We tanked up with water one last time as we knew this would be the last reliable water before we returned to the Peralta trailhead. We headed west for the long stretch past Reeds Water (no water), Dutchman's junction and, ultimately, back to the Peralta Trailhead. It was 4:30 by the time we reached our cars. Fortunately, the weather during the hike was cool and dry, so no complaints there. This would definitely be a long slog on a hot day.

So, there it is. We each climbed Upper LaBarge with 13 lbs of extra water, we gave up precious blood to "bag" a a previously unreported spring, and we endured a bitter cold night to "test our gear" (it failed). Overall... a great trip.

Here's some pics:
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1456217&code=4d97d86148797a36ffc72b4e7df56f33

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Labarge Spring Number Two

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

	Dripping Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	While we didn't actually witness Dripping Spring itself (and it is probably just dripping, as usual), the Dripping Springs area is loaded with water right now. Many large pools and a moderate flow rate in the stream itself. There was no problem with water availability on 2/19/2012.

	Labarge Spring Number Two	Dripping	Dripping
	The good news... there IS a thriving spring at the exact GPS coordinates listed on HikeAZ for LaBarge Spring #2. Bad news: it is almost impossible to get to due to a massive growth of catclaw along the 500 or so feet between the nearest access (Upper LaBarge Wash) and the actual spring. There is no trail whatsoever leading to the spring, so your only access is a small dry wash that connects to LaBarge Wash. If you're on the Red Tanks Trail coming from the Hoolie Bacon junction, you enter LaBarge Wash at the first trail crossing and the rock hop "upstream" about 1/4 mile (give or take) to a smaller rocky "tributary" that heads off to the right (south). Then, you fight the catclaw ~500 feet to the spring. The idea is simple but, the execution... that's another story. Unless you happen to have a machete handy, you will literally end up crawling on your hands and knees along the rocky wash to get under, over, around and through thick fields of catclaw and holly. If this spring is your only hope as a water source in the area, then you should pack in some tools and some special clothing to attack the catclaw head on. Some kind of kevlar suit, maybe. :? On 2/18/2012, we found several nice pools of water, much like Whiskey Spring. We couldn't tell what the flow rate was, but it is a very localized spring spanning about 20 feet along an otherwise dry wash. The spring itself is under the pools, but I would guess it's only dripping, but there were about 3 pools that were plenty deep enough to pump water out of.

	Whiskey Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	While I am only reporting this spring to be "Dripping", that doesn't tell the whole story as there are several pools of water, plenty deep for pumping. There's about a 40 foot stretch of stream bed that contains the spring and pools. The water generally doesn't flow much beyond that 40 foot section and the spring comes up under the pools, so it's hard to say what the flow rate is. It's irrelevant, really, as there is plenty to be had as of 2/18/2012.

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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