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| | | Loma Alta Trailhead to Grass Shack, AZ | | | |
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Loma Alta Trailhead to Grass Shack, AZ
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| Backpack | 19.80 Miles |
3,643 AEG |
| | Backpack | 19.80 Miles | 1 Day 2 Hrs | | |
| 3,643 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Started at the Loma Alta trailhead around 10am on the Hope Camp trail, making my way to Grass Shack campground for a 1-nighter. Hope Camp is essentially a dirt road, also used for horseback riding and mountain biking (had to keep an eye out for bikers on my return trip!). Not much net elevation gain here.
After 2.3 miles by the sign, I turned north onto the Quilter trail. This section begins with a lazy winding route through some grasses, approaching the base of the mountains. Ran into a very nice AZT thru-hiker at a dry riverbed crossing. The trail gains about 1200 feet after this point, then holds mostly level around 4300 feet until the intersection with Manning Camp. This section of the hike offers a very nice south-facing view of SNP East, which lasts for several miles and includes several opportune spots to take a breather.
7.8 miles from the trailhead, you reach the Manning Camp trailhead, which will take you the rest of the way to Grass Shack. This trail gains about another 1200 feet to the campsite. Grass Shack is about 200 feet below the maximum elevation of the trail, which will warm you up nicely in the morning if you choose to return along the same route.
Grass Shack offers three campsites which must be reserved through the National Park Service. I had reserved my site through the proper channels a few days earlier, and arrived around 3pm. Several more groups and a few AZT thru-hikers arrived later in the afternoon. Fairly certain there were more groups at the site than technically permitted, but they were respectful of the area so it didn't feel crowded.
The facilities were as well maintained as one can expect ten miles into the park. The convenience of the outhouse was greatly appreciated, and I was pleased to find water near the site that could be filtered for drinking and cooking. I'm no ultralighter, so had I carried two gallons of water in with me just to be safe. As of November 2021, campfires aren't allowed at Grass Shack, so be sure to bring a camp stove if you'd like to cook.
The bear box at campsite 1 is a bit busted. The latch was caught in the up position when I arrived, but the door was still locked shut. Some handy tent stakes left under the bear box by previous hikers (no doubt for exactly this purpose) allowed me to lever it loose. If you close the door GENTLY, the latch won't 'jump' as it is closed and will stay securely in the down and locked position.
The next morning, I retraced my route backwards to the Loma Alta trailhead. All in all a very nice trip. |
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Grass Shack Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| | | Some still pools of water just south of the Grass Shack campsite. Was fine to drink with a filter. | | | |
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