carsonk's Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Aug 06 2023

carsonk

Routes 1
Triplogs 3

male

Joined Jan 15 2023
Prescott, Arizon

Hyde Mountain #6 #5 Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 06 2023
		carsonk • Triplogs 3

Hiking	6.50 Miles	1,418 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles
	1,418 ft AEG

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Hyde Mountain #6

7 Up To Hyde Mountain Trail #5

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Hiked from the trailhead on FR 95C up to the lookout, then back down from the lookout on #5 to Brown Spring, then took #5 back to its intersection with #6.

The roads from Williamson Valley all the way to the trailhead were in good shape--FR 68 usually is, but I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of FR 95C. Thinning operations had just taken place, so I think they smoothed out the road for that. Some ruts had started to form, but it was nothing that even my little SUV couldn't handle. The signage to the trailhead was pretty good, and there were new metal signs at both the start of #6 and on the other side of the hike at the beginning of #5 that clearly marked each start.

Hyde Mountain Trail #6 was easy to follow all the way to the top, with intermittent shade. It certainly is steep, and the first section has quite a few loose rocks that make it a bit slippery if you're not careful. As you pass the upper intersection with #5, less than a quarter mile from the old lookout, the brush thickens slightly, but doesn't impede progress any more than the steep trail does. The view from the top was absolutely worth it, though: you get a 360-degree view of everything for miles around, and on a day like today that wasn't real hazy, it was stunning. A lot of the infrastructure is still up by the cabin: the building itself is missing a few windowpanes but you can see the old map table along with a portable radio tower, some shed-like structures, and an outhouse.

I veered right on my way down at the upper intersection of #5 to check out Brown Spring; green grass grew around it, and it trickled down to an old water trough. A couple of deer were hanging out in the area too. I took #5 back to its lower intersection with #6 to turn it into sort of a quasi-loop. This part of the trail was also intermittently shaded, particularly at the bottom, where taller pines grew. This was certainly a welcome relief from the scrubby junipers at the top of Hyde Mountain, although the breeze was unsurprisingly much nicer at the top of the mountain.

Bring lots of water on this one, especially if doing it this time of the year, but it's worth it at the top for the unparalleled view of the surrounding landscape! Definitely choose a clear day for this one.

	Brown Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Trickling down to water trough. Could dig it out to filter at the source, which would give you enough for one or two people.

May 07 2023

carsonk

Routes 1
Triplogs 3

male

Joined Jan 15 2023
Prescott, Arizon

Adra Loop Trail #9044

Prescott, AZ

Adra Loop Trail #9044

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		May 07 2023
		carsonk • Triplogs 3

Hiking	7.00 Miles

Hiking	7.00 Miles

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I'm 0-2 trying to get more than 10 miles down Camp Wood Road before my little car is halted by a semi-flooded portion of the road, so without my book of the national forest quad maps (not typically a great thing to forget!) or the knowledge that this website mentions only that the trail "looks untrustworthy," I blindly followed a forest road that disappeared out the back of a clearing I noticed just before I was again forced to turn around. This road was FR 9821B, and I made it perhaps 0.2 miles before I was forced to pull over amid some pretty good ruts. I decided to hike up it, as I didn't have a real backup plan for getting stopped on Camp Wood Road, and ended up running right into 9044.

The beginning of the trail was very well marked with what appeared to be a relatively new sign and was fairly easy to follow. The middle half essentially followed Pine Creek, which had a surprising amount of water flowing throughout. I'm sure I wasn't exactly on the trail the whole time, as the dry part of the creekbed somewhat obscured the exact path, but I ran right into the left turn it takes out of the creekbed and up a hill, where it intersects FR 9807B. This turn was marked with several obvious cairns across the creek, so approaching it from anywhere along the wash shouldn't be an issue.

It was a pleasant hike throughout, with intermittent shade and not too much change in elevation save the last part. Quail were all over the place, and signs of deer were next to every pool. When I reached 9807B, my GPS told me it connected to Camp Wood Road, so I followed that back to my car. It was definitely the shorter route! The road dumped just about all of the elevation gained during the last quarter of 9044, and provided some pretty nice views to the east and west. It was about 2 miles back to my car along Camp Wood Road, which was flat and uninspiring, mostly as a function of having driven it a few times already.

I'm here to tell you that you can trust the trail! It could be harder to do if the water is flowing more heavily, but it was a nice, easy experience, particularly for having little to no idea what to expect next at any point along the hike.

Wildflowers Observation Light
Starting to bloom all along the trail next to the creek. Can't identify any, but there were some small purple ones and lots of bigger, short white ones.

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Mar 14 2023

carsonk

Routes 1
Triplogs 3

male

Joined Jan 15 2023
Prescott, Arizon

Lane Mountain Trail #233

Prescott, AZ

Lane Mountain Trail #233

Prescott, AZ

Hiking		Mar 14 2023
		carsonk • Triplogs 3

Hiking	5.78 Miles	2,816 AEG

Hiking	5.78 Miles	4 Hrs 54 Mns	1.37 mph
	2,816 ft AEG	40 Mns Break

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

I parked at the start of FR 100; there was about 1.5 feet of snow in places along the road, and even if there wasn’t, a couple of fallen trees blocked the road starting about a quarter mile in. The trailhead is sparsely marked with a rock cairn; RouteScout was a huge help in finding it, in addition to keeping me on trail later.

Much of the trail on the north faces was still covered in snow, which made for slow going for the first mile or so. After that, the views opened up, but the trail didn’t: thick grass and brush covered much of the trail after Lane Spring, and made picking out the path nearly impossible without a combination of a GPS and RouteScout, particularly when the trail veered right off of a relatively well-established Jeep road (you can probably see my double back after I realized I missed the turn!).

From there, the trail rapidly descends into the valley, with brushy walls for the rest of the way. Fortunately, there was water flowing steadily just about everywhere the maps said there might be a seasonal creek, despite being on the side of the ridge where the snow had long since melted, which bode well for my overnight stay. I continued down to the end of the trail and turned right, taking the “Jeep road,” which is as overgrown as the rest of the path, 0.2 miles down near Copper Creek, which was flowing furiously with pools up to 2 feet deep in places. It was there I set up camp.

The hike out was a bit more miserable, but nothing unmanageable. The thick brush made trail-finding more difficult going uphill than it was downhill, but I had the benefit of a little prior experience with the route this time. I consulted RouteScout more often, and as such, didn’t manage to meander so far off the path.

All told, I’d call this a pretty decent backpacking trail for this time of the year. It’d be a bit intense to day hike the whole thing, but the plentiful water and clear views made it an enjoyable experience. At this time of year, though, some snowshoes and a machete would be worth the extra weight!

Copper Creek Spring

Gallon + per minute

	Lion Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute

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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