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| Hiking | 10.00 Miles |
2,000 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.00 Miles | 5 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.82 mph |
| 2,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Started from the end of the 4WD road. Cuts off 1.5 miles. On the road I recall two steep sections where I used 4WD. The worst part of the road is within the first 30 yards. From the end of the 4WD road and the start of the hiking trail, you hike for a few minutes and get to a gate the barb wire and tree limb type. From there it is an easy slightly uphill stroll for a mile or two which follows along a hill line. You travel around a large hill (on a map it has an elevation of 5220 ft) and come to a gate which marks the start of Saguaro National Park with a warning not to bring in weapons or pets. The ban on pets is a shame since the trail is so remote and infrequently used.
From the gate, the trail descends slightly for a 1/10 of a mile into a small saddle where there is a trip register. We were the 4th hiking party to register since the beginning of the year. From the trip register the real work begins, the trail is much steeper and you can appreciate the hard work that went into a significant amount of stone steps.
After a mile or so of steep hiking, we finally came to some nice trees and a sign for Mud Springs. Suprisingly (had been 120 days without rain and no snow pack this year), there was a good amount of water flowing and it was easy to see the origin of the name. It would have been easy to filter water at this point.
The next mile to mile and a half was less steep and the trail faint with pine needles. We came across a small herd of deer that added nicely to the hike experience. There is a sign pointing back to where you hike from indicating where the Turkey Creek trail goes. 25-50 yards from that sign is another for Deer Spring. It was completely dry when we were there.
From the Deer Spring sign, the trail was a little difficult to make out, but it continues past the sign and uphill sharply. A 1/10 of a mile or so and you get to the first trail junction. Spud Rock Campground to the right and Heartbreak ridge to the left. We wanted to check out the campground so we heading right. The trail climbs slightly for not much more than 1/2 a mile.
The forest opens up into what would normally be a lush meadow, but due to the drought, all the ferns were brown and everything was extremely dry. The area is beautiful with towering pines and aspens. We briefly stopped at site one. The outhouse was in disrepair with no door.
Very nice hike. One of the best and shortest ways to get into the high country in the Rincons if you have a 4WD vehicle. |
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