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| Hiking | 15.01 Miles |
2,849 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.01 Miles | 8 Hrs 20 Mns | | 2.14 mph |
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| 2,849 ft AEG | 1 Hour 20 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | |
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| no partners | | Our goal for this hike was to make it all the way to Peter's Mesa, but unfortunately, that didn't quite happen. The first difficulty encountered was the road. Unless you have a very capable 4WD vehicle, and I emphasize *very capable*, you should plan to hike the 3 miles from Apache Trail (AZ-88) to the inner Tortilla Trailhead. Another way of looking at it is that the trailhead is right off AZ-88, not 3 miles in. We were driving our 4WD Chevy Suburban that day, but there was no way I was going to attempt that road. To give some other anecdotal evidence, another gentleman in a Land Rover appeared confident at first ("I've taken this Land Rover all across the country three times; I can give you a ride if you want") to very quickly putting it in reverse and going back down ("there's no way I'm doing that!"). A Toyota 4Runner made it up the first of four major obstacles, then parked. At the very top of the road, there were only two vehicles, one ATV and one Toyota 4Runner (appeared to be a stock ~2008 model).
The hike itself was quite nice, with scenic views all the way around. There were even some nice fall leaves in the first canyon when starting out. We were pleased with our progress, and upon reaching Kane Spring and Indian Spring so quickly (they both had water), we continued up the steep climb to the ridge, then down on the other side. We made it all the way to where the trail turns north to go to Peter's Mesa, then decided we should have our lunch and turn around for the day. Another time, we'll have to connect the dots, just to say we've done it. 
I like how accessible Kane/Indian springs are, and could definitely see using them as a great starting point for a multi-day trip in the future.
Lastly, to finish out the JF trail we had hiked most of earlier in the year, we hiked up about 0.75 miles up to the junction with the Hoolie Bacon trail. Nothing much exciting up there, but it helped mentally to put together the scenery and that trail section to form a better mental map/image of the area.
Overall, I'd rate this trail a solid 8/10. The scenery just keeps improving the further you go. Of course, being a typical Supes trail, it's often narrow with catclaw and cactus lining it. Not to mention sometimes being overgrown with grass and so faint it's a challenge to follow. But I feel like that kind of just comes with the territory! If you've got extensive hiking experience, you'll have no issues following the trail, but a novice, or someone who only hikes on very well defined trails could get lost easily. Make sure you take your maps (paper and digital) and compass! |
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Indian Spring |
Quart per minute |
Quart per minute |
| | | Flowing pretty good. |
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Indian Spring Number One |
Dry |
Dry |
| | | If I recall, this is the one off trail a little to the east. I didn't go looking for it, but there was no water along the trail on in the drainages. |
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Kane Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| | | There wasn't much, but there was enough to filter from. Indian Spring had much better and more abundant water this time. | | | |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
I drank 4 quarts and probably could have used another for the drive home. The traffic in and out of Tortilla flat was light so weekday hikes are good out this wayif you have a day off.
I learned from some backpackers some Llamas had preceded me. That cleared up that mystery. 
The three backpackers pushed on. I turned back. If I had my G2 Hydrosocks and Keen water boots, I might have continued. 
In my non-GoreTex Vasque boots, this was more than I needed.
