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The TLC Hiking Club’s, White Water Rafting Adventure on the Rockin and Rollin Upper Salt River, Salt River Canyon Wilderness, Globe, AZ.
“Discover an ancient canyon wilderness, rich in riparian nature and pristine, natural beauty, and enjoy a great day of fun and adventure, white water rafting down the rocking and rolling Upper Salt River where you’ll experience Class III and Class IV rapids at their peak early spring flows, on an amazing 11 mile journey, where you’ll also enjoy all the beautiful and amazing scenery that is Arizona’s Salt River Canyon Wilderness!”
Located just 135 miles from Phoenix, near the town of Globe, the roughly 52 mile stretch of the Upper Salt River, after receiving run off from the nearby White Mountains during early spring, is home to Arizona and the U.S. western region’s best Class II, III and Class IV river rapids. Even if you are a beginner, white water rafting doesn’t require having prior experience or training, is relatively inexpensive and best of all, it’s exciting, thrilling and a great way to experience nature and the outdoors with your friends or family.
It was on a crisp spring morning, on March 24th, and working with Canyon Rio Rafting, an excellent and highly experienced river rafting company with over 30 years experience in the industry and who’ve been on the Salt River since 1992, that we arrived at the Upper Salt River bridge, 45 minutes north of the town of Globe, and began the TLC Hiking Club’s 1st Annual White Water Rafting Adventure!
We arrived together at the river’s edge and parking area by 8:30am where we were warmly greeted by the staff of Canyon Rio and after signing in, we were quickly provided the equipment we would be needing for our day’s river rafting adventure including full wet suits, nylon splash jackets, helmets, paddles and PFD’s (personal flotation devices).
An excerpt from Canyon Rio’s website, http://www.canyonriocom, states:
“You’ll begin the day by meeting us at the river, where you’ll check in, sign the Apache register, and get your safety and cold weather gear. After all participants have arrived, your trip leader will explain safety precautions and guidelines. You’ll then be ready for a day of excitement and beauty in the Salt River Canyon!”
After getting fully suited up, and with paddles in our hands, we marched together down to the river’s shore where Canyon Rio’s lead river guide, “Scratchy”, a veteran river guide with over 9 years experience river running throughout the western region, met us and provided an excellent introduction to river rafting including learning how to use a paddle, as well as what to do in case of an emergency, such as falling out of the raft, or what to do should your raft get flipped over. After receiving a thorough instruction of all the safety precautions and guidelines, we were finally ready to begin our day’s adventure, and an 11 mile incredible river rafting journey down the scenic Upper Salt River!
After gathering altogether for a few quick group photos, we broke into smaller groups and got into our 6 man rafts and by 10am we eagerly launched onto the river and it was literally only minutes later that we came to our first rapid, the “Bump & Grind” rapid, classified as a “Class II” rapid. After this “warm up rapid”, we were now excited as we headed straight on to an entire series of excellent “Class III” rapids! With the rest of our group of river rafters behind us, we crashed through our next rapid, and our first Class III rapid of the day, the “Maytag” rapid! Wow, what fun and this was just the beginning of our adventure too!
From there it was all Class III’s, as we continued to move on to the next rapid and the next, taking on the “Grumman” rapid, then the “Mother Rock” and then it was on to the “Overboard” rapid, rocking, rolling, and crashing through the twisting and churning white water waves of the Upper Salt River! What an amazing day and an exciting adventure it had been so far!
After a wild, rocking and rolling first half of the day, we had a break and had a chance to enjoy some of the gorgeous Salt River Canyon scenery and wildlife surrounding the river. Absolutely beautiful and majestic, it really is amazing that the Upper Salt River Canyon is a backcountry wilderness area, consisting of about 32,000 acres, that has managed to remain completely remote, and untouched within the state of Arizona.
It was now reaching about 12 noon when we came to Canyon Rio’s camp site on the river and where we pulled our rafts over to the shore for a picnic lunch and mid-day rest break. And what an excellent lunch it was too! Canyon Rio prepared for us a delicious and fantastic cookout lunch that absolutely had everything! Afterwards, our lead river guide “Scratchy”, announced that it was time to get back to our rafts again and by 1pm we had launched back onto the water again and began the second, and most scenic ½ of our day’s river rafting adventure down the amazing Upper Salt River.
Once back on the river again, the scenery on the Upper Salt was even more beautiful and spectacular as we now were approaching the gorgeous Cibecue Canyon and after taking on the “Exhibition” rapid, then the “Cibecue” rapid, we veered the corner to the left and as we journeyed down this majestic stretch of the Upper Salt were in literally in awe at the impeccable scenery until we came to what would be our best and final set of rapids of the day, the “Three Way” rapid, followed by the “Salt River Draw”, then last but certainly not the least, the final rapid of the day, saving the best for last, and the “grand finale”, one by one we all plunged, splashed, bumped and grinded through the rocking and rolling “Mezcal Falls”, the largest and a Class III-IV rapid, which was without a doubt, absolutely the most thrilling and exciting river rapid and river running experience of our day!
After pulling to the side to watch the rest of our group successfully make it through “Mezcal Falls”, it was just a few minutes later that we finally reached the end of our 11 mile river rafting adventure by about 2:30pm, and the access point where the Canyon Rio team were waiting and we each pulled over, hauled our rafts back up the shore and boarded our shuttle transportation for the last part of our day’s journey, the 11 mile return adventure back on an old, one lane, narrow mountain highway road with two way traffic! Yikes! And after getting stuck in the middle of crossing Cibeque Creek, with all of us needing to get out to start pushing our van out of the deep rushing water, we finally arrived back at the parking area where our vehicles were parked by about 3pm, where we breathed a with a sigh of relief!
In all, as the TLC Hiking Club’s 1st Annual White Water Rafting Adventure on the Upper Salt River, what an incredible and amazing day and an excellent river rafting event, very well organized and led by the experienced and professional river guides and team at Canyon Rio Rafting. An absolutely perfect day and a great river rafting adventure was had by all, and which together we unanimously agreed we look forward to returning to do again next year too, making it an annual TLC Hiking Club special event!
For more information about Canyon Rio Rafting and their single day, or multi-day river rafting adventures, you can check out their website at http://www.canyonrio.com.
For an area map of the Upper Salt River including river rafting drop in and take out points as well as a list of all Class II, III and IV rapids, for this 11 mile, single day river rafting adventure, you can check out this resource at
http://www.inaraft.com/map-salt-river-upper-canyon.php.
So if you’re looking for something fun, exciting, and adventurous to do, in nature and the outdoors, then be sure to check out a white water river rafting adventure, down the scenic Upper Salt River, in the Salt River Canyon Wilderness, Globe, Arizona!
An Extraordinary Boulder Hopping, Creek Crossing, Captivating Journey to a Magnificent, Hidden Canyon & Oasis: The La Barge Canyon Adventure Hike, Superstition Wilderness, Arizona.
Only in Arizona can you step out into a backcountry mountain wilderness purely surreal in natural beauty and also deeply rich in mystery, legend and lore with tales of lost gold, Indian massacres and even murder! Located just 40 miles outside the Phoenix metro area, lies the Superstition Wilderness, an area of approximately 160,000 acres, where in its more popular western section, you’ll find some of the most incredible scenery and landmarks in the entire state and region that are simply captivating and mesmerizing! While temperatures in the Sonoran Desert are relatively low, the pleasant sunny days of the winter and early spring months are an ideal time to get out and explore the “Supes”, as they are commonly called, and through its four main trailheads you’ll connect to a vast network of the some of the state’s best hiking trails. So if you’re up for taking an extraordinary boulder hopping, creek crossing, and captivating journey to a magnificent, hidden rock wall canyon and oasis, then I highly recommend you check out the La Barge Canyon Adventure Hike, in the Superstition Wilderness, Arizona.
On a beautiful, sunny morning, in early February, from Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, we followed Route 88, also known as the “Apache Trail” for about 14 miles until we arrived at the beautiful and popular Canyon Lake where we pulled up to the Canyon Lake Marina, parked in the large parking area, some of which was set aside just for hikers, and after getting all of our packs and gear together, we were ready for what we all knew was going to be an amazing and incredible adventure!
It was by 9 am, that we crossed the road and began our hike on the Boulder Canyon Trail, #103. From the trailhead, at a starting elevation of 1702 feet, our journey began with gorgeous views of Canyon Lake behind us as we moderately began ascending in elevation out into the rugged Superstition Wilderness.
Starting out on the Boulder Canyon Trail, it’s not hard to see why this well known trail in the Superstitions is so popular because as the scenic views of Canyon Lake began disappearing in the background, it was only a little over a mile that we had reached the top of the hill and what we saw was really astounding! There from the top of the hill we had arrived at a spectacular panoramic view of the entire area including the enormous Battleship Mountain to the right, Geronimo’s Head to the left and the infamous Weaver’s Needle in the far off distance! Absolutely breathtaking!
After a brief stop for pictures, the amazing journey continued as we continued following the Boulder Canyon Trail for several more miles as it now ventured over to the left then began a moderate descent back down in elevation with amazing, panoramic scenery all around that was gorgeous until after roughly 3.5 miles later, we had reached the bottom of the hill and arrived at La Barge Creek.
From the edge of La Barge Creek, the real adventure began as we departed from Boulder Canyon Trail and dropped down into the creek to begin a long and very rigorous boulder hopping, creek crossing journey further out into the remote Superstition Wilderness. Please be advised that you DO NOT want to attempt this hike after a major rain storm as La Barge Creek can be potentially dangerous due to high water levels and possible flash flooding. However, on this temperate early February day, the creek was flowing lightly and gently as we made our way along, crossing from side to side, and with a little light route finding, and some bushwhacking, we pushed past the massive Battleship Mountain, and Geronimo’s Head, until multiple miles later, off in the near distance in front of us, we identified the sharp pyramid shaped rock cliff, almost hoo doo like in formation which signified the entrance to our day’s ultimate destination, La Barge Canyon!
It was by 1:30pm with a total hiking distance of 7.89 miles from Boulder Canyon Trailhead that we finally arrived at the entrance to the “La Barge Box”, and after scrambling and climbing over some large rocks and boulders, we ventured to the left a short ways, and finding ourselves completely surrounded and framed by beautiful, and incredibly tall sheer rock walls, we rounded the bend, looked up and there it was, La Barge Canyon and it was magnificent! As we made our way into the canyon, I was completely taken back in awe and amazement. What a truly majestic place, a real hidden jewel with a mesmerizing beauty that’s just simply surreal. Absolutely extraordinary!
We thoroughly enjoyed spending some time together in this unbelievably pristine and remarkable oasis and although the canyon’s pools of water were too low for a swim, its stream was gently flowing with a beautiful running waterfall. However, after a short, relaxing lunch break and some more pictures together, it was time to start heading back out of the canyon again and through retracing our steps, back the same way we had come in we regrettably left this awe-inspiring place.
Now having returned again to the entrance of La Barge Canyon, our amazing adventure continued as instead of retracing our steps and returning back the same way we came, using a little route finding, we identified a use trail marked with occasional cairns which ventured to the left and straight up to top of the hill then flattened out into a saddle area affording beautiful and expansive views of the Superstition Ridgeline and Weaver’s Needle in the distance. From this saddle area, located to the south of Battleship Mountain, we made a short trek over to the rock wall base of the Battleship to see if we could attempt a climb to the top. However, with the mid-afternoon sun well upon us now and it starting to get late, we decided to retrace our steps back to the saddle again, where from there we picked back up with the use trail to make a steep decent back down in elevation again.
Once arriving down at the creek’s bottom, it was now roughly around 3pm that our loop journey and return began with another boulder hopping, creek crossing journey, criss-crossing it from side to side until we picked up the Second Water Trail over to the left, then just a short ways further, we returned back to the Boulder Canyon Trail. Once back on Boulder Canyon Trail, and now feeling fatigue starting to set in as a result of the day’s long and strenuous journey, we ventured on, traversed it past an old abandoned mining shaft, then climbed back up in elevation again, at the same time being sure to look back as much as we possible could at the absolutely gorgeous and breath-taking scenery along the way. It was now with the sun now beginning to set and dusk quickly coming down upon us that we noticed we had come back into view of the beautiful canyon lake again and while still enjoying the amazing scenery now with a great view of Four Peaks in the fart distance, we made our way down this final stretch of rocky trail and made it back to the Boulder Canyon Trailhead again where we joined the rest of our group at Canyon Lake Marina, finishing out this day’s incredible journey with a total roundtrip hiking distance of 13.4 miles, and an accumulated elevation gain of 2000 feet, which we completed 9.0 hours.
In all, what an unforgettable day and a spectacular adventure! As most write-ups accurately describe, this exceptional hiking journey out into the remote and rugged Superstition Wilderness, really does have it all complete with mesmerizing scenery literally from start to finish of some of the Supes most famous landmarks, but also for those who are willing to take on the challenge of taking it off trail, this amazing journey will lead you out to a remote and hidden canyon that’s beauty is just simply captivating! So if you’re up for taking an extraordinary boulder hopping, creek crossing, and incredible journey to a majestic, hidden rock wall canyon and oasis, then be sure to check out the La Barge Canyon Adventure Hike, in the Superstition Wilderness, Arizona.
Here are a few links which I think are good for addtional information if you are interested in hiking the La Barge Canyon Loop Hike, in the Superstition Wilderness, Arizona.
http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hikes/Arizona/Tonto/Superstition6.htm
http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/superstition-mountains/boulder-canyon-trail.html
http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=XMR014-024
http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=229
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience hiking the La Barge Canyon Loop Hike, please feel free to post a comment!
Journey Back to the ‘Old West’ for a Thrilling, Mountain Climbing, Scramble and a Scenic Adventure to the Top of Vulture Peak: The Vulture Peak Hike, The Vulture Mountains, Wickenburg, Arizona.
It is without a doubt, that with plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures, the late fall and winter months in Arizona are ideal for getting outdoors and taking a desert journey, where not only can you explore its pristine and remote desert mountain wilderness regions, but also experience the legend and lore that still remains today of the ‘Old West’! Just a short drive from the Phoenix metro area, lies the rustic western town of Wickenburg, where once a booming gold mining town in the mid-late 1800’s, you’ll find yourself stepping back into the history of the “Old West”, and where you’ll also find yourself amazed and in awe of the rugged beauty of the town’s surrounding desert mountain landscape. So if you’re up for taking a journey for an experience of the ‘Old West’, an excellent hiking adventure that’s remote and off the beaten path with a thrilling, mountain climbing scramble, and plenty of gorgeous panoramic mountain top scenery, then I highly recommend you experience the Vulture Peak Hike, in the Vulture Mountains, just outside Wickenburg, Arizona.
It was on a beautiful late November weekend morning that I met up with the TLC Hiking Club at a meet up location in northwest Phoenix and by 8am, after all members had arrived, we set out our day’s journey together heading for the old town of Wickenburg on US Route 60. This relatively short desert drive out west to Wickenburg on US 60 was really part of the adventure on this day and after quickly arriving at the outskirts of town by 8:30am, we continued following the signs for US Route 60 through the central commercial corridor of town aptly named, Wickenburg Way.
Wickenburg, according to all historical accounts, was founded in 1863 when successful mine owner, Henry Wickenburg established the Vulture Mine after having discovering rich nuggets of gold that afterwards set off Arizona’s 1st gold rush. Shortly there later, more gold deposits were also found, and consequently more mines were established in the surrounding area and the town rapidly grew to become Arizona’s 3rd largest city and according to history, almost became the state’s 1st territorial capital! Today, as you pass through the central part of town on Wickenburg Way, you immediately notice all the old western buildings that still remain with antique shops, stores and galleries that line both sides of the street as the town still holds tightly onto its historical ‘old western’ lore and character even attracting many visitors world wide each year to its famous cowboy dude ranches located near by. In fact, for anyone who’s an “Old West” history enthusiast, you can even take a self guided tour of the original and some would claim very “haunted” Vulture Mine, which is located 12 miles southwest of town on the Vulture Mine Road, and just 5 miles further down the road from Vulture Peak where our day’s journey and adventure was going to lead us.
After passing through town on US 60, aka Wickenburg Way, for roughly 2 1/2 miles, we came to the turn off for the Vulture Mine Road. We made a left and continued a scenic drive and journey out into the beautiful and very rugged looking Vulture Mountains. We thoroughly enjoyed the strolling drive through the rolling hills for roughly about 7.0 miles until we came to a sign on the left for the Vulture Peak Trail head. We made a left onto a well graded dirt road and drove for another ½ mile until we finally reached the large parking area and the trail head for the Vulture Peak Trail.
We had arrived at the Vulture Peak trail head by 9 am and after getting packed up and geared up, we quickly set off for Vulture Peak, which now stood before us looking very beautiful, yet also very massive and extremely rugged! From its main trailhead the Vulture Peak Trail begins as a gentle stroll along the desert floor for about 1 ¼ miles, first descending into then crossing through Syndicate Wash until at about 1.7 miles later you arrive at a signpost with a metal fence and gate behind it which is located at the trail’s Upper Trailhead, and which you can also access with a good 4WD vehicle should you want to do so.
From the Upper Trail Head, the rocky Vulture Peak Trail immediately begins ascending steadily up in elevation from the desert floor with absolutely gorgeous and amazing views behind you while still in front of you stands the even taller and even more massive looking, Vulture Peak! The well maintained and also well marked trail continued to rise steeper and still higher yet in elevation with tighter and tighter switch backs the further along the way you journeyed until finally topping out at the saddle, and an approximate elevation of 3,420 feet.
Once leveled out at the saddle, looking up you are just in awe of the amazing and gorgeous scenery not only to the west behind you of the Vulture Mountains, but now what opens up before you is a gorgeous, wide open and completely expansive view to the east of the Hieroglyphic Mountains and on this crystal clear, very beautiful day, out into the far distance, we could even saw Four Peaks! Absolutely incredible and breathtaking!
From the saddle, as most write ups have accurately stated, the Vulture Peak hike changes from being a relatively “moderate” level hike to an advanced level hike with steep and very adventurous climb that’s a thrilling, straight up, rock climbing, scramble and a vertical ascent up through a narrow rock gully and chute and it is only through carefully using hand holds and foot holds that you are able to slowly thrust yourself up higher and higher and up to the summit. It is only after about 240-250 feet of intense scrambling with absolutely spine chilling views looking below and all around that you finally arrive and top out at the top and the summit of Vulture Peak! Wow, what an incredibly exhilarating experience!
It was there from the summit, at the top of Vulture Peak, having climbed to a total elevation of about 3662 feet, that the 360 degree, panoramic views of the Vulture Mountains to the west, now combined with the gorgeous and expansive views to the far north and east, were even more absolutely incredible, and completely breathtaking! While gathered back together again with our group at the peak, we happily took a break to eat lunch, roam around a little and after taking a lot of pictures, thoroughly enjoying our time together, by 11 am, we were ready again to head back for what was sure to be even more thrilling adventure, the return and the steep climb and scramble back down the gully and chute again!
The adventure did in fact continue too, as we each one by one slowly and very carefully made our way back down through the narrow gully and chute. Through a lot of loose rocks and gravel, we tightly clung and gripped the sturdy rock wall, and in places where it was just too steep or the terrain just too loose and dangerous to descend by foot, we got down on our rear ends and continued the steep descent until we finally all made it back down again safely to the level saddle area. Then once having arrived back at the saddle our journey continued on tightly switch backing down in elevation again, back down to the desert floor, passing by the Upper Trailhead, until we finally reached the parking area and trail head again. We finished out our day’s hiking adventure by 12 pm and 3.0 hours later with a total hiking distance of about 4.2 miles, and a total elevation gain of 1136 feet on this picture perfect clear November day! Once having gathering our group back together again after the hike, we then eagerly journeyed back into town again for lunch to check out some of Wickenburg’s old western hospitality and rustic atmosphere at the Golden Nugget Cafe, which we really enjoyed too, then returned once again back to Phoenix by mid afternoon.
In all, a really great day and an incredible hike with the wonderful people and great friends of the TLC Hiking Club. This hike really had it all in my opinion, its relatively short, only 4 miles or so round trip, it’s a moderate hike but also offered a great workout too with a total elevation gain of over 1100 feet, then add to that a thrilling and adventurous 250 foot climb and scramble to the peak and summit, which in addition also offered plenty of gorgeous, jaw dropping, panoramic scenery and views along the way and wow, what an incredible day! So if you’re up for taking a journey out to the ‘Old West’ for excellent hiking adventure, that’s close to Phoenix, yet remote and off the beaten path with a thrilling, mountain climbing scramble, and plenty of gorgeous panoramic mountain scenery to experience and enjoy, then I recommend you be sure to check out the Vulture Peak Hike, in the Vulture Mountains, Wickenburg, Arizona!
Here are a few links which I think are good for additional information if you are interested in the Vulture Peak Hike, in the Vulture Mountains, Wickenburg, Arizona:
http://www.summitpost.org/vulture-peak/153094
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/recreation/hiking/vulture.html
http://www.hikemasters.com/2010/01/vulture-peak-trail-bureau-of-land.html
http://www.vultureminetours.com/
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience hiking the Vulture Peak Hike, please feel free to post a comment!
A Breathtaking Red Rock Wilderness Journey and Spectacular Adventure to the Top of a Colossal Natural Arch: The Sterling Pass to Vultee Arch Hike, Sedona, Arizona.
Autumn in Arizona with its bright sunny days and near perfect day time temperatures is unquestionably the best time of the year to get out, enjoy nature and the outdoors and also experience the state’s own beautiful fall foliage season. Located up in the higher elevations of the state of Arizona just a few hours from Phoenix, you will find that Arizona too has much to offer when it comes to fall color and there is no place more world renown for all its mystical beauty and breathtaking red rock mountain scenery than Sedona. So if you’re looking to get out into nature and the outdoors, and would like a beautiful fall foliage hike, that’s moderately strenuous, off the beaten path and you’re up to experiencing a spectacular adventure climbing to the top of a colossal natural arch, then I highly recommend checking out the Sterling Pass to the Vultee Arch Hike, in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, Sedona, Arizona. http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hikes/Arizona/Prescott/Sedona4.htm
It was early on a clear, crisp, mid-October Saturday morning that I met up with the Arizona Desert Hikers, a local Phoenix hiking group led by Jim Bernardi, and after all members had arrived, we left the north Phoenix meet up location, heading north on Highway I-17, then exited the freeway on State Route 179A and arrived in Sedona by 8 am. Then as we continued to head north into Sedona on State Route 179A, we arrived at the intersection for State Route 89A and made a right and heading north towards Oak Creek Canyon.
It was about 6.9 miles later on the left had side and just 500 feet south of the Red Rock Lodge that we finally arrived at the Sterling Pass Trailhead adjacent to the Manzanita Campground and parked in the parking area located down along the side of the road. We were aware that the Sterling Pass Trailhead was not easy to locate from the road and we found that to be quite accurate. It’s very easy to miss, and we did too, as the actual sign itself is small and not easily visible while driving, so you need to take it slow. We also discovered that the parking area located several hundred yards down and off to the right side of the road was very limited. (Note that a $5 Red Rock Day Use Pass is required) However, on this morning there was just enough space to accommodate all of our vehicles and by 8:30 am we had all arrived, got packed up and were ready to begin our day’s hiking adventure on the Sterling Pass Trail.
Starting out from the trailhead across the road, at an approximate elevation of 4863 feet, the well maintained, and easy to follow, out and back, Sterling Pass Trail, immediately begins steadily switch backing and steeply ascending in elevation. Professional travel writer, Robert Stieve, from Arizona Highways Magazine, describes the hike quite accurately in his quote, “you’re either going up or you’re going down on the Sterling Pass Trail. There is no in-between. No middle ground, plateaus, no real respites.” However, as the journey continued heading steeply up in elevation, through thick, dense forest and trees, filled with bright and very colorful foliage, the expansive scenery and mountain views along the way of the vermillion and buff colored rock formations of the remote Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness were absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking!
After reaching the Sterling Pass saddle about an hour later, and taking a much needed short break, the beautiful journey continued on the Sterling Pass Trail which now opened up to even more gorgeous and breathtaking scenery as we immediately began to switchback and steeply descend back down in elevation through more thick, dense, brightly colored forest and trees, down into Sterling Canyon. Wow, what an incredible hike it had been so far and an excellent fitness workout to on this surprisingly quiet, remote, much less traveled, yet very scenic Sedona hiking adventure!
Approximately about two hours later, after a very exhilarating and zig zagging journey back down again in elevation that we finally came to the Vultee Arch Trail where we swung a right. It was here at the junction of the Sterling Pass Trail and the Vultee Arch Trail that we caught our first glimpse of the infamous Vultee Arch! How amazing it was, even from this way far out distance too. The Vultee Arch, was historically named for very early aviation pioneer whose aircraft crashed nearby. You can view the commemorative bronze plaque that was laid in honor of Gerard Vultee and his wife, Sylvia Vultee who both courageously lost their lives in January 29th, 1938.
After trekking just a short ways further on the Vultee Arch Trail, approximately 3.5 miles from where we started, it was by 10:30am that we had finally arrived at the Vultee Arch and came upon an open plateau area with expansive views not only of the arch but also of the entire surrounding canyon area that were beautiful! It was here from this wide open plateau located much closer up, that the view of this gigantic, very colossal, natural arch, was simply incredible and magnificent! We stopped there for just a few short minutes to get some really great shots. However, this amazing adventure wasn’t over just yet. From here, we located a small use trail and bush wacked and climbed our way straight up to the top of the Vultee Arch and what an exciting thrill it was too! Absolutely incredible and amazing! Once at the top, one by one, we each took our turn walking out to the middle of the arch where our friends waiting back down at the plateau area captured our pictures. My knees were literally shaking and I was terrified as I was out there shooting video of the gorgeous, breathtaking views from the top of the arch. What a great hike and a thrilling, spectacular adventure!
It was by 11:30am and about an hour later that we regrettably decided it was time to start heading back. So we gathered up our gear and our packs and returning the same we had originally came, we made it back to the Sterling Pass Trailhead again by 1:30pm which according to our GPS was a total round trip hiking distance of 7.68 miles with an elevation gain of 1041 feet, and a total hiking time of 5.0 hours.
In all, it was a great hike and thrilling, spectacular adventure and a really enjoyable day with the wonderful people and friends of the Arizona Desert Hikers. So if you’re up for an excellent, breathtaking fall foliage hike, and an exciting, unforgettable adventure to the top of a colossal natural arch, then be sure you check out the Sterling Pass to the Vultee Arch Hike, in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, Sedona, Arizona.
Here are a few links which I think are good for additional information if you are interested in the Sterling Pass to Vultee Arch Hike, Red Rock Wilderness, Sedona, Arizona:
http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=138
http://www.arizonahighways.com/extras/archive/hiking/0310_hiking.asp
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=55420&actid=50
http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/sedona/vultee_arch_trail.html
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience hiking the Sterling Pass to Vultee Arch Hike, please feel free to post a comment!
A Spectacular, Boulder Hopping, Cliff Jumping Canyoneering Adventure to a Colossal Waterfall Oasis: The Cibeque Canyon Hike, Salt River Canyon Wilderness, Globe, AZ
Having lived in Phoenix now for quite a few years, I find I am frequently asked the same question, just how do you deal with the excessive heat living in Arizona during the summer months? And generally respond by saying that if it weren’t for swimming pools and air conditioning, I wouldn’t be here! Its true, but as with anything, the summer heat is just something that you get used to after awhile because Arizona is so much more than heat and hot temperatures. Being such a vast and diverse state and region, and if you’re like myself, and you love nature, the outdoors, travel and adventure, we are very fortunate because Arizona is still able to offer many pristine wilderness areas and gorgeous rock canyons that are literally just a short distance from the Phoenix metro area where you can enjoy beautiful scenery, escape the heat and cool off. So if you’re up for a new, intermediate level canyoneering adventure to a very majestic, remote wilderness area with gorgeous canyon scenery leading to up to a spectacular, colossal waterfall oasis, then I highly recommend you check out the Cibeque Canyon Hike, in the Salt River Canyon Wilderness, Globe, Arizona! We had such a great time together there at the falls with the entire group together day, taking lot’s of photos, as well as a lot of great video of some of the members doing some cliff jumping , including Eric Kinneman himself doing his famous and very daring back flip off the cliff’s rock ledge! Wow! So much fun and such great comaradery between friends that everyone of us I’m sure will remember this hike always. However, after better than an hour, it was soon time to start making our way back again, so we quickly packed back up and retraced our journey back through the winding, twisting, Cibeque Creek, and arrived back at the trailhead again, completing our day’s 3.2 mile RT canyoneering adventure in Cibeque Canyon by about 12 pm, and an estimated 2.5 hours total RT hiking time.
It was early on a Saturday morning in mid-June that I met up with the TLC Hiking Club, led and organized by Eric Kinneman, in east Mesa, and after everyone arrived, we received a quick briefing from Eric of the day’s adventure ahead, then by 6:30 am, we got into our vehicles and were ready to set off on US Hwy 60 east. After about 1 hour’s drive, we arrived in the town of Globe, then made a left onto US 60-Hwy 77, North, for roughly another 25 miles until we reached the top of the Upper Salt River Canyon. There at the top and looking off to the distance and down below, I was again completely astounded at just how gorgeous, and breathtaking the view of the Upper Salt River Canyon was! Wow!
From the highway with the Upper Salt River down below, we continued to make our way down the steep hill and after crossing over the bridge, we immediately made a left onto an all dirt road, which was the same location where I had been earlier in the year to do a one day white water rafting trip on the Upper Salt River. So I had already heard of Cibeque Canyon and was very excited to be returning again as I knew this was going to be a very scenic and gorgeous canyoneering hike!
We turned and drove down this very narrow, all dirt mountain road where 4wd’s and HCV’s were recommended but not required, and stayed right, following along the river’s edge for only about 4 miles until after crossing Cibeque Creek itself, which luckily had been dry that day, we made a right turn into a large, open parking area and the trailhead for Cibeque Canyon. Note that prior to attending this hike, we were advised by Eric Kinneman that due to the fact that Cibeque Canyon is located on ancient Native American tribal grounds, in the Upper Salt River Canyon Wilderness, which is strictly protected, it was required by the White Mountain Apache Tribe Indian Reservation to purchase a day use, Black/Salt River permit, for $15, in advance, which you can do either online, the easiest, or also at any Sportsman’s Warehouse Store in Phoenix. So before we began the day’s hike, we all confirmed we had our permits and that they were readily available and accessible should we be stopped and asked to show proof by tribal authorities.
After everyone had arrived at the trailhead, we got packed up and and after a quick group photo, it was by 9:30am (a later arrival than planned due to an extended stop in Globe and a also tire blow out along the way) that we were ready to start our day’s hiking adventure into Cibeque Canyon! Eric began the hike by leading us from the parking area down into the bottom of Cibeque Canyon and into Cibeque Creek. At roughly about 3000 feet in elevation, Cibeque Creek winds through the bottom of Cibeque Canyon, and with only a little bushwacking, we made our way down on the left side of the creek, first following a small path for maybe about ¼ mile until the path faded out, then it was up and over the rocks and boulders and into the water, which on this mid-June day was pretty low level, overall not being more than knee high level in its deepest places. Note that it is highly advisable to wear water sandals or river shoes for this hike as you will be in and out of water for the rest of your journey. As we continued our boulder hopping, canyoneering adventure, criss crossing back and forth through the refreshing water of Cibeque Creek, I briefly took a moment to look up at the surrounding scenery, in this very quiet wilderness canyon, and was amazed. It was just simply breath taking, as I knew it was going to be!
Our journey continued into the now narrowing Cibeque Canyon, still boulder hopping, and wading from one crystal clear pool to another, following the gently winding, twisting stream from one side to the other, taking one careful step before the other, up and over many slippery, large rocks and boulders in the creek’s bottom until roughly only about 1 ½ miles later, we veered to the left for one last time and I caught sight of Eric Kinneman and the rest of our group members who were ahead of me and I looked up and was in complete shock and awe. I couldn’t believe my eyes, because there right before me, was a giant, gushing, 80 foot, pounding waterfall! Wow! It was incredible and absolutely spectacular, a truly amazing sight to see. I found it really unbelievable that something as incredibly amazing as this was nestled and hidden away in this remote wilderness canyon and still unknown to most people. Wow, absolutely astounding! And, an incredible experience that I will not soon forget!
In sum, what an amazing experience and an awesome adventure! A really great hike that once again was expertly researched, planned and organized by Eric Kinneman himself, and unbelievable was only 2 hours away from Phoenix too! So if you’re up for a gorgeous, highly scenic, off the beaten path, remote wilderness hike, and a moderate, relatively short distance, canyoneering experience to an incredible, colossal, and awe-inspiring, 80 foot waterfall oasis, be sure to check out the Cibeque Canyon Hike, in the pristine Salt River Canyon Wilderness, Globe, AZ!
Here are a couple of links which I think are useful if you are interested in hiking Cibeque Canyon:
http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=30
http://www.insideoutsidemag.com/issues/2009/February/Cibecue_Creek/
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience hiking and canyoneering through Cibeque Canyon, please feel free to post a comment!
An Extraordinary Pool Hopping, Rock Sliding, Waterfall Adventure Canyoneering Through The Jug, Lower Salome Creek, Salome Wilderness, Arizona
With scorching temperatures and blazing heat, yes, summers in Arizona are in deed extremely hot! However, did you also know that in Arizona you can find something to do in the great outdoors, virtually any time of the year, even during the summer? More than any other geologic feature, Arizona is an amazing land filled with many beautiful and remote back country wildernesses and gorgeous slot canyons and gorges scattered throughout the state. So while temperatures may be heating up during the day in excess of 100 degrees in the desert, the month of June, before summer rain storms arrive, is actually an excellent time to go canyoneering and exploring some of these remote wilderness canyons and gorges, with many of them containing deep pools of cool, refreshing water!
Located in the Sierra Ancha Mountain range, northeast of Phoenix, is the Salome Wilderness consisting of roughly about 18,500 acres. Within the Salome wilderness following along the lower reaches of Salome Creek, you’ll find the “Jug”, a beautiful slot canyon, with narrow towering walls of pinkish-tinted granite stone, and along its approximately one mile stretch, many pools of deep, cool water! So if you would consider yourself to be at least a moderate-advanced level hiker and in relatively good physical shape & condition, and you’re up for more of a challenge, an extraordinary pool hopping, rock sliding, waterfall adventure, and an excellent intermediate level canyoneering hike I recommend, is the Salome Jug, at Lower Salome Creek, in the Salome Wilderness, Arizona.
On a beautiful Saturday morning, in early June, I met up with the TLC Hiking Club, led and organized by Eric Kinneman, at the Fort McDowell Casino, northeast of Phoenix, at 6 am. After all attending members had arrived, and after receiving a quick overview of our day’s canyoneering adventure, we got into our vehicles and left the casino by about 6:45 am, and headed north on Arizona Highway Route 87, also known as the Beeline Highway.
We drove up the scenic Beeline Highway, one of my favorite highways, until we arrived at state route 188, and made a right, heading south, in the direction for Roosevelt Lake. Continuing past the town of Punkin Center approximately 8 miles, we came to our next turn off, A-Cross Road, made a left and drove on this very rugged, mountainous, and at times very narrow, dirt road where a high clearance vehicle or a 4 wheel drive was highly advised. I really enjoyed this off roading adventure because the scenery looking up and out into the distance, and down below, of Roosevelt Lake, Arizona’s most largest lake, was truly gorgeous! We continued on A-Cross Road, (aka “60” but this is still A-Cross Road), for a total of about 10 miles and it was approximately by 8 am, that we finally reached the Jug Trailhead and parking area. The Jug Trailhead sits up at the top of a hill at roughly 3,301 feet in elevation, with panoramic views overlooking Roosevelt Lake and the mountainous Salome Wilderness that were absolutely gorgeous! We parked our vehicles in the small parking area, got packed up and after a couple of quick group photo shots, we hit the trail.
Eric Kinneman began our day’s canyoneering adventure by leading us from the trailhead, down hill on the Jug Trail #61, a very scenic old jeep trail, that descends and switchbacks rather moderately as it takes you further and further out into the remote and very rugged, Salome Wilderness. We trekked down hill, roughly about 800 feet in elevation for 2 miles until we arrived at Salome Creek where glimpses of the beginning of the Jug Canyon first came into view. As I neared the bottom of the hill, I looked down into the rock canyon below and there it was, absolutely gorgeous and rugged looking! What an amazing adventure this was going to be I thought to myself.
The Jug is a semi-technical canyon, and rated by the American Canyoneering Association, as a 3B-CIII canyon requiring one technical rappel. When you translate this rating, it means it’s an intermediate canyoneering, moderate-strenuous hike, with water that has no current or light current or with still pools to strong current depending on the time of the year and water levels and flow rates. We did this hike in early summer when the day time air temperatures are high and the current and water level is low, which is much safer particularly for anyone who is new to canyoneering or may only have a beginning to moderate level of canyoneering experience behind them. And, on this early June day, we actually found the water level to be about 9-12 inches lower than normal due to having had a very dry winter season this past year. However, please note, this is NOT a hike you want to try to take on yourself unless you have someone with the experience and expertise to guide you, or you have the prior technical canyoneering experience yourself because the Jug contains one technical rappel at a 27 foot water fall cliff. So whether you rappel it, descend it by rope or decide to jump it, please be aware, this IS very risky and dangerous, even if you have years of experience and know what you are doing. So assess your abilities wisely and use good judgment in deciding whether to do this hike or not, for your own safety.
After reaching Salome Creek at the bottom of the hill, and the beginning of the Jug canyon, we immediately veered off to the left, following along the creek’s bottom, jumping up and over large rocks and boulders for just a short ways until we came to our first set of pools which went from being first knee high to waist high deep rather quickly! However, the water felt great on this very hot summer day and we happily waded from pool to refreshing pool as we very carefully and also cautiously crossed over the large rocks and boulders in the water, many of which were covered with green algae and very slippery, as a result of the low water level with still pools.
The adventure continued with more wading, swimming, hopping from one deep pool, then on to the next, through the beautiful winding canyon, and I paused for just a brief moment to look up at the pinkish tinted, granite walls now towering high and narrowly above me noticing how the sun’s bright rays glimmered down onto the rocks and crevices, eventually reaching the water below, and wow beyond what any picture could ever capture, it just absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking!
By this time too, the further into the canyon we reached, the deeper and deeper the pools became requiring much more swimming. However, as we moved through the canyon from one pool to the next, wading, swimming, with boulder hopping in a couple of places, we also came upon some small water falls located in the canyon’s bottom where the only way to continue was to sit down and slide your way down the wet slippery rocks and falls, until you dropped into the deep pools of water below. We thoroughly enjoyed the water slide, and coming down the rock water falls and after getting some really great shots of each other, our canyoneering journey through the Jug continued.
It was only a short ways later, after still more wading, swimming, and rock sliding down the small water falls and rocks that we eventually arrived a the giant 27 foot water fall and cliff and finally caught up with Eric Kinneman and the rest of our hiking group members again. By this time Eric, as well as several members from the front end of our pack who had already successfully jumped off the 27 foot water fall and cliff and were waiting down below, while the rest of us stayed up at the top. Your options at this point are, you can either rappel it, or descend it by rope, as there are several fixed anchors set up with which to drop a rope from, or it’s also possible to jump it. So on this day, guided by Eric Kinneman, a highly experienced and leading expert hiker, also with extensive experience canyoneering, and who he himself had successfully completed this canyon multiple times by jumping it, that’s in fact what we all decided to do, jump it!
In order for all of us to safely and successfully make this jump, Eric had brought along with him a climbing rope which he set up and anchored from a fixed anchor located at the top of an upper rock ledge on the right side. From this upper ledge, he then ran the rope about 50 feet to a second fixed anchor located further out along the rock ledge, tied it securely there, then dropped the remaining length of rope down to an outer, lower level ledge. From the waiting area at the top of the falls, we each climbed up to this upper level ledge, while holding onto the securely anchored rope, as this ledge which was very narrow and slippery, then once across the main upper ledge, roughly about 20 feet or so and while still holding onto the rope, we slowly and carefully descended roughly about 4 feet onto a lower level rock wall ledge. It was here, from this lower level ledge about 10 feet in length that we were able to successfully take the 27 foot jump off the cliff and safely come straight down into the very deep pool of water below.
I had arrived at the top of the falls along with my good friend and fellow hiker, Bob with no intention of jumping that day. Prior to starting this hike, we had decided together that we felt more comfortable descending by rope instead. However, when I saw how the rope had been securely set up and anchored for us and how it was possible to make this jump safely as Eric and the others had already done, also confirming too that there were no hidden debris or obstacles located in the water pool below that could cause possible harm or injury, it was only at the last minute that I decided to just do it and climbed up to the main, upper ledge, and while still holding onto rope, traversed across the 20 feet or so, then quickly dropped down the rope to the lower level ledge. As I’d had some prior experience rappelling and technical canyoneering, I felt comfortable on the rope but had never cliff jumped before. However, once you got out on this lower level rock ledge, it was really just a straight, obstacle free, vertical jump down into the deep pool of water below. So with Eric there as well as rest of the gang to guide and coach me from below, I took a giant deep breath and off the cliff I went, quickly plunging and crashing down into the deep pool of water below! Oh my God! What an exciting, thrilling, extreme adrenaline rush that is absolutely unlike any other! Truly an incredible experience and wow, what an amazing adventure!
Afterwards, I retrieved my pack which I had dropped prior to making the jump and swam 1-2 pools over to an open area where I could get out of the water and warm back up again in the sun as my body temperature had really dropped by now, with hypothermia being one of the risks and hazards of canyoneering. Meanwhile, Bob had also come down and Eric continued to coach and guide every other remaining member, each one by one, until finally everyone had safely and successfully taken the plunge and made the 27 foot jump!
Once the last members had made it down, we gathered back together again along the side “beach” area in the sun, to eat, rest, and warm back up again, and when we were ready to move on again, we swam across the final two deep pools and reached the end of the 1.0 mile canyon. From the water’s edge, we traversed a small path up to the top of the hill and returned back the same way we had come earlier, on the Jug Trail # 61, making it back to the trailhead again by 1 pm for a total hiking distance of 5.0 miles RT, and a total hiking time of 5.0 hours.
In all, really a gorgeous and beautiful slot canyon and an incredible canyoneering hike, perfectly planned, organized and led by Eric Kinneman of the TLC Hiking Club. We owe our thanks and gratitude to Eric because it was only because of his expert coaching, guidance and support, that we were all able to safely jump off a 27 foot water fall cliff, many of us for the very first time, and successfully complete this amazing canyoneering adventure together. Truly a great day and a thrilling experience we won’t soon forget either! So if you’re up for an extraordinary pool hopping, rock sliding, waterfall adventure, and an excellent intermediate canyoneering hike through a gorgeous slot canyon, then be sure you check out the Jug, at Lower Salome Creek, in the Salome Wilderness, Arizona.
Here are a few links which I think are good for additional information if you are interested in canyoneering through the Jug, at Lower Salome Creek, Salome Wilderness, Arizona:
http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hikes/Arizona/Tonto/Salome3.htm
http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=111
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/specialplaces/?cid=fsbdev3_018737
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5163260.pdf
http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/salome-wilderness-outdoor-pp2-guide-cid401708.html
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience canyoneering through the Jug, at Lower Salome Creek, please feel free to post a comment!
A Wild, Roaring, Rafting Adventure, and a Majestic Wilderness Exploration Through The Upper Salt River Canyon: White Water Rafting The Upper Salt River, Globe, Arizona
Discover an ancient canyon wilderness, rich in riparian nature and pristine, natural beauty, and enjoy a fun and exciting outdoors adventure, white water rafting the Upper Salt River. Located just 135 miles from Phoenix, near the town of Globe, the roughly 52 mile stretch of the Upper Salt River, after receiving run off from the nearby White Mountains during early spring, is home to some of Arizona’s best Class III and Class IV river rapids. Even if you are a beginner, white water rafting doesn’t require having prior experience or training is relatively inexpensive and best of all, it’s a thrilling and exciting adrenaline rush and a great way to experience nature and the outdoors with your friends or family. So if you consider yourself an outdoors adventurer, and would like to experience something new and exciting to do, that’s not expensive and close to Phoenix, then I highly recommend you go white water rafting down the Upper Salt River, Globe, Arizona!
I really enjoy the adventure of white water rafting and have previously been down the Snake River in the Teton’s National Park, Wyoming, as well as the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, California. I had heard about white water rafting trips down the Upper Salt River here in Arizona, however, I had never done it before because the season for running the Upper Salt is very unpredictable as well as very short. To time it just right when the perennial run off and water flow is at its optimum and peak, ideally you’re looking at about early-mid March. However, this is dependent on how much snow is received up in the mountains each winter. The season for running the Upper Salt they say actually extends from as early as February until mid May. So when I saw that there was a local group called the Desert Mountain Paddlers, led and organized by Ron Russell, who was planning a white water rafting trip down on the Upper Salt River, I quickly invited my friends and got signed up at a discounted group rate through Canyon Rio Rafting, based out of Flagstaff, Arizona, and the professional outfitter company who runs the Upper Salt River.
It was a beautiful spring morning during the first week in April that my friends and I met Ron Russell, aka “The Canoe Guy” and the rest of the Desert Mountain Paddlers team and began our day’s journey, heading out US 60 east, aka “The Old West Highway” and arrived in Globe by 7:30am. After a short break for food and restrooms at McDonalds, we made a left onto US 60-Hwy 77 North and enjoyed the beautiful mountain drive for another 30 minutes until we finally arrived at the top of the hill overlooking the Salt River Valley below and were all completely stunned and amazed at how absolutely breathtaking and gorgeous it was. Wow!
We drove down the steep hill, and after crossing over the bridge, made a quick left onto the short dirt road where by 8:30am we had finally arrived at Canyon Rio’s meeting and parking area. We got out and were warmly greeted by the staff of Canyon Rio who quickly provided us the equipment we would be needing for our day’s river rafting adventure including full wet suits, nylon splash jackets, helmets, paddles and PFD’s (personal flotation devices). We were advised by Canyon Rio in advance, to not only bring with us bottled water but also, when river rafting early in the spring season when water temps are very cold and outside air temps a bit more chilly than in summer months, to wear clothes that are made of either synthetic or quick drying fabrics, and shoes that are old sneakers or river sandals with socks that are neoprene or wool material to keep your feet and body from getting too cold.
Once fully suited up, and with our paddles in our hands, we began to walk down to the river’s edge together where our river guide, “Scratchy”, a veteran river guide with 9 years experience behind him, met us and provided an excellent introduction to river rafting including learning how to use a paddle, as well as what to do in case of an emergency, such as falling out of the raft, what to do should the raft get flipped over. After this thorough overview, we were finally ready for what was sure to be a very adventurous and also very scenic 9 mile river rafting journey down the Upper Salt River! After getting together for a few quick group photos, we eagerly got into all of our 6 man rafts and one by one launched out onto the river by about 10 am.
The Upper Salt River Canyon, about 4000 feet elevation, was windy and chilly that morning, I’d estimate somewhere in the 50’s in temperature as we began our journey and I was happy to have been provided a full wet suit as well as a wind breaker for added warmth. As we were slowly drifting down from our river launch site, I looked up and was just completely amazed at the very beautiful, pristine scenery of this wilderness area, which stretched 52 miles from Globe all the way down to Roosevelt Lake. Located on ancestral Native American Indian grounds, the Upper Salt River Canyon is highly restricted by the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, and is only accessible by river raft or kayak with a permit.
It only took a few minutes on the river before we came to our first rapid, the “Bump & Grind” rapid, classified as a “Class II” rapid. And wow, what fun that was too! But that was just a warm up. There were a whole lot more to come, we were headed for an entire series of excellent “Class III” rapids, and although we had missed the peak flow a few weeks earlier, the river’s cfs, or flow rate, was still very good that day, “Scratchy”, our river guide advised, so we were in for a real adventure! How rapids are classified is really pretty subjective, I learned. Basically it’s determined by water levels, flow rates, obstructions or obstacles in the river’s bottom such as rocks and boulders or anything that would cause the water, always flowing down hill, to spin, swirl or cause to spill over such as a water fall. Rapids are rated anywhere from 1, which is your scenic float, all the way up to 10, and extremely dangerous. However, if you’re a beginning to intermediate river rafter, like myself, the Class II & Class III river rafting trips are perfect and the Upper Salt River offers some of the best rapids in the entire western U.S.
After warming up at the “Bump and Grind”, Class II rapid, and with the rest of our team of Desert Mountain Paddlers now closely behind us, we looked up and were excited to take on the next rapid, our first Class III rapid of the day, the “Maytag” rapid! Wow, now that was fun! But that was just the beginning of the adventure! From there it was all Class III”s, an entire series! With our team behind us and mostly out of sight by now, we continued on to move on to the next rapid and the next, the “Grumman”, the “Mother Rock” and the “Overboard” rapids, rocking, splashing and spinning, crashing against the waves and twirling through the torrent of current of the Upper Salt, I almost got tossed out of the boat twice!. Wow, what a wild, thrilling and exciting adventure ride!
After successfully running the “Overboard” Class III rapid, we veered our raft over to the river’s edge to wait for the rest of our team to arrive. This was turning out to be one heck of a wild river run, and I noticed I wasn’t the only one to get tossed out either! There were a few solo kayakers also attempting to run the river that day and one of them got flipped over and tossed out of his kayak! Thankfully, after swimming through the rapid while still hanging onto his kayak, he eventually he made it and was okay. We waited along the river’s edge until everyone had made it successfully through the last rapid and once we had all of our rafting team back together again, we continued on.
From here we had a break from the rapids and had a chance to enjoy some of the gorgeous canyon scenery and wildlife that is along the Upper Salt River. So absolutely beautiful and majestic, I found it so amazing that the Upper Salt River Canyon is a backcountry wilderness area, consisting of about 32,000 acres, that has managed to remain completely remote, and untouched here within the state of Arizona. What a great day and adventure this had been so far, I thought to myself.
It was a little after 12 noon when we arrived at Canyon Rio’s camp site on the river and where we’d pull our rafts over to the shore and have a picnic lunch and mid-day rest break. And what a lunch it was too! Canyon Rio really provided us a delicious and fantastic lunch, that had it all, right down to the last details too. Wow! We were really enjoying everything but by 1:30 pm, and after a quick group photo with our river guide extraordinaire, “Scratchy”, it was time to get back in our rafts again and begin the second part of our journey and adventure down the Upper Salt River.
After pulling our rafts out and continuing on from camp, and next taking on the “Exhibition” Class III rapid, the scenery was even more beautiful and spectacular as we quickly approached the gorgeous Cibecue Canyon, the crossed Cibeque Creek. After running the Cibecue Rapid, a Class II rapid, we turned a corner to the left and continued to enjoy the journey heading down this very serene and tranquil stretch of the Upper Salt River until we came to what would be the best but final set of rapids of the day.
Once again we were advised by our excellent river guide “Scratchy” what we were to do as we approached first the “Three Way” rapid, a Class III rapid, followed by the “Salt River Draw”, a Class II rapid, then on to our final rapid of the day, the “grand finale” and saving the best for last it seemed, as we crashed, splashed, bumped, grinded and glided our way down through the rocking and rolling “Mezcal Falls”, a Class III-IV rapid that was absolutely the best one of them all! Wow, what a total adrenaline rush!
After pulling to the side to wait for the rest of our team to successfully make it through “Mezcal Falls”, we then floated for a few more final minutes on the river until we finally reached the end of our 9 mile river rafting adventure by about 2:30pm, and the access point where Canyon Rio was waiting for us to transport us back to the parking area where our cars were and by 3:30pm we had arrived back at the parking lot, ready to head back home to Phoenix again.
In all, what an incredibly fun, exciting and scenic outdoors adventure on the Upper Salt River! Really a great day spent with friends and everyone from the Desert Mountain Paddlers group. And also, an excellent river rafting expedition put together by the professional and experienced team of river guides from Canyon Rio Rafting. So if you’re looking for something new, exciting, fun and adventurous to do, then I highly recommend you be sure to check out white water rafting down the Upper Salt River, Globe, Arizona!
Here are a few links which I think are good for additional information if you are interested in learning more about white water rafting or would like to plan your own trip white water rafting on the Upper Salt River, Arizona:
http://www.canyonrio.com
http://raftingamerica.com/
http://www.azcentral.com/travel/parks/articles/2010/04/08/20100408rafting-upper-salt-river0410.html
http://www.raftarizona.com/
http://www.canyoneers.com/
http://www.discoverahobby.com/learnriverrafting.htm
http://www.riversearch.com/
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience white water rafting, please feel free to post a comment!
An Incredible, Boulder Hopping, Bushwhacking, “Balls to the Wall” Challenge & Scenic Journey to a Giant Hidden Waterfall Oasis: The Reavis Falls Adventure Hike, Eastern Superstition Wilderness, Arizona.
If I were to tell you that there was a giant, 140 foot waterfall hidden in the middle of the Arizona desert, would you believe it? Well, it’s absolutely true! Arizona, is a land blessed with a unique beauty and a richness in diversity that is unlike any other place you will find. And it is only in Arizona, with its wide array of geography, scenery, and wilderness adventure, can you also find, as unbelievable as it sounds, a giant 140 foot waterfall oasis hidden deeply in the central Arizonan desert! So if you’re up for a really incredible boulder hopping, bushwhacking adventure, and are ready for a challenging, and very scenic wilderness journey out to a remote and giant hidden waterfall oasis, then be sure and check out the Reavis Falls Adventure Hike, in the Eastern Superstition Wilderness, Arizona!
Early on a beautiful spring weekend morning in late March, I met up with the TLC Hiking Club, led and organized by Eric Kinneman, of the TLC Lending Company, at a meet up location east of Phoenix, at US 60 and Sossaman Road in Mesa. By 6am, after all 35 members had arrived and after receiving a brief overview by Eric about the day’s upcoming hike and what to possibly expect at the trailhead’s limited parking area, we all got into our vehicles and were on our way for the Reavis Trailhead, located in the remote, Eastern Superstition Wilderness.
Our day’s journey and roughly 29 mile mostly off road adventure to the Reavis Trailhead began by heading north on Idaho Road for about 2 miles until we came to SR 88, which is more popularly known as the historic “Apache Trail and Scenic ByWay”. After passing by the gorgeous and scenic, Canyon Lake, we continued our journey on the Apache Trail and by 6:45am we came to the small town of Tortilla Flat, where just up the road a couple of miles, the pavement stops and the Apache Trail becomes an all dirt road. It was highly advisable, but not a requirement for us to have at least an HCV vehicle to do this drive and journey. However, you can make it in a regular vehicle, as I’ve done before, but you must be prepared to add more time to your trip and journey as you’ll need to take it much more slowly than you would in an HCV or 4WD.
Up from Tortilla Flat, the all dirt road, Apache Trail ventures further into the Superstition Wilderness and on up to my favorite, the incredibly scenic, Fish Creek Hill, where from there the road narrows down to a single lane with oncoming two way traffic, venturing straight down for a total of a 1500 foot drop by the time you reach the bottom. Wow! Once we had successfully made it down to the bottom of the beautiful Fish Creek Canyon, we stopped and parked along the side of the road and took a short break, gather up our members, then got back in our cars and continued on.
Continuing from Fish Creek, most write ups estimate that it’s about a 7.2 mile drive from to reach the Reavis Trailhead. I did not gauge it that day, but I did take note that it was only a few short minutes later, by 7:15am, just past mile marker 227, that we saw the sign for the Reavis Trailhead on the right hand side. We made a right onto FR 212 then drove the mountainous, winding 2.9 miles until we finally arrived at the Reavis Trailhead and parking area by 7:30am. Much to our surprise and relief, we found the limited parking area to be completely empty and thankfully, had no trouble having enough space to park all of our group’s vehicles.
We parked, packed up and it was by 7:50am, after a quick group photo shot, that we had hit the trail, the Reavis Ranch Trail, #109. The Reavis Trail, actually an old dirt road, is a long trail that leads out to the historic Reavis Ranch, home to the first Anglo settler in the Superstition Mountains, Elisha Reavis, who back in the 1800’s grew and sold produce in the local mining communities until one day he was found dead and was buried him right where he was found, on the trail!
Starting out from the Reavis Trailhead, and beginning our trek and journey on the Reavis Trail # 109, the views of Apache Lake down below and the Superstition Wilderness are absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking! The trail immediately begins by ascending moderately in elevation with the beautiful views of Apache Lake and 4 Peaks off to the left and northeast. At the same time, straight ahead in front of you and off to the distance to the right, you also have really beautiful views of the mountains and rolling hills of the backcountry wilderness that is the Eastern Superstition Wilderness, which is much higher in elevation than the Western Superstition Wilderness.
We quickly made our way along the switch backing trail, steadily climbing up in elevation, while thoroughly enjoying the absolutely gorgeous Superstition Wilderness views all around us. After roughly about 3.5 miles we arrived at our turn off for Reavis Falls, a cairn marked, narrow path and spur trail where we journeyed left and headed east straight up a grassy hill and continued to venture further out into the secluded Eastern Superstition Wilderness. The names for this “unmaintained” trail are multiple, ranging from “unknown spur trail” to the “Reavis Gap Trail #117”. Whichever the case, I found the turn off to be well marked and the narrow trail to be well developed and easy to follow.
From the turn off from the Reavis Trail 109 and now beginning our trek and journey along the spur trail, we continued to still steadily climb further and further up in elevation. With the absolutely breathtaking views of Apache Lake and Four Peaks now behind us, in front of us and off to the right we now had amazing views of Castle Dome as well as the surrounding beautiful Eastern Superstitions as we continued to press on making our ascent in elevation until we reached a wide saddle that topped out our intense journey so far at 4675 feet in elevation! Wow, what an amazing journey so far! However, after taking a very short break to catch our breaths, we were ready to continue onto the next part of the adventurous journey, making the very steep and intense descent back down again, down to Reavis Creek!
From the top and saddle at elevation 4675 feet, slowly and carefully, step by step, we dropped our way straight down, down, and still further down in elevation, and as the steep and narrow switch backing trail veered over to the left, we went around Lime Mountain, then passed by Lime Spring, switch backed down yet more until we arrived at the straight and level, Cedar Basin. After passing by Cedar Basin, we came to the first creek crossing, Maple Spring, which we were advised to cross. After only a short ways of a little bit of bushwhacking, we finally arrived at the second creek, Reavis Creek, and a total estimated distance traveled so far, 6 miles!
Once down at the bottom of Reavis Creek, the spur trail we had been following for so long, disappeared and we began to notice that there were other people around now, a few backpackers who were camping along the left side of Reavis Creek. A little fatigued by now, we stopped to ask if we were still on track to reach Reavis Falls and were rest assured that we were in fact dead on and if we continued following up the creek, we need only look for the hand built cairns along the way that would lead and guide us right up to the falls and where the rest of our group already were.
Though we felt we were “almost there”, the adventure continued on! We now had the incredible ¾ mile journey along the bottom of Reavis Creek, climbing up and over the humungous rocks and boulders, bushwhacking through thick brush, vegetation and trees which filled the creek’s floor. Finally, after roughly about an hour’s trek, we started to run into other TLC Hiking Club members including Eric Kinneman, who had already been at the falls for about an hour and along with a few others from the front of the group, were starting to make their way back by this time. We were advised by Eric that we were in fact only a short 200 feet away from the falls now. A few minutes later, by approximately 11am, we had finally made it to Reavis Falls, and wow, what an incredible and challenging journey it had been and what an unbelievable, spectacular sight to see! Although the water flow had only been at about ½ that day, having missed the peak flow despite it still being early spring when mountain run off is said to be at its height, it was still a really amazing experience to see. Who would’ve ever thought that such an enormous waterfall as this even existed way out in the middle of the Superstitions? It was truly magnificent and amazing, absolutely worth the long, challenging and intense journey it had taken to get there too.
After taking only a short 40 minute break at the bottom of the falls to eat quick lunch and take some pictures, we knew that the day was heating up fast and the journey and trek back up again was going to be very long and challenging, so we quickly packed back up again and by 11:40am we left Reavis Falls and started our boulder hopping and bushwhacking journey back ¾ mile through Reavis Creek, until one hour later, we made a left onto the spur trail and started our steep ascent back up again.
By now it was well past noon and the forecast for this day in late March was predicted to reach the low 90’s. So the temps were heating up quickly as we began the toughest and most challenging part of our adventure that of the steep ascent and climb back up again in elevation and believe me, it was brutal for awhile too! Though many of us at the back end of the pack had to slow it down to take additional breaks to keep from getting too overheated, slowly but surely, we continued to march on until we finally reached the top again and the saddle at an elevation of 4675 feet, then from there, trekked further on to make our way back to the Reavis Trail #109 junction. After hanging a right at the junction and following the Reavis Trail for another 3.5 miles, we finally arrived back at the Reavis Trailhead again by 3:45pm, where we waited for another 45 minutes or so until the remaining TLC members had made it safely back by about 4:30pm.
In all, what an incredible journey and adventure! According to our GPS, our total hiking distance RT was 15.1 miles, with a total elevation gain of 3600 feet which we did in approximately 8.0 hours, on a very warm and toasty 90 degree day too! It was a very remote wilderness hike, and a real “balls to the wall” challenge that due to its length of distance and intense elevation gain, then add to that the ¾ mile of class 3 & class 4 level boulder hopping and bushwhacking, this hike will definitely test your abilities! And that it did too! Described by Eric Kinneman as a serious and challenging hike, one of the top 5 most difficult hikes in all of Arizona, combined with its gorgeous backcountry wilderness scenery out to a giant hidden waterfall oasis, according to Eric, this hike really does have it all! So if you’re ready for an incredible adventure and are up for a real intense “balls to the wall” challenge, then I highly recommend you check out the Reavis Falls Adventure Hike, in the Eastern Superstition Wilderness, Arizona!
Here are a couple of links which I think are good for additional information on hiking out to Reavis Falls, in the Eastern Superstition Wilderness, Arizona:
http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=99
http://arizonahiking.org/component/content/article/84-superstition-and-mazatzal-wilderness/304-reavis-falls
http://www.hawsedc.com/tom/reavis.jpg http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hikes/Arizona/Tonto/Superstition8.htm
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience hiking out to Reavis Falls, please feel free to post a comment!
An Extraordinary Ridgeline Mountain Journey of Geologic Marvel and Rugged Desert Wilderness Grandeur: The Quartz Peak Adventure Hike, Estrella Mountain Wilderness, Arizona
“Few if any states can match the variety of backcountry terrain that Arizona has to offer. From arid deserts to alpine tundra, Arizona has it all. This diversity translates into a vast and interesting array of backcountry excursions from which to choose from.” I think this quotation taken directly from one of my favorite resources, “100 Hikes in Arizona” by Scott S. Warren, really sums up perfectly what the amazing state of Arizona has to offer whether you’re a hiker, backpacker, rock climber, or just someone who enjoys getting out into nature and the outdoors. Arizona with its vast variety of topography and climate, really does have it all! Having lived in Arizona now for over half my lifetime, I am still amazed that there always seems to be someplace new to go, and during the winter months, it’s an excellent time to get out and explore the beautiful and rugged, Sonoran Desert region. So if you’re up for getting out and checking out someplace new and truly unique, an excellent “off roading” journey, that’s remote yet still close to Phoenix and a rugged, ridgeline trek and challenging workout with stunning panoramic scenery and wilderness views, then check out the Quartz Peak Trail and Adventure Hike, in the Estrella Mountain Wilderness, Arizona.
On an early March weekend morning I met my friends from the TLC Hiking Club, organized and led by Eric Kinneman, at a meet up location in Avondale, west of Phoenix. By 7:15 am once everyone had arrived, we set out for our hike out to a place I’d never heard of before called Quartz Peak, approximately 25 miles southwest of Phoenix, located in the Estrella Mountain Wilderness, a remote and extremely rugged mountain wilderness area comprised of 14,400 acres rising steeply and sharply from 1500 feet up to over 4000 feet in elevation. We were strongly advised from the onset that the Quartz Peak Hike would also be a real “off roading” adventure and that HCV vehicles with 4 wheel drive were going to be a necessity. So from the meet up location, we got our car pools arranged and all in HCV and 4 wheel drives, we left for Quartz Peak heading out I-10 west for only several miles until we came to the Estrella Parkway exit.
After making a left on Estrella Parkway, our directions were to head south for about 8.3 miles until we came to Elliott Road. At Elliott Road, turn right for 2.3 miles. From here the directions became a bit tricky and a series of zig zag turns and you need to pay close attention otherwise you could get easily lost out in there in this remote section of desert. When we came to the intersection of Rainbow Valley Road, we turned left and headed south for 9.3 miles until we came to Riggs Road. At Riggs Road, you want to turn left again and head east until you come to Bullard Avenue. Turn right onto Bullard, then make a quick left onto an all dirt road which you will find under a set of telephone poles. And here’s where our “off road 4 wheel drive” adventure and the fun began!
We continued on this all dirt road, heading east for another 5.3 miles until it came to an end. I really thought the condition of the dirt road, although very sandy and washboard, but overall not bad. It was only after passing Rainbow Ranch, and in this latter section that the road narrowed, and had deeper sand and ruts. Although, we didn’t need to drop it into 4 wheel drive as was previously advised, you definitely want to have an HCV to successfully make this journey. After getting our navigation down, I looked out the window and noticed that the desert views and landscape were now becoming more and more scenic and gorgeous the further we made our way out to this rugged and remote, not widely known wilderness area. Beautiful!
Once we had arrived at the end of the dirt road, under a large set of power lines, we located a small sign that said “Trail”, then made a right and drove another 1.9 miles until we came to another “Trail” sign, then swung a left and drive another 1.9 miles to the end and finally arrived at the trail head and well developed parking area for the Quartz Peak Trail. Wow, what a fun off road adventure!
After arriving at the Quartz Peak Trailhead area by roughly 8:30am. I thought it was really quite surprising to find such a large and well developed trailhead and parking area including a toilet facility way out in this remote wilderness area especially with the rugged roads that you have to take to get there! Nonetheless, it was nice to have plenty of space in which to park and after getting a quick restroom break in, it was by 8:45 am that we were ready to set off on our hiking adventure on the Quartz Peak Trail.
As most write ups accurately describe, for the first few minutes, the Quartz Peak Trail starts out following an old and level jeep trail, then turns to the left and quickly begins steeply climbing straight up on a narrow, but well developed rocky trail. As you start this accent, the views behind you of the pristine desert valley behind you were more beautiful the higher and further up you went. It was roughly by about .6 of a mile that we had made it to the top of the first ridge, and wow, the scenery, absolutely breathtaking!
We got in a short break, and with Eric and the rest of the group well in front of us by this time, we continued our journey on the Quartz Peak Trail which from here on out would be a very steep, rugged and strenuous ridgeline trek and climb, with spectacular scenery and mountain views of the Sierra Estrellas and Butterfly Mountain to the north and east of you, then turning to look to the west and behind you, you had the views of Rainbow Valley and the beautiful western desert wilderness area, which again, the further and further up you went, the more amazing and incredible the views became!
It was at about one mile that we finally made it to the top of the second ridge, and continued pressing on in order to keep up with our group. Following a narrow ridge, the Quartz Peak Trail continues ventures on but shifts over to the northeast a bit and then stretches out for a little ways on a level portion of ridgeline which made for a great chance for us to catch our breath and also get a few more amazing pictures too. With it being such a bright and sunny, spring morning, and with all the spectacular scenery to either side of us, it was a perfect opportunity to stop for some photography and I eagerly took as many pictures as possible of what I saw of this incredible journey so far!
Now at roughly about 1 ½ miles, the very rocky and extremely narrow Quartz Peak Trail meanders steeply winding, twisting, and ascending higher and higher up in elevation. With the views becoming even more awe-inspiring and impressive as time went on, we excitedly continued our venture and journey, one step after the other, carefully making it to the top of the next ridge, then another, then yet another, one after the other, climbing steeply up and up, until roughly at about 1.79 miles and at approximately 3180 feet in elevation, we finally caught our first sight of the snow white capped top of Quartz Peak! What an amazing and beautiful sight!
After receiving a short radio communication from Eric, and letting him know our location and providing brief backend sweep update, we quickly moved on as it was still a ways to go to make the summit from there. Moving on from here, and with more stunningly gorgeous scenery and views to either side of you, the Quartz Peak Trail switchbacks further on up in elevation. While still trying to capture as many pictures and shots as I could of this incredible mountain climbing journey, now beginning to feel the fatigue set in my legs, together we continued pushing on.
We arrived safely at the top of yet another ridge at roughly about 2.5 miles, when the intense Quartz Peak trail reached a meadow area, then eased up again. After running into a few fellow TLC Hikers who were already on their return from the summit, we happily got a few photos together, said our farewells then we continued to venture on. The journey to the summit from here, we were advised, roughly about the last 1/2 mile or so, would become a short boulder hopping, hand & toe climb and scramble to the top and with no definite trail to follow. However, I thought there was no real need or worry about route finding as the designated path appeared to me to be very well marked with strategically placed rock cairns which made it very easy to follow. So together we slowly scrambled and climbed up and up until only a few short minutes later at roughly about 3.0 miles, we did it! We had finally reached the beautiful and gorgeous solid white capped summit, aptly named Quartz Peak! What an amazing and incredible journey and venture it had been too!
Upon our arrival at the summit of Quartz Peak at around 11am, having successfully journeyed a total of 2600 feet in elevation in just 3 short miles, I have said it before, and I will say it again, there really are no words to describe just how euphoric you feel when you finally and successfully make the summit of a mountain peak after a very long, steep and challenging journey. It’s simply beyond words and it’s just incredible! And what an amazing mountain peak summit this was too, consisting of huge, gorgeous, solid white quartz rock! It was really amazing!
According to geologists, Quartz Peak, located at a point along a spine ridge in the sharp and rugged Sierra Estrella Mountain range, and once an area strong in volcanic activity, consists of a unique “outcrop” of solid white quartz rock. Once you get start getting closer to the peak, you’ll begin to notice the white quartz rocks along the trail and also a shiny silver, metallic looking mineral rock called “mica”. Overall, I thought it was really quite interesting and amazing from a geological perspective even if you’re someone whose interest isn’t in geology, like myself.
While resting at the top of Quartz Peak we also really enjoyed taking in the spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding area which were absolutely stunning and gorgeous! To the north, you had a view of South Mountain and the Phoenix area. At the same time, to the south and east of you, there was the ruggedly beautiful Sierra Estrella Wilderness. Then finally to the south and west, you had more breathtaking views of Rainbow Valley and the Sonoran Desert below you. Truly an extraordinary and awe-inspiring experience, I will soon not forget!
While Eric and the rest of the group had already mad their way back, it was about an hour later, about 12-12:15pm, after getting many more great pictures of all of us together including a short and thrilling side trek adventure to climb to the top of a huge rock boulder, that we decided it was time to head back. Only 30 minutes behind the last remaining members, we began our venture back and made our way down the 2600 feet rugged journey and back to the trail head and parking area again by 2:15-2:30pm which according to our GPS, our total hiking distance was exactly 6 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of exactly 2600 feet, which we successfully completed in 5 hours, 40 minutes, at an average hiking speed of 2.6 mph.
Truly an amazing experience and extraordinary hike I will soon not forget. Thanks again to Eric Kinneman of the TLC Hiking Club for yet another very well led, planned and organized hiking adventure. So if you’re wanting some place new and unique to go….an excellent “off road” journey I highly recommend, that’s remote, yet still close to Phoenix and a rugged, and challenging, ridgeline hike filled with stunning panoramic scenery up to the top of a gorgeous and geologically unique mountain peak summit, then be sure and check out the Quartz Peak Trail and Adventure Hike, in the Estrella Mountain Wilderness, Arizona!
Here are some links which I think are really good for additional information on hiking the Quartz Peak Trail, Estrella Mountain Wilderness, Arizona:
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/recreation/hiking/quartz.html
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/az/images/hiking.Par.89220.File.dat/QuartzPeakMap.pdf
http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=95
http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hikes/Arizona/Estrella/Estrella1.htm
http://www.azcentral.com/travel/hiking/articles/2006/06/17/20060617quartzpeak.html
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience hiking the Quartz Peak Trail, please feel free to post a comment!
An Adventure of Geological Wonder and Desert Mountain Splendor: The Tom's Thumb Trail Hike, McDowell Sonoran Wilderness Preserve, Arizona
Clement winters filled with bright, sunny days are what make Phoenix, Arizona, one of the most attractive places to visit in the world with the beautiful months of January and February the peak of its infamous “snow bird season”! Though its temperate winter climate remains the primary draw for many winter visitors who come from all corners of the world, what they soon discover is that Arizona is not just about warm, sunny weather and beautiful golf resorts, its really an extraordinary state and region rich in diversity. No where else on the planet will you find the range of topographical, geological and geographical diversity that you find here within the state of Arizona. With its seemingly endless variety of scenery, places to go and activities to do, virtually anytime of the year, Arizona is a land of wonder and adventure for anyone who loves nature and the outdoors.
If you’re someone who’s been thinking of planning a trip to visit Arizona soon, or if you live in Arizona or the Phoenix area and you’d like a recommendation for a great place to go, a really unique and interesting adventure that’s a lot of fun and moderately rated, filled with geological wonder and Sonoran desert mountain splendor, and best yet, its located within a scenic wilderness backcountry area with fewer crowds and less traffic, yet its still close to town and located within minutes of Phoenix, an outdoors hike I highly recommend checking out, is the Tom’s Thumb Trail Hike, in the McDowell Sonoran Wilderness Preserve, Scottsdale, Arizona.
It was a clear, brisk early February weekend morning that I drove out to North Scottsdale to meet up with a great group of friends and experienced hikers from the TLC Hiking Club, a local Phoenix hiking & adventure group organized and led by Eric Kinneman, and where I’d begin my first hike and adventure out to a place interestingly called “Tom’s Thumb”, located in the far northeast area of Scottsdale, in the McDowell Mountains, and within a remote backcountry area called the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a very scenic mountain wilderness preserve consisting of 17,000 acres and which I had heard was particularly famous worldwide for rock climbing. I met up with the TLC Hiking Club that day for the “Tom’s Thumb to the Ogre’s Den Hike” and by about 7:45am, after everyone had arrived, we were ready to set off together for the Tom’s Thumb Trailhead.
Heading north on Pima Road, we turned right at the intersection of Happy Valley Road. Then from there it was a zig zag series of turns through the north east Scottsdale residential area called Troon. From Happy Valley road, you’ll turn right on Alameda, then make another right at 119th way, then make a left at Casitas Del Rio Drive, and another left at Paraiso Drive. From there and for the remaining 1.5 miles or so, just look for and follow the signs for the “Tom’s Thumb Temporary Trailhead”. Although construction plans are underway to develop a new and much larger trailhead and parking area with easier access , it is not expected to be completed until May, 2012. In the meantime, in order to reach the Tom’s Thumb “temporary” trailhead and parking area, it is recommended that you preferably have an HCV vehicle as the last quarter to half mile portion is an all dirt road, which although mostly well graded, it still had a few spots which could be hard on a regular vehicle. Having successfully navigated through the maze of directions and also found a place to park in the limited parking area available, by 8:30am we had all arrived at the trailhead and were packed up and ready to start our day’s hike and adventure out to the infamous Tom’s Thumb!
Located in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve’s remote northern access area, the Tom’s Thumb Trail immediately begins ascending up in elevation through a series of wide but still very moderate level switchbacks. As you continue to make your way up in elevation, when you look back behind you, the views looking back over the parking area below and the surrounding landscape behind it were absolutely beautiful the higher up you were. Looking forward and up at the trail in front of you, you start to notice yourself surrounded by huge rocks and boulders and many interesting and even oddly shaped rock formations. Wow, really amazing!
In the beginning and for the first mile or so, the Tom’s Thumb trail, I would best describe it as being a good workout. With its wide switchbacks, twists and turns, the trail climbs in elevation for about 1000 feet and at roughly about 3600 feet in elevation, you top out at a saddle area. Once you arrive at the crest and saddle area, you’ll just want to stop for a few minutes, because the scenery and views in front of you of the town of Fountain Hills below with the Superstition Wilderness in the background are absolutely breathtaking and spectacular! Wow! After a short break to catch our breaths and take a few pictures, I teamed back up with my friends and fellow TLC hikers, and we ventured on.
From the saddle and now atop the beautiful McDowell Mountain Ridgeline, the Tom’s Thumb Trail levels out more but its journey continues winding and twisting, climbing back up and then back down again. We continued to venture on together continuing to enjoy the amazing geological scenery along the way, but now noticing the newly constructed signs to follow along the trail, until about a mile or so later, we finally reached our destination, the giant 140 foot solid granite pinnacle called, Tom’s Thumb! Looking straight up at Tom’s Thumb, it will definitely take your breath away because, it’s not until you get up close that you appreciate just how massive it really is. What an absolutely spectacular and awe-inspiring sight to see!
Tom’s Thumb as well as its surrounding area, I recently discovered, is also an excellent and very popular place for rock climbing too. As we approached Tom’s Thumb, we saw that there were several signs directing you for the turn off to the rock climbing area. However, we didn’t go check it out this time but instead enjoyed catching back up with Eric Kinneman and the rest of the TLC Hiking group, getting some pictures of the beautiful surrounding scenery, then getting together for a couple of group shots atop one of the massive sized boulders nestled along the base of Tom’s Thumb.
After checking out Tom’s Thumb and with Eric and the rest of the group on their way to the Overlook Trail by this time, we began the short and easy bushwhacking trek around to the side of Tom’s Thumbs to a cave popularly named, “the Ogres Den”. Along this roughly 200 foot stretch, the mountain top views and scenery along the way looking down over the northeast valley below, were absolutely gorgeous! We really enjoyed crawling down into the cave for a few minutes to see the decorative artwork painted on its rock walls and the many interesting artifacts that previous hikers have left over the years. Very interesting! We took a few pictures together, signed the log book then quickly proceeded on to our next hiking destination, the scenic Lookout Trail.
We bushwhacked our way back around the base of Tom’s Thumb, then headed back the way we had come but made a left to begin our journey on the Lookout Trail. The optional trek over to the Look Trail, added an additional mile or so to the day’s hiking distance. However, it wasn’t a difficult trek and I thought it was well worth the extra 30 minutes to 1 hour time that it took because the panoramic views from the top at about 3858 feet in elevation were absolutely breathtaking! On the western side you could see all of the northeast valley below, then when you turned around, on the other side you had the incredible views to the east of the Four Peaks and the Superstition Wilderness in the distance in front of you. Wow, gorgeous! In addition, if you looked straight down, you could see the town of Fountain Hills and within only a few short minutes, we saw its huge water fountain go off in the distance. Wow, really spectacular!
We thoroughly enjoyed spending a few minutes to break, eat lunch and take in the incredible views. However, after getting a quick group photo together, we decided it was time to start heading back again and meet back up with the rest of our group. It was only about 1.5 hours later that we had completed our fun journey back to the trailhead again and which according to our GPS, our total hiking distance for the Tom’s Thumb Trail, with the short trek over to the Ogre’s Den, then the journey over to the Lookout Trail and back again was a total of 5.5 miles, with an elevation gain of exactly 1000 feet and a total hiking time of 4.5 hours which included lunch a few breaks along the way as well.
Really a fun day and an excellent hike, well planned, organized and led by Eric Kinneman of the TLC Hiking and Adventure Club, that was nice moderate level hike, a little off the beaten path but a very developed trail with well posted signs and directions so you can’t get lost, along with its many amazing rock formations and incredible mountain top views, what a fantastic hike! So for a great place to go that’s close to Phoenix, and for a truly unique and interesting hiking adventure that’s filled with geological wonder and breathtaking desert mountain splendor, then you’ll want to be sure and check out the Tom’s Thumb Trail Hike, in the McDowell Sonoran Wilderness Preserve, Scottsdale, Arizona.
Here are some links which I think are really good for additional information on hiking the Tom’s Thumb Trail, McDowell Sonoran Wilderness Preserve, Arizona:
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve
http://www.hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=733
http://yelp.com/biz/toms-thum-trail-scottsdale
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Assets/Public+Website/trails/trails+images/Preserve+Trails+Overview.pdf
http://www.aztrailheads.com/p-148-toms-thum.aspx
http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com/2010/02/toms-thumb.html
http://arizonaoddities.com/2011/07/face-in-the-rocks-along-tom%E280%99s-thumb-trail/
http://www.phoenixmag.com/travel/hiking-guide/201103/tom-s-thumb--north-access/
If you have any questions or would like to share about your experience hiking the Tom’s Thumb Trail, please feel free to post a comment!
