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Advice on Arizona & Utah in late April/early May

This topic has 9 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 10 months ago by Doug Coe.

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Apr 7, 2018 at 12:56 am #3529154

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

I haven’t been active on here, but it was fun seeing some of you at the GGG X in Henry Coe State Park in February.

I’m taking a road trip from the San Francisco area to Albuquerque and back in late April to early May. I want to do two 2-4 day backpack trips along the way, one on the way out and one on the way home. I like to stick to trails and have no desert hiking experience before this.

So far the ideas I’ve come up with are:

– Zion: East Rim + West Rim Trails in & out (would have to try for day before permit)
– Superstition Wilderness: Peralta TH, loop on Dutchman’s Trail (ranger said there might be no water and 100º)

Any suggestions for other places to go? Also, any tips on how to get good info on water availability at the time of my trip?

Thanks!

(not that) Doug

Apr 7, 2018 at 1:04 am #3529157

BlackHatGuy
Spectator

@sleeping
Locale: The Cascades

Are you tied to a specific date range?

(that) Doug

Apr 7, 2018 at 1:10 am #3529163

Valerie E
Spectator

@wildtowner
Locale: Grand Canyon State

> Superstition Wilderness: Peralta TH, loop on Dutchman’s Trail (ranger said there might be no water and 100º)

Yup. Hot as balls, and dry as cotton. It’ll also be snake season (April/May and Sept/Oct are prime time for snakes to be out). Not trying to discourage you — it’ll be an interesting experience, for sure! Just don’t go unprepared; people die here from doing that.

Another way to go would be to hike from the desert up to one of Southern Arizona’s “Sky Islands”. There are some nice trips in the Rincon Mts and the Santa Ritas near Tucson. Once you get up above 6,000ft, the heat will be tolerable, and if you camp high, you might even be chilly.

Apr 7, 2018 at 1:30 am #3529173

Matthew / BPL
Moderator

@matthewkphx

95° here in Phoenix tomorrow. I wouldn’t choose to hike in the Superstitions in late April or early May. It’s been an extremely dry winter and spring. You’ll be carrying a lot of water.

One of my favorite spots in AZ is the Cabin Loop system near Clints Well. The loop goes through three The east half of the loop is ~17 miles or you can add more by doing part or all of the west loop. The trail system goes through three main parallel canyons with distinct geology and plant life. It’s a diverse little system. Water at Aspen Spring and Dane Spring is reliable in my experience.

Another option would be stringing together a few passages of the AZT between the Mogollon Rim and Flagstaff. It will be dry up there as well (I was up there two weeks ago) but the temperatures will be very comfortable.

Apr 7, 2018 at 3:22 am #3529212

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

@Doug – Going out I’ll be hiking around April 23-26, coming back around May 10-13.

@Valerie – Yikes! I was afraid of that, which is why I started looking at southern Utah.

@Matthew – The Cabin Loop sounds promising. How are the snakes up there? Is it mostly open country or are there some trees (shade)?

Thanks, and feel free to chime in with more ideas!

Apr 7, 2018 at 6:48 am #3529231

Zachary F
BPL Member

@zfish42

In AZ the Mazatzals are pretty rad. Higher elevation than the superstitions and better water. Even higher elevation and even more water would be the highline trail east of Pine. Should be really nice that time of year. I hiked a big section of the hayduke last year end of april/early may and the weather was just about perfect. That whole area is so scenic you really can’t go wrong. Check out Jamal Green’s http://www.acrossutah.com/map for ideas.

Apr 7, 2018 at 6:29 pm #3529273

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

Zachary – Great ideas! I’ll look into them. That site You linked looks awesome!

Apr 7, 2018 at 6:54 pm #3529275

Matthew / BPL
Moderator

@matthewkphx

Doug, the Cabin Loop goes through pine forests and occasionally open meadows. It is very nicely shaded.

I’ve never seen a snake up there although I assume they exist.

Apr 7, 2018 at 9:24 pm #3529304

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

Matthew – Hey, lovely pix! Thanks for the info. It’s looking like a likely trip for me.

Apr 13, 2018 at 7:44 pm #3530322

Doug Coe
BPL Member

@sierradoug
Locale: Bay Area, CA, USA

Thank you to everyone with ideas for my trip.

I’ll be day hiking in Zion and Bryce. Then doing a few nights in Capitol Reef NP. Damn, my memory is for crap. I don’t remember what led me to this trip report that gave me the idea:

https://backcountrypost.com/threads/two-trips-in-one-at-capitol-reef.6909/#post-81952

Anywho, from there a day of day hiking in Arches.

On my return leg I’ll be backpacking a few days in Coconino NF on the Cabin Loop Trail—thank you Matthew!

Doug
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