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[Geoffnotjeff]

Hi all, new to *posting* on the forums, and wanted to say hello. The last time I was able to hike in the superstitions was 30 years ago, as a fresh teenager having the time of my life with my dad, who was raised in the area. Ive been reading and researching the LDM for fun for more than 30 years now, with no delusions to actually finding anything. Picture from '93 LOL!

However, myself and a friend will be in the area building a new facility for 4-5 weeks mid october - november and i was curious if any of the active members who have spent untold hours in the mountains have any recommended 1-2 day hikes. We can spend a night out, and will have at least 2 weekends we can get into the mountains. We move fast, are fit, experienced hikers, climbers, im a rigger, friend is a wilderness EMT and are both acclimated to higher elevations than we will find there. I would love to take him to some cool locations, and wanted to inquire about what would be your ideal spots to see with limited time but the ability to move quickly off or on trail for a long time.

My main idea would be seeing the pit mine area, with some time to explore around briefly, with an understanding it may be hard to locate on the ground, and moving through the brush is a challenge.

For a second trip, either peters mesa via peters canyon or the fun way up Geronimo's head. I understand that would be a overnighter or a very long day without anytime to explore.

Any ideas? I know the gathering is also happening while we are in town, and something i will try to attend for a night if work schedules permit.

Thank you all for the entertaining reads over the years, across multiple forums, reading many books, posts, i have deluded myself that there is a story out there of hat happened, but it will never be public knowledge. Im eager to learn more, as always.

 

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[PotBelly Jim]

Hi Geoff,

There was a big fire that took out a lot of old catlclaw and stuff up on Rogers Ridge a few years back. Jesse Feldman went up there right after the fire and took pictures, and from what I saw, it was cleared out pretty well. So it may be worth your while to head up there. If I were you, I'd head north right up the ridge, there's a series of little humps in it as you go north. There should still be a big pile of quartz up on the ridge when you get roughly even with the Silver Chief/Pit Mine. You could head down and east from there. If the undergrowth hasn't gotten too bad yet

From there you might want to head down to the bottom of Rogers and then up the canyon to the east going up to Reavis Grave, then up to Reavis Ranch. The apples should be ripe if there are any trees left. Or you could just stay in Rogers Canyon and head up north to the Angel Springs ruins (Salado house in a cave).

It might be iffy to go up to Reavis Ranch in fall, keep an eye on the weather. If it's snowing or raining I would stay lower.

If you go up Peters Canyon, there are a few shortcuts that will take you around the worst parts. Do you have a copy of Carlson/Stewart's Hiking Guide to the Superstitions?

Have fun and post some pics to the forum when you get back!

 

[Geoffnotjeff]

Hi Geoff,

There was a big fire that took out a lot of old catlclaw and stuff up on Rogers Ridge a few years back. Jesse Feldman went up there right after the fire and took pictures, and from what I saw, it was cleared out pretty well. So it may be worth your while to head up there. If I were you, I'd head north right up the ridge, there's a series of little humps in it as you go north. There should still be a big pile of quartz up on the ridge when you get roughly even with the Silver Chief/Pit Mine. You could head down and east from there. If the undergrowth hasn't gotten too bad yet

From there you might want to head down to the bottom of Rogers and then up the canyon to the east going up to Reavis Grave, then up to Reavis Ranch. The apples should be ripe if there are any trees left. Or you could just stay in Rogers Canyon and head up north to the Angel Springs ruins (Salado house in a cave).

It might be iffy to go up to Reavis Ranch in fall, keep an eye on the weather. If it's snowing or raining I would stay lower.

If you go up Peters Canyon, there are a few shortcuts that will take you around the worst parts. Do you have a copy of Carlson/Stewart's Hiking Guide to the Superstitions?

Have fun and post some pics to the forum when you get back!

Thank you, great info and yes I do have the hiking guide by them.

I’ll def take some current pictures and post them!

will snakes be a concern at that time? Here in CO they are all gone by then, not sure in AZ.

 

[deducer]

Thank you, great info and yes I do have the hiking guide by them.

I’ll def take some current pictures and post them!

will snakes be a concern at that time? Here in CO they are all gone by then, not sure in AZ.

As Jim said, the Carlson/Stewart guide is the best: it contains historical tidbits for some of the trails. But a heads up: some of the times Carlson posts for a couple of the longer trails are suspect- some of them require you keep your head down and move fairly quick which obviously is not optimal hiking, so add some buffer.

Snakes are not a real concern around that time period, and rarely are if you stay on the trails and make noise.

I often bring a trekking pole, not because I need it but for beating the bushes or probing blind spots for snakes.

 

[Geoffnotjeff]

As Jim said, the Carlson/Stewart guide is the best: it contains historical tidbits for some of the trails. But a heads up: some of the times Carlson posts for a couple of the longer trails are suspect- some of them require you keep your head down and move fairly quick which obviously is not optimal hiking, so add some buffer.

Snakes are not a real concern around that time period, and rarely are if you stay on the trails and make noise.

I often bring a trekking pole, not because I need it but for beating the bushes or probing blind spots for snakes.

Great Idea on the hiking poles, thanks. Grew up in Hawaii, no snakes. Live in CO and hike in the alpine mostly, no snakes. Supes are very different with snakes, and we plan to be offtrail quite a bit.

 

[Idahodutch]

Geoff,
Chaps can be good for off trail hiking in the superstitions, I recommend it 👍
Snake chaps, or briar chaps ….

 

[deducer]

Great Idea on the hiking poles, thanks. Grew up in Hawaii, no snakes. Live in CO and hike in the alpine mostly, no snakes. Supes are very different with snakes, and we plan to be offtrail quite a bit.

If you're going to hike offtrail, expect to go 3x as slow as if you were on a trail and wear very sturdy pants (I like to wear snake chaps). The desert will scratch, bite, and grab at you at every turn, especially the Cholla.

But that being said, I haven't been there since the big fires, so that may not be the case in some areas.

 

[Hinterlander]

You may want to stop by the Dutch Hunters Rendezvous, which will be going on during that time at the Don's Camp. Plenty of folks there that are very familiar with the mountains, the history, stories and the best places to go.

 

[Cubfan64]

Hi all, new to *posting* on the forums, and wanted to say hello. The last time I was able to hike in the superstitions was 30 years ago, as a fresh teenager having the time of my life with my dad, who was raised in the area. Ive been reading and researching the LDM for fun for more than 30 years now, with no delusions to actually finding anything. Picture from '93 LOL!

However, myself and a friend will be in the area building a new facility for 4-5 weeks mid october - november and i was curious if any of the active members who have spent untold hours in the mountains have any recommended 1-2 day hikes. We can spend a night out, and will have at least 2 weekends we can get into the mountains. We move fast, are fit, experienced hikers, climbers, im a rigger, friend is a wilderness EMT and are both acclimated to higher elevations than we will find there. I would love to take him to some cool locations, and wanted to inquire about what would be your ideal spots to see with limited time but the ability to move quickly off or on trail for a long time.

My main idea would be seeing the pit mine area, with some time to explore around briefly, with an understanding it may be hard to locate on the ground, and moving through the brush is a challenge.

For a second trip, either peters mesa via peters canyon or the fun way up Geronimo's head. I understand that would be a overnighter or a very long day without anytime to explore.

Any ideas? I know the gathering is also happening while we are in town, and something i will try to attend for a night if work schedules permit.

Thank you all for the entertaining reads over the years, across multiple forums, reading many books, posts, i have deluded myself that there is a story out there of hat happened, but it will never be public knowledge. Im eager to learn more, as always.

Love the photo

 

[bc5391]

Geoff,
Chaps can be good for off trail hiking in the superstitions, I recommend it 👍
Snake chaps, or briar chaps ….
View attachment 2107325

those are a bit of an overkill for Arizona. Here you would loose 30lbs before arriving at your destination. a set of snake gators will do.

 

[Idahodutch]

those are a bit of an overkill for Arizona. Here you would loose 30lbs before arriving at your destination. a set of snake gators will do.

Bc5391,
Perhaps you would lose 30 pounds, but to say I would, is awfully presumptuous.
First off off trail hiking in the superstitions, rips cloths up pretty bad.
Shirts, pants, even skin fall prey to the briars. You, like anyone else, can wear what you like.
I’ll give you a free tip, “don’t hike when it’s hot 😂😂

There is no 2nd off 🤷🏼‍♂️😁
The op said they were going off trail….. not where you are, but in the superstitions.

 

[deducer]

those are a bit of an overkill for Arizona. Here you would loose 30lbs before arriving at your destination. a set of snake gators will do.

You will change your mind after you wade through a clump of cholla.

Me, before I started wearing snake chaps:

 

[bc5391]

There is no 2nd off 🤷🏼‍♂️😁
The op said they were going off trail….. not where you are, but in the superstitions
You will change your mind after you wade through a clump of cholla.

Me, before I started wearing snake chaps:

View attachment 2107542

I know better than to walk near cholla, I've been here almost 40 years, even cleared my land of it.
And I do not use trails, only the illegals use the trails in Southern AZ.
Snake gatters are lighter, and will cover up to the knee caps, so even that cholla would have missed you.
Hint always carry needle nose pliers when in the AZ desert.

 

[deducer]

I know better than to walk near cholla, I've been here almost 40 years, even cleared my land of it.
And I do not use trails, only the illegals use the trails in Southern AZ.
Snake gatters are lighter, and will cover up to the knee caps, so even that cholla would have missed you.
Hint always carry needle nose pliers when in the AZ desert.

Sometimes cholla gets in the way of where you want to go. Occasionally I run into places where cholla have been intentionally planted, a very long time ago, to keep people away.

I prefer chaps because they go all the way up to my hips. A majority of cholla out in the Superstitions seem to max out around 3 feet; I think because the occasional wildfires keep cutting them down.

No needlenose pliers for me; large tweezers work just fine for me.

 

[Bowfisher45]

Following. I have been putting thought into going out next year for a weekend or 4 days if anyone would like to go hike and see the area. Not on a mission for treasure, more a boots on the ground and sight seeing trek.

 

[Geoffnotjeff]

Would anyone be willing to share actual pictures of the canyon that begins just west of lower labarge box, and runs north to a waterfall from the saddle of geronimo/malapais? I have been searching in vain for any images, and would love to see what the terrain looks like. It would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hinterlander]

Would anyone be willing to share actual pictures of the canyon that begins just west of lower labarge box, and runs north to a waterfall from the saddle of geronimo/malapais? I have been searching in vain for any images, and would love to see what the terrain looks like. It would be greatly appreciated! View attachment 2108272

I believe that you are referring to Trap Canyon. I do not have any photos that I can think of, but maybe searching with the name of the canyon will help you find some or possibly trip descriptions. It has been way too many years since I explored that area for me to give you any accurate info, other than, just like just about anywhere else in the mountains, it's rough.

 

[Geoffnotjeff]

I believe that you are referring to Trap Canyon. I do not have any photos that I can think of, but maybe searching with the name of the canyon will help you find some or possibly trip descriptions. It has been way too many years since I explored that area for me to give you any accurate info, other than, just like just about anywhere else in the mountains, it's rough.

I could be wrong, but i believe Trap Canyon is quite far south of this just north of whiskey spring canyon. The image i was looking for is the canyon quite a bit north and east of battleship mountain.

 

[Steve Bowser]

I could be wrong, but i believe Trap Canyon is quite far south of this just north of whiskey spring canyon. The image i was looking for is the canyon quite a bit north and east of battleship mountain.

Hello geoffnotjeff,

Based on your Google image and your description I believe I know the canyon in question and have been there a few times. We call it L Canyon, the canyon actually makes a sharp turn to the south and continues up to Malapais.

Here is a photo of L Canyon taken from Battleship Mountain:

This is a photo of the entrance to L Canyon looking east from LaBarge Canyon:

A short distance from the entrance the canyon boxes up (L Canyon Lower Box) and there is a nice tank that usually has water.:

Once through the Lower Box, the canyon opens up, this photo is looking east (my caption says north but that's wrong):

Is this the canyon you're asking about?

Steve

 

[Geoffnotjeff]

Awesome! Thank you so much, way more than i was hoping for. Yes that is exactly what i was looking for. I appricate it greatly.

Looks like an fun scramble up to yet another interesting canyon putting one onto Malapais.