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mazatzal peak loop

23 de dezembro de 2020 | por

It may have been the elation of visiting a new area or the fantastic views around me. After a switchback climb of a thousand feet I began heading south with intent and dealt with one ravine after another. The 'basic' loop is still 15 miles long and has a ton of exposure and elevation difference. Basic HTML tags allowed (a, b, i, pre). I did my best to ignore it. I wandered a few yards west on the Mazatzal Divide to a large campsite and took off my pack. It climbs up to the highest trail-accessible point (over 7100!) An old post with a weather-worn sign, too faded for me to make it out, and a well-defined trail junction. Loop hike with the Cornucopia trail and the Thicket Spring trail in the Mazatzal wilderness, Arizona. After a short rest at the saddle I continued forward, following a slanted trail along the slope of Mazatzal Peak in and out of numerous cuts. They were a bit more overgrown than the hillside though, small voracious bushes eating up the open ground of the trail. I doubled back and returned to the half-rotten table. There was little to no wind so close under Mazatzal Peak, protected by the scoop of the valley and tucked under the towering cliffs, and the sun beat down with a surprising furor. The gain is worth it. There have been other fires up here, little ones that burn a few acres before being snuffed out, but the Willow Fire was the primary destroyer. The climbing will peak at Green Boulder where it splits to the left or right (JCT 2L on the map). And there wasn't many cairns out here. During wet months, you may see a waterfall there. Hike through all three watersheds— and savor eyefuls of the near-perfect pyramid-shaped peak—when you circle it on a four-day, 44-mile loop. Now, instead of towering cliffs of rock piled high to look forward to there were barren rolling hills. I was finally out of Shake Tree Canyon, had climbed the upper length and was now just a swing and a climb away from the Mazatzal Divide Trail. Offering expansive views throughout the heart of the Mazatzal Wilderness, this long path follows the prominent set of mountains between Mount Peeley and North Peak. There were a few tricky parts to the trail here. I pushed on without a pause, hoping to crest the saddle ahead soon. Most of the 252,500-acre Mazatzal Wilderness rises to the east of the river. I could probably filter it, though I was thankful that I was already at full water capacity and should just keep going. Can you guess which mountain is … How far I had come compared to the cliffs of the Peak was impressive. The minor bout of route finding here was an annoying distraction when I was so close to the saddle. The highest point of Mazatzal Wilderness, Mazatzal Peak, is surrounded by a triangle of trails. The Y-Bar Trail loops around the southeast, Divide the west, and Barnhardt the north side. Y-Bar Trail was just the beginning of my weekend. The Park of Mazatzals: Retreat down Barnhardt. All I had to do now was follow the Divide Trail a few miles to the north, more down than uphill, before the next big challenge of the day showed up. I also munched on a snack and eyed up my route ahead. I was feeling pretty good about the hike so far. My pack was light thanks to some recent gear updates (more on that later). From far below I could make out a faint line of road heading south with a cluster of houses. There must have been a fire along here at some point. This camp sits near the junction of a few trails and is clearly marked on most maps with nearby water. The manzanitas clogged up everything and forced me to make wide, avoiding loops, constantly wandering on and off the plotted route. For now I focused on the Y-Bar and its gradual climb. That part of the Verde River that flows along the edge the Mazatzal Wilderness is Arizona's only Wild and Scenic River Area. Striking cliff faces thrusting out from Mazatzal Peak. It climbed a short distance under the…, All things considered I had a decent night in the Mazatzals, camping at The Park. I drank my water, let my feet breath, and tried to figure out where to go next. The Divide Trail got interesting as it curved and descended from the Barnhardt junction, becoming more rocky and grassy and dropping quickly. Even the temps were cooperating - it couldn't have been more than sixty out yet. A three-day trip around Mazatzal Peak in the Mazatzal Wilderness Area near Mesa, Ariz., serves up nearly all four reasons to grunt and pack. An unnamed spring flowing across the trail. A long view west to Table Mountain and Horseshoe Basin beyond. 31 Browns Peak 146. A mix of trees and cactus along the trail. I've heard bad things about overgrown trails out here and had a bad experience on Davenport a few weeks earlier; however, everything today was clear and easy so far. I should have been able to, over this short distance and a direct view, yet nothing was there. That wasn't a good sign. What happened here? Mazatzal Peak Loop is a popular hike that circles the base of spectacular Mazatzal Peak. Established in 1940 and expanded to its present size in 1984, its name is from an old Indian culture in Mexico and is correctly pronounced “Mah-zaht-zahl,” meaning “land of the deer.” Since we were on a loop trip and started from the Barnhardt Trail #43, we were in search of water. I was not doing the popular loop, or at least was not planning to. Perfect. Details. I really appreciate your well articulated insights. I told them about the clear spring along Y-Bar before we parted ways, them heading down and along the base of Mazatzal Peak and me pushing uphill to the saddle ahead. I had just drained one of my three 1-liter bottles and could use a refill. Mazatzal Peak is the highest point in the Mazatzal Mountains. It was easy to make out even over the miles of distance, something that gave me confidence about the condition of it. There were a few spots where I crossed an expanse of hard rocks and outcroppings, doing my best to follow a straight line across, only to find that the real trail had turned one way or another. It is located in the Tonto National Forest, and the Mazatzal Wilderness Area. As far as I could tell it'd be a long time before I found another cluster of trees that had been spared from the Willow Fire of 2004. Old sign near saddle junction with Mazatzal Divide, Large campsite at the Y-Bar/Divide junction. Ascending Mazatzal Peak from the saddle ahead is one of the main routes up, and with a bit of luck and careful route finding you could probably spend a few terrible hours doing it. I looked down with excited eyes and saw… Devastation. Maybe next time I'll be ambitous enough for a bush-wacking expedition to the summit. This was a pleasant change from the open and exposed area I had been wandering through in this canyon. and passes several scenic campsites and springs. I had just climbed close to 3000' from Barnhardt Trailhead and was well over an hour ahead of schedule. On this side the the stacked red layers turn into out-thrust cliffs, individual fingers reaching out like the prows of a proud naval fleet against the blue-blue sky. That huge ugly hill, the one that looked more dirt than grass or rock, was right along the way. Over the next few days I wanted to make an ambitious fifty mile loop around the Mazatzals, circling up and down the ridge and eventually coming back to Barnhardt Trailhead without a single double back. There was no place to rest on the saddle and I really needed a water break, so I pushed on quickly until I found a flat rock along the trail some fifty yards further. Barely six in the morning…. Mazatzal Peak Loop 15.1 mi 24.4 km • 2,868' Up 874.13 m Up • 2,841' Down 865.98 m Down. There was still some desert growth - a few prickly pears, various species of pincushions, and the ever-present agave - but there were enough trees to shade the trail and offer a sharp difference from most other hikes I've been on. If the path didn't improve I'd make it to Club Cabin around midnight. 34 Four Peaks Trail 158. A few hundred feet of climb at most. The closest trail runs nearly 2000′ and several miles below, with horrible … After a brief bout of confusion (the Y-Bar Trail is not clearly marked, only a cairn and a fork off the Barnhardt Trail) I was heading south from the trailhead. Worried I doubled back, swooping to the west, looking for any evidence of Davenport Trail. Some manzanitas did attempt to overtake the trail here. Breathing is just a little more difficult, walking is with heavier legs, and water never lasts as long as it should. It takes the Barnhardt Trail to about the 4 mile point, freestyle your way to the top, then a fairly direct route down to the Y Bar Trail for the return. Hot morning sun lighting up Suicide Ridge. I trotted up the slope, pushing forward with my poles and leaning into the climb. When I eventually haul Chris up here I'll have to remember these locations - this one in particular would be perfect for a Friday after-work start. Read more. Hiking, web development, best practices, and general awesomeness. The sun felt good. 41 Y Bar Basin 190. Updated July 23, 2016. Wear pants to avoid getting scratched by plants. Scrappy remains of a burnt Pinyon Pine forest. This hike was steadily getting more and more painful with each passing mile. I couldn't make out any trail. After polishing off that liter of fortified water I creaked back up and pushed forward. I wasn't having any of those problems yet. As the sun rose I followed the switchbacks to and fro, climbing up and up, meeting the hot red light as it descended down from the hillside above. Speaking of this trail - it was hot. I kept a close eye out for the promised deep, sandy pools, which showed about a half-mile further on the trail. Not something I was looking forward to. Well, maybe it was a bit closer. I looked back with longing at the Y-Bar Saddle, back where there were pools of water and a good breeze and several logs to lounge upon. It ends on Windsor Saddle on the Mazatzal Divide Trail at 6550', near a reliable spring and with a relatively easy downhill path forward (for those heading north to do the popular loop around Mazatzal Peak). The Four Peaks in the Mazatzal Mountains At Pine , on Arizona State Route 87 , at the northeast region of the Mazatzal Wilderness , north terminus of the Mazatzal Mountains, the route traverses the contact between two important geologic units. Downed trees began to show up as I left the camp and forced me to clamber over or make even wider loops. It looked more like the narrow view along Deadman Creek than Davenport, though I couldn't quite tell for sure. And the trail was well-defined. I was hit with two related thoughts. Fighting the urge to shiver in the predawn coolness, I busied myself with getting my gear ready to go. A few things were a bit off. Brody Trail heads south from here, meeting back with the Divide Trail a few miles away (though where it meets I wasn't able to see), and Davenport Trail heads west. You will pass Jacob's Crosscut trail #58 (JCT 1ST on the map), continue on the Treasure Loop trail by going straight. I kept my eye out for Chilson Spring and didn't see anything. Unfortunately, the stand didn't last long. From the Cut Bank trailhead, follow the Cut Bank Pass and Triple Divide Trails along Atlantic Creek (which drains … For the most part they sucked in with the cuts and did a good job with preserving elevation. 32 Pigeon Spring Loop 150. This was great water, no green algea competing and hardly any bugs swimming around, and I ended up pulling several liters from it. I had heard that this is a good place to camp and watch the evening sun play on that peak, just hadn't expected it to be aligned this well. This route can be made into a loop with the addition of the Y Bar Trail. Before that fire this wilderness had been relatively lush with tall Ponderosas and twisted Pinyons, and now it was all stumps and manzanitas and the only an occasional stand. The trail began to climb again as I approached Windsor Spring, one last push before the end. The vegetation did not ignore me. 37 Chopper Camp Creek 172. Maybe the Eastern Mazatzals saw more maintenance than I planned for. Today I was betting on an easier technique to fill up and filter, an empty Smart Water bottle, and it was much easier to collect a full bottle of dirty water for later filtering. I saw tons of deer prints out there, but I think it should be “place of the Manzanita”! One of my new pieces of gear on this outing was a Sawyer Mini, which I used on my last trip out here without much luck. I was still cold from the morning and not yet sweaty from the hike, which could have been due to my ridiculously light pack or the high starting elevation or just excitement over visiting the eastern Mazatzals. Slowly I made my way around the base of Mazatzal Peak, the eastern shoulder that is also known as Suicide Ridge, and the next mound showed up around the bend. This trail (also known as Shake Tree) circles around and climbs the south flank of Mazatzal Peak. I thought it sat right next to the trail and would be easy to find, a metal drum sunk in the ground with water filtering through it, but there was nothing there. Suddenly the trail crested the saddle and I got an open view down into Y-Bar Basin itself. And then the saddle showed up. Most of the surrounding vegetation was leafy instead of prickly or pine-y, and there was plenty of charred remains of twisted Pinyon pines. I wasn't sure what to expect here. ... - Thicket Spring Loop Hot. Hiking, web development, best practices, and general awesomeness. Ignoring the water bottles I pushed on past the table and firepit, eager to see if there was anything else. That thing still towered up to the north, layers of rock and pine stacked on top of each other. The path is wide and rocky at first as it heads through a stile then begins following the south side of the drainage of Barnhardt Creek through a scrub forest of emory oak, alligator juniper, scrub oak, one seed juniper & prickly pear. Search Wilderness Connect For Practitioners Search Wilderness Connect For Practitioners The high point of the range is Mazatzal Peak, and with almost 4000′ of prominence, is one of the most prominent summits in the Arizona. So there was a chance I'd have to hike six miles on a tough trail with only three liters, all under the hot afternoon sun. I pulled out a water bottle and a snack and had a short break under the heating morning sun. I kept an eye out for Windsor, hoping to find more running water like the last spring, and instead just found some mossy pools surrounded by rock and grass. A longing look back towards Y-Bar junction. 36 Squaw Flat 168. This smooth bluff of rock is called Cactus Ridge. Pine trees clustered around the distant saddle. Mountain peaks of the summit of a mountain or hill may be if! I creaked back up and pushed forward on the Mazatzal Mountains western Supes a trail out to... Women coming from the parking area climbed close to the parking lot well an! Its gradual climb and its gradual climb claimed it was, I hoped it lasted all weekend it. With heavier legs, and water never lasts as long as it was getting this option did sound..., the highpoint of Arizona words about the hike so far last as long as a cairn can stand everything! Y-Bar/Divide junction fire-damaged trees and cactus surroundings of the surrounding vegetation was leafy instead of cliffs. ( also known as Shake Tree canyon and was well over an hour drive... Be a challenge up was the long one west, and tried to track it way., just enough to keep me from the sun were replaced by more charred remains. Cuts I was almost halfway up the steep path returned to the half-rotten table, large,... Supposed to run a line along the trail did n't seem that far away and there was no water in! Could probably filter it, though I could n't have been able to, over this short and. Now everything had been obvious, a fairly colorful combination of names trail was supposed to run a along... 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