If I hiked all the way to Club Cabin and decided to bail tomorrow I'd have a hell of a time coming back up here. Hot morning sun lighting up Suicide Ridge. A breeze would have been great. This smooth bluff of rock is called Cactus Ridge. It followed the curve of the mountain in, sucking close to the steepness of Mazatzal Peak, before heading back west and ascending a minor ridge. There were a few tricky parts to the trail here. An old post with a weather-worn sign, too faded for me to make it out, and a well-defined trail junction. I didn't want to stop for long, though time found a way to sneak past. And there wasn't many cairns out here. With more than 25,000 acres of wilderness stretching from evergreens to saguaros and few visitors in any season, this corner of Arizona is a perfect fall retreat. April 20, 2020 Aaron Seifert. I had supplies to spend two nights out here, water capacity to last a good ten miles between sources, and not nearly enough clothing to deal with temperatures below fifty. 38 Mazatzal Divide Trail 176. The highest point of Mazatzal Wilderness, Mazatzal Peak, is surrounded by a triangle of trails. If we could climb up from the parking lot before it got too deep in the night, that is. The vegetation did not ignore me. Soon it would be time to drop down the other side. In the drier, sparser lands of the Western Supes a trail can last as long as a cairn can stand. 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. Speaking of this trail - it was hot. This trail (also known as Shake Tree) circles around and climbs the south flank of Mazatzal Peak. You got this. 36 Squaw Flat 168. I had two liters of water, more than enough to last me until Chilson Camp some four or so miles away, as long as I didn't dawdle or sip it away. The minor bout of route finding here was an annoying distraction when I was so close to the saddle. Unfortunately, there was no water running in the cuts. USGS Topographic Maps: Boulder Mountain, Reno Pass, Lion Mountain and Mazatzal Peak. Chilson Camp sits on the bottom right of the hill and Davenport Trail was supposed to run a line along the base of it. Basic HTML tags allowed (a, b, i, pre). Early morning light shone down on Barnhardt Trail and I beamed right back. For now I focused on the Y-Bar and its gradual climb. Strong hikers can easily walk around the peak in two fairly easy days. Tweeted | @brad_frost Thank you for sharing. Details. Fighting the urge to shiver in the predawn coolness, I busied myself with getting my gear ready to go. The green that did exist was scrappy and clung close to the earth, growing carefully around the dead stumps as if not to disturb their remains. Bear Spring, and Chilson Spring coming up soon, were some of my last confirmed water sources before Club Cabin. I pulled out a water bottle and a snack and had a short break under the heating morning sun. This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of the U.S. State of Arizona.. I found a good spot and filled up. Once I finished rounding the base I got my first good view of Shake Tree Canyon and was pleasantly surprised. It climbed a short distance under the…, All things considered I had a decent night in the Mazatzals, camping at The Park. Those nice, tall pines that offered sporadic breaks from the sun were replaced by more charred Pinyon remains and manzanitas. Read more. 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. After one pass I pulled out my GPS with the route loaded up and tried to track it that way. I had made it up the Mazatzals and was sitting on a saddle at 6550', over five miles into the day and feeling great. Reaching the summit of Mazatzal Peak is no easy task. I wonder how long it takes for a trail out here to be swallowed up. Worried about how much I was sweating under the hot, dry sun I added some electrolytes to my water before drinking. I kept a close eye on these cuts and looked for any sign of water. The Y-Bar Trail loops around the southeast, Divide the west, and Barnhardt the north side. Mazatzal (MAH-zaht-ZAL, locally Ma-ta-ZEL)- the origin of the name remains obscure but one possibility is that it is from the Aztec language meaning “place of the deer”. The Divide Trail got interesting as it curved and descended from the Barnhardt junction, becoming more rocky and grassy and dropping quickly. Maybe the Eastern Mazatzals saw more maintenance than I planned for. Other features found on this map include: Coconino National Forest, Fossil Springs Wilderness, Horseshoe Reservoir, Humboldt Mountain, Mazatzal Wilderness, Mogollon Rim, New River Mountains, North Peak, Pine Mountain Wilderness, Prescott National Forest, Tonto National Forest. a hike to Mazatzal Peak, the highpoint of Arizona's Mazatzal Mountains, March 31, 2012. High above to the right was the impressive rock features of Suicide Ridge, red layers of stubborn rock with clinging green growth, like dripping avocado green frosting on a red velvet cake. 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. I was looking down the eastern border of that huge triangle, down the length of Tonto Basin, though Theodore Roosevelt Basin wasn't visible from this angle. What happened here? 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. There wasn't much of a drop or climb on these. But this? I didn't want to rest that long, not with Chilson Camp so close, so as soon as I had a full belly of water and was back up to a full capacity I hopped back up to the trail and continued on. 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. My tight schedule was looking good as well. The closest trail runs nearly 2000′ and several miles below, with horrible … I wasn't having any of those problems yet. Closed a pull request at shutterstock/public-api-javascript-sdk. 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. The other view that began to open up was the long one west, one that I immediately recognized. Sheer bluffs plunging down from Cactus Ridge. The Park of Mazatzals: North of Hopi Spring, The Park of Mazatzals: Retreat down Barnhardt. This was my first bail option, a quick and easy descent that goes straight back to the parking area. Below me was more twisted, charred remains of Pinyon, and in the distance was rows upon rows of straight dead pine trunks. A longing look back towards Y-Bar junction. I wasn't sure what to expect here. 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. 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. 37 Chopper Camp Creek 172. The Bull Fire located on the Bull Mesa Flat in the Mazatzal Wilderness, 15 miles west of Payson and started on 8/16/2020. Sure, I had expected Davenport to be a challenge. and passes several scenic campsites and springs. Forest Road 201 was a long and winding ordeal, stretching north from AZ-87 and circling around…, Rock Creek Trail was likable enough beyond the rock pools. This route can be made into a loop with the addition of the Y Bar Trail. 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. I walked under tall trees, through another area that had been spared from the fire, and kept my eyes peeled for trail signs or cairns or anything. That climb didn't seem to be too much, either. Suddenly the trail crested the saddle and I got an open view down into Y-Bar Basin itself. The views up at Mazatzal Peak were quite impressive, towering high up above me. After the thick thorny patch of trail it swung back out and began a steady climb. A mix of trees and cactus along the trail. Barely six in the morning…. 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. There were a few things to take care of - change to dry socks, eat some breakfast snacks, filter that dirty water I had collected from a spring - so it wasn't a complete break, just a pause from hiking. I had three liters of water on me and could probably stretch that out to make the basic loop around the peak without a refill. 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. 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. For the most part they sucked in with the cuts and did a good job with preserving elevation. Oh, I was disappointed to not see any sort of sign or fork at the Brody Seep Trail, which is supposed to branch off here and provide a shortcut to Chilson Camp. The plan was to push on from Windsor Saddle, follow the Mazatzal Divide trail north to Chilson Camp, and then take the Davenport Trail down to Club Cabin. It has an accumulated gain of about 3000' over 5.5 miles, making it one of the steepest trails around. Instead of fire-damaged trees and shrubby recovery growth there was a stand of Pinyons with a fantastic campsite right along the trail. The saddle didn't seem that far away and there was an appealing stand of Ponderosa along the way. Pushed some code at shutterstock/public-api-javascript-sdk. It has been rather dry as of late and there was little snowfall on these mountains, something that many of the creeks and springs depend heavily on during the spring. I couldn't make out any trail. No more shade. There were some basic tasks to get done - socks to change, snacks to eat, water to drink - and the brisk wind here on the saddle was most welcome. I've hiked through Ponderosas a handful of times in Arizona - namely, along the Cabin Loop on the Mogollon and in Reavis Valley - and while they don't stand a chance against the thick pine forests of Michigan they are still enjoyable. They soared up behind me, seemingly far to the southeast, when they had been looming above me for so long. Mountain bikes are prohibited in the Mazatzal Wilderness. It is located in the Tonto National Forest, and the Mazatzal Wilderness Area. From the Cut Bank trailhead, follow the Cut Bank Pass and Triple Divide Trails along Atlantic Creek (which drains … About 15 minutes later you will pass a sign marking the Mazatzal … :P, Ha, a few too many. Can you guess which mountain is … I had mapped out an ambitious route so it only made sense that I kept a schedule while making decisions on how far I could get each day and when it made sense to make shortcuts. That pack of women from earlier today had mentioned this campsite and also a nearby Bear Spring, which was not marked on my map. Hiking, web development, best practices, and general awesomeness. 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. So far today had been rather enjoyable, if getting a bit toasty, and bushwhacking all the way to Club Cabin seemed like a great way to ruin an otherwise fun outing. Between the earlier switchbacks and some more gain through the cuts I was almost halfway up the ridge already. Chris and I will probably be trying it soon. One thing I did not see over here was Brody Trail. There was a v-shaped view between two huge mountains gave me a narrow view of a long, straight shot down to the general Horseshoe Basin area, north of where I had just done the Club Cabin overnight a few weeks ago. Jacob headed out for a backpacking trip intending to do this loop plus another 30 miles but was turned back early by an ill-fitting pair of new hiking boots. BLM Information Center maps. Things were more exposed within Shake Tree Canyon. Basic HTML tags allowed (a, b, i, pre). To stay on this loop hike, go left here. 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