Searching for Papago Springs trail near Sonoita, AZ

Weather was perfect for a hike today: overcast and in the 60s.  Steve wanted to hike with me one last time before he flies to Los Angeles this Saturday.  I suggested we check out the roads in Gardner Canyon and then check out the Papago Springs trail south of Sonoita.  The Huachuca Hiker's Anonymous is leading a hike there this Sunday and I had never heard of that trail.  I didn't  even know that there were trails in this part of the Coronado National Forest. I took Zeke.

Gardner Canyon road proved to be mostly dry now, but there were still deep mud ruts in the road that were scraping the bottom of my Honda. We parked at the trailhead for the Arizona Trail but quickly saw the overflow of Cave Creek over Gardner Canyon Road.  Full-sized trucks could ford the rushing water, but not my Honda!  And it was no different on the trail itself.  The creek was rushing and we had no trekking poles nor waterproof shoes.

Papago Springs trail seemed all the more inviting,  We quickly turned around and drove to the trailhead off FR626.  We passed a few high-end homes south of Sonoita off this dirt road.  This was horse and cattle country now. We found the intersection of the service road with Papago Springs Road, but found no designated trail.  The area was a wide camping area with trough, fire rings and dirt roads going in all directions, but no trail.  Where was the trail?  One could get lost in this maze of trails. I opted to follow the road going south.  The roads were dry enough now, but a few mud puddles remain.

It was a pretty area once we got away from the intersecting dirt roads.  It was ideal hunting and ATV
country, studded with oaks, junipers and tall grasses over rolling hills.  Unusual conglomerate rocks stood out on the horizon, ditches were running with water.  It was ideal for us and the dogs.  We were isolated and I regretted not bringing more dogs.

We came across a windmill near a scenic creek.  We rested here near the cranking sounds of the windmill .  An old stone wall remained, and two old water troughs still stood. A faint singletrack followed the creek. We were now in cattle country.  We followed the creek, then turned back north on a dirt path (FR4607) forming a loop that went up a rocky hillside.  Large boulders and other interesting rocks balanced on this hillside. If we had more time, I'd want to explore these rocks. A ranch appeared off FR4607 and Papago Springs road in the distance.   A faint unmarked singletrack went up this hill and we stayed on this trail heading back to the car.  Cow paddies in all directions revealed this was a popular grazing area.

The views from here were spectacular.  We could see the snow-capped Santa Ritas, Huachucas, Whetstones, Mustangs.    There were distant mountains looking in all directions.  We both agreed this was an area we should return and explore some more.  Where do all those trails lead to? We never did find the official trail, but now I'm curious to find it.

We hiked a mere 4.25 miles in two hours.  We stopped at the Copper Brothel Brewpub where we shared an order of chicken nachos.  I had two 12-ounce glasses of the Madame de Bier Hefeweizen, a beer that was not on the menu the last time we were here last April.  It was quite good!  It was a nice way to finish off a lovely day of exploratory hiking.

I looked at the track we walked once I got home.  The Papago Springs trailhead was a tad north of where we started.  Papago Springs was bit father south from where we turned around.  Hopefully the hike on Sunday will show me the exact locations of trailhead, springs and historic troughs.

Snow!

All week long meteorologists have been forecasting a strong storm across all of Arizona, part of a massive storm dubbed Quiana that has already caused floodings and landslides in Tennessee and the South.  Fort Huachuca and then the school district closed for the day.  I was thus disappointed when I woke up at 5:15am and saw rain outside instead.  Walking the dogs in blustery rain at sunrise was no fun for me.  The strong southwesterly rain pelted against my face.  My pants quickly got wet (but my top was dry thanks to my Marmot Eclipse rain jacket).  I only lasted 1.3 miles and came home cold and wet.  I told the dogs we'd try again later.  I don't mind hiking in rain, but when the rain hits your face like tiny little needles, it's not fun anymore.

But then late in the morning, around 9am, friends from Sahuarita were announcing strong snow and posted their pictures on Facebook.  I was worried that we had been bypassed in this southern corner of the state.

Two hours later, however, Kevin came into the bedroom where I was trying to warm up, to announce that it had begun snowing.  It was a gentle snow; no winds.

Immediately the local Facebook groups I belong to started posting snow pictures.  Even Susan posted one of Allie in the snowy backyard.  By 1:30pm I couldn't take all the excitement anymore and took the dogs up Hunter Canyon.  By then I was dry again, but this time I put on two leggings under my pants and three layers on top.  I put Sadie in my old down jacket from ten years ago, the one I wore while backpacking the John Muir trail in California.  Sweetie wore a doggie coat that fit her well.  Minnie and Zeke were coatless, but cold doesn't bother them as long as they are moving.

Susan was busy baking and Ellen had to work from home until 3pm, so I and went alone.  I was the only person in the canyon besides two Jeeps.  The road was already imprinted with tire marks, but the hiking trail was still fresh.  It was a winter wonderland.  I couldn't see the peaks, though.  There was no wind, no loud noises besides a few birds flitting about.

I only walked 2.6 miles.  Snow had drifted up to six inches deep in the open areas.  I couldn't always see the trail.  Zeke, Minnie and Sweetie enjoyed frolicking. I only stayed in the lower canyon, briefly going into Stump Canyon before turning around.

I got back to the car shortly after 3pm.  More Jeeps were entering the canyon.  A US Border Patrol truck was now parked facing the highway.  My hands were cold, the dogs were wet and tired, and we all went home and stayed there to warm up.  It continued to gently snow until just before sunset.  I made a tall cup of hot ginger-lemon tea to warm up my hands and bundled up in bed.  It took me several hours for my hands to get warm again.

 

No major snow-related accidents were reported in Arizona.  Quiana's wrath seems to focus on the South  and central Appalachia.

Kentucky Camp and Snyder Mine (Santa Rita mountains)

This is my third time hiking to Kentucky Camp, a former mining community that has been restored in part as a historical site and stop-over for hikers on the Arizona trail.  Two miner cabins can be rented by the forest service with advance reservation.  The trail from Gardner Canyon Road going north is basically easy, with a mile-long ridge walk offering views of the nearby mountains before it descends and travels through three meadows.  It's a pleasant out-and-back hike of just over seven miles.  Elevation gain is only 860' and elevation ranges from 4915' to 5370'.

We were eight people this time:  GalenG, HollyW, Lyn and Frank, Theresa and Mary, SteveD.  We convoyed in three cars to the trailhead.  Holly rode with me and she kept me awake with her upbeat chatter.

Weather was in the mid 50s.  The sky was clear at the start but clouds slowly moved in by noon and winds picked up.  This trail is mostly exposed and best done under clouds.  The cool weather made up for the lack of clouds.  Oaks are in the arroyos and provide some shade.

This was a nice group of strong hikers.  We slowed down for the last person but never had to wait long before resuming our hike.  Lyn and Frank are the only ones who did this hike with me last year and they knew what to expect, but for the others this was a new experience.

We rested at Kentucky Camp where I gave everyone enough time to have a snack and read the historical signs inside the main building which is now a living museum.  SteveD loves to explore and scurried all over the camp.  He gave me the idea to host another hike next weekend going south, to show them where the old ditch was that was used to pipe in water six miles away from the creek to the camp.

Frank seemed bored with the same route, so I opted to take the group west toward Snyder mine off FR4085.  No one minded, even knowing this would add two miles to the total mileage.  FR4085 is also a popular ATV trail, and shortly after we got on the trail, 20 loud ATVs rolled by, leaving us in the dust.

There wasn't as much water in the creeks, despite the rain from last week.  Zeke didn't seem to want water, though.  He just wanted to wet his paws.

I made two wrong turns looking for Snyder mine.  At least people didn't seem too upset, and the detours weren't long.  There are several short roads that dead end at campsites near the creek.  What I was looking for was the main road going south, and I found it when we came across a brown directional sign with Melendez Pass, Aliso Springs and Gardner Canyon.  It was this brown sign that assured me I was on the right path.

Snyder Mine is a closed mine now, with iron bars across the entrance. Copper, gold, lead and silver were once mined here from 1909-1955 when most of the mines in the Santa Rita closed. Bats now live in this mine.  Remnants of the old mine remain, with rusty metal off the road, stone walls crumbling in the hillside, and tailings around us.  Steve again scurried around, checking out the water tank, looking down air vents.  Frank was more interested in looking at minerals on the ground. We were high enough against the hillside to see views to our northeast.  A social trail went over the hill toward FR4085, and I realized after summiting the hill that we should have stayed on the main road because it loops around the area before going uphill toward Gardner Canyon.  This would have saved us the short bushwhack.

I missed a second trail connecting the road with the AZT a quarter-mile to our east.  Luckily again we didn't go far, but both detours probably were a half-mile error.  We were all relieved when we got back to our cars 4.5 hours later.  My GPS app said we had hiked 8.57 miles.  Lyn's GPS said 9.1 miles, and Frank's said 9.8 miles.  That's a big discrepancy!  The last time I hiked this, in February 2017, I hiked this in nine mines.  The hiking club's tracking was 9.4 miles.

We finished off with another great meal at the Tia Nita's restaurant.  This time we were the only customers and the wait wasn't as long as the week prior.  I ordered a gyro sandwich.  It was tasty, but for $10, the 14" pizza is still a better deal, offering meals for three people.

On the border

All that driving to and around Tucson had me tired out.  And then I couldn't sleep.  At 3am I was still wide awake. The hiking club had a loop hike around OK Notch planned for today, but I simply didn't have the energy to hike far and drive another two hours.  I scrapped plans to join the gang in Gleeson with David and Karen and stayed local.  I didn't even get going until 1:30pm, when I packed the dogs and took off for a jaunt along the border.  I wanted to see the "Crisis" that Trump keeps talking about.

I knew from my last walk here a few weeks ago that no road on BLM land goes down to the border on the west side of the San Pedro River.  I've hiked the river trail to the border several times, but that is a flat and exposed 10-mile trail (RT) on the eastern side that I didn't feel like doing today.  I wanted something short and easy, so I parked the Honda at a BLM fence where there is an opening for hikers.  It's just a mile to the border from this location off Border Monument Road.  One can even see the border fence on a high spot.

The road had a "No Trespassing" sign which I translated as a private road.  I took the dogs through the tumbleweed-infested desert next to the road on BLM land, which I learned I didn't have to, that the road was indeed open to all people.

A lone USBP truck was parked facing the south when I got to the river.  The agent saw us walk by.  He assured me I had a right to be on the road, but that I needed to be careful.

"But you're here watching over me!" I replied, assuring the agent that I do support the US Border Patrol.  Is there a crisis here, I asked him, to which he responded that the activity here (south of Palominas, AZ) is busy as ever, but that they have been a bit "crazy" at times.  The USBP does not publish its operations or detentions, so I didn't want to ask any more questions.  I didn't come down to interrogate the agent.  I just wanted to see the border fence, give the dogs a water break, and return to my Honda.  It was only a 2.4-mile walk.

Another agent, Thad, recognized me from the hiking meetup.  He and I had done some powerwalks in the Bisbee hills early last year.  We also stopped and chatted, but I didn't want to take him from his job.

The border fence on either side of the San Pedro River is iron-wrought fencing.  The west side is designed of long iron beams.  The east side is square links, with a low hedgehog fence across the water.

I walked back the way I came, but this time instead of paralleling the road, I walked on the road to avoid all the bloody tumbleweed.  I had noticed an abandoned city bus parked at the end of a faded road and wondered why that was there.  Was it an old transporter of illegals, or more likely just a barrier to keep smugglers from taking the road?  The mesquite trees around the bus looked like they have been growing around the bus for at least a decade.  The dogs sniffed around the tires but didn't go inside.  The image reminded me of that hiker from New York, Chris McCandless, who gave away all his possessions and moved up to Alaska, where he died in an abandoned bus. He had eaten some poisonous plants and passed on in his sleeping bag.  Hunters found him months later.  Just to reassure my conscience, I stepped inside the bus and found no bodies; just a lot of deer and rodent poop.

Landowners east of Border Monument Road are clearing their land of the mesquites.  A bulldozer blocked part of the road but the workers made way for me to get by.  The road is wide, but riddled with deep ruts.

Tuscon's Catalina Highway

I have a four-day holiday now for President's day.  What a great excuse to make it a day trip to Tucson to drop off the recyclables  and hike the Milagrosa trail.  I hadn't been on that trail in years and wanted to share the views with Steve, who willingly came along for the exercise, company, and another attempt at beer tasting a local brewery.

Heavy rains that were forecasted for today came last night and then ended by daybreak.  We never got the heavy rains in Hereford, but flash floods were forecasted for Tucson.   The north and northeast sides of Tuscon face arroyos and washes that come off the Catalina and Rincon mountains from the north and east, causing flash floods.  Steve and I agreed to watch the Tucson weather forecast for possible changes to our travel plans.

I was up early.  At 5am the sky was covered in rain clouds and very dark and windy.  Two hours later sunlight poked through and the rain and wind had stopped.  Time to get going!

We got to Desert Metal Recycling by 8:30.  I grossed a grand total of $12 for 32 pounds of aluminum cans, enough to cover the breakfast at Taco Giro an hour later.  This is a Phoenix chain with good food and slow service.  The Huevos Rancheros were excellent!  The restaurant is a block east of the Catalina Highway, where we needed to go.

We left for the hike up Milagrosa Canyon after 10:30.  The trailhead parking is in an upscale residential neighborhood at the gated corner of Horsehead and Suzenu Roads.  Hikers can walk around the gate. 

I found the trailhead rather effortlessly, but had to drive around a few blocks because of street flooding on Snyder.  This proved futile because two hikers coming back to their cars warned us of heavy floods across the major wash on the way to the trailhead.  We hiked the half mile on Horseshead Road only to be stopped by flood waters.  I do not like floodwaters.  Even thinking of attempting this with two dogs was out of the question.  So back to the Honda we hiked.

"At least we got 1.2 miles in," I said half in jest.  "That's a good warm-up."

Now where to?  There aren't too many dog-friendly trails in the area except up the Catalina Highway toward Mount Lemmon.  There are several social trails off rest-stop view points I showed him, and even they proved futile.  At least we got out and walked around to gawk at the water, as many other Tucsonans were also doing.

There was rushing water through Molino Basin and higher up at Marshall Gulch, forcing us to turn around.  We stopped several times for short jaunts, but short jaunts are better than no jaunts at all.   I hadn't seen this much water in and around Tucson since 2005.

This was Steve's first visit up the highway, so it was no lost cause.  There was some residual snow
in the resort town of Summerhaven and higher, but nothing that stopped us from exploring the Gulch.  The road to the trailhead was closed for the season, but hikers can go through.  Marshall Gulch is a nice three-mile loop through a deciduous forest, but the initial climb up through the forest may turn many people away.  There were plenty of downed trees on the lower loop, so we just stayed on the pavement.  This was another 1.6 miles.  Two more groups of hikers were starting out as we got back to the Honda.

It was a pretty drive nonetheless so this wasn't a wasted drive up the mountain.   Water was coming down the cliffs at every chance. The views are always worth it and now Steve can scratch the Catalina Highway off his bucket list.

We topped the day with a short visit to Sentinel Peak Brewing where we sat at the bar and ordered one beer each.  The place had no porters on the menu and the food list looked overpriced, but we both liked the set-up.  Not quite hungry, I then suggested stopping at Barrio Brewing across town.  My last time there was years ago with Sadie and I enjoyed the dining experience very much.  It was 62F outside, pleasant enough to dine on the dog-friendly patio.  I had a Diane burger (mushrooms, onions, Swiss cheese) with a Mocha Java Stout and Steve had a Reuben sandwich with an IPA.  The food and beer were as good as before.  I would have had a Jefeweizen or Porter, but I had already had my two beer limit.

I drove 244 miles today and it didn't seem that much. It would be 180 miles without all the around town driving.  I hope to get back to Tucson soon to hike Milagrosa under less flooded conditions. but more storm rains are due in next week.  That is such a pretty hike, and one feels like one is in the Grand Canyon, with the river far below.

Gunsight Pass a second time

Today was the perfect Arizona winter day for a repeat hike in the Santa Ritas.  Seven people from the local meetup attended:  Galen and wife Sunny, SteveT and Trace, SteveD, SusanM, TheresaD, Zeke and I.  We met at the Pizza Hut Bistro and carpooled in two cars.  Susan rode with me and we later picked up SteveT in Whetstone, whereas Theresa rode with Galen, Sunny and SteveD.  This was Theresa's first hike with us.  She moved down here from Montana four years ago but had been too busy taking care of elderly neighbors to hike much.

 

The turn-off to Helvetia Road/FR231 is almost 13 miles north of Sonoita on  AZ83, just south of a west-side pullover.  I initially drove past FR231, but once on the road, drove right up to the parking spot from last week.  There were far fewer campers out this weekend, most likely due to the cold front that swept through  starting on Thursday.  Today's high was only 55F. The sky was overcast and grey and it even looked like it was going to rain later (it didn't).  I wore my red windbreaker from the start and never took it off.

SteveT and I were the only ones who had been in this area before.  This was all new to the others.  Susan said the area was more pretty than in the photos.  Theresa was energized, SteveD enjoyed the uphill grade, and Galen was anxious to get to the ridgeline to explore for minerals.  Only Sunny seemed unimpressed.  Granted, walking past exposed mine diggings isn't the greatest, but the mines weren't the destination.  It was Gunsight Pass.  This pretty ridgeline will be closed off entirely once the Canadian-owned Rosemont Mine begins its open-pit mining operations.  (Whenever that will be!)

We walked up FR4051 in a northeasterly direction, just as we did last week.  But instead of turning north on FR4834, we stayed on FT4051 for a more direct approach to the pass and for bypassing the tricky bushwhack from last week that trailed perilously along a steep rocky edge.   Today's hike was all on forest roads except for the rock scrambling at the pass.  We came back the same way on FR4051, for a total of 6.46 miles that took us 4:13 hours.  This was 22 minutes faster than last weekend.  We didn't waist time debating on which route to take,  the route I took was the most direct.

Everyone agreed to have lunch at Tia Rita's afterward.  We got there at 1:45pm and every table was occupied.  The place  only has eight tables; if they took out the two pool tables, there would be more room.  We stood around at the bar, ordered a round, and waited for Anita to clear the tables.  She seemed more short-tempered today than last Sunday, and I'm not sure she recognized me.  She apologized for the wait, saying Sundays are usually quiet days until after 3pm. It took us over an hour to get our food, but everyone said they really like their meal.  SteveT and I shared a  vegetarian medley called "Dirty Hippy" pizza (same one I had last week).  The spicy sauce is the secret to a tasty pizza.

All photos by SusanM.

Gunsight Pass, Santa Rita foothills

Gunsight Pass is in the Rosemont Mine area, a Canadian-owned copper mine that is awaiting approval for operations.  Until then, people are still hiking, camping, mountain biking and target shooting in the area.  I wanted to go on this hike sponsored by the Huachuca Hiking Club before the area is permanently closed to the public.  I am so glad I went on this hike.  The cool 50F weather and overcast skies made it perfect hiking weather.

I picked up Steve at his place at 7:15am and hoped to convoy with the main body coming out of Sierra Vista. We somehow missed them perhaps when we stopped at the public restroom in Sonoita. I had directions to the start point on Helvetia Road (aka Forest Road 231) and Forest Road 4061, according to the hiking schedule. I saw Rod's blue Ford Ranger and SteveS's vehicle parked off to the side, but they were nowhere to be seen. Which way did they go? There were several dirt roads merging here with the main road. I decided to drive straight ahead, which turned out to be Forest Road 4051. We lucked out when we ended up meeting the hiking group walking up the road. We parked the Honda at the first available pull-off and joined the group.

I told Steve that he should keep Trace on a leash as there are several members in this group who are apprehensive about dogs on the trail.  He didn't keep Trace on a leash for long and soon Trace was running on ahead, away from the hikers and any potential accidents, and no one seemed to mind.

The road, by now a narrow and rutted ATV road, continued going uphill.  Views from the Gunsight Pass and Lopez Pass, two high points before the foothills descended west toward Sahuarita, were in front of us.  

The group stopped a few times to study the maps SteveA and Rod had.  Our first stop was at the intersection of FR4051 and FR4834.  We took FR4834, but that ended with a dead end near the top.  An old road going around the hilltop was not there, so we turned around to then bushwhack a short distance to what turned out to be FR4051.  This short and narrow game trail followed too closely to a steep drop-off.  I was worried about Steve.  I had told him that today's hike was completely on forest roads and that no trekking poles were necessary, so he didn't bring his trekking poles.  Here is where he needed one the most.  Others around him, like Mel and SteveA, stayed with us for support.  We were all relieved to get back on terra firma.

I had never been in this area so everything was new to me.  I was enjoying this hike.  I saw expansive views of the foothills.  Rosemont Mine has a large section of this ridgeline of which Gunsight Pass is a part; a lot of those live oaks are going to be removed when the open-pit mining begins.  Might as well enjoy the views now before it's gone forever.  

We were now close to our hiking destination.  Rocky crags were now pointing up around us.  The western slope of these foothills dropped sharply toward Sahuarita and the Helvetia mine.  Forest road 4051 was once a popular ATV trail and I can see why:  steep slopes, sharp curves and a challenge to maneuver, this area is now lost to ATVers.  Locked gates and "No Trespassing" signs now prevent vehicles on these roads, although signs allow hunters access.

The last 1/4 mile  mwas on a very rocky, ankle-busting road overgrown with catclaw.  We were finally on a path and not a well-defined mining road.  Malachite, Azurite and other minerals associated with copper glistened on the ground. When we saw an exposed crag with a slit in the middle and then noticed an eagle's (hawk's?) nest in the middle, we all got excited.  This view made the boring walk on the old ATV roads worth it.   The Narragansett Mine was at the pass.  Here we explored some more.  JimA and SteveS climbed to the pass, I checked out a small mine opening and a shorter mine road that ended quickly by some more crags.  A radio tower was on top of this crag, but I found no road to it.  I turned around and rejoined SteveT who waited safely at a distance.

We took another break at Lopez pass, had snacks and rested for 20 minutes. Winds picked up here and I put on my red windbreaker.  I never took it off after that.  From here on we resumed our hike downhill, forming a giant loop that went directly through what will be the main Rosemont mine.  We saw old mining equipment, new mining holes, and cordoned-off areas we had no interest in.  There's still a lot the Rosemont company has to do before actual mining begins, like bring in heavy equipment.  Forest Road 231 has been graded and widened to support big trucks, but there were none anywhere. 

The hike took us 4:40 hours.  I tracked 6.5 miles.  Rod drove Steve and me back to my Honda.  Trace and Zeke were in the covered cab.  Once Rod dropped us off, we were on our own as the others drove back to Sierra Vista.  Steve and I took our time and stopped first at the Skyislander Diner in Sonoita, a former gas station converted into a restaurant.  The pump islands and cover still remain, and inside it's more of an old diner in serious need of an upgrade.  I had a patty melt, Steve had a chicken burrito and both were quite good. 

We topped off the day with a visit to the Copper Ranch nanobrewery, a small home brewery run by Tom and Mel and only opened on the weekends.  We met the couple and found them both very hospitable and passionate about brewing. I enjoyed the visit so much, I want to come back.  Other visitors who we talked to, all passionate craftbrew lovers, said the beer here was better than at the Copper Brothel Brewery which opened in Sonoita in April 2018.

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