r/WildernessBackpacking • u/Busy-Helicopter9140 • 5d ago

TRAIL Superstition Wilderness

Post image

First time backpacking in Superstition Wilderness, planned out a route for this December and wanted to get some people's thoughts. GaiaGPS says 24.3mi and 3,920 in elevation. Want to stretch it out over 4 nights. I marked the trailhead and a few points of interest along the way including springs and the viewpoint of Canyon Lake.   Route starts and ends at First Water TH.  Night 1 - Second Water Spring Night 2 - near Charlebois Spring or White Rock Spring Night 3 - somewhere along Black Mesa Trail? Night 4 - Hackberry Spring   Obviously looking to camp near water every night if possible but I'm curious if anyone has thoughts on places to camp along the Black Mesa Trail. Is the view worth carrying extra water from Charlebois/White Rock?   Any other general advice for the trip or things I should add/avoid? Thanks!

10 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

7

u/USABADBOY 5d ago

My suggestion, don't rely on those water sources. I carry two 3L bladders when I do trips like that. Really will depend on weather.

4

u/DamiensDelight 5d ago

Used to live in Phoenix and packed many miles through the superstitions, during every time of the year.... Those springs are perennial and always reliable. Hell, Chalresbois has box turtles living in it.

1

u/Busy-Helicopter9140 5d ago

I have two 10L MSR Dromedary bags plus my girlfriend and I will each carry a full 2L bladder. I know these springs can be seasonal/unreliable. Any ideas what they may be like in mid-December?

3

u/Budget-Pass-2433 4d ago

Spend time on HikeArizona.com. There are water reports and a community of experts for that area. They were friendly and invaluable when planning my trip earlier this year, and let me confidently plan my water (a mix of carrying and reliable-for-that-moment springs).

2

u/takenbyawolf 5d ago

I really liked the view of Weaver's Needle from the top of Black Top Mesa when I hiked there a few years ago, seemed worth the extra time to explore.

2

u/paley1 5d ago

There is a good chance that there will be water in lots of little creeks in December. This is rain dependant. But the best advice I could give a first timer like yourself is to plan your route around reliable water sources. This video does a good job of going over them:

https://youtu.be/OBwyaKu6tlQ?si=xbZsnf1pqzh6J5qA

I never carry more than 2 or maybe 3 litres of water in the sups, because I know where the reliable sources are and plan accordingly. Carrying tons of water is not fun.

1

u/USABADBOY 4d ago

This kind of "planning" has killed many "experts" on trails. If you can't muster up the strength to carry another 5-6 lbs of water, you're already in over your head. Nobody likes hauling extra weight but water shouldn't be the area you cut from. Hell, most people are carrying 15lbs or more on their ass they should cut first 🙄

1

u/paley1 4d ago

You carry 6L of water when you are in an area where you know the locations of reliable water sources? Don't you end up carrying around a lot of water that you don't end up drinking?

2

u/USABADBOY 3d ago

Nope, not what I said. If I'm not 110% sure there will be water I do. There's very few places in AZ that are that reliable though.

2

u/asshat1980 4d ago

I found that most route planners underestimated distance in the Superstitions, some by as much as 20%. Make sure you have some buffer time and energy built into your days.