March 18, 2024
In May 2019 we won accommodations in the Grand Canyon Phantom Ranch lottery, so we decided to trek a portion of the Arizona Trail (AZT) from Flagstaff to the Utah border as part of a rim-to-rim adventure. Since then, we have been working our way south on the 800-mile trail, completing section hikes in 2020 and 2021. Last year, as we continued our AZT trekking, we skipped over a section that had suffered extensive fire damage from the Woodbury Fire in 2019, the Bush Fire in 2020, and the Telegraph Fire in 2021. We wanted to give that land some time to heal before hiking through it.
This year we decided to tackle the section gap, comprising about 120 trail miles. This portion of the AZT traverses the Gila River, the Superstition Mountains and Wilderness, and the Four Peaks Wilderness areas.
Map of the AZT section gap with our trek through the Four Peaks Wilderness in purple
Before beginning our drive from California to Arizona, we verified the weather several times to ensure that we would have acceptable temperatures and minimal rain. The forecast indicated nighttime temperatures above freezing and just a little rain during a couple of the nights.
Beginning our Trek in the Green Hills
In 2023 we worked with a trail angel named MJ to leave our car in the town of Superior and arrange trailhead transportation. Even though we had hiked the AZT in a northbound direction to date, the logistics of leaving our car made it easier to trek this year’s section going south. This way we would be walking toward our vehicle. So we contacted MJ again and arranged to leave our car at her place.
After dropping off our car, we called an Uber to take us to a trailhead near the community of Sunflower in the Tonto National Forest. Because we didn’t begin hiking until noon, we planned a short mileage day.
First, we trekked 1.5 miles northward to tag the tunnel that we last hiked from in 2021 when we completed a section through the Mazatzal Mountains. After walking through the tunnel, we turned south to begin our new miles.
During the next 6.7 miles we hiked through some rolling hills and crossed several creeks, a rarity to see on the Arizona Trail.
The weather was clear and cool, and we enjoyed walking through the green hillsides from the recent rains.
Just a few miles into the stage we entered the burn area from the 2020 Bush Fire, Arizona’s fifth largest fire on record. Even though we noted some blackened trees and bushes, we were encouraged to see so much growth just four years later.
We came to a gate and entered a grazing area, seeing a few cows in the distance.
Climbing more steadily later in the stage, we saw a few blooming flowers.
Toward the end of the stage the path began ascending up a canyon.
We set up camp next to Boulder Creek. As we ate dinner it began to rain a little. Having seen just one hiker the entire afternoon, we enjoyed the solitude as we settled down in our tent for the night.
A Four Peaks and Lake Roosevelt View from a Forest Road
Our second day of hiking began with a steeper climb out of the canyon, gaining about 1,000 feet in two miles. Looking back, we could see the northern section of the Mazatzal Mountains, where we had hiked three years ago.
At the top of the ascent we joined a dirt forest road, where we walked for the next 10.5 miles. While the road was open to vehicle traffic, we only saw a couple of cars the entire time. Compared to other roads we had previously walked on the AZT and the Pacific Crest Trail, this one was in decent shape, with just a few steep and rocky portions.
The forest road continued to climb, with a few welcome downhill sections. As we hiked we had our first views of the Four Peaks, also in the Mazatzal Mountain range. Only one of the four peaks is named – Brown’s Peak at 7,659 feet. The other unnamed summits range from 7,644 feet to 7,526 feet tall.
Far below us was Theodore Roosevelt Lake. It is the largest reservoir located entirely in Arizona. The reservoir and dam on the Salt River were dedicated by Theodore Roosevelt himself in 1911. The lake marked the end of the Four Peaks section of hiking, so we moved closer and closer to it in the coming days.
As the trail continued to climb toward 6,000 feet, we took a break among some beautiful pine trees.
The beautiful scenery around us kept our attention as we continued hiking on the road.
After turning off the road and bypassing an unappealing water source at Pigeon Spring, the trail entered the Four Peaks Wilderness Area, established in 1984.
Ironically, it was in the wilderness area that we saw some of the worst damage from the Bush Fire.
Soon after we gathered water for the night and next day at Shake Spring. After packing up six liters of water between us, we continued a short distance to look for a campsite.
A climb took us to an acceptable camp with the Four Peaks looming right above us.
After our 14.8-mile day, we took a short rest upon arriving at the campsite. But before we could get the tent set up, it began to rain. Working quickly, we managed to get our gear inside before the rain worsened.
A Challenging Stage of Rain, Hail, Sleet, and Snow
After a cold night of near freezing temperatures and intermittent showers, we woke up to the sounds of rain, hail, and sleet hitting the tent. Surprised at the weather, we checked the forecast using our satellite device. Unfortunately, it indicated that there would be precipitation for the next 12 hours.
We were camped at about 5,400 feet, and wanted to hike to lower elevation and closer to Roosevelt Lake, which was still about 19 trail miles away. After eating breakfast, we sat in the tent for a few hours to wait for the weather to warm up and the rain to potentially subside. At about 10:30 am there seemed to be a break in the weather, so we hurriedly broke camp and began hiking.
The next water source was about 9.1 miles away, and we decided to shoot for a campsite there. It was still lightly raining and cold, so we wore our rain gear and fleece. We also packed snacks in our pockets before starting out. This way we would not have to stop for very long and risk potential hypothermia. Our view of the Four Peaks from the campsite was obscured by the weather as we left.
The trail climbed to about 6,000 feet before descending slightly to a narrow ridge. A rocky section slowed us down just as the wind and rain intensified. It then began to hail and sleet. After about two miles the trail changed to mud, and we had to watch our footing on the narrow ridge as we hiked.
Hail accumulation on the side of the trail
Soon, some snow began to fall. We continued moving for 5 1/2 hours straight, stopping only to take quick bathroom breaks, grab a snack from our pockets, or drink some water.
After leaving the wilderness area, the trail descended further to about 4,200 feet and the water source at Buckhorn Creek.
We decided to camp near the creek and quickly set up our tent in the rain. Even with backpack covers on, a few things got wet (including a small section of our sleeping bags). The tent was also damp inside from setting it up and taking it down multiple times in the rain. But we made the best of it and ate a hot dinner before getting into our sleeping bags to warm up.
Heading to Roosevelt Lake through a Saguaro Cactus Forest
We woke up about 10 trail miles from Roosevelt Lake and civilization. Because of our wet gear, neither of us had slept well. It had been very cold, and we both woke up during the night with our teeth chattering. We noticed that our tent doors were frozen with sheets of ice. Fortunately, the rain had stopped and it looked like a clear day with warmer temperatures.
After putting our wet hiking clothes back on, we set off to descend to the lake. The first two miles had some steady climbing, then the trail began descending gradually. In the distance we could see a saguaro cactus forest dotting the hillside. The largest cactus in the United States, they can reach 40 feet in height.
We saw hundreds of saguaros during our 2023 AZT Sonoran Desert section hike, and welcomed another chance to hike among the towering cacti.
The warm sun felt good as we encountered the hillside covered with saguaro cactus. At one point we could look back to the Four Peaks Wilderness we had trekked through.
Trekking through this beautiful section made up for all the discomfort we had experienced during the last few days.
As we hiked, we got ever so closer to Roosevelt Lake and the highway.
The last mile to the highway was a steep descent down some sheer rock, which was slow-going and frustrating for me. Finally, we reached the road. After crossing the bridge over the Salt River, we walked about two more miles on the highway to Roosevelt Lake Marina.
We arrived at the marina at about 1:40 pm and ate lunch at their restaurant overlooking the lake.
Checking the weather again for the next few days, rain was back in the forecast, with some thunder and lightning. And we still had about 75 miles of hiking to close the gap with the trail we had already completed to the south. We took a few moments to ponder whether we should continue hiking a few more miles in the afternoon or call it a day.
The marina offered hikers free camping on a lawn adjacent to the highway, so we decided to pitch our tent there and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Not only did we have the opportunity to get things dried out from the previous days’ rain, but we had the option of verifying the forecast in the morning to decide if the weather was conducive to further hiking.
Our tent pitched on the lawn at Roosevelt Lake Marina
The Weather Dictates our Trekking Future
At about 4:30 am the next morning we woke up to the sound of rain hitting the tent roof, accompanied by thunder and lightning. After verifying that the three-day forecast was unchanged (with more of the same weather), we decided that hiking through the next Arizona Trail section, in the Superstition Mountains, was not an option for us. So we packed up at about 8:30 am and hitched a ride to the town of Globe, where we called the trail angel MJ who had our car to meet us.
During our trek we sent messages once or twice a day with our satellite device to pinpoint our location and let family know that we were OK.
In all, we completed 42.5 miles over our four days of trekking through the Arizona Trail’s Four Peaks Wilderness, moving us to just shy of 500 miles completed on the 800-mile trail. We enjoyed the scenery and seeing the recovering burn areas, as well as the challenges we faced with the steep ascents and descents and ever-changing weather. When our schedule permits, we will be back to trek more miles on the AZT.
Take a look at the summary video from our trek: