Car camping via plane: Cave Creek wanderings, Toroweap and a few AZ strip points.

gm13

Adventurer
I've been wanting to get back to the SW since my first backpacking trips to the Grand Canyon and Canyonlands twenty years ago . Living 2900 miles away in Maine presents a few logistical problems for vehicle based overland travel to the relatively remote areas of the Arizona strip, especially when there isn't time to drive our own truck-yet.

The first order of business was the “where”. Maps were ordered and many evenings were spent in their perusal, plotting routes and trying to keep it realistic(hard to do) for our limited time of 8 days. That, combined with trip reports and PM's from the Four corners folks, was really helpful, Toroweap was a must go, my wife and I knew that much. Snake Gulch and another pictograph site, along with a couple of points along the Rim, Crazy Jug and its neighbors- Fence, N Timp etc were possibilities within the North Kaibab NF and would be based on accessibility, given weather conditions. Further N If time allowed, to White Pocket.
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Second was getting some essential vehicle gear out there. ARB tire repair kit, Viair 300P compressor, tow strap, Norlund Guide saw. The shovel and spare gas can would have to wait. Other weighty items included the tent, a Marmot Limelight, our sleeping bags/ Thermarests, sunshower, North Face day pack with hydration bladder, fanny pack and cook set etc.Given the possible range of temperatures from freezing into the 80's, cold weather clothing needed to get stuffed in somewhere. And because I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark at an influential age and recently read all 26 pages of “Scariest/Freaky moments when Camping or Offroad” in Fireside Chat, I packed my 1911 in its field holster locked up in a Pelican. Between the two bags to schlepp this stuff, one was at a near limit of 49.5lbs the other was over at 50.5, they let us slide, gracious of United airlines after spending $230 for our luggage to go on backcountry adventure with us.

The “unknown” element was what type of vehicle we could get a hold of and what we could get away with putting it through. This was by far the most difficult part of the planning. At least three hours spent talking to rental companies and their labyrinthian recordings with little or no information at the end of them. A representative from Alamo finally said “We realize the geography of Arizona necessitates, at times, going off pavement.” (Later I find this statement directly contradicted in the fine print of the rental agreement, oops) Sold..err.. rented, but was it four wheel drive? Sure, they have SUV's but almost all were 2wd. It was confirmed by a rep on the ground at Alamo Sky Harbor, Phoenix(awfully hard to get a hold of) that they had 4X4 with low range, not just AWD in their fleet but there was no guarantee that one would be available when we showed up. We booked a Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar and crossed our fingers.

Thursday April 12 depart Portland, ME, arrive at Phoenix SH airport around 11:30pm and a meager supply of vehicles to choose from in the Alamo lot. Reps looking at computers don't seem to have accurate info as to what is outside their door so I go take a look. Best I can find is a Jeep Compass in 4WD, too small really and low clearance, I cringe a bit when my wife Sally mentions the clearance part to the representative... We take it with hopes of swapping it out Friday for better selection, as that's a big return day. Off to Hospitality Suites in Scottsdale, which worked out great, decent room, price and if you're around, free drinks by the pool from 4:30-6:30, we weren't.

Friday we head out to the REI in Tempe to grab fuel canisters for the Pocket Rocket, books, another map(never enough maps!) some freeze dried food etc. Back to Alamo to snare one of these:
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Jeep Liberty with a Trail Rated Badge:)

My 2 cents for a rental there is to forgo relying on what the rep tells you. Go early or on a Friday, stroll through the lot, grab the key for what you want and bring it to the desk. That whole ordeal was a wee bit frustrating but it was worth getting something closer to what we needed.

The weekend has Sally visiting friends in Carefree at the Boulders resort. I make forays out Cave Creek /Bloody Basin road but forgo camping out there as things still want to be picked up—camp chairs, shovel, gas can and a headlamp (TSA or united gleeped 2 good lights from our luggage) Saturday morning finds me at the Cave Creek Coffee Co. Really liked that place. Seems to be hot with the dual sport riders. Good coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Off to see what this road is about.
The Boulders--not a bad "base camp" I guess
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Saturday morning before heading out this guy sauntered across the patio and had a seat nearby:
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Along Cave Creek road, varied weather with a great sky which brought rain, snow, hail and sun in moderate doses.
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From 285
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A lot in bloom, a Claret Cup cacti I believe:
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I love this landscape, great to stop and walk up to any rock outcrop and have a look around, Yucca seem happy too.
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Amazing patterns:
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Lunch stop. Windy means cooking in the truck on the baffle-less pocket rocket. I don't recommend the Whole foods brand mac and cheese, nor camping out of suitcases. Miss my aluminum boxes.
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Evening Primrose, out Northeast ours are yellow.
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Mariposa Lily
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Is it called Bloody Basin due to this color?
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Couldn't get enough of this sky
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I was hoping the Agua Fria river was low given the little rain that's been had, and that crossing wouldn't present a problem, it didn't. Funny to see an interstate marker out here towards the end:
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Spent abut 6 hours making the trip to I-17 from Cave Creek including hiking up a few hills.
More "provisioning" on the way back to base camp, concluding day one off some pavement.
Beautiful area. More on the way...
 

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gm13

Adventurer
Sunday morning found me once again at the Cave Creek Coffee Co. It was loaded with more dual sports and their riders than yesterday. Downed another Skoolhouse sandwhich and coffee while perusing the gazetteer for an alternate route to Sheep Bridge as I didn't have the time to go back out Cave Creek/ 269. I was looking at the N Horseshoe Dam rd. Seemed to me a road could be picked up from before the dam area then across Mullen Mesa and by Chalk mountain over Ister flat to the river. So I gave it a go.
Along the way:
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Sacred Datura, Don Jaun's ally for you Casteneda fans.
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Horseshoe Reservoir, painfully low it seems. The bottom of the boat ramp was probably 100' from water. That's a jeep Cherokee to the left down by the "water".
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Passed 2 guys in a wrangler and asked about the passage to Sheep Bridge, was told that there are boulders across the main route(there were, at least I found boulders across what I thought was the route) and that the dam just released some water so the alternate crossing couldn't be made. I didn't check that out as I was content to go wander up to some rock outcrop where I saw a hawk of sorts perching. Passed some Prickly Pear:
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and Globe Mallow
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Strange Barrel Cactus with huge fangs
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Climbing up past tall Saguaro and clambering over jagged dark rocks brings me up to a nice plateau and a rare find, some petroglyphs.
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On a nice slab facing the valley below
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Trying to tell me something?
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Ocotillo
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The Liberty down below
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Yep, I liked it up here.
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On the way back down I heard a loud buzz/hum as if from a huge transformer, then I saw a "mirage" around one of the Saguaros it was a swarm of bees moving from one Saguaro to the next. Didn't fancy staying in their path given they may have been the more aggressive Africanized variety. I gave them a wide berth, cool to see though.
Don't know what this one is:
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In the wash below
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Back to base camp to pick up Sally then dinner at the Raw Vegan Academy, don't let the name scare you away, the food was awesome, especially the Tiramisu, no coffee though:( Off N to Flagstaff or as far as we get, thought we'd camp above Sunset Crater Volcano but we got a hotel, another:( TBC...
 
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gm13

Adventurer
Monday morning, day 3.
Up to an early start in Flagstaff- though more provisioning holds us up till the outfitter opens at 9 then up rt 89
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into the Navajo Indian reservation...
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and the crossing at Marble Canyon. From the foot bridge:
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Along the S end of the Vermillion Cliffs, eyes out for Condors.
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Getting into the North Kaibab Nf, looking back towards the cliffs.
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Really can't say it enough, this area is incredible, didn't realize how much we both needed a good eye stretch till we were engulfed in them.
Up through Fredonia then into Kanab For our final grocery supplies and 15 gallons of water in 2.5 gal. tapped containers. Can you believe I forgot to get beer? not that it would have been cold....
 
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A

agavelvr

Guest
Don't know what this one is:
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Great trip report! So happy to see the Bloody Basin and weather treated you right. Nice to see people appreciating plants :)
That is a cholla of some kind. Perhaps Opuntia acanthocarpa "buckhorn cholla" or Opuntia versicolor "staghorn cholla". Hard for me to tell from the picture, but Opuntia gets you the proper genus for sure:)
 

gm13

Adventurer
Great trip report! So happy to see the Bloody Basin and weather treated you right. Nice to see people appreciating plants :)
That is a cholla of some kind. Perhaps Opuntia acanthocarpa "buckhorn cholla" or Opuntia versicolor "staghorn cholla". Hard for me to tell from the picture, but Opuntia gets you the proper genus for sure:)

Thanks Jeff.
 

gm13

Adventurer
On to the Antelope Valley Road, the 60 some miles to the edge. Passed 2 loaded semi's coming out and two filled, white passenger vans, found out later the trucks were hauling uranium ore and the vans most likely workers as there is a mining operation down in here. Which I guess is why the road looks like this till just about the park boundary:
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Getting closer to Toroweap:
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Mule Deer and Mt Trumball area behind
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Arrived at the campground at sunset, made it out to campsite 8 and rushed to the overlook to catch the dying light.
Can't really describe what it's like to walk up to this, so massive yet so quiet, amazing.
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Back to #8 to cook up some grub and lament the lack of a beer.
We were up for the sunrise the following morning and some beautiful golden-vermillion light:
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We spent 3 nights here, I think you can see why. There are some nice trails right from camp and we spent the days walking them, admiring the views.
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Loved this formation's right angle structure
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We came upon this guy from the right direction thankfully, it was having a nice snooze, never budged. Was still there on our return, same position. The next rattler we encountered saw me before I saw it.
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shov3lbum

Adventurer
I have to say, wonderful photography. Thank you for sharing your trip here! We might take a trip down there when we move this summer.

Might I ask, what type of camera do you use? and any specific settings that apply to your camera? You seem to really capture all the colors presented in the landscape well.
 

gm13

Adventurer
I have to say, wonderful photography. Thank you for sharing your trip here! We might take a trip down there when we move this summer.

Might I ask, what type of camera do you use? and any specific settings that apply to your camera? You seem to really capture all the colors presented in the landscape well.
Thanks shov3lbum, it's been enjoyable to post it up.

As for camera gear, it's a Canon 1Dmk3 and most pictures are with a 17-40mm, some with 70-200. These shots could easily be had with a Rebel and a wide lens. The trick, for me, is to expose for sky, sometimes under by up to a stop then pull out shadow detail in post, which gives a better result than exposing for shadow and pulling down highlights. Shooting in Raw makes all the difference too when going for range.
 
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gm13

Adventurer
The first 2 nights there were only 1 or 2 other campers here so we had the whole rim area to ourselves most of the morning and evening.
as we expected, those who come to places like this are the type of folks you'd most likely want to talk to anyway and we did meet some interesting people. A solo semi-retired guy came in Wed. night in his kitted out Cherokee Sport, he had been to many amazing spots around the globe. A group of four came in 2 full size PU's hauling cargo trailers that housed ORV's, traveled in from Idaho. Probably in their early 70's and had been to most points on the N rim. Another couple, both retired professors who had hiked every trail in the canyon and were working on the rim now. Cool to talk too these guys, even if most of us were out here for the solitude.
Scraped a bit but they made it
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Interesting geologic event here
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Some of the vital water pockets
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The unsung hero that holds it all in place, cryptobiotic crust
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As far as I can tell this is Kodachrome Bladderpod but it's not supposed to be here according to Utah DNR
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The finger pointing westward that I just had to get to the tip of
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Thursday evening just after sunset we bid Toroweap farewell and set off to refuel and spend the night in Kanab.
At this point there was a full house.
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gm13

Adventurer
Back down through Fredonia and out 89A to the Ryan rd/Fr22 down to FR423 and 237 to camp above Table Rock along Snake Gulch at A, tomorrow's venue for pictographs and petroglyphs.
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A local in Kanab mentioned this little cave up on the cliffside, just past the oak corral that had petroglyphs in it, naturally we tried to get to it.
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This isn't it, became obvious that we'd need more time to approach that one safely so we backed off.
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And settled for a telephoto grab:
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Into Snake Gulch:
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The first overhang and petro/picto panel.
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Sally is down by what looks to be the fire pit end.
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It's unbelievable how much these have been vandalized/scratched over. IMO the only suitable canvas for graffiti is a big box store. I'd make an exception for a few other places but really don't understand the need to deface this stuff.
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Sally found this scorpion of sorts holed up till sundown.
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We start our return to the trail head spying a few more glyphs and graphs along the way. At about mile 12-13 and close to the Jeep, I'm feeling a little tired and not paying as much attention to where I'm walking when I hear the rattle directly to my right, by my foot. I must have jumped 6 feet. This guy was tucked behind a hummock of grass a foot or so from the trail and gracious enough to let me off with a warning:
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Luckily, Sally was a good 25 ft behind me, she went down into the gully to skirt around him. We're both glad we got to see two of these, very cool.

Had an interesting gps experience here which reinforces my slight mistrust of them.
It had us walking 12.8 miles when I knew we'd only come in about 6. Add to that maybe 2 miles of back and forth between canyon walls, it was still off by 4+ miles in terms of distance walked. I shut it off before heading back to save the batteries, so I don't know what it's total error may have been.

Back at the trail head for a dash to Crazy Jug point(see B, on map above)
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gm13

Adventurer
On the way back out, as we approached the oak corral we holed a tire. Grateful for making the room for repair kit and compressor, we had it plugged and back on the road in under 15 min. The Liberty was only equipped with street tires and a donut spare, this had been a concern from the start. Driving was typically slow and cautious but maybe I pushed it a bit, trying to get to Crazy Jug by sunset.

By way of an interlude I'll drop in a trip to another pictograph site that we both wanted to see. I had plotted some waypoints for the route at home but some local info pointed us another way, though it was 10 miles further N, only to head back S 17 miles along slow going dirt. My planned route would save us maybe 2 hours if it worked. I was setting myself up for an "I told you so" moment but I wanted to try it, that's half the fun. Coming to the fork of my supposed route we find it gated, we open it, close it behind us and we're on a fairly decent two-track through sagebrush. The road has its rough areas, we teeter diagonally and motionless across a few gullies, find 4WD low useful here and there, generally enjoy the "lush" sagebrush till we come to the fence. No gate this time, just a fence across a perfectly decent two-track. Told ya so.
Ok, so an hour donated to the pursuit of empirical data, that route doesn't work, and I like knowing why.
Back out and off to find the proper road, another 25 miles to the trail head, then 4 miles hiking in, 4 out, it's now 10:00am.
Passed a Gopher snake on the way:
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We arrived at the trail at 1:00pm after a slow crawl through moderately rutted dirt where the diff guard digs channels in the high center, to rocky where eyes are focused on hazards hiding behind clumps of grass. A nice trek really.
Just below the trail head:
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Find the Collared lizard
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gm13

Adventurer
Hard to believe one can find fossilized sea creatures at 5000' but here they are:
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A long day but the find was worth it:
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Our late start had us walking up mostly in shade, which was nice. Back up to the Jeep by sundown and drive out in the dark.
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We passed a few Poorwills darting in front of us catching bugs attracted to our headlights, often sighted on the ground by the red glow of their eyes. The amount and variety of mice making their way across the road at night was surprising. Combined with the Black-tailed hares and cotton tails, the bobcats had quite a menu.
 
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gm13

Adventurer
...Back to Crazy Jug...
An easy run down FS22 to 425 had us there just after sunset and all to ourselves. That's Fence, N Timp and Timp points jutting out on the left.
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A quick set up before dark, just enough room to tuck up into an old Juniper for a little wind protection then cooked up some dinner.
Sunrise the following morning:
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Not a bad view from the tent
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Hoodooesque spires to the east of the point towards Parissawampitts
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We spent the day here, just taking it in. As at Toroweap, the White Throated swifts would zip by close and sounded like bullets when they did, fast, agile little guys.
TBC..
 
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BLKNBLU

Explorer
A long day but the find was worth it:
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That's a nice one. If it's any consolation, I didn't drive straight to it either.

I haven't stayed at Crazy Jug but at Monument just to the west instead due to "crowds". Monument is always windy. How was Crazy Jug?
 

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