BajaTaco
Swashbuckler
This area is located in northwestern Arizona, south of Hwy 68 and southwest of Kingman. Located in the Black Mountains, parts of the Secret Canyon area belong to the Mt. Nutt wilderness. The goal with this trip will be to get into some of the most striking topography of the Black Mtns. and explore the area including springs, hanging gardens, and a natural arch. There appears to be many small openings and caves in these rocks as well. This will actually be the first of two trips to this area. This first trip will be to get acquainted with the landscapes and natural features. We will camp with our vehicles in the Black mountains for 2 nights and make some day hikes into the wilderness area to explore the rocks and springs, and take lots of photos. This is bighorn sheep habitat, and apparently over 100 sheep have been counted here. I picked this weekend because it is close to a full moon (4-13) and it will be fun to see the rocks and canyons illuminated in the moonlight. Depending on where we camp, I might lead a 1-2 hour night hike (no lamps - by moonlight). This first trip will be open to stock high clearance SUV's as we expect only moderate challenges. The second trip will be much more rigorous and have specific vehicle requirements (but we'll save that for later).
(Note: This is trip is on Easter weekend)
Itinerary:
Friday - The Arizona group will meet in Kingman, AZ at 4:00 pm (AZ and CA are on same time now) in the parking lot at the Power House Visitor's Center at 120 E. Andy Devine Ave. (Route 66) (928)753-6156 *MapQuest Map* If you care to get there early, this building houses the Route 66 museum and has a 50's diner. We will depart at 4:15 pm sharp, in order to meet up with the California group at a reasonable time. The AZ group will meet the California Group on the south side of Hwy 68, at Estrella Road at 4:30 pm (CA & AZ time). I am not familiar with this intersection, so just look for the best place to pull off the road and park. From here, we will proceed into the Black Mountains for our first nights camp. I intend to follow the route described below into the area, so if you cannot meet with the group you can find us in the vicinity of Secret Pass on BLM land (not within the Mt. Nutt Wilderness). At this point, I am not sure where we will find a suitable location to camp. We should arrive approx. 1 1/2 hrs before dark to find a good spot. HERE is the BLM map of the area. HERE is the BLM page for the Mt. Nutt wilderness.
"From Highway 93 north of Kingman, turn west onto Highway 68. Follow Highway 68 to Estrella Road. Follow Estrella Road south for 2.7 miles to Bolsa Drive. Turn right onto Bolsa Drive and proceed 2.8 miles to Gisela Road. Turn left on Gisela Road, proceed 0.5 miles to Chuar Drive, and turn right. Go about 0.2 miles and turn right again on Ganado Road, adjacent to a range fence. Follow the fence 0.2 miles to a cattleguard. Go through the cattleguard and follow the jeep trail south and west for 1 mile. At this point bear left, leaving the wash and crossing under the powerline, and follow this jeep trail south 2.8 miles to the end of the road in Secret Pass Wash. Bear left when you encounter intersections on this jeep trail. A large stone arch is hidden in the rock outcrop located on top of the hill on your left as you near the end of the jeep trail."
Saturday - Today will be a relaxed pace with some hiking into the Mt. Nutt Wilderness areas and the Secret Pass canyon. I will have a route map and info for exploring some of the area roads if anyone cares to do that instead.
Sunday - We will depart camp by 9:00 am and head northwest out to 68 via an old slurry road. Depending on time and what mood we are in, we will have some other options to extend the day, or get out to the hwy for an early start back home.
CB - Channel 7
2M - 146.460 (4WD2)
The biggest thing we need to keep in mind on this trip is to TREAD LIGHTLY! (PLEASE!!) both with the vehicles and on our feet. We will be traveling on foot primarily in wash bottoms and water-courses for the main routes during our hiking sessions. We need to pay attention so as to minimize our impact. Thanks
Gear: Be prepared for cool evenings and pretty warm (even hot) daytime temps. If hiking, be sure to bring some really sturdy boots/shoes as there are no established trails and the terrain is very rugged. I would recommend bringing some binoculars, as I am really hoping we will get to see some bighorn sheep. Be sure to bring sunscreen if you use it, because we will get hammered with sun on this trip. Also, definitely bring plenty of WATER both for your vehicle, and for hiking. If you have a hydro-pack, it wouldn't hurt to add some ice to it before we depart on Saturday morning. I think we will probably do a morning hike and return to camp for a nice lunch, and then do an afternoon hike (so no need to pack lunch on the walk - just snacks if you want).
I will try to get some GPS coords posted as well.
Group size limit: 8 vehicles
1. Bajataco & Sharon - Tacoma
2. WhiteThaiGer & Salsita - 4Runner
3. mcvick - Discovery
4. datrupr - Trooper
5.
6.
7.
8.
(Note: This is trip is on Easter weekend)
Itinerary:
Friday - The Arizona group will meet in Kingman, AZ at 4:00 pm (AZ and CA are on same time now) in the parking lot at the Power House Visitor's Center at 120 E. Andy Devine Ave. (Route 66) (928)753-6156 *MapQuest Map* If you care to get there early, this building houses the Route 66 museum and has a 50's diner. We will depart at 4:15 pm sharp, in order to meet up with the California group at a reasonable time. The AZ group will meet the California Group on the south side of Hwy 68, at Estrella Road at 4:30 pm (CA & AZ time). I am not familiar with this intersection, so just look for the best place to pull off the road and park. From here, we will proceed into the Black Mountains for our first nights camp. I intend to follow the route described below into the area, so if you cannot meet with the group you can find us in the vicinity of Secret Pass on BLM land (not within the Mt. Nutt Wilderness). At this point, I am not sure where we will find a suitable location to camp. We should arrive approx. 1 1/2 hrs before dark to find a good spot. HERE is the BLM map of the area. HERE is the BLM page for the Mt. Nutt wilderness.
"From Highway 93 north of Kingman, turn west onto Highway 68. Follow Highway 68 to Estrella Road. Follow Estrella Road south for 2.7 miles to Bolsa Drive. Turn right onto Bolsa Drive and proceed 2.8 miles to Gisela Road. Turn left on Gisela Road, proceed 0.5 miles to Chuar Drive, and turn right. Go about 0.2 miles and turn right again on Ganado Road, adjacent to a range fence. Follow the fence 0.2 miles to a cattleguard. Go through the cattleguard and follow the jeep trail south and west for 1 mile. At this point bear left, leaving the wash and crossing under the powerline, and follow this jeep trail south 2.8 miles to the end of the road in Secret Pass Wash. Bear left when you encounter intersections on this jeep trail. A large stone arch is hidden in the rock outcrop located on top of the hill on your left as you near the end of the jeep trail."
Saturday - Today will be a relaxed pace with some hiking into the Mt. Nutt Wilderness areas and the Secret Pass canyon. I will have a route map and info for exploring some of the area roads if anyone cares to do that instead.
Sunday - We will depart camp by 9:00 am and head northwest out to 68 via an old slurry road. Depending on time and what mood we are in, we will have some other options to extend the day, or get out to the hwy for an early start back home.
CB - Channel 7
2M - 146.460 (4WD2)
The biggest thing we need to keep in mind on this trip is to TREAD LIGHTLY! (PLEASE!!) both with the vehicles and on our feet. We will be traveling on foot primarily in wash bottoms and water-courses for the main routes during our hiking sessions. We need to pay attention so as to minimize our impact. Thanks
Gear: Be prepared for cool evenings and pretty warm (even hot) daytime temps. If hiking, be sure to bring some really sturdy boots/shoes as there are no established trails and the terrain is very rugged. I would recommend bringing some binoculars, as I am really hoping we will get to see some bighorn sheep. Be sure to bring sunscreen if you use it, because we will get hammered with sun on this trip. Also, definitely bring plenty of WATER both for your vehicle, and for hiking. If you have a hydro-pack, it wouldn't hurt to add some ice to it before we depart on Saturday morning. I think we will probably do a morning hike and return to camp for a nice lunch, and then do an afternoon hike (so no need to pack lunch on the walk - just snacks if you want).
I will try to get some GPS coords posted as well.
Group size limit: 8 vehicles
1. Bajataco & Sharon - Tacoma
2. WhiteThaiGer & Salsita - 4Runner
3. mcvick - Discovery
4. datrupr - Trooper
5.
6.
7.
8.
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