New Blog - See www.palmcreekhikers4.blogspot.com

We have started a new blog for 2022. We will post the Newsletter onto palmcreekhikers4.blogspot.com for upcoming hikes. 

Description, Directions and Pictures will now be posted on the new blog. This Blog will continue to be accessible, as well as palmcreekhikers2.blogspot.com and palmcreekhikers.blogspot.com 

January 14th, 2022 Long Hike - Fat Man's Pass from Dobbin Lookout, out and back (8.1 miles). Medium Hike - Fat Man's Pass from Overlook, out and back (4.5 miles). Short Hike - Casa Grande Mountain (3-4 miles).

Remember: All hikers meet at the central mailboxes at about 7:30 a.m. to sign up, pay their membership fee ($10.00 for the season), sign their waiver, receive their sticker and have their vaccination cards validated for carpooling. We leave at 8:a.m. sharp and return somewhere between 2-4 p.m. All hikers caravan from Palm Creek to the trailhead with the leader heading the caravan.  A caravan sweep vehicle will be determined at the mailboxes. 

Medium Hike: Fat Man's Pass  Approximately 4.5 miles

Hike the National Trail from the Buena Vista Lookout and the Hidden Valley Trail to Fat Man's Pass. For the most part, this is an easy hike with great views of the Phoenix area. The return trip is more uphill and steeper in parts but they are not too steep or very long. There are some interesting rock formations along the trail in addition to the tunnels and passes you navigate. 

Long Hike: Fat Man's Pass  8.1 miles

Hike from Dobbin's Lookout to Fat Man's Pass hiking the Holbert Trail, the National Trail and then the Hidden Valley Trail to Fat Man,s Pass.

Both the medium and long hikes offer fantastic views of the Phoenix area from South Mountain. Both offer Fat Man's Pass, a very narrow gap between rock faces that hikers must squeeze through (There is a way around if necessary), another narrow gap where you slide under a rock face on a smooth rock, and a tunnel about 100 feet long. Washrooms are available for both groups at the gatehouse and Dobbin's Lookout.

Directions to Medium and Long Hikes

Take I-10 north to exit 155, Baseline Rd. Go left on Baseline and proceed to Central Ave. Turn left on Central Ave. and follow it to the gate at the entrance to the park. Proceed on the paved road to Summit Road and at the top turn left for Dobbin's Lookout. The roads are well marked but narrow and twisting. A good GPS is Dobbin's Lookout 

Short Hike: Casa Grande Mountain 3-4 miles

A short hike around the trails on Casa Grande Mt. led by Denis and Reno. Their hike averages 3-4 miles and they are usually back to Palm Creek by noon. This hike leaves from the central mailboxes at 8:00 a.m. on Fridays and hikers must have a Palm Creek Hiking Club Waiver. Try to be sure to be at the mailboxes by 7:45 a.m. to secure waivers.

January Hikes 

January 21th, Dynamite Trail at San Tan. This is only a medium hike.

January 28th, King's Canyon. Both a medium and long hike.

Remember: If for some reason a hike must be cancelled, you will receive an email by 6 a.m., Friday morning so you can go back to bed!

Jerry's Cell 307-630-0252

John's Cell 207-446-0650

January 7, 2022 - American Flag Ranch Trail

 

This is a very scenic hike from a roadway just east of Oracle to the Oracle Ridge Trail where we look down on the Biosphere and have fantastic views of Picacho and Table Top. It is also part of the Arizona Trail. The flora and geology in the area are quite different than our normal hikes and the elevation is higher, from 4,400 feet to 5,400 feet. We will stop at the Hi-Jinks mine where Buffalo Bill Cody mined for gold and view the old 1895 Bain 9-A buckboard that was used in the filming of Poker Alice starring Elizabeth Taylor. This is an out and back hike for a total of 7.4 miles and rated as a B-. Hiking time will take approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. Our return time to Palm Creek is about 7 hours. There is ample parking, however, there are no pit toilets but plenty of bushes.

Directions:

(GPS: Hi-Jinks Ranch)  Take I-10 east to exit 219 for Picacho Peak Rd, turn left to Camino Adelante. Travel 5.1miles and turn left onto E Park Link Dr. After 18 miles, turn right onto AZ 79S and proceed 10 miles to AZ 77 N. Travel south 9 miles and then turn right onto W American Ave. (Signs for Oracle). About 2 miles turn right onto E Mt Lemmon Hwy. and continue 5 miles to Campo Bonito and turn right again on S Highjinks Rd. Trailhead is ahead about a half-mile.

Short Hike:   

Short Hike around the trails on Casa Grande Mt. led by Reno and Denis. Their hike averages 3-4 miles and they are usually back to Palm Creek by noon. This hike will leave from the central mailboxes at 8:00 a.m. this Friday and hikers must have a Palm Creek Hiking Club Waiver. Try to be sure to be at the mailboxes by 7:45 a.m. to secure waivers.

January Hikes 

January 14th, Long Hike, Fat Man's Pass from Dobbin Lookout, out and back. Medium Hike, Fat Man's Pass from Overlook, out and back.

January 21th, Dynamite Trail at San Tan. Medium hike!

January 28th King's Canyon. We will try and see if we can do both a long and medium hike!

Remember:  If for some reason a hike must be cancelled, you will receive an email by 6.a.m., Friday morning!

Dec 17, 2021 Photos for Dixie Mine

 

This is an easy to moderate hike of approximately 5.5 miles total, out and back, to the mine at the McDowell Mountain Regional Park. We park outside of a gated community and walk approximately 10 minutes to the trailhead. The parking facilities, however, are limited, with about 22 spaces, but we have never had a problem in the past! The trail setting is really beautiful and the trail is generally smoother than most. Small hills with interesting rock formations and many saguaros. There are no pit toilets but on the trail, there are plenty of bushes. We will view the old mine from the top looking down into it, then the mine entrance itself, some petroglyphs, and hopefully see the fountain at Fountain Hills spew 300-560 feet into the air. There is a $2.00 cash fee to hike the trail.

Directions: Take I-10 north to the 202 east. The 202 east to the 101 north to Shea Blvd, exit 41. Stay on Shea Blvd to North Palisade and make a left. Continue on North Palisade to North Manzanita Lane and again, make a left. North Manzanita turns into Sunridge Dr. which turns into Mountain Parkway which is also East Golden Eagle Blvd. (Distance approximately 70 miles, 1 hr. 15 min)

(GPS: 14597 E Golden Eagle Blvd.) 

Jerry's Cell

307-630-0252

John's Cell

207-446-0650 

Miner's Needle photos Dec 3, 2021

 This is an easy to moderate hike of 5.6 miles in the Superstition Wilderness. The trail starts at the NE end of the Peralta Trailhead parking lot and we take trail #104, The Dutchman's Trail. 

The trail goes up and over the ridge directly ahead, looping around the nose of it to a saddle and into a broad valley. The trail goes generally in an easterly direction across the valley until after about one hour and twenty minutes and 2.6 miles. Here you will see Miner's Needle. This trail meets the Coffee Flat Trail at the junction. As this point, we travel north a short distance for a better view of Miner's Needle and have lunch. We return back on the same trail. Pit toilets are available at the trailhead. 

Directions, Distance and Time to the Trailhead:  Go north on Hwy 79 out of Florence. Drive west on Hwy 60 at Florence Junction. About 8 miles from the junction, at milepost 204.1, is the frist traffic light and a sign, Peralta Trail. Turn right as this light and proceed trhought the residential area and past the school, then on the gravel road ot the trailhead at the end, about 7 miles. It is 62 miles and took 1 hour and 1 mintues. 

All hikers meet at the central mailboxes at about 7:30 am to sign up and pay their membership fee of $10.00 per season, sign a waiver, receive their hiking sticker and have vaccination cards validated. We leave at 8:00 am sharp and return approximately 2:00 -3:30 pm.

End of the Year Picnic - March 27, 2021

  

75 + miles 

50+ miles