Arizona Trailblazers - Trip Report

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Garden Valley
Day Hike

Superstition
Wilderness

March 3, 2007

by Debbie M.

GPS Route Map

The best doggone hike in the Superstitions!

See, just hold onto the rocks and you won’t splash in.

    The Garden Valley Hike on March 3 may be the last cool weather hike for the Trailblazers this season.

    Fourteen hikers and three dogs convened at the horse staging area of the First Water Trailhead.

    Although most were expecting a warm sunny day, we faced a brisk breeze which left us scrounging around in cars and backpacks for warmer clothing.

    We set off shortly after 9:00 AM.

    The most challenging part of the hike involved navigating a steep rock incline which looked much worse than it actually was. The puddle sitting at the bottom of the incline offered a little excitement in the event that any hiker slipped down.

    Fortunately we didn’t experience any mishaps and were able to cross safely.

    Soon we arrived at First Water Creek, where we turned left and walked downstream amid boulders, a wide variety of desert plants, and golden slickrock. There are several campsites along the creek. Cliffs gave us some relief from the chilly wind.

Colorful cliffs rise over First Water Creek

Just imagine — people lived in Garden Valley before cable TV.

    We crossed the (dry) rocky creek bed numerous times, hiked through a hanging fruit cholla forest, enjoyed an easy walk through Garden Valley, and stopped for a nice view of Hackberry Springs.

    The Garden Valley hike is a popular 5-mile loop hike in the Superstitions although the route that we took was new to most.

    This hike offers the spectacular scenery that the Arizona desert is famous for.

Garden Valley is the largest flat area in the Superstitions. It is alive with saguaro, barrel cactus, ocotillo, prickly pear, and cholla cactus. In a wet spring the valley is ablaze with flowers, but everything is dry this time.

The weather cooperated as the day wore on and the sun warmed things up nicely. We stopped for lunch at the Indian Ruins at the junction of the Black Mesa Trail and the Garden Valley Loop. We were back at the trailhead before 1:00 and all agreed that it had been a terrific day for hiking.

Farewell, First Water Creek. We’re headin’ home.

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updated March 12, 2007