Despite leaving home 15 minutes later normal (5:30 a.m.), I managed to arrive at the trailhead 30 minutes ahead of time (7:30 a.m.), without any more speeding than normal. Personally, I’d avoid camping at White Spar, as AZ-89 traffic noise is too obvious.
My plan was to hike Wolverton Mountain Trail #9415, Aspen Creek Trail #48 and East Copper Trail #260. According to my route, it was supposed to be 10.91 miles and 1923 AEG. Since those numbers are always low, I figured it would be a 12 mile, 2000 AEG day.
Trail #9415 started out through a mile of damp high top pine. As with Trail #48, the trail surface is very smooth, but the route is unnecessarily twisty. I suspect it was optimized for mountain biking, rather than hiking. (I saw four bikers and no hikers along the two trails.) After a mile, #9415 began edging along a large burn area, to the south, away from town, where there was not a single living pine tree. Not one. Any idea when that fire was?
After three miles, I cut up to FR 9707V, which curls around the south side of what I now refer to as Quarry Hill. I heard ATVs up in the quarry, so when I heard them coming back my way I ducked down behind some bushes in case they were miners. I spent a fair bit of time exploring the hill, hoping for some shafts, adits, equipment — anything — but finding only some quarry digs. The white rock was beautiful. The summit had incredible 360° views of Thumb Butte, Little Granite Mountain, Granite Mountain, Prescott, Spruce Mountain, Mount Union, and Mount Francis. If you do Trail #9415, I highly recommend this small diversion.
I stopped by the first gate to take a wizz. After I finished, I realized I was only a few feet from a grave. I would have been mortified had I accidentally peed on it. Turns out there were three graves in the pet cemetery.
As far as the hiking itself goes, Trail #48 was the highlight, with lots of shade and only some slight up & downs.
At the hike’s highpoint, in the saddle between Mt. Francis and Hill 6872, you can see all the way to Peeples Valley and Yarnell Hill.
Trail #260 was steep, rocky and slippery. Almost fell a couple of times. Despite black clouds and heavy rain over the Bradshaws, I only experienced a minute of invisible drizzle, near the end of my hike. I hiked the last four miles with a massive blister on my left heel. Ooh-rah.
On the way back into Phoenix, I usually stop at the Culvers on Deer Valley Rd., but I just wasn’t feeling it. Wife made a great suggestion to stop at Boston Market on Bell & 3rd St. instead. Calorie replacement ensued.
GPS File: White_Spar_to_Copper_Creek
Distance: 12.22 miles
AEG: 1,930 ft.
Time: 4h 45m
Hiking Video
Hiking White Spar to Copper Creek from Preston McMurry on Vimeo.
