Saturday 1-1-11 Devil's Canyon/Easter Island

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Great Day, Great Trail, and Great Friends. Whoda thunk, we'd be driving around the desert in the ice and snow with the windows down and the sunroof open. Here's a few pix that nobody else has posted. I think we all took a lot of the same ones. Thank heavens for digital cameras!! I couldn't afford the film for these trips to places like this. First, there is Sonoran StoneHenge, then Mother Nature breaking up the rocks, and the Long and Winding Road.
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Tools R Us said:
This is my favorite AZ trail, great scenery, doesn't fit in the camera, must be experienced in person.:cool: Has good challenges, but you pay for it in length, it is a long day. Very remote, clean, etc, but not a place where you would want to have breakage!

Attempted to find a shorter exit, denied. Ended up asking the rancher for help, he allowed us to use his driveway.:cool: Also gave some clues to other routes and exit possibilities, so, is going to need further exploration, damn it, hate it when that happens!:hillbilly:
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Where were you trying to exit? I might be able to help.

Dripping Springs Road? Then to AZ77? If you make it to DS Road it's closed at the wash/ranch. You have to go back up the mountain toward Pinal Peak and turn right down a ridge road to a wash downstream of the ranch closure.
 
ShottsUZJ100 said:
Where were you trying to exit? I might be able to help.

Dripping Springs Road? Then to AZ77? If you make it to DS Road it's closed at the wash/ranch. You have to go back up the mountain toward Pinal Peak and turn right down a ridge road to a wash downstream of the ranch closure.
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We went through the ranch and out Dripping Springs this time. It is long, put us way south, was a long drive back. Last year come out through Sulphide Del Ray/over the Pinal Mountains, good road, but also long and had lots of snow this year.

Tried FR2, is tight, unused, may not go through. Got some info from the rancher on a couple of possible exits the would put us in the Top of the World/Miami area. Will need a dedicated trip to find the best one. There are several roads on the ground that are not maped, one may bring us out near the Ray Mine on 177.
 
Tools R Us said:
We went through the ranch and out Dripping Springs this time. It is long, put us way south, was a long drive back. Last year come out through Sulphide Del Ray/over the Pinal Mountains, good road, but also long and had lots of snow this year.

Tried FR2, is tight, unused, may not go through. Got some info from the rancher on a couple of possible exits the would put us in the Top of the World/Miami area. Will need a dedicated trip to find the best one. There are several roads on the ground that are not maped, one may bring us out near the Ray Mine on 177.
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Cool! The rancher let you through!

FR2 has many dangerous washouts for years. It was simply impassable when we last tried...oh 5-years ago. I doubt any maintenance has been done on it. Wuold have taken A LOT.

I liked eveyones pics. We need to head out there again.
 
ShottsUZJ100 said:
Cool! The rancher let you through!
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Nice guy. Answered the door with, "let me guess, you are lost".:hillbilly: Likely gets this a lot, was helpful, but it is not something I would abuse, prefer to respect their privacy.

ShottsUZJ100 said:
FR2 has many dangerous washouts for years. It was simply impassable when we last tried...oh 5-years ago. I doubt any maintenance has been done on it. Wuold have taken A LOT.

I liked eveyones pics. We need to head out there again.
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That was our observation, still the same, but some new roads have been cut or other old roads improved, just not sure where they go.
 
After spending some time gazing at maps, it looks like there are lots of developed roads on the south side of Miami/Globe that feather out south towards where we were. I'm sure one of them goes to the top of the snow covered mountain with the radio towers on top, that we could see a lot of. From there, they fan out into the south and wander all over, gradually turning into ranch/4x4 trails. Lots of grazing and mining out here, so it is a real spider web of trails. I would love to make an exploratory run out here to cover the area inside the loop we made Saturday. Of course, I would also love to explore the area to the south, all the way from the ranch to somewhere past Ray.
 
inkpot said:
After spending some time gazing at maps, it looks like there are lots of developed roads on the south side of Miami/Globe that feather out south towards where we were. I'm sure one of them goes to the top of the snow covered mountain with the radio towers on top, that we could see a lot of. From there, they fan out into the south and wander all over, gradually turning into ranch/4x4 trails. Lots of grazing and mining out here, so it is a real spider web of trails. I would love to make an exploratory run out here to cover the area inside the loop we made Saturday. Of course, I would also love to explore the area to the south, all the way from the ranch to somewhere past Ray.
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Agree, need to explore more. The area appears to be split into three sections, the Hackberry/Apache Leap area is separated from the center area where we were by Devils Canyon, the center area separated from the Pinal Mountains area by the ranch?
 
Saddletramp said:
Did you guys find the petroglyphs? Our trip there to Dripping Springs/Government Springs 2 years ago.
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Nope, by the time we made it over there, we were in the "get me to food" mode, so didn't even look.
 
I would like to add this to my "must run" list as well. Great pics :cheers:
 
That helps a lot! Here's what I know:

First off it looks like the RANCH on the map is at Governor Springs.

The dead end marked looks like the south end of FR2.

You all exited Dripping Springs Road to AZ77.

I can tell you that IF the rancher lets you through you can do a loop from Globe to your Devil's Canyon starting point. Run from Globe you would:

Climb the Pinal Mountains on FR55 and FR651. Just past the Madera Peak Road (FR580...nice scenic trip by the way) you turn right down FR899. FR899 ends at the Ranch. If it's open then you would turn right and head uphill on the path you-all just took through Devil's Canyon.

If the ranch is not open you have an exit to AZ77 via Dripping Springs Road. As you were decending FR899 toward the Ranch you would have seen a hard left option that decends the crest of a side ridge. It's close to the bottom so what you could do is head back up to it. Then, make a hard right. You can't miss it. Follow this road down to the wash...then through the tracks out to Dripping Springs Road. This junction is JUST south of the Ranch. Hang a left and head out to AZ77.
 
And for Tools:

The road I spoke of being on that was very dangerous and impassable due to severe washouts was FR639 on the south end. We wanted to take 899 down to 639 then to 2 for a quick exit out ot US60 and home one day. DIDN'T HAPPEN and man were we late!
 
murf said:
I would like to add this to my "must run" list as well. Great pics :cheers:
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Must be getting old? You were with us last new years? IIRC you even started the thread?:confused::hillbilly:
 
ShottsUZJ100 said:
That helps a lot! Here's what I know:

First off it looks like the RANCH on the map is at Governor Springs.
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Correct.

ShottsUZJ100 said:
The dead end marked looks like the south end of FR2.
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Correct.

ShottsUZJ100 said:
You all exited Dripping Springs Road to AZ77.
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Covered.
Tools R Us said:
We went through the ranch and out Dripping Springs this time. It is long, put us way south, was a long drive back.
Click to expand...

ShottsUZJ100 said:
I can tell you that IF the rancher lets you through you can do a loop from Globe to your Devil's Canyon starting point. Run from Globe you would:

Climb the Pinal Mountains on FR55 and FR651. Just past the Madera Peak Road (FR580...nice scenic trip by the way) you turn right down FR899. FR899 ends at the Ranch. If it's open then you would turn right and head uphill on the path you-all just took through Devil's Canyon.

If the ranch is not open you have an exit to AZ77 via Dripping Springs Road. As you were decending FR899 toward the Ranch you would have seen a hard left option that decends the crest of a side ridge. It's close to the bottom so what you could do is head back up to it. Then, make a hard right. You can't miss it. Follow this road down to the wash...then through the tracks out to Dripping Springs Road. This junction is JUST south of the Ranch. Hang a left and head out to AZ77.
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Correct, covered.
Tools R Us said:
Last year come out through Sulphide Del Ray/over the Pinal Mountains, good road, but also long and had lots of snow this year.
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If were were looking to come out through Sulphide Del Ray or Dripping Spring it would be easy, no problem, have done that. The goal is to find a shorter exit.

In my discussion with the rancher, showed him the Tonto map, his reply was: Throw that thing away, the forest service doesn't have a clue about the roads out here, that thing will get you lost and/or in trouble! Nobody has accurately mapped this area, the best way to find what is here is to come out and explore. He gave a couple of brief hint to roads that come out in the Top of the World and Ray mine areas.

This agrees with our experience. Part of the trail we ran isn't on any map that I have found. In one section my PC map in the truck shows zero roads, jeep trails, pack trails, etc, on the entire screen, according to it we are in the middle of nowhere. Yet we are on a "road" and there are other "roads" that are visible on the ridges, but not on the map.
 
Tools R Us said:
Must be getting old? You were with us last new years? IIRC you even started the thread?:confused::hillbilly:
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My memory only has a 8 month shelf life :doh::o

Ill cross it off my list! :D
 
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