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White Rock Springs Camp Loop via First Water Trailhead

Apache Junction, Arizona

4.7/5
based on 7 reviews

Details

Distance

24.18 miles

Elevation Gain

3635 ft

Route Type

Loop

Description

Added by The Outbound Collective

Experience a variety of the incredible environments in the Superstition Wilderness while enjoying a backcountry base camp near White Rock Springs. Stargaze at night and walk among the beautiful saguaro giants during the day. If you're lucky, a gila monster may even cross your path!

The Superstition Wilderness is a stunning 160,200 acre area outside Apache Junction, AZ, with over 170 miles of (variously maintained) trail networks. There are any number of trips you can design to fit your time and skill level. This adventure offers a three day/ two night backpacking trip covering 24 miles with a base camp near White Rock Springs. Before you go in make sure you've called the Tonto National Forest Mesa Ranger District to request an up-to-date backcountry water report (and read up about what to do if you have a nasty teddy bear or jumping cholla encounter!).

Day 1 (6.9 miles):
Head out from the First Water TH and be sure to register on your way in. After a quick 0.3 miles you'll reach your first junction - keep to the left to follow the Second Water trail #236. The trail will climb gradually and give you great views of the area. Just over a mile on, the trail will flatten out and widen considerably. At 1.5 miles you'll reach your second junction with the Black Mesa Trail #241. Take a right here and hike through an awesome saguaro-packed area that cuts across the side of Black Mesa. This 3 mile section heads southwest in its entirety, opening up to views of Weaver's Needle as you go along. The trail will descend its last mile before meeting your next junction at Dutchman's Trail #104. Take a left here and enjoy this brief section of flat and rock-free trail before quickly meeting up with the Bull Pass trail #129 0.2 miles ahead on your left. This pass links Boulder Basin with LaBarge Canyon and cuts due west as a shortcut to the down-and-around route that the Dutchman's Trail offers around Black Top Mesa. Your climb starts quickly here, bringing you ever closer to the mesa and ever-expanding your views of the surrounding area. This section is steep, loose, and rocky in many places, so good footwear and poles are essential. Take a breather from the top of the pass before descending on the other side - depending on the time of year, you may cross several streams throughout this section. This is also an area thick with teddy bear cholla and jumping cholla, so be extra vigilant about where you're stepping. You'll meet up with the Dutchman's Trail again after 1.5 miles in a place where you can either take it to the right or straight ahead - stay straight! The trail will go through another descent before meeting up with the Calvary Trail 0.4 miles on. Follow the Calvary Trail up to the left to reach White Rock Springs itself or continue to the right on the Dutchman's Trail to find a number of excellent backcountry sites just past the junction. Set up camp here and find your closest water source. Most backcountry sites have established fire rings although campfires are discouraged. If you must have one, be sure that there are no campfire bans in effect and only utilize the existing fire rings.

Day 2 (10 miles):
Leave your camp behind and enjoy a day of exploring without the weight. This loop can be done in a counterclockwise or clockwise fashion, though keep in mind that counterclockwise will be helpful if you need to utilize the reliable water source at Charlebois Springs, as that will only have you carrying extra water during the last mile of your trip rather than all day (there are no comparable water sources nearby going the other direction). From camp, head back the way you came on Dutchman's Trail, past the Calvary Trail and Bull Pass junctions, staying on Dutchman's at each. The trail will cut through several areas thick with shrubs and acacias, so expect some scratches by the time you're out. After 1.2 miles (or perhaps a little more, depending on where you set up camp) you'll reach the Terrapin Trail junction on your left - take this and begin to quickly climb higher and higher with ever more remarkable views. From here the trail descends slowly on the other side, following the eastern flank of Weaver's Needle before opening up into an incredible rocky area at Bluff Saddle. This is a great spot to stop for lunch! Continuing on, the trail will descend a bit more before reaching a junction with the Bluff Springs Trail #235. Take a left here and follow this flat trail for 1 mile before joining back up with the Dutchman's Trail, which you'll follow past the Red Tank and Peters Trail junctions (2.3 and 3.3 miles in) before reaching Charlebois Springs, where you can filter and fuel up on water before continuing the last mile+ back to camp.

Day 3 (6.3 miles):
Pack up camp and head back out the way you came in, taking the Dutchman's Trail back to Bull Pass (note: descending Bull Pass this direction is trickier than the way you came initially due to the loose/rocky nature of the trail). Reunite with Dutchman's on the other side of the pass and continue on it when you reach the junction with the Black Mesa Trail - this time you'll take Dutchman's all the way out back to the First Water TH to make a big figure eight of the whole trip. It's 4.2 miles from the Black Mesa/Dutchman's junction, most of which is relatively flat except for a gradual climb through Parker Pass, which is where you'll get your last view of Weaver's Needle for the trip. Keep your eyes and ears out for rattlesnakes along this section. Make sure you've left some beers in a cooler for when you reach your car again and have a campsite at Lost Dutchman State Park booked ahead of time so you can easily go set up for the night.

If you're ready to re-enter civilization check out The Handlebar Pub and Grill in Apache Junction, otherwise just enjoy another night out among the beautiful saguaros!

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Features

Camping
Photography
Backpacking
Hiking
Easy Parking
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Reviews

This hike was the best! A good mix of it challenging and leisurely. Around every corner was an incredible new view. There were some cold moments doing this hike in winter, but I’d do it again. The snowscape was so dreamy.

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I completed the route exactly as described in march of 2019 and it was amazing, I would highly recommend it! The Superstitions are absolutely beautiful. This was my first ever backpacking trip and I completed it solo. We had an unusual amount of snow this year so there was water everywhere on this trip. I was constantly crossing small streams and I was covered in mud. I managed to find a campsite that had a good flow of water right behind it! At one point on day 2 I struggled to cross a huge stream of water, it crossed the trail and was at least waist deep and flowing fast. I had to hike upstream in order to cross and ended up loosing the trail for a bit. I ended up hiking 28 miles in total over 3 days. It was a truly amazing trip and I totally have the bug now! Cant wait for my next trip! Thanks for the awesome guide. Your directions and descriptions were super helpful!

Is there a way to get a GPX file or something for the route. I am on seeing a couple of these trails on the topo.

I hiked this trip exactly as described March 9-11 and it was incredible! This is an excellent route and provided a great sampling of the Superstition Wilderness. Many thanks to the author and Outbound Collective for providing the information. I found the description to be accurate and there is nothing I would really suggest doing differently, other than maybe minimizing the water you pack in by planning to filter from Charlebois Spring after you set up camp at White Rock Springs on your first night (and then again at the end of the dayhike loop). I did this and found it was a nice way to wind down/stretch your legs after setting up camp and walking back from the springs around sunset was nice as you have a terrific down-canyon view and a gradual downhill hike back to camp. One thing I did notice on this loop was a lot of micro-trash (corners of energy bar wrappers, cigarette butts, other small litter) and a lot of toilet paper. PLEASE practice Leave No Trace. This area gets a lot of use and it is unfortunate to see improperly buried human waste near campsites. Lastly, I found this article about digital Leave No Trace to be an interesting read: https://modernhiker.com/3-easy-guidelines-for-digital-leave-no-trace/ I met several hikers on the trail who had also used Outbound for planning their trip. Nothing wrong with that of course, and I'd be a hypocrite to say there is, but it is interesting to think about the impact that occurs when social media directs people to the exact same spots. So I'd maybe think that if you're sharing pictures from this remarkable trip to just leave it at "Superstition Wilderness" so that maybe those who are inspired to plan a trip don't necessarily end up doing the exact same route you did (as opposed to hashtagging every landform in each picture and including a geotag and a link to this trip description, for example) but still get out and enjoy the remarkable landscape! Just a thought.

I didn't do this exact loop but covered a lot of the same trails last month in January. It was amazing! You can read all about my trip details here: http://www.fuel4play.com/2018/02/super-superstitions.html

This was a spectacular trip. We just got back from a 3 day/2 night trek in the superstitions. Be sure to bring plenty of water with you as the afternoons are quite warm and water is often sparse. Some of the trails were a bit overgrown so make sure to wear lightweight long sleeve shirts and pants to protect your limbs! Excellent views and definitely a trip I would do again!!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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