Hiking in Coronado National Park

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We had really nice weather our first full day in Rodeo. We needed to burn off some of our calories we took in at dinner yesterday so we headed to the Coronado National Forest. We noticed that there are several forest areas in southeastern Arizona that have this name. Not clear to us why they couldn't come up with unique names but the one we are close to is near the little town of Portal.

Being the Monday after Christmas, we really weren't expecting the visitor center in Cave Creek to be open but it was. It used to be the ranger station but it is now staffed by a volunteer and the ranger station is 50 miles away. The volunteer was quite helpful in explaining the hiking options in the area. They have a pretty slick setup with a computer feeding a big TV so we can sit and hear the description while the guy pulls up various maps, pictures and even drone videos of some of the areas. They even have pretty decent wifi there if that becomes a necessity.

Pretty Cobblestone Building Next to Visitor Center

Our first stop is just a little bit beyond the visitor center at Cave Creek Vista. It is a short walk up to a point that is mostly open to the surrounding mountains. There is even a spotting scope there if you want to see something up close. From there we headed down the road just a bit further to a trailhead that our next door neighbor mentioned during dinner - South Fork Trail. Our neighbor is from Iowa but has been coming back to Rusty's for several years now over the winter months so he has seen a lot of the surrounding area.

Rugged Mountain View at Cave Creek Vista

Apparently the road used to go back to a primitive camping area and then the trail followed a small stream back up into a canyon. But a couple years ago there was a big storm that more or less flooded the area and wiped out the road. The trail follows the remnants of the road for a short bit to the old camping area which still had a working outhouse. We followed the trail out just over 2 miles. It was very pretty and since we were near the creek the whole way, there was the constant sound of flowing water that added to the soothing nature of the hike. We lost track how many times we crossed over the creek during the hike after it got above 10 times. Fortunately the water wasn't very deep so the crossings were uneventful. Even though the trail continued on, by the time we were 2.2 miles out, the trail itself had become a stream and it was no longer any fun trying to hike and not get wet feet so we headed back.

Colorful Rock Formations Along South Fork Trail

More Pretty Views

Tree Limb Frames the Mountain

One of the more challenging hikes in this area is the Silver Peak Trail. I wouldn't say it is one of the more popular ones simply because of the difficulty of the hike. The trailhead is less than a 1/4 mile from the visitor center but it might be wise not to park there since the gate is locked after 4 PM. The trail starts at an elevation of 5000 feet and in the posted 4.5 miles, it climbs to 8000 feet. We have done some hikes with an elevation gain of 1000 or even 1500 feet and have done shorter hikes at higher elevation during a trip to Colorado but we cannot think of any other single hike we have done of this magnitude.

Our Actual Track from GPSr

We start out at 9AM in the cold and shade of the nearby mountains but after about 30 minutes of climbing, we had already started to strip off layers as to not overheat. The trail continues up while it skirts around one peak called the Fingers. Once we get up to about 6500 feet we start to run into snow covering the trail. Being on the north side of the mountains, the sun really didn't have a chance to melt the couple inches of snow that dropped on Christmas Eve and morning before we arrived here.

Near the Start of Our Climb - We Are Headed Up There Somewhere

Nice Distant View Possibly with Our Campgrounds Visible 9 Miles Away

The Fingers

Snow Covered Trail

Initially the snow wasn't really an issue but based on the tracks, somebody and their dog had hike here yesterday and we were finding many spots where their footprints had partially melted and frozen again leaving ice. As we continued up and around the other mountains the trail seemed to become just a series of switchbacks. Chris had found a good trail description so we roughly knew what was coming up.

Dried Up Yucca Plant

Interesting Tree Marking 1000 Feet of Climbing Remaining

Great Views at Every Turn

By the time we hit 4.5 miles we still had a little over 1/10 of a mile to get to the peak. Of course we also still had a few hundred feet of elevation to climb so it took 1/2 mile of switchbacks to get to where we could see our final destination.  Part of the reason for doing this hike was to get the geocache that is placed up here. So we even though there were times where we both thought about giving up and heading back, neither of us verbalized that.

Apparently there used to be some sort of fire observation building up here complete with a cistern for water and an outhouse where somebody would live for some period of time. The building was struck by lightning in 1992 and burned down so only the cistern and foundation remain. The only real problem for us was the final approach to the foundation was up a series of 51 very steep steps. the first half of these were snow and ice covered with no railing. The second half of the steps had melted clear and had a railing. We literally climbed on all fours over the snow covered steps and then proudly walked up the remaining steps (while firmly holding the railing) to the peak and onto the foundation which was surprisingly large - maybe 12' by 12'.

Looking Down Section of Stairs from Platform

The hike turned out to be longer than posted, coming in at 5 miles but the elevation gained was right at 3000 feet. Before eating our lunch or taking pictures, we decided we had to find the geocache to remove the pressure from our minds. We looked and looked and I crawled around outside the foundation, holding on for dear life but we kept coming up empty. The hint and prior logs from others that found it were not really helping. I decided to see if I had any cell coverage although given how remote this area is, I wasn't too optimistic. I guess being above almost all other peaks in the area, we had a good line of sight to some tower and I was able to check the cache page for any additional clues. Fortunately somebody had posted a spoiler picture. Generally I avoid looking at these, wanting to be able to find the cache on my own, but this was an exception given the magnitude of the hike.

The picture was reasonably close up of the cache location so it took us some time to even isolate what location the picture was from. My fear was confirmed when the location pointed to a two foot wide gap between two big rocks. I had tried looking there earlier but with all the snow covering the ground and the huge fall if I were to slip, I had given up on looking there. But now that we know the cache is there, I slowly worked my way out until I came upon a couple rocks that looked out of place in a crevice. Sure enough the container was hidden there. There was not a whole lot of room to do much other than sit in the snow so I could sign the log.

Jack After Finding the Geocache

After enjoying our sandwiches and just relaxing, I tried to decide which view was the best. The problem was, there isn't a bad view regardless which way you look. We were not looking forward to the return trip. Yes, it will be downhill the whole way, but the concern was our footing with the snow and ice. After coming down the first section of steps with the railing, we were greeted with the next set still snow covered. I went first but realized I wasn't going to be able to just slowly walk down them. I suspect the fact that you could see how far you would fall if you were to slip wasn't helping at all. I decided to basically crawl backwards on all fours. That snow was freezing my hands but they could still get some grip. Once I made it past the stairs it was Chris' turn. She got about halfway and then just froze. I could hear her hyperventilating and was worried I might need to crawl back up and assist. Fortunately she must have been wearing her "big girl pants" and she made it the rest of the way down the steps without incident.

View from Up Top

Looking Back Towards Our Route Down

Selfie Time

Looking Down Snowy Steps

Chris Braves the Stairs

Looks Like a Head with Big Nose

The rest of the hike down wasn't too bad from a footing standpoint and by then we were starting to get some decent colors from the sun. The last mile to the parking lot was tough for me. My legs were in bad shape. It wasn't clear whether they were going to cramp up or just buckle, but it sure felt like I wasn't going to make it. I slowed my pace dramatically and managed to make it back to the Jeep. A round trip distance of 9.9 miles taking us a total of 7:40 with about 2 hours of that being stopped. I suspect we will sleep well tonight!

View Just Before Parking as Sun was Setting