Guidebook

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Segment 4: Tortilla Mountains   27.6 miles

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Segment Length	from PHX	to ABQ	Segment Status	Season
27.6 mi.	75		finalized & accessible	fall, winter, spring
Resources
OVERVIEW MAP ELEVATION PROFILE       G.E.T. Topo Maps 9-12 Water Chart Image Gallery: Album 2				Additional maps: Mesa 1:100K Quad (BLM)* Globe 1:100K Quad (BLM)* Casa Grande 1:100K (BLM)* Mammoth 1:100K (BLM) *limited coverage shown visit PLIC website Trail managing agency: Arizona Trail Association www.aztrail.org

SEGMENT OVERVIEW

The remote Tortilla Mountains extend south from the Gila River toward the Santa Catalina range, and we follow their lead in this segment, winding among Sonoran desert foothills and mesquite-lined washes, and encountering few if any people. Except for the first 8 miles or so, the terrain here is fairly mellow. Navigation is also relatively straightforward, but the Arizona Trail route that you'll follow changes surfaces frequently - from singletrack to 4WD road and back - so be alert at junctions and look for cairns, posts, and flagging leading the way ahead. As of late 2011, trailbuilding progress on this stretch of the AZT was officially complete, with several miles of recently-built tread winding through interesting terrain. You'll likely find some water other than the (generally polluted) Gila River in the first half of this segment, and in springtime a public water cache for AZ Trail hikers is sometimes encountered at the very end. Otherwise the terrain is likely to be dry.

ROUTE DETAILS

Start out heading south on paved, 2-lane (and mostly quiet) Florence-Kelvin Road, crossing the Kelvin-Riverside bridge over the Gila River. (The Gila is generally unpotable here, but developed water may be available at Wilson's Trailer Court in Kelvin to the north. See Chapter 3 for more information.) 2011-built Arizona Trail tread leaves the road on the right beyond the bridge. The trail climbs above the Gila River, then meanders west through Sonoran desert scrub, crossing a prominent wash at 0.9 (waypoint 04020). At 2.0 miles, it reaches Florence-Kelvin "Highway" again (underwhelmingly, a graded dirt road), crossing it and heading south to pass beneath power transmission lines. 2011-completed trail segues into previously-built trail near 3.2, then passes through a gate at 3.8 (waypoint 04060).

Now the trail climbs moderately with the aid of switchbacks to crest a gravelly ridge, where occasional large cairns guide the way along the meandering height of land. The town of Kearny comes into view off to the east, well below, along the banks of the Gila. Trail tread may disappear momentarily on the approach to the "Big Hill," (as the trail community has unofficially named the little conical peak) but the way ahead is straightforward enough. Soon rejoin constructed trail near 7.3 (elev. 3526') and begin a well-graded descent toward the west via switchbacks. The views here are commanding, with the White Canyon Wilderness visible to the north, the Tortilla Mountains toward the south (including the gumdrop profile of Antelope Peak, approached in Segment 5), and the Santa Catalina Mountains' skyline far beyond. Even Picacho Peak is visible, the oft-climbed volcanic plug charging skyward on the western horizon.

Foot trail continues into a minor canyon (waypoint 04110) then reaches a wider wash by a metal gate at 8.8. Walk southeast down the wash, watching for a large (but somewhat hidden) cairn on the left at 7.6 (waypoint 04130). Trail tread leaves the wash here, continuing to a cairned crossing of wide Ripsey Wash at 9.3 (elev. 2821'). Turning left (south) along the west side of Ripsey Wash leads to a spring-fed trough in under 0.2 of a mile (waypoint 04150). The trough often contains some water, although its float valve doesn't work well of late and may be producing only a trickle of fresh water - if any; otherwise you can follow the PVC pipe to the spring source in the cliff above, sometimes quite shallow and hard to collect from. Camping is possible in the vicinity, but avoid the main branch of the sandy wash itself in case of vehicles.

Crossing the wash, our AZT/GET route continues as foot trail once more, climbing a minor ridge to a 4WD road junction by a powerline at 10.1. Continue straight on the road, which descends west to cross a drainage at 10.4. Just beyond, veer left off the road onto constructed trail again, which undulates rather moronically in and out of the wash. (Superior-bound hikers: the Arizona Trail joins the road, then stays right at an unsigned junction with another road, and climbs to a signed junction atop a ridge, where foot trail soon resumes.) At the trail's 4th crossing of this wash, 40 yards to the west, is a "100 gallon stock trough," near 10.8 (waypoint 04180). As of spring 2009, a second trough had also been installed and the old one - full of sand - disabled. The new trough was wet and full upon first inspection, but may also contain sand and debris at times; its PVC inlet pipe sometimes produces a trickle of water that you can collect from directly. Otherwise, you might look for pools of water uphill in the side drainage.

Climb to reach a gate on a viewful ridge at 11.7, where constructed trail ends. Turn right and follow a 2-track road, which bends south to soon reach a better 2-track (waypoint 04200). Turn left onto this road, watching for helpful flagging and/or cairns. A tenth of a mile beyond, bear right at a 3-way road junction. Take the left fork at 12.5, continuing southeast.

Pass through a gate at 13.7, and turn right, west, along the fenceline on a old 2-track. Turn left where foot trail resumes in a tenth of a mile (waypoint 04240). The trail wanders through an intriguing upper-Sonoran desert landscape, crossing a couple of old 2-tracks (and a number of confusing stock paths) along the way. Constructed trail may end at a 2-track crossing at 15.3. If so, turn right here, following the 2-track a short distance over to a powerline service road. Here bend left and follow the rough road south. (Westbounders: the turnoff of the powerline road may be marked by a cairn.) The road climbs to the left of a low hill, then reaches an unsigned t-junction in a drainage at 16.2. Turn right here on the road that heads down the drainage.

Reach a better road at 16.8. Heading right (west) here would lead to the Old Ripsey Ranch corral, with a windmill and possible trough, in a half mile, a worthwhile detour if you're low on water. (Camping is not allowed at the corral.) Our route instead follows the road left to cross beneath the powerline twice, then at 17.2 reaches a cairn at constructed AZ Trail tread (waypoint 04300). Turn right onto the trail. The tread can sometimes be overgrown and indistinct here, but is blazed with occasional cairns and reflective aluminum markers tied to brush.

Reach a well-defined wash at 18.2. Cross 2WD dirt Old Florence Road at 19.1, then pass through a metal gate and traverse around a viewful knoll. The Ninety-Six Hills stand low toward the southwest, while southeast beyond nearby private Tecolote Ranch rises the tawny cone of Antelope Peak. The Santa Catalina "sky island" range inches closer on the southern horizon above Oracle.

Descend from the knoll to cross a wash. More recently-built trail begins within a half mile, cruising easily southward among agave, yucca, and mesquite. Although the terrain is fairly flat, small ridges and washes add enjoyable texture. Cross a 4WD road at 20.8, and then a pair of shady washes offering camping prospects. Beyond, soon skirt "the Boulders" - an assortment of weathered granitic outcrops similar in composition to the rocks atop Mount Lemmon in the Catalinas. Pass through a gate at 21.9, then cross a hackberry-lined wash a couple of times to reach a gas pipeline service road at 23.6.

Signed trail continues beyond the pipeline road, crossing a pair of 2-tracks - the second set just after descending beneath the powerline once again. At 25.3 (waypoint 04430) meet graded, 2WD Hayden Ranch Rd, and another road of similar quality shortly beyond. Constructed trail ends at another gas pipeline road at 25.8. Turn right, south, following the undulating, arrow-straight track (ignoring any turnoffs) to 27.0, where singletrack trail resumes at left (east). The AZT/GET rambles pleasantly once more among upper-Sonoran vegetation, passing a possible springtime water cache beside the trail at right, less than 0.1 of a mile before arriving at graded 2WD dirt Freeman Road at 27.6 (waypoint 05010; elev. 4012'). When stocked and maintained, the public cache for Arizona Trail hikers is generally obvious - as many as a couple dozen (although often fewer) plastic gallon jugs of water by a mesquite tree, sometimes with an Arizona Trail hiker register.

Segment 3

Segment 5