Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club
Garden Valley/ Hackberry Loop Day Hike

when	November 18, 2023
	Trip Report : February 5, 2022
	Trip Report September 9, 2017
where	Superstition Wilderness
where	Superstition Mountains
the hike	We’ll start at First Water Trailhead and take the Second Water Trail up to the top of Garden Valley mesa. We will have a short stop at the Indian ruins.     We will then take the Hackberry trail. We will take a short detour off trail to see the Garden Valley Arch, before we exit the mesa. We then start the down hill to First Water creek and Hackberry spring.     The area offers some interesting contrast: We will start off in desert, walk across a mesa that the Indians used to grow food and then down into a riparian area. We then continue the loop by going though the slot canyon up to the old First Water corral. We then have two ways back, Take the horse trail to the horse parking and then the bridle trail to First Water. The other is stay on First Water to Second Water trail and then right turn back to the parking lot.     If you’ve never seen the Superstitions up close, join us for a fabulous view. We should exit the Superstitions before noon and the temperature should still be below 80.     Bring: Camera, dry socks if it rains the previous day
distance	6 miles
time	4-5 hours
EC	+-500' elevation change
elevations	2100' (First Water parking lot) to 2420' (Garden Valley)
type	loop
ending at	First Water Trailhead 33° 28.806' N,  111° 26.590' W  [NAD27]
on trail	98% — First & Second Water, Garden Valley, Hackberry Trails.
rating	"C"     Rate yourself as a hiker.
dogs allowed	no
cost	Sharing gas expenses with the driver. The club also allows voluntary contributions of $5 per non-member.
weather	Apache Junction
leader	Email to confirm. If you are at Home Depot before 7 AM on Saturday, you can go.
meet	7:00 AM east Mesa at Home Depot on the southeast corner of Power Road and US 60. We’ll arrange car-pooling from there. Directions from Phoenix: Go east on the Superstition Freeway (US 60) to Superstition Springs Blvd., exit 187. Take that exit, turn right and go 1/2 mile east, across Power Road. Then turn left, toward Home Depot, at the second driveway. Park in the southwest corner of the Home Depot lot, behind Burger King.
drive	•  Go northeast on the Apache Trail Highway (Arizona 88) past Goldfield Ghost Town and Lost Dutchman State Park, to First Water Road. • Turn right on First Water Road and drive to the end. Cars can drive this dirt road.

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updated November 12, 2023	© Copyright 2023, Arizona Trailblazers.  All rights reserved.