Amazing, Spectacular Arizona Trail Thruhike: Alamo Canyon South (Day 64)

AZT Passage 17: Alamo Canyon
Alamo Canyon Overlook-Tonto National Forest Border
Arizona Trail Day 64, Part 1
Trans-Arizona/Utah Day 72, Part 1

Welcome back to Aspen’s Tracks, thruhiking the Arizona Trail from Utah to Mexico. Today, we’re continuing hiking along Passage 17. (If you missed my last entry covering the northern section of the Alamo Canyon leg, that can be found here.)

Starting with last night’s camp overlooking Alamo Canyon, this entry covers backpacking the final stretch through Alamo Canyon to the rainwater collector at the north end of the Gila River Canyons, while the next will cover the traverse through the mountains and canyons north of the Gila up to Martinez Canyon.

In the land of Arizona
Through desert heat or snow
Winds a trail for folks to follow
From Utah to Old Mexico

It’s the Arizona Trail
A pathway through the great Southwest
A diverse track through wood and stone
Your spirit it will test

Some will push and pedal
And some will hike or run
Others will ride their horse or mule
What else could be more fun?

Oh, sure you’ll sweat and blister
You’ll feel the miles each day
You’ll shiver at the loneliness
Your feet and seat will pay

But you’ll see moonlight on the borderlands
You’ll see stars on the Mogollon
You’ll feel the warmth of winter sun
And be thrilled straight through to bone

The aches and pains will fade away
You’ll feel renewed and whole
You’ll never be the same again
With Arizona in your soul

Along the Arizona Trail
A reverence and peace you’ll know
Through deserts, canyons, and mountains
From Utah to Old Mexico

“The Arizona Trail,” Dale R Shewalter

Arizona Trail: Picketpost Mountain Overlook-Rainwater Collector

After a relatively short day yesterday, I receive immediate motivation this morning. The sunrise decision last night most definitely paid off. It’s absolutely spectacular. After packing up, it’s southbound ho once again.

Crossing through several drainages, the trail runs below rocky outcrops glowing in the morning light. It exits Tonto National Forest and crosses onto BLM land entering Alamo Canyon. It passes by the new rainwater collector that the Arizona Trail Association built shortly before my hike. After a brief moment of indecision, I drop my pack and return to fill up – this upcoming stretch is one of the driest of the entire trail under normal circumstances.

Break: AZTA Rainwater Collector

Fortunately, the collector is completely full from the two recent storms, so water won’t be an issue at least at the start here today. I heard that a release was planned from dams upstream on the Gila River, so there should be water in the channel that the AZT follows, which is not always the case. Consequently, my hope is to carry enough, essentially, to get to the Gila, with perhaps some minor refills along the way if some of the side drainages are still flowing from the rain two days ago.

More than that and I will probably be weighed down significantly, but this is probably the trickiest balance to weigh yet on the trail, and was a factor in my brief hesitation before setting out yesterday. The reputation of this passage precedes itself, without question.

Arizona Trail: AZTA Rainwater Collector-Tonto NF Border & Passage 16 (Gila River Canyons)

Having wrapped up at the rainwater collector, I begin to descend slightly toward the canyon traverse through the mountains north of the Gila River. After about 20 minutes, I reach the gate marking the end of Passage 17 and the start of passage 17, the Gila River Canyons, one of the most remote stretches of the entire trail. I take a moment to soak in the solitude and remoteness of the setting, especially considering that this passage boundary is not accessible to motor vehicles, then pass through the gate and begin the traverse to the Gila River where I plan to make camp for the night.

Passage 17 Logistics

	Passage 17 (Alamo Canyon)
AZTA Page and Map	Passage 17 (Alamo Canyon) Passage 17 Map Passage 17 Elevation Profile
Weather	Passage 17 Weather
Trail Surface	Dirt Singletrack
Length (Mi)	11.7
Season	September-May
Potential Water Sources	Picketpost Trailhead Resupply Box (mi 300.6 NB, 487.9 SB) Arnett Canyon Trail Junction (mi 300.3 NB, 488.2 SB) Small Flow (mi 297.6 NB, 490.9 SB) Drainage & Water (mi 290.2 NB, 498.3 SB) Rainwater Collector (mi 289.1 NB, 499.3 SB) Full sources & Current Status: Arizona Trail Water Sources
Trailheads	North: Picketpost Trailhead South: Tonto National Forest boundary
Trailhead Access	North: Vehicular access; via paved road South: No vehicular access
Wilderness	No
Possible resupply points	Superior (north end)
ATA-Rated Difficulty	Moderate
Potential campsites	Terrain is pretty dry and rugged. Your best bet is to push through this passage in a day and camp near the rainwater collector on the south end or near one of the trailheads on the north end before ascending into the Superstitions, or just after ascending to the summit of Montana Mountain
Ecosystems Traversed	Arizona Upland, mostly
Highlights	Rugged canyon scenery Picketpost Mountain Views of Superstition Mountains and Apache Leap Desert flora & fauna diversity Solitude
Dog friendly?	Yes
Bike friendly?	Yes
Hazards	Arguably driest passage on trail. Unless recent storm, AZTA water collector is only reliable source north of Gila River on passage Extreme Heat in summer Flash flooding during monsoon (July-September)

Passage 17 Ecology

	Arizona Upland
Common Trees/Shrubs	* Fairy duster * Blue and littleleaf palo verde * Fremont wolfberry * Graythorn * Ocotillo * Red barberry * Scrub-live oak * Snapdragon-penstemon * Turpentine bush * Velvet mesquite * Whitethron acacia
Common herbaceous plants	* California flannelbush [rare in Arizona, Superstition Mountains included] * Bluedicks * Brittlebush * California poppies * Creamcups * Desert chicory * Desert rockpea * Desert windflower * Fringed red maids * Globemallows * Lupines * Sego-lily
Common succulents	* Arizona pencil cholla * Banana yucca * Soaptree yucca * Buckhorn cholla * Cane cholla * Chainfruit * Hedgehog cactus * Pencil cholla * Pincushion cactus * Prickly pears * Saguaro * Teddybear cholla