JF Trail to Angel Basin

dimonfire · Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 4

Has anyone hiked to Angel Basin via the JF Trail recently? (Superstitions). We are looking at doing a loop northeast on JF trail to Angel Basin and back via the Rogers Trough trail, linking with the road to Rogers Trough and the Coffee Flats trail back to the JF trailhead. We estimate it is about 12.5 miles. What I'm concerned about is the climb before the descent into Angel Basin. I've also heard the trail is not clear and there is some bushwacking involved, which is not my favorite thing. But this info is about 10 years old, and a whole lot can change in 10 years. Are there any more recent JF Trail hikers out there?? Rolling Eyes

Shawn · Posted: 1/27/2003, 10:58 am Post subject:

I went into Angel Basin from JF last spring. There is some new (relatively) construction on the way in and I don't recall any problems getting there. Only thing was the boy scout troop that showed up as we were remarking how we had the whole area to ourselves.

The climb up before the decent to Angel Basin does not stick in my mind as a butt kicker either.
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dimonfire · Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Posts: 4

Much thanks for the info. It is great to get this type of feedback. Did you come back the same way you went in?

chihiggs · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 565 Location: Gilbert, AZ

Dimonfire--took the loop the same direction you are thinking, early last summer. Sredfield is right, the hike up to Tortilla Pass wasn't exceptional but I do remember taking a break. The most trouble I had was getting on the trail from the windmill and the stock tank at Woodbury--I wandered for a few minutes before I found the right trail--there are numerous stock trails that can be confusing and at the time there weren't any cairns... Don't forget to check out the Salado cliff dwellings a little east of of Angel Basin. Early last summer, there was filterable water in both Rogers Canyon spring and Rogers spring.
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Lizard · Joined: 11 Jan 2003 Posts: 200 Location: Phoenix, AZ

The JF trail is somewhat obscure in the lower elevations around the trailhead due to cattle from the nearby ranch. I would reccommend doing this loop in the opposite direction, through Roger's Canyon the first day and then out over Tortilla Pass the second day. Besides clearing up some of the navigational difficulties, this is a more scenic hike (imo). When the sun rises in the morning it lights up the rock walls and cliffs in the area, and it is quite an inspiring sight to see from the top of Tortilla Pass.
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CatValet · Posted: 1/30/2003, 7:18 pm Post subject: JF-Angel

Dimonfire:

The trail from Woodbury (no need to go all the way to JF) to Tortilla Pass and Angel Basin is ok. As noted by others, the first 1/3 of a mile is a confusing tangle of cow paths. This is a good place to take a compass heading from the trailhead to the bottom of- I think it's Randolph Canyon- before the climb up to Tortilla Pass begins. This will help you keep you path headed in the right direction. This first couple miles is a place where a real topo a full scale 7.5 minute, helps a bit. Once you are past the initial confusion it is much better.

The trail north of Tortilla Saddle has been re-engineered and moved up out of the jumble of the creek bed to a new alignment on the hillside to the west. I think it makes the route seem longer, distance wise, but more user friendly.

The portion of the JF which is a little bushwhackey is the trail from Tortilla Pass NW to Tortilla Ranch Headquarters TH. This trail hadn't seen much maintenance as of the last time I did it about 3 years ago and was really overgrown a lot between Dogie Spring and just before Tortilla Pass. This is all west of your intended route.

You also mentioned Coffee Flats Trail. I'm not sure what that trail has to do with your focus area. It goes west of JF to Dripping Spring and the junction with the Southeastern terminus of the Red Hills Trail and beyond that point to the Dutchman trail in Barkley Basin near the bottom of the Miners Needle climb. There is a trail which cuts from JF to Woodbury to a point on FS 172A (the road to Rogers Trough) which was originally used as a cutoff for people who couldn't get their vehicles up the road to Rogers. -Randy