trails up the superstition mountain?

[GLEN REAMS]

I was wondering if there are any kind of trails running up the superstition mountains weather it is illigal to go up them or not about 6 years ago when i used to hike up there all the time with my dad i remember seeing a jeep up there and just got thinking about it today how in the hell did he make it up there??

[DREDnot]

Most of that is wilderness now and you cant even take a mountain bike in there without robert redford personally beheading you on the sierra club's website.:eek:

Or so i've heard:D

[jeff krause]

hummmm.

where do the Jeep tours that run out og hte Goldfield Ghost Town place run ??? They aren't tackling Willow Springs thats for sure..... Don't they head towards the Sups ????

[aszaunmi]

Are you sure they dont hit the Saguaro Lake coves area? I have seen many Hummer tours take people thru the Gate at Butcher Jones...

[GLEN REAMS]

Most of that is wilderness now and you cant even take a mountain bike in there without robert redford personally beheading you on the sierra club's website.:eek:

Or so i've heard:D

but this was 6 or 7 years ago just wondering if im losing my mind at such a young age or if ther is some way ther was a jeep up there with out being able to fly
-Glen

[David C]

The Superstitions are designated as a wilderness area. The boundary basically runs close along the south side of the hwy to Canyon Lake and Apache Lake and cuts due south from Lost Dutchman State Park forming the east boundary of Apache Jct and circles the mountains extending up towards Superior and on around close to Roosevelt Lake. Within the wilderness boundary motorized vehicles are prohibited and mountain bikes are prohibited also. Horses and hiking only.

The Hummer tours that you see near Goldfield are accessing the area on the north side of the hwy which is part of the Bulldog canyon / Willow Springs gated areas. There are two more gates with combo locks between Apache Jct and the Willow Springs gate. Those trails do lead all the way to the Bulldog area by the Salt River. Willow Springs is an isolated area that does not connect to the rest.

Glen, if you saw a Jeep in the wilderness area then he was definitely wrong to be there. Maps of the area boundaries are easy to find on the net. Just google search for Superstition Wilderness Area.

[jeff krause]

The Superstitions are designated as a wilderness area. The boundary basically runs close along the south side of the hwy to Canyon Lake and Apache Lake and cuts due south from Lost Dutchman State Park forming the east boundary of Apache Jct and circles the mountains extending up towards Superior and on around close to Roosevelt Lake. Within the wilderness boundary motorized vehicles are prohibited and mountain bikes are prohibited also. Horses and hiking only.

The Hummer tours that you see near Goldfield are accessing the area on the north side of the hwy which is part of the Bulldog canyon / Willow Springs gated areas. There are two more gates with combo locks between Apache Jct and the Willow Springs gate. Those trails do lead all the way to the Bulldog area by the Salt River. Willow Springs is an isolated area that does not connect to the rest.

Glen, if you saw a Jeep in the wilderness area then he was definitely wrong to be there. Maps of the area boundaries are easy to find on the net. Just google search for Superstition Wilderness Area.


that being said about Hikers and Horses allowed ( not bicycles or motor vehicles)....................

Has anyone been on a trail that the equestrians uses ???? torn to peices usually .. I KNOW that horses and harder on the terrain than a mountian bike...

I CAN see excluding mortorized vehicles bubt not bicycles.

[Tom Jacobson]

Yeah, Jeff, totally agree...but it's the unfortunate rule for the wilderness areas.

Also, how many mountain bikers take a big ol' 5lb s h i t on the trail?

You'll get yelled at for not cleaning up after your dog on a hiking trail...but you think there's EVER been a rider get off and bag (Hefty?) the pile their horse just dropped in everyone's footpath???

Tom

[jeff krause]

QUICK MESSAGE FROM THE JEEP TOUR FOLKS ON WHAT THEY DO.....

Our "Takin' it to the Top" Tour goes up to Rogers Trough area on the Forest Trail by Jeep.
We don't offer hiking to the top, but there is a ridgeline trail that traverses it. We don't offer that to customers.

Jodi Akers (a.k.a. Jeeptour Jodi)
P.O. Box 6146
Apache Junction, AZ 85278
480-982-7661
Jeeptour@aol.com
www.apachetrailtours.com


...........ANYONE HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION ??

[David C]

I totally agree with you guys - there certainly are some gray areas in the rules that could be further debated for years to come. I think the rules tend to favor and preserve those conditions that would or could exist if there was no human presence. Just my observation and opinion. I would actually like to take my mountain bike into the Sups. I don't believe it would cause much damage even in a worst case scenario (I could easily scare the crap out of myself and possibly leave it on the trail :eek: ), but I can also understand that it just doesn't seem to fit into the 'wilderness' image. I am really undecided and 'on-the-fence' regarding this stuff - I would have a hard time if I had to decide. As it stands, I will accept the way it is because it is getting harder every day to find places of pristine nature still unspoiled by humans. One of the big reasons I own a Jeep is so I can still find a place of solitude where all I can see and hear and feel is of nature. I need that every so often to ground myself and regenerate. To that end, I also have a nice mountain bike, an inflatable kyak, a few pairs of comfortable footwear and a nice map collection to take me where I need to go. I know Arizona fairly well and I love its wilderness areas. :)

[jeffrey1055]

Your in the wild west now boys. It's by foot or horse. Like the old days.

[jeff krause]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeee friggin Haw !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[etropic]

I think the rules tend to favor and preserve those conditions that would or could exist if there was no human presence

good point... this is my argument against conservation.... Humans are a natural part of this world, and we made jeeps. It is actually UNNATURAL to prohibit usage of an area do to preservation. If it was "suppose to" have been preserved then we wouldn't be here....

Don't go flipping out and think I mow over every plant I see... that's not the case... it's just a point that frustrates me when talking about closed off areas.

[jeff krause]

I think the rules tend to favor and preserve those conditions that would or could exist if there was no human presence

good point... this is my argument against conservation.... Humans are a natural part of this world, and we made jeeps. It is actually UNNATURAL to prohibit usage of an area do to preservation. If it was "suppose to" have been preserved then we wouldn't be here....

Don't go flipping out and think I mow over every plant I see... that's not the case... it's just a point that frustrates me when talking about closed off areas.


As much as I don't want to sound like a "greenie" I'm gonna say this,:D

Motorized jeeps/ quads/ dune buggies / you pick the thing with a motor... can and WILL cause more damage to the environment that they are being used on that a Hiker, horse, or MTB bicycle. Simply put, the motor provides for the horsepower,, horsepower make damage.. look at MOAB.. look at the SKID's going up and down Lions Back... ahhhh yea.. a hiker made those,, no it was a horse,,,, No wait musta been a mountain bike they have black tires !!!!

Think about it. If we don't play 'nice' in the open area that we do have legqal access to, they get shut down and for GOOD reason.

[etropic]

i follow ya... and agree :)

It's hard to draw a close to my point without really getting into it. It just drives me crazy when they shut down areas for preservation and you can't use it... well if you can't use it, who are they preserving it for? My kids? I don't have any... My kids' kids? That might never happen. Saving land now to preserve it for later generations does nothing but Prevent the use of the land NOW.

I'm not saying tear it up, or be irresponsible nothing of the sort!

But if all the land is closed to use, then what's left? 100 years from now we could all be dead from a meteor. "Preservation for conservation" is NOT a valid argument on it's own and has equal opposite valid points.

You have to ask yourself... are we (humans) the POINT or are we the VIRUS? If we are the POINT, the REASON, for the earth to be here, then anything we come up with is the REASON the earth is here. Use it. If we are simply a virus infecting the earth and we need to save it from ourselves then all trails should be closed and all areas turned wilderness and the sierra club should be the controlling government.

((((I'm going to state the obvious since to some people they don't grasp this.... I'm being EXTREMELY general in the way that I say the things I said. I seriously do not mean to imply that destruction or irresponsible behavior is appropriate or any such thing....)))):D

[Wayco]

I like to hike these wilderness areas and wheel the great trails we have here too. Two of my favorite hikes are Sycamore canyon wilderness area west of Sedona, and Middle fork lake near Red River NM.
Middle fork trail is a switchback road starting at 9000' and going to the lake at 13,000'. I drove it once with a Nissan PU 4x4 and ended up being rescued by a Jeep! Just recently they closed it to motor vehicles and we hike it every time we go up there because it is quiet and not all torn up by quads. It gets alot less traffic now and you can see more wildlife. I guess my point is that they did not close this trail, it's better on foot. The same goes for the Sycamore creek wilderness area. These areas are not closed to those of us that want to hike away from the noise generated by motor vehicles.

[Allen]

I think the rules tend to favor and preserve those conditions that would or could exist if there was no human presence

good point... this is my argument against conservation.... Humans are a natural part of this world, and we made jeeps. It is actually UNNATURAL to prohibit usage of an area do to preservation. If it was "suppose to" have been preserved then we wouldn't be here....

Don't go flipping out and think I mow over every plant I see... that's not the case... it's just a point that frustrates me when talking about closed off areas.

I actually asked a greenie at the cottonwood project why we were not permitted to write on the rocks like our indian brethren!! How can it be fair to preserve THEIR herritage, but not ours??

I wasnt actually contemplating writing on the rocks, just trying to get her to explain why we should be prohibited from using the wilderness!!

She had no explanation......and was speachless!!!




.....ps!

The BLM and the greenies that set up the project to put a trailhead, trail, information sign, and decription signs HAVE NOT returned to finish installing the signs. The posts sit in the middle of the hill set in concrete. The trail has been unused since it's construction, and is starting to dissapear!! The trailhead has a bare information center with the display case EMPTY!

[etropic]

These areas are not closed to those of us that want to hike

At some point, no matter how noble one thinks their decisions are, they are self preservating and selfish.

If I don't like to hike, then it's closed to me. And a living breathig person, the same as me, made a decision to open it only to activity that I might not partake in. Just because hiking is considererd "natural" and "non destructive" does not make saying YES to one person and NO to another justified.

[Wayco]

If I didn't have a Jeep, alot of our trails would be closed to me. If I didn't have SCUBA gear, I couldn't see the fish.
I guess we can agree to disagree, but I also like the Steelers, so go figure :D :D

[etropic]

but I also like the Steelers

AH HA !!! I knew it! I knew it!

lol... anyway... I'll shut up, I'm misrepresenting my point by babliing about it here, it's coming out all wrong...

Go Browns! ;)