big man tips

LaBARGE NARROWS LaBarge Narrows in the Supes. Hike begins near Canyon Lake. LaBarge Creek route. Not for the novice hiker, this combination hike and cross-county exploration leads to a breathtaking, secluded box canyon with that harbors a cloistered riparian ecosystem in the Superstition Wilderness near Canyon Lake. Hiker at the base of Narrows walls. The adventure follows Boulder Canyon Trail #103 along a desert ridge above Canyon Lake Marina before making a steep descent to where LaBarge Creek flows across the trail at the 2.9-mile point. LaBarge Creek terrain. Boulder Trail crosses the stream and veers right, but to get to the box canyon, leave the trail, veer left and follow the creek bed heading southeast. (Note: this route may be impassible after heavy rains.) From this point on, the hike is a cross-country boulder scramble. Heading down Boulder Trail. Do not attempt this hike if you are not in shape or lack basic route-finding skills.   Battleship Mtn. flanks the rough route. S

PYRITE TRAIL The Pyrite trail traverses several ridges & high passes. One of the most striking features of Skyline Regional Park�s Pyrite Trail is its quiet atmosphere.   The fresh-cut route is one of the newest trails in the 8700-acre park located 2 miles north of Interstate 10 in Buckeye.   Sierra Estrella Mountains on the far horizon. The moderate-rated path begins 1.4 miles from the trailhead and can be harnessed into several loop hike options.   Exploring the park�s western edge, the trail spins off the heavily-travelled Granite Falls-Chuckwalla-Turnbuckle circuit and heads into a cloistered wilderness of sound-stifling mountain peaks and scoured washes. Creosote bloom along the park trails.   View from a high pass on Pyrite Trail. The muffled sounds of wind, wings and scampering critters dovetail nicely with the desert solitude. Washes and mountains muffle noise. Like a great actor in an even better play, the silence here is the character that anchors the storyline without di

COLONEL DEVIN TRAIL #290 View from near the top of Col. Devin Trail. For casual travelers, the East Verde River is synonymous with water play destinations along Houston Mesa Road north of Payson. The Water Wheel, First, Second and Third Crossing recreation sites offer walk-up access to the canyon-bound water course. The trail ascends through the E. Verde River watershed. A tributary of the mighty Verde River, the slim waterway begins as trickling springs that emanate from rugged escarpments below the Mogollon Rim. Boxelder trees thrive along the E. Verde River. Bigtooth maple leafs float in the E. Verde River The river�s enchanting watershed area can be explored by way of the Colonel Devin Trail #290 that follows its course from Washington Park to the springs that feed it. Named for Colonel Thomas C. Devin who used the route for military endeavors in the 1880s, the dirt trail that alternates between a rutted two track and slender path also makes up the last two miles of Highline Passag