Since I'm not going anywhere for a few months I might as well spend some time on the other "A.T." I have a lot of experience hiking in this area and I've ordered the ATA's guidebook and maps but I'd like to hear about some of the w4 water sources if anyone has summer experience with them.
garlic08
05-18-2009, 20:22
Hi, Cassie. I've hiked that area. You'll see some of my notes on Fred Gaudet's water pages at http://www.fredgaudetphotography.com/aztrail/watercurrent.pdf.
Do not count on any sources between Oracle and the Gila. There's probably water in the huge metal tank at Beehive Well (hard to reach), but I know there isn't any at Yellow Jacket. Ripsey is probably dry by now, it was just a trickle in February. Antelope Tank, if there's anything, is probably vile by now. Definitely cache your own water at Freeman Road, which is passable by car. The other cache sites around there are much more difficult to access.
I hear there's a trailer park near the Kearny bridge that has an outside faucet for hikers. That's also another possible cache site, but it's only about 12 miles from the excellent artesian well in Walnut Canyon (guaranteed).
When I hiked that section, I started with 6 liters from American Flag TH, made it about 40 miles to Freeman Rd, got my cached 6 liters, and that got me the next 40 miles to the artesian well. I did not know about the trailer park. But temperatures were in the 80s then, not the 100s like they are now. I don't think I'd try to do a 40-mile water carry in these conditions. I just hiked the Rincons (passages 7 - 10) last week, and it was brutal, even with only 25 miles to carry.
South of Oracle, if you're looking that far south, everything listed as a 3 or 4 on Fred's sheet has water, and there's a stagnant pool at Grass Shack in SNP.
Best of luck!