Warm Springs Wilderness Traverse

Warm Springs Canyon cutting thru the mesa

One deer was the only game animal I saw

Plane wreckage on the mesa

The main spring at the Warm Springs cluster

Warm Springs Butte as seen from the spring

A one way 18 mile hike is the best way to see this area. A mine trail goes up onto the plateau from Cool Spring then it's simple enough to walk the plateau along the east side of Warm Springs Canyon to Warm Springs. Then the route goes SW to point 1887 and then north thru the low saddle next to point 2110. And then west to the 4wd road south of McHeffy Butte. Leave a car at mp 14.5 on Route 66 or take a 4wd from mp 14.9 up a wash for 2 and a half miles to a bad spot. The bad spot is at the 1600 contour line on the topo. Then take Route 66 to mp 33.8 and turn south on a 4wd road. Go a mile to a rough stream crossing el 2750 and park. This stream would make a nice campsite if burros hadn't stunk it up. Walk a third air mile up the road, almost to the end, and get on a faint burro trail at N35 00908, W114 19221 el 2800+. Walk that to a wash crossing at 00664, 19384 el 2950 then keep going to another wash at 00523, 19597 el 3200. Cross that wash right there then get on the mine trail on the other side at 00481, 19695 el 3300. It goes up around the right side of a ridge then up into a saddle where at 00378, 19866 el 3600 it goes up to the left a short way then switches right. It's easy to follow on up to the saddle el 4050 east of peak 4191 but I couldn't see much of a trail beyond there. From the saddle, go up east staying right of center to the top el 4300, not far from the high point of the mesa. All remaining coordinates are W114. Then walk to N34 59385, W114 19845 el 4150 then 59128, 19985 el 4050 then to a view on the east side of peak 3857 at 57164, 19369 el 3800. Keep going on the high ground to a flag and plane wreckage at 56572, 19138 el 3600. That's the only sign of humanity I saw on the plateau. Keep following the high ground as it runs SE then bends back toward the spring.   Go on to 55270, 17605 el 3200 then look for a burro trail in the vicinity of 54666, 17880 el 3050 that drops to the spring el 2100. It's easy to walk from the spring along the bank then cross over to 53279, 18798 el 1900 and south on trails and look for one cutting right to 52596, 19905 el 1750. Follow that trail to  trail at 52667, 20172 el 1750. There is another trail just before that one, but too rocky. Follow the trail to where it turns up a side canyon at 52752, 20459 el 1775. Go up the canyon for a third air mile where a side trail goes up the right bank to a skimpy spring at 53506, 20418 el 2000. It oozes out of the ground there and forms pools. It's iffy for backpackers. The cave above it had seeps, but too slow to be of use. Back in the main wash, go on up shortly to a trail on the left bank that skirts around a rough spot then comes back to the wash. The next trail is on the right bank at 53444, 20672 el 1900. Follow it straight up into the saddle el 2100 slightly north of point 2110. Go thru then take the trail on the right side of the drainage and follow it down to the main wash. The next trail is on the left bank (ignore one on the right bank just before) of that wash at 53973, 21717 el 1900. It will cross to the right bank and get spotty  then pick it up again on the right bank at 53880, 22389 el 1750. It will fade as it nears the 4wd road. It climbs out of the wash at 54048, 22922 then take a left fork there for a fifth mile to the road. A half mile west down the road is the bad spot where you spotted a 4wd. No? Then it's 2 more miles to mp 14.5. It's about 18 miles from Cool Spring to the bad spot, 20 miles to mp 14.5. It took me 10 hours to get to my RV at mp 14.5. The only gain that counts is the 1600 up the trail at the start. The rest is minor. Backpackers with off trail experience can handle the terrain, but don't expect natural conditions. Burros have trashed the entire length. Warm Springs is about 11 miles from the start and the only water they can't pollute. It has always had a good flow. The first camp spot on the plateau I would condsider is at 58304, 19926 el 3700 then another one with less burro impact is at 56474, 19070 el 3600. Clean spots can be found in washes. Much of the terrain is rocky but usually dispersed rocks that aren't a major issue. If camping at the spring, Warm Springs Butte el 3717 is an appealing side hike about a mile and a half NW of the spring.  Attack it from the south saddle. The free peakbagger.com app has topos for peak 4360 and McHeffy Butte that can be downloaded to a phone. You don't want to go in there with just one gadget. Posted 2018.

YUCCA BENCHMARK el 3597 is in the SE part of Black Mesa. Caliche Spring is the starting point. The road to it departs the I-40 frontage road between exit 37 and exit 28. I came from Oatman. For that route, drive Route 66 to mp 39.7 and turn east on easy 4wd for a mile and a half to the graded Sacramento Rd. Turn south for 2 miles to Yucca Rd and then follow that east to I-40. Go south on the frontage road for 6 miles to the spring road at N34 56923, W114 08831. It's 5 miles of easy 4wd to the spring el 2200 at the end. Mtn bikes could make most of it. The two ridges running south from the spring both go, but the eastern one is more interesting. Walk the base to 55252, 13214 el 2400 and look up. A shelf can be seen above angling up to the right to the top of the high cliff. Use that to get on top then walk to a trail at 54984, 13317 el 2900. Follow that a short way then move to a higher one at 54802, 13248 el 3100 where it starts running left of center on the ridgetop. At 54635, 13222 el 3150 it runs low along the right side of the ridge. It will fade out then it's easy to the BM at 53610, 13576. To make a loop back, walk the easy plateau to 54305, 13789 el 3400 then keep going to point 3161 at 56109, 13881. Go down there and it's about a mile SE back to the start. The loop took me 4 and a half hours and about 1400 gain. The spring is a big hole with water, no flow.  Burro impact here is not as bad as the western area. Posted 2018.

 PEAK 3029 is on an isolated section at the east end of Black Mesa. A one way hike is a good way to go about it. I used exit 20 to get into Sacramento Wash and parked near peak 1860 then followed washes for the shortest route to the SW ridge. I got on it at el 2000 just above prospects then went up past point 2294 and on to the peak at N34 51971, W114 11928. No sign of humanity. I retraced a quarter mile to 51876, 11665 and went straight down. I soon hit a narrow gully and walked the right side of it following burro shit. I worked over to a ridge on the left at 51972, 11689 then went straight down until I hit the creekbed. Then a trail is on the right bank and goes over to the left bank and it's best to stay on the left bank to a major wash. Then there is a trail on the high right bank at 52602, 11804 that leads to Sacramento Wash. I didn't have a shuttle so I had an 80 minute walk back to the start. 6 hours, 15 minutes but 5 hours with a shuttle. With no shuttle it might be better to descend the canyon at point 2838. The only noticeable gain is the 800 up the SW ridge and it's not steep. Rocks are a nuisance but no big deal. Posted 2023.

PEAK 3415 WASH - this one hits the RR tracks at point 1408. It looks good on the sat image and it was before burros got there. They've churned it up making for tedious walking. It's better to go in after a mega flood has firmed up the washes and cleaned out all the burro shit. I crossed the RR tracks at Franconia then followed a decent road east along the tracks for 3 miles to the wash. There were no keep out signs along the way. I went up the washes that led to the south saddle el 2350 of peak 3415. A trail at N34 50278, W114 14207 el 2100 leads thru the saddle then another at 50351, 14921 el 2250 goes along the right bank of a wash then drops in at a point. That wash has a long trail on the right bank at 49473, 14832. I crossed back to the starting wash by walking a ridge at 48442, 14097. Easy grades. Posted 2023.

WARM BENCHMARK el 2163 has an easy 4wd road in from the Franconia exit and ebikeable. At point 1853 I turned west  toward the peak and parked in a third mile then walked north to an unused road that goes around to the north side then ends where a decent ridge goes up. It's obvious from there how to walk over to the west ridge of PEAK 2252 then up that to a reg placed by M&L in 2001. Only 4 parties since. The road to PEAK 2192 turns bad at el 1800. Jeeps can go on to fork el 2000 before big timbers then go left and on almost to the summit. It's easy to walk around the east side of the summit to a saddle then up. Easy peaks. Posted 2023.

UTE BENCHMARK el 3541 has burro trails most of the way. I took the Franconia exit and followed easy 4wd for 9 or 10 miles to a hard left in the road at a drill hole el 1982. I then walked to a trail at N34 50926, W114 16218. It goes bank to bank then at 51049, 15920 it goes on a bench for a long segment. At 51447, 15173 it goes up the right bank and comes back under a cliff and fades in a drainage. I walked up easy slopes to another trail at 51433, 15038 which goes to the saddle west of peak 3130. It goes a little higher to skirt a trench. I dropped down to the wash below the BM then up the left bank at 51720, 14681 then to a trail running left of center up a ridge at 51888, 14561. It soon splinters and I stayed on the low trail and on up to the BM at 51994, 14756, no reg.  I then walked to the SW saddle and down to the wash and up thru the next saddle west of the peak 3130 saddle. A faint trail runs along the right side of the canyon at 51547, 15463 then down a drainage at 51501, 15468 and I just followed burro shit on down to the starting trail. 4 and a half hours with a little over 1000 noticeable gain. The road in is ebikeable. Posted 2023.

Yucca BM is the tiny bump on the left.

The only BM I've seen with a foundation installed.