Calloway - West Clear Creek Wilderness

This is a last minute car camp that I have been meaning to do for some time, and with the temperatures starting to drop, there can't be a better time to do it. The plan is to car camp Friday night on the south rim, and then do two day hikes Saturday and Sunday out of the campsite.

The Drive:
My plan is to leave the valley by 15:00, giving me enough time to get to the trailhead before dark. The trailhead is a bit tricky to get to, taking a long series of forest roads:

• AZ 87 north (160km)
• AZ 260 west (5km)
• FR 144 east (3km)
• Hicks and Duncan Road, FR 149 north (2km)
• Clover Spring, FR 142 west (4.6km)
• FR 142B north (1.7km)
• FR 9365F north (1.3km)
• FR 9396J west (1km)
• FR 142B north (700m)

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/34.556404/-111.476426

The road up to FR 144 is paved and completely passenger friendly. The road up to FR 142B is compact dirt with some small hazards that can be managed in lowish (slow and careful) to medium clearance vehicles. FR 142B is rough with bumpy rocks and many muddy puddles, which can be especially bad after it rains; you will want high clearance and possibly also 4WD if it isn't completely dry. Once you get to the FR 9365F junction, the road becomes significantly easier again.

Some acceptable route modifications:

• any other paved way of getting to the AZ 260 and FR 144 junction; may be faster depending on where you are coming from
• skip FR 9365F/9396J in favor of staying on FR 142B; slightly shorter but a bit rougher
• skip AZ 260 and FR 144 in favor of AZ 87 directly to FR 149; longer if coming from the south
• skip AZ 260 and FR 144/149 in favor of AZ 87 directly to FR 142; longer if coming from the south

Do not try to take any other forest road directly off the AZ 260 unless you really desire to test your offroading abilities. I am open to carpooling with people, either from the valley or FR 144/142/etc..

The Hike:
The campsite has a fire ring and plenty of tent space but no direct access to water. There is also another cool vista 500m NNW, but it is a bit of a walk. There is a chance if you hold your phone up you can get half a bar of cell signal.

The descent to the river is quick, dropping 200m over 700m of trail. Despite it's remote nature, the trail is actually very well maintained and easy to navigate aside from a couple fallen logs. Once at the river, one can head either up or down stream. The canyon is a bit narrow with high walls; you will get no cell reception and your GPS devices may struggle. The river is a bit of a chore to navigate. You can choose to try to stay out of the river as much as possible, which will usually be met with thick brush. In the river is also slow, with the water being mostly ankle to waist deep but at times up to the chin or deeper. You will likely just have to play it by ear, moving in and out of the river. The river has many slick and loose rocks that can be a hazard if you are not on your toes. I was here a couple weeks ago and the river was a comfortable temperature that did not give me any chills or shivers.

My Saturday plan is to head down river until we reach a turnaround time to be back at camp before dark; Sunday I would do similar for upstream, though turnaround significantly earlier. This is part of a series of smaller trips that I am using to gauge travel time and scout campsites for a multiday hike through the area. Take note of your exit point out of the river, as the canyon walls are high and narrow and there are very few reasonable routes to get out.

Disclaimer:
Backpacking and hiking have inherit risks, but most can be largely mitigated with good judgement and preparation. By joining this trip, you are expected to bring both. I am by no means a professional hiking guide; I will make a best effort to ensure the safety and enjoyment of the trip, but I assume no liability for participants nor any guarantees on events of the trip.