Morgan City Wash and Hieroglyphic Mountains Loop
Details
We'll meet at I-17 & Carefree Hwy McDonald's at 8:30 AM and depart for the trailhead at 8:35 AM. Please top off with fuel at the meet-up spot.
We will air down and start at the Morgan City Wash on the west side of Castle Hot Springs Road. The first 5 miles of the route will be in the Morgan City Wash, and then we will turn onto the Hieroglyphic Mountains Loop. We will complete the 15-mile loop and return traveling in the Morgan City Wash to the start point.
This trail was not pre-run this year, so current conditions are not known. Wells' AZ Trails 2nd Edition rates the trail difficult due to a section that is very narrow & steep.
https://funtreks.com/off-road-trails/hieroglyphic-mountains-loop/
The trail was easily traveled by stock 4x4 vehicles the last time we ran it, but it is not long wheelbase/pickup truck friendly. The trail covers a variety of conditions - dirt roads; sandy wash bottoms; loose small rock climbs; off-camber & bumpy v-notches; and a small optional (bypass available) play area of rock crawling. Paint pin striping is likely.
There is a short section of this trail crossing State Trust Land, so you are required to have a State Trust Land Permit. This is the link to the website to obtain a permit: https://azland.my.salesforce-sites.com/recreationalpermit
The trail is about 25 miles long and normally has taken us 6-7 hours to complete but, as usual, plan on all day.
As usual, bring along appropriate survival and extraction equipment and supplies: water for you, passengers & vehicle; tools & recovery gear; clothing & footwear suitable for walking about in the desert; lunch & snacks; and, items for your comfort such as chairs, shade, hats & sun protection. We encourage people to take photos of the day and upload them to this site for the group to see.
The PEV4x4 club uses the following for communication:
GMRS channel 16 (462.575 MHz) with a DCS privacy code of 16, and
HAM radio simplex frequency 147.520
For additional general information refer to the Group's Handbook:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iuxOWpe93iPkEVpH1ZX_z30ATkhRB8oyHY1kU4dsQdQ/edit?usp=sharing
For those who may be interested, we will meet for breakfast at the First Watch restaurant near the I-17 and Carefree Highway at 7:00 AM (34948 N Valley Pkwy, Phoenix, AZ 85086). This is optional.