Indian Spring Wash hike to the Verde River pays off with mountain views
By way of Forest Road 532, it’s a six-mile hike from Bartlett Dam Road to the Verde River. The road is neither the most efficient nor the easiest way to get there, but it offers a pleasant backcountry trek over varied terrain with outstanding views.
The road is part of a cluster of recently restored shared-use routes in the hills between Horseshoe Reservoir and Bartlett Lake northeast of Phoenix. Open to ATVs, bikes, horses and hikers, the roads wind through part of the Tonto National Forest Cave Creek Ranger District.
A map at the trailhead gives an overview of the system which, at first glance, can be intimidating. However, FR 532 is well-signed and easy to follow.
The hike begins in the sandy spillway of Indian Wash. Deeply rutted and softened by motorized traffic and periodic flooding, the first mile is tantamount to walking on a beach. The washy walk dodges among giant granite pillars, sandbars and a robust showing of desert hackberry, mesquites, turpentine bushes, desert honeysuckle and blooming wildflowers.
At the 1.9-mile point, the road moves out of the wash and into the hills as it head up to the saddle between Indian Butte (3,745 feet) to the east and St. Clair Peak (4,230 feet) to the west. The first rise provides amazing vistas of rolling foothills trees, cholla, yucca and shrubs, but the big story here is the mountain vistas.
Silhouettes of the Four Peaks, Sierra Ancha and McDowell mountains form a seamless, peak-centric horizon. The road tops out where FR 1104 head off toward St. Clair Peak and FR 532 begins its 1,500-foot dive down to the river. Take a moment here to scope out the wall of wilderness peaks backing the Verde River basin ahead.
It’s a long way down (and it feels even longer on the way out) but the wide road mitigates the struggle with passes by rugged cliffs, scenic overlooks and reed-addled riparian areas down in the wash.
Just beyond the 5-mile point, heavily used FR 42 bisects the route, signaling the final approach to the river. The road ends roughly halfway between the two lakes near a primitive camping area called Devil’s Hole. If you didn’t pack for an overnight or arrange to have somebody with an ATV pick you up, enjoy the sights before trudging back the way you came.
Hiking Indian Spring Wash
Length: 5.8 miles one way to the river. 2.4 miles one way to the high point.
Rating: Moderate to difficult.
Elevation: Trailhead, 2,725 feet. High point, 3,303 feet. River, 1,800 feet.
Getting there: From the Pima Road/Cave Creek Road intersection in Carefree, go 4.1 miles north on Cave Creek Road to Bartlett Dam Road. Turn right and go 9 miles to the trailhead on the left where there’s a gate and map kiosk. There’s plenty of parking along the road.
Read more of Mare Czinar's hikes at arizonahiking.blogspot.com.
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