Since everything here seems to be about the woods or other similar environments, I thought I would start a thread on desert /out/ings. Just got back from a solo backpacking trip in the Superstitions in Arizona. Anyone got protips or advice that I should be aware of, or any other great places to backpack in AZ? Or just share desert pictures.
I mean no offense but it looks rather dry. I prefer more lush broadleaf forests.
>>1979867It was very dry. I foolishly didn't bring enough water, and there was only one spring that had actual water in it. It was pretty nice to camp at though.
>>1979873Yeah that's why I stick with airbnb and lush deciduous forests (with comfy creeks)Even just day hikes I can go through nearly 400 oz of water hiking 10 hours.
Are cactii considered deciduous?
I worked in desert /out/ for a while, maybe my favorite biome. Most of my desert backpacking has been in Utah, though I've spent a little time south of that--AZ has great backpacking right outside Phoenix in Tonto. I also did work out in Parashant but there's seriously nothing there aside from scattered remnants of pots and stuff. As for UT, I'd recommend Coyote Gulch, the Zion backcountry loop, and The Needles District (Canyonlands). Coyote Gulch is probably my favorite of the list, though getting to the TH can be a bitch.
>>1979879Lol, I bet you haven't ever gone on a 10-hour hike before, DC basement boy
>>1979892>AZ has great backpacking right outside Phoenix in Tonto.yeah tonto is greatThanks for the UT recommendations, Ill have to check those out if im ever in the area
no I did in otter creek wilderness seneca creek took me 7 hours I think
>>1979931meant to reply to>>1979906
>>1979882just one i and no they are not trees.
desert /out/ has not been kind to my brand new zephyrs. rocks eat your boots alive
Desert is one of my favorite places to go /out/. It's often way less traveled, the landscape is really dramatic, and the flora and fauna is really cool. Obviously winteritme is the best time to go if you plan to be out in the daytime, because heat and sun, but i have also had some wonderful nightime outings in summer when the temperature after sundown is super pleasant. As for things to be aware of, weather can change surprisingly quickly, and people can get taken by surprise because they think of it as a static environment. I learned this lesson when I was exploring a system of desert mud caves. It was sunny when I went in, but i came out and it was starting to pour. Those features can turn into death traps. Weather said it wasn't gonna rain until later that night so I thought I was safe.In a similar vein, don't camp in a dry wash. If it starts to rain, these turn into rivers. If that happens, best case you wake up wet; worst case your tent is carried away in a flash flood.
I miss camping under desert skies. I wanted to go to AZ & UT last year, but unlike some people I'm not an inconsiderate pos who travels across the country in the middle of a pandemic.
>>1980773Just got back from a cross country trip in the middle of a pandemic, who could've guessed that sleeping innawoods didn't give me rona
>>1979864Im from BC and usually roadtrip to the southwest desert every winter but with covid I can't and I'm going over all my old park brochures and maps and souvenirs.Maybe one day I'll return
>>1980935Same poster.My favourite places to go /out/ in the desert were hot springs.Deep Creek hot spring in California was the one I'll never forget the name of but there were many more!Including a big muddy hot water spring at slab city.Fuck I wanna go back
San Diegan here. We have nice deserts. Anza Borrego is fucking huge and has a great mix of hiking and offroading available. Infinite car camping spots, and once you learn which types of thorny plants to avoid you can cross country pretty easily. I just wish it got the summer monsoons like you do in AZ so there would be saguaro cacti.
Flagstaff is fucking lit.
>>1981135Flag is cool, but its not a desert. I need to do more /out/ stuff up there but I have no proper snow capable vehicles to get up there innawinter. >>1979864Anyone have recommendations for good sleeping systems for the desert?
>>1981804Tent like everywhere else you won't go
>>1981808I meant more like recommendations for lightweight bivvys since you dont need much warmth, because, ya know, desert. What the fuck are you talking about anyways? Im op, I was literally just in the desert. Which is why im asking, since while Ive camped in plenty of other places Im pretty new to the desert itself.
>>1981804Desert in the summer you can cowboy or tarp if it looks like rain. I usually just brought a blanket unless it looks particularly chilly or it’s really high elevation. In the winter, it gets cold, so bring anything 0-30 depending. For a tent, I always used my Agnes fly creek 2 man since it was never cold enough to merit a serious all-season tent.
>>1981804i recommend a high quality sleeping pad or a mat to use underneath a pad for rocky desert. and not always using a tent because whats the point of sleeping under cloudless sky if you are looking at a tent ceiling?
>>1979864>Just got back from a solo backpacking trip in the Superstitions in Arizona.Where'd you camp? Looks like you started on the Peralta trail.
Been checking out eldorado canyon of late it’s pretty cool place with all the old mines
>>1981820>>1981818Good advice. Yeah I think a tent is overkill. Gonna look at maybe a cheap surplus USGI sleeping system bivvy thing or something. And get a sleeping pad. >>1981867I was near there but I didn’t start onPeralta. I went through the Dutchman’s trail and then over to Charlebois spring to camp.
>>1979931Probably because you're a fat gay fuck
For me it's Desolation Canyon
New Mexico, roughly at 35.502476 -106.840424
Are chaparrals allowed here? North county San Diego in early summer
Six shooter canyon is pretty neat
Organ pipe national monument
Death Valley National Park is worth the trip if you live in Cali or Nevada. Seriously one of the most underrated places /out/ there. You won’t find many yuppies or coastal shits visiting cuz they’re afraid of the name “Death” Valley and would rather flood Yellowstone or the beaches. The park is larger than the state of Connecticut to give you perspective and is filled with countless gold rush/mining history and beautiful geological formations. Relaxing long desert drives through the Mojave, dark skies with bright stars, and more. If you’re a desert rat like me, then this should be on your list of places to go. Probably one of the only National Parks that isn’t crowded like a national park. This isn’t like Utah desert parks but it’s a place to REALLY get /out/
>>1980769Desert rats > Forest fagsForests always stand to become crowded by yuppies or have cities encroach onto the natural land but no one likes deserts because “muh no water!” or “it too hot!”. Deserts have empty horizons, unbeatable sunsets and sunrises, picturesque storms, dark skies for stargazing, and most importantly, empty trails. A little bit or more of discomfort makes room for better people.
>>1980721Hahaha. Everything in the desert has an edge. It wants to kill you. I love it and thats why I live there. Stay soft faggots.
If any of you guys are in yuma I’d definitely hangout catch some some fish and go hike with you
Otero Mesa very sacred and hard to access area
Chiricahua national monument some years ago
>>1981896> went through the Dutchman’s trail and then over to Charlebois spring to camp.Oh fuck yeah. Charlebois is god-tier camping. You should check out Crescent Canyon in February/March during the snowmelt. Fucking SWIMMING HOLES all up and down the river and climbable waterfalls everywhere. You can camp on a beach in the Supes for christ's sake.
god i miss the canyonlands so much
>>1983190Sweet, I'll have to check that out. Where is it? Speaking of snowmelt and water, how reliable are the springs in the area? That was the biggest issue I ran into, needing to get more water.
>>1983190Where is this Crescent canyon I can't find anything on it? I want to camp in the superstitions when there is more water and saw people camping at Boulder canyon in a video which had some flowing water last year
>>1979864I'm planning on doing some motocamping trips out in the desert soon. Probably gonna go to areas near Death Valley like the Coso Range wilderness area, hopefully it has less people than Death Valley. I've done a lot of 4wding through mojave desert but the people i went with were more interested in their 4wds than the desert and i thought that was lame. I just want to putter around the desert on my bike and take in some of the landscapes.>>1980939Last time i went to deep creek there were like 50 people there at night and someone had set up a projector and was playing some pink floyd movie on it on the rocks. It was lame as fuck. That spot is beauitful though but i've never seen it not crowded as fuck.>>1983088Wow, this looks beautiful.>>1982922I really want to go to death valley on my bike
had to push this fat lard out with a atv but did manage to scramble up the rock
>>1979864This seems like a good thread to ask. I'm planning a trip along Route 66 this spring, from Chicago to the Grand Canyon. I plan to camp most of the way, with a couple motel stays and hiking trips in Palo Duro Canyon, Petrified Forest National Park, and of course the Grand Canyon. Never been this way before, are there any hidden gems I should visit? Also, how do I go about finding camping sites? In Indiana it is generally done in State parks at designated areas, am I at liberty to do it anywhere in BLM land?
>>1983425>>1983579You know Battleship Mountain? That really long, big-ass slab of limestone about 5-6 miles in while hiking from First Water? Crescent Canyon is on the eastern slope of that. It's a huge, 100-foot tall canyon in a near-perfect crescent shape that runs into a beach and river. The river is about 3-4 feet deep in the February/March, but there are places in the canyon that are at least 10-12ft. Did some dives and cannonballs in there last year.In general, springs are reliable from January-March, and anytime during the year within a few days after a decent rainfall. But other than that, you're gonna want to pack all your water. Unless you're going really far east, like high up near Reavis Ranch, in which case springs and creeks are reliable through May.
>>1983672generally yes in blm but always look up the specific area or call someone. same with forest service units, find the district mvum to find where dispersed camping is allowed
Guess where dis is
>>1981896The nice thing about tents inna desert is protection from the astounding number of creepycrawlers that like your body heat and might get pissy if you shift weight onto them in your sleep or something.
>>1983987i-is that you jordanon?
>>1982779absolutely. also if you are in SD area and haven't been, you gotta check out Anza Borrego. one of my favorite places in the world, and most of it is still a hidden gem to the rest of the state/country
>>1980978i fucken love ABDSP. to notch desert right htere.
>>1983707Thanks anon, I'll have to check that out.
>>1980773Bait me harder daddy
>>1983987Saudi Arabia
>>1983650Are you familiar with the BDR(Backcountry Discover Routes)? I just did the Utah one this past summer and had an awesome time, Lockhart Basin was an unforgettable desert experience. I felt like I was on Mars.
>camping in Arizona desertsmay as well just cut your own head off
>>1985222I carry a gun to prevent being beheaded by the marauding Injuns in the Superstitions
I’ve spent a lot of time at high elevation eastern sierras which is pretty desert-like. I’d say the biggest issue is the UV radiation fucks up all your mucous membranes over time. My nose and eyes and lips all start cracking and hurting and shit. Managing your temperature is really difficult too because you’ll be hot as shit in the sun but actually freeze to death if you’re sweaty and go in the shade
>>1979864Western AZ is based, there's some amazing BLM land near Parker with cool ghost towns. Look into the Swansea and East Cactus Plain Wildernesses.>>1981804I like Bug Bivies. REI has a pretty cheap one that's held up very well on the terrain in southern AZ/CA. Nice to be able to stargaze without pack rats making a nest in your hair.
>>1985222North of phoenix cartel drug trade drops off and you start seeing more white meth or biker gangs instead, AZ border patrol is usually the best of the southern BP due to smaller patrol areas than TX and better equipped/better policy than S CA and NM. Just bring a gun and avoid known corridors if in south AZ.
>>1985336I camp alone in "known corridors" near Ajo all the time. I've had way more trouble from power tripping BP than any drug runners. Smugglers don't want to be seen and especially don't want the heat of popping a tourist, they have scouts on the mountains who are watching you and will radio their people to avoid you. The mule business is dying anyway as everywhere legalizes weed, it's way too high risk for very little reward. Not saying there's no reason to go armed but the pearl clutching from people who know nothing about what actually goes on there is fucking annoying
>>1985377Pretty much. Although you still get occasional chaos or accidents just south of the border the most recent being the mormon massacre and territorial fighting in northern sonora. Most of the current traffic that makes it over the border is just illegal migrants being smuggled over or people being kidnapped. IIRC the most active area is from the reservation to the 19 which is also where the most bodies are found, usually just dehydrated dead migrants in summer.
>>1979892
>>1985377>ableeblooblooI'm on the border in TX and own land, still won't camp on it out in the brush. that you think they are muling in Marijuana mostly tells me that it's you that has no idea what you're saying. besides people being killed out here, they also get mugged/robbed and have their cars stolen occasionally. we don't just see it in the woods, we see it in town near areas that they cross.>they don't want the heatthere is no way anyone will ever know its them and they can just cross at a different place. as if there isn't already constant heat from CBP patrols.>bring a gunand that is most likely what will get you killed. have fun larping in the woods though.
>>1985532>and that is most likely what will get you killed. have fun larping in the woods though.Usually if they know you're armed and nor alone that makes you less likely to become their target rather than more likely. They usually won't make you a target unless you're interfering with them, or at the wrong place at the wrong time, or have something they want. AZ has a lot of armed citizens along the border, some years ago we had the largest and most active state militia that did regular patrols to but they kind of became a closed off group that does less patrols in recent years and all they usually did was just report stuff to BP anyway. BP and state military bases right near the border pack the most heat and tech in the area in AZ and they sometimes coordinate assets, particularly drones. Part of why less stuff usually happens on the AZ side of the border, the weakest link is the reservation that doesn't want fed stuff going on in it.
>>1983987spring mountains sonv
guess where this is
>>1985690Shoshone, CA hillside letters give it away
>>1979864Only place Ive been /out/ in that you might call a desert in South Africa. Bone dry and woke up with everything frozen outside in the mornings but otherwise a pretty surreal experience. I prefer the mountains but deserts are nice in a different way.
Some chick I know from grad school recently posted on social media that she had a panic attack while climbing Angels Landing in Zion NP. Does anyone know what's so terrible about this hike? I haven't been there yet, but it seems like just a standard "hike up a tall thing and don't fall off the sides" to me...
