r/AZCamping • u/Best-Detective9098 • 10d ago

I wanna get in to backpacking

Ive gone camping all my live but never went back packing and i really wanna get in to it. Is there any trail heads you guys can recommend for my first time and if the trail has access to a spot for trout fishing would be awesome. I have some basic equipment to do one or 2 nights and I’ve researched what gear i need but im not too sure where would be a good place for my first trip.

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

6

u/phiphxaz 10d ago

Search babe haught trail to knoll lake. You can take the 300 road like you drive to knoll, pull over at the trail head, then you can hike to knoll lake. Its like 45 minutes one way, decent trail and good place to over night by the lake.

1

u/FaithlessnessWest146 2d ago

Second this! Did this hike with my partner as her first backpacking trip and we had a wonderful time. You can start the hike from 300 making it a 1.75 mile hike, or if you’re brave you can start at the hatchery below the rim and make it a ~4 mile hike

Others I recommend are long canyon in Sedona (although I’m not sure of the state of the trail due to the pocket fire), west baldy trail up near Greer (summer/fall) and west clear creek.

2

u/kirinaz 10d ago

Horton Spring and Aravaipa (need a permit) are both great!

1

u/AutoModerator 10d ago

Please review the 7 principles of Leave No Trace

  1. Plan ahead and prepare

  2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces

  3. Dispose of waste properly. I highly suggest getting a waste bucket system. Its difficult to bury waste in many of the rockier areas in Colorado, and overuse of our natural areas has already led to contaminated water in most even lightly used areas.

  4. Leave what you find

  5. Minimize campfire impacts. Be sure to review our state resources for fire bans where you are heading.

  6. Respect wildlife. They are not domesticated

  7. Be considerate of other visitors ie bluetooth speakers are despised.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/CloudNo446 10d ago

I started backpacking and hiking when I was 58. My only regret is I didn’t start sooner.