Fin Canyon Two Arches Loop (via MM 13.5)

Two Arches in Fin Canyon

Above the Fins

Red Hills and Rainbow Ridge

Following light trail out to neighboring Wash

Sixteen club members went out to Northshore Road's MM 13.5 to try out a new hike. Although some of it would be familiar to us, another part of it would be new to most of us except for a long-time friend and hike leader who joined us for this exploratory, Chuck H. We were so glad to have his company and expertise to show us the ins and out of Fin Canyon's Two Arches hike. Since our club had already seen the colorful walls of Rainbow Canyon and passed by the deep mine named Secor Queen - No. 3 Placer, a different loop was devised. 

It seems "Secor" might stand for "south east corner" in the mining claim lingo. And being a placer mine, one could guess that the old-time miners - with the deep hole they dug - were after minerals that had been washed down the canyon area many years ago. We don't know what minerals the miners were after - but we like to speculate that it was gold or maybe silver. 

Throughout this entry, I will be quoting from a trip report that was written by Chuck H. He graciously allowed me to use his trip report words to add much interest to our blog. These quotes will be italicized. 

Dropping into neighboring Wash

Group coming out of the scramble Canyon

Dropping into the HCV Wash

HCV wash Road

We dropped down behind the red hills at the MM 13.5 Trailhead and turned left in the upper reaches of Callville Wash. There was a light trail going our direction and we joined that path that led over the small hill in front of us and down into the wash on the other side. Our intention was to follow this wash up to a V-crack where the wash has pushed through between the west end of Rainbow Ridge and a smaller upthrust ridge that may have been part of it before water changed the structure of the area. We had to detour out and in the wash but eventually climbed up through the V. There is a trail that leads hikers from here to a scramble canyon in the distance going east. We followed it and the group divided as they chose to either scramble up the canyon slot or go around over the hill. We met on the other side and kept our eastward march. Running into an arroyo flowing down from Rainbow Ridge, we dropped in and descended into a larger canyon below. That canyon is part of the old Anniversary Mine road network but can only be navigated by 4WD HCVs. We turned right ... and, right again when we came to another mine road junction. 

Exiting HCV wash onto mine Road

Fin Canyon

Two Arches and pit behind Fin

Group of hikers behind Fins

As we headed up the old mining road in the direction of Fin Canyon, we began to see the massive fins on the ridge line to the right. Toward the top of the hill, we noticed several weathered rock foundations laid out in a rectangular pattern. These were the outlying foundations from the old 1920's Borate (Borax) mining camp. Based on a photograph taken at the camp back then, it appeared that some of the stone structures could have been topped off with canvas tent-type material. The main body of the camp foundations are located near the Anniversary Mine large tailings mound. However, those closer-in old foundations are on private mining lease property. Our hike today, respectfully, will not cross that boundary. In the old days, hikers were able to use Lovell Wash to access Anniversary Narrows and sometimes returned through the old mining camp above Lovell Wash. It was an historically interesting way to go with lots of artifacts, but accessibility changed and we had to adapt our routing. --- (written in 2020)

Anyway, we continued towards the descent point into Fin Canyon and its great overlook. 

View down between Fins

Sixteen hikers at Two Arches

Starting traverse trail below Fins

Group on traverse Trail

Immediately to the right - up high - we spot a huge black fin with two gigantic erosive arch-like windows; below to the left we spot the opening to a mine tunnel; and, immediately below the windows is the sky ridge game trail cutting laterally around the side of the ridge out of sight.

Chuck says that hikers can go into the mine adit for around 100' but it can get muddy in there after a rain. Our adventure that we were looking forward to was to use the "sky trail" that traverses along the ridge to the right. But, first, Chuck led us up a trail to the view behind the fins and arches. We climbed up to the amazing perch and took our photos. The two arches were located next to each other inside one of the black-colored fins. The lower arch reached down to the bottom of a pit behind the fin. If you fell into the pit, it is likely that the only way to exit would be to go out the bottom arch to what was likely a small drop on the other side!

Two fins - Arches in fin on Right

Enjoying the traverse Trail

Ending trail behind Saddle Peak - Descend to Right

Descending from Saddle Peak

We descended back down to the saddle crest overlook as seen in the tenth photo. A clear trail dropped easily down in front of us to take hikers to the sky ridge route. This trail made the hike! It was fun with beautiful views. As we passed below the two arches, we took our photos trying to get the blue sky to describe the vacant holes in the fins. The huge semi-circular fins rose steeply above the trail as we balanced carefully along between steep downs on one side and the steep ups on the other. Too soon, we found ourselves on the other end of Fin Canyon up behind Saddle Peak, an interesting geological butte that actually looks like a Western riding saddle. Although you can turn left here, we chose the easier route to the right where a vague trail led us down to the Rainbow Canyon mining road where we took our break shortly before the road reached its high point to the west. Upon reaching the road's summit, we could see a snow-covered Griffith Peak far in the distance through the V notch between two mountains.

We started down the other side of the saddle (road summit) and bore off to the right. As we descended, we passed by an old-time encampment containing a lot of rusty artifacts. Many different-sized rusty brown cans lay scattered about the old camping area. Back in the day, one can just imagine some prospectors gathered around the evening campfire heating up a can of beans, adding some jerky and hardtack, slurping coffee from a tin mug and opening their Prince Albert can for a smoke. Bedrolls or tents were probably located near the campfire, and maybe, some horses or burros were tethered nearby.

Taking a break on Rainbow Canyon mine Road

Returning into HCV Canyon Road

Climbing back out of wash to overland Hike

Susan hikes in front of Scramble Canyon Entrance

We continued down to junction with the Anniversary Mine Road and turned left. We had just completed the far loop of the hike. Not long after, we again turned left onto that HCV mine road and returned down that road to the same wash we had come down from the overland march. We climbed up the small wash onto the desert pavement and hiked across to the scramble canyon / over the hill spot. We all chose to hike over the hill this time and took the trail down to the water-forced V-crack. Around the limestone paved terrain on the left of the wash below, we came to a small wash that led up the lower end of Rainbow Ridge. At the top of this wash, there is a colorful overlook. Chuck's hat blew off in the wind down to the exit wash on the left side of the overlook. We picked it up as we hiked down through the wash and followed it all the way out to the upper reaches of Callville Wash. When we junctioned with the longer wash, we decided to go in a 2 o'clock direction to find a way up to the cars. In retrospect, going in a 4 o'clock direction would have been a little better but we ended our adventure on an adventurous note!

Starting up small wash to Rainbow Ridge Overlook

Rainbow Ridge Overlook

Grandma sitting on top of the far mountain Ridge

Small canyon Descent

We wiggled our way all the way up to a spot just below Northshore Road, climbed up a steep embankment and walked along the road for about a tenth of a mile to get to our cars. (If we had taken the other choice, we would have returned to the easier way up to the trailhead.) At any rate, we had a great morning and were honored to have had Chuck along with us. This hike will definitely become a yearly endeavor for the club.

Stats: 5.5 miles; 900' gain; 3.75 hours

P.S. Thanks again, Chuck, for the use of your words!

Sixteen hikers in narrow Wash

Small descent opens out at Bottom

Nearing Callville Wash

Climbing back up to Cars

Map of the lower loop of the Figure 8 Track

Map of the upper loop of the Figure 8 Track