Blue Diamond Canyons 4A / 5A Loop - 10/27/22

Tri-Level Scramble in Canyon 4A

First Scramble in Canyon 4A (go around available)

Drop Scramble in Canyon 5A

Starting up Canyon 4A

The Blue Diamond Canyons 4A/5A Loop is a relatively new hike / scramble for our club. Today, Rita and I did it for the third time. Mike did it for the second time and Charlie and Ralyn did it for the first time. Good reviews all around! There is evidence that other hikers have begun doing this hike since the first time that I blogged on it. One piece of evidence is the placement of property boundary poles at the high point of the hike where the route crosses the mine truck road. Luckily, the boundary does not interfere with the route of the hike. We parked at the Wheeler Camp Springs Trailhead parking lot and began by hiking on down by SR 159 to the right toward Blue Diamond. There is a trail in the weeds that keeps you away from the traffic.

Charlie supports Rita's Foot

Wash in Canyon 4A

The Canyon Deepens

Tri-Level Scramble

The entrance to Canyon #4 is across the road after the mine truck road junctions with SR 159. We headed up the wide wash and came to a fork. The right fork is Canyon 4A. After the initial circumventing of catclaws, etc., we began climbing up a nice scramble on rock as the walls got taller. Deeper into the curvy canyon, we hit the first difficult scramble. It's short but slippery and has few hand holds. Charlie provided support for Rita and I then scrambled up himself. Mike and Ralyn did a somewhat easier go around on the left side. A few more zigzags and tall beautiful walls and we were at the base of the tri-level scramble, a favorite. Lots of hand holds helped us climb vertically up the wall seen in the first photo. After the first level climb, there were two more climbs that were less vertical as the canyon turned around a corner to the left.

Kay photographs Rita in the Tri-Level Scramble

Short respite in the Deep Canyon

Steppin' on Up in Tortoise Memorial Wash

Climbing out of Tortoise Memorial Wash

Continuing up the canyon, we climbed up the shorter scrambles in the wash. From the beginning, we saw many large dried up mud holes made from the monsoon action of a few weeks previous. The cracks in the mud were sometimes 5" deep! Finally, we reached the first canyon fork since turning into 4A. We took the left fork that put us into Tortoise Memorial Wash, named for a tortoise that had just died there the first time we were in the canyon. This wash is a little more brushy so we climbed up in the middle and on the left side to get to the top ridge. Hitting the ridge on the right, the boundary poles became apparent and we carefully dropped down to the mine truck road, crossed it, then dropped down through the wide wash in front of us. This wash ends in another scramble before you junction with Canyon 5A where we stopped for a break.

Near the High Point with Boundary Marker

Rita drops into Canyon 5A

Taking our Break at the Junction of Canyon 5A

Seaweed Fossil (?)

Canyon 5A is not as steep as 4A but there are a few scrambles in the canyon that provide entertainment. We started down a gentle slope as the walls, again, grew taller. One of the first points of interest is the antique junk yard. (The map below shows it to be sooner than it is.) This may be evidence of mining communities in the area from the mid-1900's. Hands off! This stuff is older than 50 years! Some of it is even older than us! This area is also part of the Bird Spring Formation and fossils can be seen here and there. This includes the fossil in the photo to the left; the first plant life fossil I have ever found. Interesting. After the bone yard, we started down a few nice drop scrambles as the canyon lost elevation.

Dropping through Canyon 5A

Passing the Antique Junk Yard

A drop scramble in Canyon 5A

Down through Canyon 5A

Pieces of the bone yard are strewn here and there in the wash. We climbed over a rusted barrel when the canyon narrowed down then came to a nice narrow descending slot. Soon, we were hiking into Canyon 5, veering to the left and coming to a large junction with bike trails on the right side. It is important to find to the bike trail that follows the rim of the canyon down to the bottom. There is a really difficult 3rd class scramble that this bypasses. We stepped up our pace, took a peek over the edge at that 3rd class scramble, and finished hiking out on the trail all the way to SR 159 exactly across from where our cars were. We all really wish someone would put a pedestrian gate in the fence here. Fantastic morning!

Stats: 5 miles; 900' gain; 3.75 hours

Mike performs a drop scramble in Canyon 5A

In the Slot nearing Canyon 5

Bike Trail along the rim in Canyon 5