Hiking Flatiron & Hill 5024 by the Siphon Draw Trail - Superstition Wilderness, Arizona
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- Опубліковано 26 жов 2019
- Hiking Flatiron & Hill 5024 by the Siphon Draw Trail - Superstition Wilderness, Arizona
The Flatiron is widely known as the toughest hike in the Phoenix area. At 6 miles and almost 3,000' of elevation gain, it's definitely not easy.
So I had to hike it.
It's been years that I've wanted to do this hike and for one reason or another I haven't done it yet. Well, this was finally my day. To avoid the crowds, I went first thing in the morning on a weekday. Flatiron / Siphon Draw are very popular and therefore often crowded. Off peak times are recommended if you want some solitude.
So I started hiking and a couple hours later I was at the top of Flatiron, looking up at Hill 5024, thinking 'why not'? Hill 5024 is a few hundred feet more elevation gain and it offers full 36 degree views of the surrounding area. You can see Flatiron, Siphon Draw, Weaver's Needle, Four Peaks and, on a clear day, even Picketpost. Might as well plan to make it part of your hike since you're already so close.
For views and bragging rights, this hike is tough to beat if you're in Phoenix.
Anyway, that's that. Flatiron & Hill 5024 via the Siphon Draw trail is now moved from my "to do" list to my "done" list.
Did this hike about a month a
go with my 10 year old daughter I was impressed she made it , she even did the bonus hike to 5024, it amazing the power of using Dairy Queen as a motivator. Great videos keep it up
10 years old? That's impressive. Flatiron is rough. 5024, even moreso (but worth the views.....and the ice cream.)
This is the humbling experience. You think in your mind it's an extremely hard hike,and your a hiking warrior. Then you see little kids at the top playing. Motivation comes in many ways. Use it to your advantage.
My friend, Jim, and I hiked to Flatiron via Siphon Draw on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. It was the first time for me, the second time for Jim. He tried to tell me: "The best part of the hike is when it's over." I had no idea what to expect and was surprised by the amount of scrambling one has to do and the long sections where "the trail" (if you can call it that) is quite steep. Fortunately, when you're climbing up the "more vertical" parts, it's not too hard to find rocks to grip and places to step. While I was concerned about how the trip down would be, I found it to be easier simply because seeing a path ahead on the way down was easier and because I resolved to "sit down and scooch" (and use a lot of arms) when things "got vertical." Our motto was: "Slow and steady and safe." (At our ages, 63 and 66, respectively, the body takes longer to heal/recover.)
It was a great experience and I certainly had a sense of accomplishment when it was over. Jerry's excellent video gives a representative sampling of the challenges that are found on this tough trail. It's more than just "a walk in the park"!
Happy trails!
Glad you guys made it! It's a rough hike, but you forget how hard it is when you finally get level with flatiron and start taking in the views. If you liked this, I recommend checking out Boulder Canyon trail. Great views. You can even see flatiron off in the distance. (And it's not nearly as difficult.)
Thank you for all your videos. I've got weak legs and arthritis in my hips. I know that these are hikes I couldn't do. But I really like your videos. Thanks again!
Favorite afternoon summer hike
My Son is goin today. Thanks for the tips
Hope he enjoyed. It's a challenging but fun hike with some amazing views.
I did this hike this morning with 2 of my friends at 5:30am and we got about 3 miles in and already me & 1 of my friend mess up our ankle. We had to go back. I love that u were determined that’s awesome & all by yourself👏🏻 flat iron won today but we are going back to accomplish it another time.
I made a video of this exact hike over a decade ago. It’s one of the hardest but most rewarding hikes in the Phoenix valley. I loved hiking it because there was hardly anyone else on the trail and you could always tell where you are because of the unrestricted views down from where you came from. I miss AZ hiking so much!
Did this hike around a year ago and it ended up pouring rain on our way up and while getting down but it was still one of the best hikes i’ve done
It's a great hike. Bet Siphon Draw was slick in the rain.
Hiked this today (3/14/24). Quite challenging, and much more of a climb than a hike. Had to work hard to hold my fear of heights in check. Views from the top were stunning. By far the most challenging hike I’ve done here in central Arizona.
I just did this hike yesterday 5/4/23 and I can definitely say it’s difficult. Hopefully you’re not hiking trails like this if you have knee problems but coming down is tougher than going up AFAIC. I did South Kaibab way past skeleton point on Tuesday with pretty much no issues. I did Flatiron on Friday. My quads are pretty wrecked today (Sat).
I love seeing people especially women like myself ( a woman ) coming in here to hike this wearing flip flops ( I do not wear flip flops). They change into what looks to be brand new hikers. Excited about trying this hike. Few miles in they are coming back out with bum ankles. People please work yourselves up to a climb like this. Get your legs and ankles accustomed to the movements. Search and Rescue teams aren't free.
Yeah. I've seen plenty of people out there unprepared. Then again, when I was starting out, I was the one people were looking at and shaking their heads. When I did this (and Ridgline) with my wife, there was a rescue right toward the top of Flatiron. Luckily, I don't think it was too serious.
Bring mole foam.
Even just one trekking pole or long stick helps take up the strain on your knees going downhill.
I dont know if it does any good to comment on such a old video but i just found it looking through your library. I hiked that hike to around the same time of year last year. But i put it off till i was
68 years old. I was glad to here your knees were sore because i was cramping like a mother on the way down of the last mile. It was so worth it. i look up there now and say wow .
I still see the comments! Yeah, that hike is killer on the knees, but the views are worth it.
Another great hike! Love your humor
Lol 😂 this was great man. Just hiked this. Should have watched this first!
15 years ago, you used to be able to park right by the trailhead but they renovated the park and now the parking area is at least a quarter mile from the trailhead. Adds to an already tough hike.
Quarter mile? That’s a warm up
Digging the video broski! 🤙🤙🤙
You're a machine! Really enjoying your vids...
That looked positively brutal.
Check out the Ridgeline. You hike Flatiron to START that hike. It nearly killed my wife and I.
Amazing hike, great day hike. The most memorable time that I have hiked this was when a big storm came through and left snow on the Mountain. My friends and I hiked it and played in the snow. Crazy to think that snow appears and stays in Mesa during the winter under the right conditions ! Been loving your videos.
I've seen footage of people climbing it in the snow. That would be awesome. Slippery, I imagine, but awesome too.
Thanks for sharing Brother
Great video!
This video is super helpful. I am doing this hike next month.
Man you made it look like a piece of cake
Good video!
Ain't too early for a beautiful hike!
I need a lot of coffee and some prodding to get going. Not much of a morning person. But sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
Went up it in Jan. 1998 with a bad knee. I almost needed to call the rangers to come and get me a mile out of the park in the dark. My knee was so swollen I had to wear shorts the next day.
Im glad you made this video, Ive been wanting to hike the Superstitions for a while now and did not know what trail to start and most videos as not as descriptive as yours
Not sure what your experience level is, but this one is one of the toughest (maybe #2 behind Ridgeline which I have not done) hikes in the Supt's. If you're looking for a challenge, go for it; this is THE Superstition hike for that. Peralta is very straightforward and less challenging (but still not easy.) Great views of Weaver's Needle from the saddle off Peralta. I always recommend Boulder Canyon trail. Still my favorite. It starts at Canyon Lake. Personally, I don't think there are better views in the Sup's. I have a video of that too, although it isn't as descriptive as this one. Can't really go wrong with any of those.
@@JerryArizona I have done Wilson Mountain trail twice in Sedona and Humprey's peak, so intermediate? Thank you for the recomendations, I just finished watching your other Sup video and that trail looks amazing!
@@karenflores4987 if you've done Wilson and Humphrey's, you won't have any problems with Flatiron.
Good climb
Dude… late to the party here. Excellent vid. Inspired to do it again. Reach out if you’d like some better tequila recommendations. Cheers!
I generally go cheap with my liquor selections since I have horrible taste in alcohol and have a tendency to mix it with stuff like dehydrated margarita mix or Crystal Lite.....I'd be ashamed, but I'm too old and set in my ways to be ashamed.
Would be cool to see superstition mountains, cool video, thanks 😊
Check out the videos I have up of Boulder Canyon, Ridgeline & Battleship Mountain. The Superstitions are incredible.
There are three ways to make the final ascent. I use the middle one using the tree branch for balance. The one on the right is a difficult hand over foot climb. I did use that on my first climb, I was much younger. I had heard of a third way but have not tried it. The final ascent is the main attraction. I found it easier to go up than to go down. It is an amazing hike. Ghank you for sharing your perspective.
I screw up and go to the right every time. At least that's where I think I end up. I have a bad habit of looking down and forward and just going with it.
@@JerryArizona No problem. There is always more than one path to trod.
Great video been trying to explain to my friends the hike me and my wife did now I can show them we tried to go to flat iron twice so far the first time we made it 70% of the way this is in the middle the night with high powered flashlights very beautiful at night the second time we made it 90% of the way and my right knee started telling me it wasn’t happy didn’t want to take any chances of injuring it so I ordered a knee brace and will attempt in a few more weeks Best time to go is at night during the hot months Bring lots of water medical kit and Beef jerky and high powered flashlight and be careful watch out for scorpions.
Going down Flatiron is no joke. My knees KILLED on the way down. It took me longer to get down than to get up. My wife and I did Ridgeline a couple months later and opted to go up Flatiron and down Carney Springs just because it was so brutal. (We also saw a rescue near the top of Flatiron from someone who slipped and was injured.)
Sick hike! Next time, look around for Spanish gold!
Hmmm I did hiked the Superstion halfway through but my exhusband decided to go home. I been saying before I turn 40 I need to hike it but I have no luck nobody want to hiked with me but I hiked Grand Canyon all the way to Phantom Ranch twice and halfway to Marvins Garden.
I miss hiking in the Superstition Mountains
The Supes are awesome. I'm really lucky they're basically my backyard.
A 5,059 ft mountain is insane crap ton of people go missing and die there legend says that due to how many people died here and gone missing the superstitions had a hell hole that led straight to hell
It doesn't look like it's that far away. Just around the next bend, I'm sure. :) But seriously, spectacular view.
My wife & I did the Kalalau trail a couple years ago. It was up and down over all these 'fingers' where the coast goes into the ocean. I kept saying "It's gotta be just around this finger." It's our inside joke now in every hike we do. Flatiron definitely had a lot of those moments. The view, especially from 5024, was definitely worth it though.
Good job with the tequila 🤙🏼
Packit Gourmet margarita mix is a constant on our hikes.
Thanks for making this! Back when I was hiking it (Previdhistoric), all I had were little Kodak Panoramic 1 & Done types! There was an old fuselage from a small plane buck then but I didn't see it in your vid. Maybe they removed it since the 80's.
Not sure. I always wonder how we used to take pictures without being able to fix them in photoshop. I remember dropping them off at a 1 hour photo and you had NO idea what you were going to get.
@@JerryArizona I have thousands of WTF's in a box that I still can't identify!
Great trail. I was there this morning but I'm novice so I stopped at the basin. Maybe I'll make it up further another time.
Work your way up! Peralta, Piestawa, Camelback, Boulder Canyon.....Flatiron is tough if you're just starting out. Took me a while to work up to this one, for sure.
@@JerryArizona Peralta Trail. Was that what used to be willow canyon?
Oh yay you did it by far one of my favorites here in the valley nice video my friend
Thanks. That hike was tough, for sure. But beautiful.
I've wanted to hike the Superstitions a couple of times but everytime I go to Phoenix nobody wants to head out there. I did read about some longer loop hike that goes up there and across the tops, want to say it was even multiday but lost the name now. Anyway enjoyed watching your hike, cheers
Ridgeline! This hike is where you start. Only instead of stopping, you just keep going. Got a video on it and it was beautiful and absolutely brutal. I’ve also climbed weavers needle which was terrifying but amazing. My favorite hike out there is battleship mountain. Which is also brutal, terrifying and amazing. The Supes are rugged and unforgiving, but close to home and one of my favorite places.
@@JerryArizona I saw your climb video, pretty awesome, not what I expected it to look like, I was expecting some smooth rock face you had to climb up. Your battleship mountain video was cool but I definitely think those drops are a bit iffy. Check out videos of people climbing Crib Goch in Wales, its a similar kind of thing. I like multi-day circular or through hikes with just a few small temporary scary a$$ drops thrown in. Very cool.
Where good hiking shoes that can take a beating.
Image is looking super crisp man, good video 👌 we call going up paying off the credit card.
Mountain Top Adventures thanks man. Looks like you guys are seeing plenty of stuff too. Your goal is all the national parks, right? We just got back from petrified forest today. SO much cooler than what I was expecting.
@@JerryArizona yes that is our goal, petrified forest is awesome. Only problem was wife wouldn't let me take any home, or maybe that was the ranger 🤔 lol
If you guys didn't do Blue Forest Trail, you need to go back. We attempted it, but the wind gusts were so bad, they nearly blew us off the ridgeline and we had to turn back. We're going back just for that. I expected "rocks that used to be trees", but the badlands blew us away. (Almost literally.)
Someone should mark some chalk on the trail. So many people have gotten lost going up there.
I would love to do this hike.but its to dame hot in the summer time.i think ill plan a hike this winter
Definitely want to do this one when it's cooler. And even then, I prefer to start early.
Ok so how did you get up that narrow and steep chute above the Siphon with a 35 lb pack in your back Jerry? Did you take it off and then pull it up with a rope? Also how did you get back down? Went as far as that chute Saturday AM and was confounded on how I would get t back down it. Great vids as always👍 Thanks. Tom
Siphon Draw? The section where the rock is slick? I just walked up it....carefully and slowly. Good shoes with grippy soles helps. Going down is hard on the knees, for sure. And I went REALLY slow. I don't want to think about it wet. It is slick enough when it's dry.
Oh, goody-goody! The weather is cooling which means it’s HIKING SEASON again for me! Thanks, as always, for the humor and inspiration. BTW... are you going to say more about that new toy?
Man! You have to figure places that you can do year round. My wife and I just got our cold weather backpacking kit down this year finally. Summer time just go north or someplace with water and shade like Aravaipa. I get cranky when I can't get outside.
And the new 'toy' is an Insta360 Go. I'm a little bit of a gear fiend. It's a super tiny stabilized camera, like a GoPro but smaller. Been playing around with it this past weekend some more. It's fun for capturing stuff you normally wouldn't. One of these days I hope to make a video on my video gear.
Jerry Arizona oh, I know! I have a serious problem with heat and unfortunately I’m not able to backpack, just day hike. But I spent this summer “modifying” my little suv into what I call my trailhead sleeper. That way I can head for the hills for a good day hike and not have to worry about driving home when I’m tired, I can just pull off to spend the night and drive home in the morning 😉 I’m getting this AZ thing figured out!
Jerry Arizona awesome, thanks!
Hahaha! Being logged into the wrong account can be confusing.
Alright! A plan for this weekend! ❤️☺️ Hopefully it's open 🤞🤞🤞
Good advice: if you find Karens, always pick the path of least resistance.
Like the video...don't be negative
I complain a lot while hiking uphill. It's just part of the process for me. Sometimes I forget it may come across as negative in the videos, but it's not really. I wouldn't keep going back and doing this stuff if I really hated it.
Did you run up on any snakes on the way?
I've only seen one rattlesnake over the years that I've been hiking. None in the superstitions yet, although they're out there. Other snakes? I've seen plenty of non-venomous ones.
This is great!
Tequila though~ you're in JINN territory! Ha! 🤣🤦🏼♀️
Nothing like a little tequila at 10AM.....
@@JerryArizona That's just 🥜🥜
Did you know the ART 🎭 GALLERY at the Phoenix Airport is exhibiting JINN ART? I find this interesting~
🧞♂️👥🛸👽🚀✈️
You may find this interesting~
ua-cam.com/video/btDeWxLD14E/v-deo.html
woah you did good
What’s that little camera you used?
That's an Insta360 Go. They have a Go 2 out now. It's an interesting camera, but pretty gimmicky. To be honest, I barely use it. Just not up to the quality I can get from my GoPros.
Trail running shoes seem to be a lot easier in this cause of the angle on the way up. I couldn't imagine wearing mid to high hiking boots. It would work against you on the angles.
I've been hiking almost exclusively in Altra Olympus lately. Great, light shoe.
Jerry, went up last year and struggled to find the route up to 5024 after heading left/up at the break with the FI trail at the top. Any suggestions on where to head to find it better? Headed back up this weekend.
I may be too late, but my GPS says the trail branches off right at 33.43864, -111.43864. Another point slightly up the trail is 33.43891, -111.45011. Mark those on the GPS and hopefully you can piece it together. It's faint. I lost it coming down and was going off trail, but just picked my way through as best I could and it worked out. Hopefully that helps.
@@JerryArizona found it this time around! Thanks, jerry. The trail to 5024 seemed a bit more 'manicured'this time up!
@@joshuamazzola9697 awesome. The views are definitely worth the little bit of extra effort.
Well done _ did you find any gold though?
Unfortunately, no...
@@JerryArizona Not all that glitters is gold.
What kind a camera 🎥 you have?
This was all GoPro Hero 8 Black. Sometimes I use a Canon EOS R (but it's heavy, so it gets left behind a lot.) I have a GoPro Hero 9 Black now, which I absolutely love. Perfected a couple minor flaws on the 8.
@@JerryArizona thanks, love every video you guys make, you guys are mi inspiration , God Bless you🙏🏻🙏🏻
I've always driven by that mountain and wondered what the views would be from the top. Didn't disappoint. Still on my bucket list of to-do. Did you come across any snakes?
Tina Boyer it’s super intimidating driving up. But just one step at a time. Didn’t see any snakes. I’ve only seen one poisonous one in all my years of hiking. Actually didn’t even see that one. I stepped tight over it while it was rattling and my wife asked me a couple dozen steps down the trail ‘why didn’t you walk around the rattlesnake?’
Last week there was a guy on his way down from flatiron he saw a large rattlesnake on our way up there when we were climbing at night we saw three scorpions next time I’m going to wear gloves at night because I almost touched one my wife saved me 😂
CBC
Al Senner did that on horseback with a mule in tow.
Crazy what they used to take pack animals on. Spencer Trail at Lee's Ferry apparently was another one I couldn't imagine a mule on, but they did it.
Dude you missed the sunrise. You didn't get up early enough
I'm going to say sunsets are more awesome...mainly because I can sleep in.
@@JerryArizona I'm wondering if the smart move is to get a 3am start as light hits by 5am?
Did you shoot tequila at the top?
I would never do anything that irresponsible!
I may have had a couple margaritas up there though.....
Easy hike.
Up and down in 2 hours 19 minutes.