Middle Fork Trail #157 and Little Bear Canyon Trail #729 Loop
11.0 mi
Distance
5 hrs 58 min
Time
terrain
722 ft
Elev Gain
Overview
This is a difficult loop trail in Gila National Forest.
This trail goes by Middle Fork Trailhead Parking, Gila Visitor Center, and TJ Corral Trailhead Parking.
Sights to See
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
The scenery on this hike was breathtaking! With each turn of the river, we would see something amazing. Weather was great - daytime highs about 80 degrees, nighttime lows in the 60s (6/5/2019 - 6/8/2019) except for the evening of 6/5/2019...a cold front came through snd nightime temp was about 40. The ascent up the mountain got a bit hot because we started late, but once we crested and started the descent there was shade and cool in the canyon. Jordan Hot Springs was refreshing. The river was cold, but felt good. By the way, the trail crosses the river 50+ times (not exagerating) so your shoes will get wet. The trail going up and down the mountain is mostly jard packed soil with some rocky sections. The trail along the river ranges from hard packed soil, to rocks, to mud, to deep sand. We saw a handful of other campers, most who we saw were around the hot spring. The trail isn't hard to stick to...and there are lots of places to camp - even for our group of 10. There are caves WAY up in the cliff faces, and a few have trails leading to them. Not many wildflowers this time of year, but everything was really green. No rain, but each day, late afternoon, a great breeze blew down the canyon. What an amazing hike!
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