Hells Hole Trail #284 – Arizona Hikers Guide Hells Hole Trail #284 – Arizona Hikers Guide
by Cameron Jarman on March 2, 2015
The Hells Hole Trail is a nice hike through pine forests, high desert scrub, and beautiful pink granite pools. The most attractive selling point for me on this 10-12 mile hike is that Hells Hole and the Salome Wilderness offer solitude and silence that surrounding areas have lost.
Length: 10-12 miles (depending on when you decide to turn around)
Elevation: 5920
Difficulty: 3
Rating: 3.5
Solitude: 4 (2 hikers in 2 days)
Trail Description:
Hells Hole Trail begins in pine forest at the Reynold’s Trailhead in the Salome Wilderness. After about 100 ft. a sign appears for the Hells Hole Trail (6 miles) or the Boyer Trail (2 miles). After about a mile or so from the sign you will come to Armer Ranch which is private property so please respect it. After the ranch the trail will continue north into the seasonal Reynold’s Creek. This is beautiful little area where we have found wild blackberries and mint.
After passing the seasonal creek you will begin a steady uphill trail into scrubby brush. You will see the trail splitting to the left which is Boyer trail. Stay right and continue north. When we did this hike we found some perfectly preserved black bear tracks in the dried mud at the top of this scrubby section of the hike. The trail will descend into Workman Creek which you are able to see from a distance. You will find the trail descending rapidly at this point and is nicely shaded, unlike the exposed scrub brush.
After the 1/2 mile or so of switchbacks, you will come to a few small campsites and will find a nice resting spot at the foot of Workman Creek. While doing this hike last year we found a peach tree that had several ripe peaches. I imagine a hiker spit out the pit of their peach years ago and it miraculously grew into a nice little fruit bearing tree.
The rest at the creek will serve you well as you will now work your way down the creek through overgrown brush for quite some time. Exploring the granite walls and pools of water is fascinating. It makes the 6 mile one way journey worth the effort. Play in the water and explore as far as you like. About a mile or so down the creek is a waterfall and “bowl” called the “JUG”. When you are sufficiently worn out, make your way back the way you came.
My Thoughts:
The Hells Hole hike had plenty to see and do. We saw tracks, scat, edible plants and berries, and had a great time exploring the beautiful pools along Workman Creek. This was a last minute decision overnight backpack trip so we started on the trail around midnight. We camped along Reynold’s Creek and began from there the next morning. I would recommend trying this trail as an overnight trip because of the ability to explore the creeks and the solitude the wilderness area provides.
Map to Trailhead:
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