Tortilla Canyon / Peter’s Canyon

Mike, Ben, Marilyn, Linda, Denise, Laura, and Marilyn joined me for a hike of Tortilla Canyon and Peter’s Canyon.

Looking northeast after leaving Tortilla Flat. The road in the photo is the Apache Trail. The section seen here is now open to local traffic only. There is a section, further on, that was closed after last year’s fire.

Looking back in the other direction…

New signage; I haven’t hiked it yet, but it’s my understanding that Fragile Arch Saddle is on the way to Geronimo Head and Malapais Mountain.

Another view prior to descending into Tortilla Canyon:

Both Tortilla and Peter’s Canyon had more water than I’d seen before. We encountered water as soon as we reached the canyon floor.

In this photo are Denise, Marilyn, Ben, Linda, Marilyn, and Mike. (Laura was standing next to me when I took this photo.)

Linda and Marilyn H cross the water in Tortilla Canyon. Early on, most of us tried to keep our feet dry.  I think most of us got our feet wet at some point during the day.

Denise in Tortilla Canyon:

There were a few spots where we could walk along the bank, but much of the time we made our way up-canyon by hopping from boulder to boulder through the water.

Nearing the entrance to Peter’s Canyon…

This is the entrance to Peter’s Canyon:

This was actually a small waterfall; my camera placement makes it look more impressive than it actually was.

Peter’s Canyon had even more rocks than Tortilla Canyon:

There’s an early section of Peter’s Canyon which has really big boulders.  Mike, Ben, Marilyn H, Marilyn B, and I scrambled up and down these boulders working our way up-canyon while Denise, Laura, and Linda bushwhacked along one side of the canyon.

The canyon turns to the right here and then becomes much easier for a time.

Looking back the way we came…

This is the view just after turning the corner:

Looking back towards the corner:

We made our way along the rock of the right bank along this section of the canyon. This was an “easy” section; after this point, there was some bushwhacking to be done…

We saw poppies (and other flowers too) while bushwhacking along one of the banks.

Linda and Marilyn work their way up-canyon as we near Peter’s Cave:

Peter’s Cave, on the right.

Looking back (down-canyon) from near Peter’s Cave:

Heading back now; Peter’s Cave can be seen in the center of the photo.  It doesn’t look like it here, but it’s actually a good ways up off the canyon floor, maybe 40 feet or so.

The group split somewhere around this point; Marilyn, Marilyn, and I had had enough bushwhacking and opted to hike through the water on the way back. It was slower, but it was also more fun.

This is a shot that I got while hiking through the water. I was happy that my camera was still working because I had taken a spill earlier, landing in the water.

More poppies:

Marilyn, Ben, Denise, Linda, Marilyn, and Mike. (Laura had stayed behind just prior to turning the corner mentioned earlier; we’re probably about 15 minutes away from rejoining her at this spot.)

Ben and I have just turned the corner. If you look closely, you can see Laura further down the canyon. I’m not sure, but I think there might be some petroglyphs on the left wall. I didn’t notice these while I was there.

Looking down-canyon; Laura can be seen in the distance. In the foreground, from left to right are Denise, Marilyn, Marilyn, Linda, Ben, and Mike’s arm/hand.

Linda and Denise (photo credit Linda Kalbach):

Kevin, Marilyn, Laura, Mike, Linda, Ben, and Denise (photo credit: Marilyn Huot):

Laura and Kevin (photo credit: Marilyn Huot):