Aravaipa Canyon Backpack
Phoenix, AZ
Trip Highlights
- Stunning Desert Oasis
- Unique Wildlife
- Refreshing Creek
- Amazing History
- Vivid Night Skies
- Desert Solitude
Description
Discover the wonder of an unlikely oasis in the Arizona desert! On our Aravaipa Canyon backpacking trip we will venture deep into the towering walls and spring-fed creeks of Arizona’s best kept secret. Guaranteed solitude due to limited numbers of people permitted in the canyon at a time, we’ll hike beneath Cottonwood, Sycamore and Ash trees lining a spring-fed desert creek, watch for desert wildlife and learn about the amazing natural and cultural history of the area. This trip is an excellent “add-on” to a longer visit to the Southwest, or a wonderful stand-alone adventure on its own.
$1685 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 3
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
This is a backcountry hike so we’re trekking with multi-day backpacks. The maximum hiking distance is 10 miles, but that would be on a day hike with light backpacks. Much of the hiking on this trip is in water, and it can be hot.
Hiking Distances:
Up to 10 miles
Backpack Weight:
25-35 pounds
Terrain:
Moderately Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
Up to 300 feet
Heights Exposure:
None
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THIS TRIP
- Hiking with a 25-35 lb backpack for 4-6 hours
- Maintaining balance and footing on variable, uneven terrain and for extended periods of time in flowing water
- Potentially hiking in 90+ degree fahrenheit temperatures (May-Sept)
SOLITUDE LEVEL 2
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate the Aravaipa Canyon hike a solitude 2. You can expect as much as an hour of solitude at a time once we’re several miles into the Canyon.
Travel in perfect company by booking a private trip exclusively for your group!
Our sliding scale for private trips is based on the final number of guests in your group. Rates are per person and do not include sales tax, national park fees or guide gratuity. The final rate is based on the actual number of guests on the trip and may adjust based on cancellations or additions.
Please Note: you can also enjoy a private trip at our normal scheduled rates by filling any empty tour to capacity. However, if group members drop from the tour those spots will automatically become available on our website for instant booking. By purchasing a private trip at the rates listed below, your trip will remain exclusive to your group regardless of cancellations.
Private Rates FOr This Trip
- 2 People: Rate x 2.5
- 3 People: Rate x 1.75
- 4 People: Rate x 1.25
- 5+ People: Rate x 1.15
*all rates are per person
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ITINERARY
Day 1
- Shuttle: 2.5 hours
- Hiking Distance: 5+ miles
- Elevation Gain: 250 feet
We will leave early from the hotel and make our way through scenic desert landscapes to our trailhead. Our hike begins as we enter Aravaipa Canyon. We will quickly come to the creek, put on our water shoes, and begin hiking in and out of the water. Watching out for wildlife, looking for signs of ancient inhabitants, and admiring the 700′ tall walls (with Saguaros standing atop them like spectators waving at us) we will continue along the creek to our campsite. We’ll set up camp and settle in to this amazing setting over a delicious, backcountry dinner prepared by your guide.
Day 2
- Hiking Distance: 10 miles
- Elevation Gain/Loss: 300 feet
Today is all about fun and exploration. After a tasty breakfast, we’ll head east along the creek, exploring side canyons as we go. We’ll admire the hanging gardens and unique flora, and watch for an array of wildlife that flock to this riparian desert paradise. Potential wildlife include Bighorn Sheep, Javalina, Mule Deer, frogs, lizards, snakes, fish and a variety of birds. Eventually we’ll return to camp, celebrate our special day with another backcountry feast, and lay our heads down to the soft murmur of the creek washing over sand and rocks.
Day 3
- Hiking Distance: 5+ miles
- Elevation Loss: 250 feet
- Shuttle: 2.5 hours
On our final day, we will have a leisurely morning and a big breakfast. We’ll break camp and hike back out the way we came in. A relaxing drive back to Phoenix will cap off our trip before we say our fond farewells.
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes. Normal terms and conditions apply to trips with itinerary changes.
TRIP DATES & BOOKING
AVAILABLE TO BOOK
This trip is available and bookable online! Click on the date to register now or contact us online to book through our award-winning customer service team!
GOING FAST
This trip has 1 or 2 spots remaining and is bookable online! Click on the date to book now or contact us online to book through customer service.
REQUEST A RESERVATION
This trip is exclusively booked through customer service due to logistics with lodging, permits, staffing, availability, or something else. Please contact us online or call us at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to request a reservation.
Don't see your dates? Call us! We may be able to add new trip dates.
800-715-HIKE (4453)Trip Details
What's Included
- Top-of-the-line tent, backcountry sleeping pad and multi-day backpack
- High quality, synthetic sleeping bag (professionally laundered after every use) – or bring your own.
- All meals are included from breakfast the first day through lunch on the last day
- Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
- Roundtrip transportation from Phoenix, Arizona to the trailhead and back
- Aravaipa Canyon wilderness permits
- Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device (InReach Explorer or satellite phone)
What's Not Included
- Clothes, raingear, and footwear (see recommendations)
- Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
- Water bottles and a headlamp or flashlight
- Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-20% of trip cost)
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about what to pack.
Meals: What to Expect
All of our hiking and backpacking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola, and more.
For optimal taste and energy, we supplement all our meals with spices, herbs, oils, cheeses, butter, sugar, and fruits and vegetables (fresh and dried). In addition, we provide you with with an assortment of trail mix, snacks, and dried fruits to eat at your own discretion.
We regularly accommodate vegan, vegetarian, kosher and non-gluten diets and will make adjustments for food allergies. These and other special dietary requests may require an additional fee.
Gear We Provide
We provide all group gear which includes the following:
- Deuter or Osprey backpacks
- Sierra Designs, Kelty or Big Agnes tents
- Sierra Designs, Big Agnes and Mountain Hardware synthetic-fill sleeping bags (or bring your own)
- Thermarest or Big Agnes sleeping pads
- Leki trekking poles
- Cooking stoves and cookware
- Company-issued first-aid kit
- Emergency communication device(s)
Guest Packing List
We ask that you supply a couple of gear items on your hiking tour. These items are three 1-liter water bottles per person and either a headlamp or flashlight per person. Basic items like sunscreen, bug repellent (where and when applicable), lip balm, and toiletries are also important.
Additionally, some guests choose to bring their own sleeping bag. We supply high quality, synthetic fill bags that are professionally laundered after every trip. Synthetic fill is non-allergenic, insulates when damp and stands up well to repeated washings, but is heavier and bulkier than down. If you’re able to bring your own down sleeping bag, there are multiple benefits. If not, we’ve got you covered!
Trip Logistics
How Do I Register?
Reserve your spot today! In the Trip Dates & Booking section of this page, the green and red dates are bookable online by simply clicking on the date, and blue dates must be booked through our customer service team for a variety of possible reasons. To email our customer service team, you can click here to get the ball rolling. Our adventure consultants will confirm availability, and if you’re ready to register we’ll email you a link to a registration profile. You’ll have 72 hours to complete your profile (and that of any dependents) and pay the deposit.
Feel free to call us for more info – we’re here 7 days a week!
Where Do We Meet?
Unless we tell you otherwise, you will meet your guide and group at the HOTEL HOTEL in Phoenix for an orientation meeting at 5:00 PM the evening before the trip begins. We’re happy to give you a ride to this meeting if you’re not staying at HOTEL HOTEL, but staying at one of our other recommended hotels. Your guide will then pick you up at your hotel the next morning for transport to the trailhead.
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.
Travel to Phoenix
This trip begins and ends in Phoenix, Arizona. With direct flights from many major cities around the US, Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix is one of the most convenient airports to fly into in the American West.
Start/End Times
Your guide will inform you of the first day’s pick-up time at the orientation meeting. Generally, you can expect it to be between 5 and 7 am, although the exact time will depend on current weather and road conditions. We will drop you off at your hotel on the final day normally before 5 PM (this time is not guaranteed, as a variety of circumstances can influence our exact return time).
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Essential Eligibility Criteria
Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) have been specifically identified to help you understand the skills and abilities necessary to participate on each Wildland trip, and they apply uniformly to all potential trip participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability.
Once you identify a trip in which you may be interested, please carefully review the EEC and itinerary details. If after reviewing the EEC that apply to your desired trip, you determine you need an accommodation in order to meet the EEC, please contact us prior to registering to discuss your requested accommodation.
The EEC exist for your own safety and the safety and enjoyment of all participants. If you are unable to meet the EEC for the trip, with or without an accommodation, you are not eligible for that trip. If you register and arrive for a trip for which you do not meet the EEC, you will be disqualified from participation on the trip and will be dismissed or evacuated from the trip without a refund.
Guide Working Parameters
Guides are required to take 8 hours off each 24-hour period to sleep, recuperate, take personal/down time…etc. In addition, as part of the 8 hours off they must sleep/rest or be in their tents/rooms uninterrupted for a minimum of 5 hours each night. We ask guests to respect these requirements and to not interrupt guides’ off time and sleep time unless there is a true emergency.
Age Restrictions
Age restrictions on this trip are as follows:
- 12 and older to join scheduled tours (mixed groups)
- 5 and older to join private tours, with final approval and specific logistical requirements (such as porter or stock assist) determined on a case by case basis
Accommodations
Backcountry Sleeping
Tent Camping
Sleeping on backpacking trips is in premier 1-person, 2-person or 4-person backcountry tents. Solo travelers, and anyone else who requests it, are issued single tents. Top-of-the-line self-inflating sleeping pads and synthetic-fill sleeping bags (professionally laundered after every trip) are also provided.
Backcountry Cuisine
Fresh & Delicious
Meals from breakfast Day 1 through lunch the last day are fully included and prepared by your guide. We never use dehydrated backpacking meals, instead serving freshly prepared, delicious backcountry cuisine made with a variety of common and specialty ingredients that travel well in the wilderness.
Amazing Campsites
In the Action
Campsites vary by destination, trip and even by the individual day of a trip. However, you can expect to camp in beautiful areas that put you right in the action to make the most of your trekking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
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