Hike LaBarge Canyon only if you’ve got the skills
Not for the novice hiker, this combination hike and cross-county exploration leads to a breathtaking, secluded box canyon that harbors a cloistered riparian ecosystem in the Superstition Wilderness near Canyon Lake.
The adventure follows Boulder Canyon Trail #103 along a desert ridge above Canyon Lake Marina before making a steep descent to where LaBarge Creek flows across the trail at the 2.9-mile point.
Boulder Trail crosses the stream and veers right. To get to the box canyon, leave the trail, veer left and follow the creek bed heading southeast. (This route may be impassible after heavy rains.) From this point on, the hike is a cross-country boulder scramble.
Do not attempt this hike if you are not in shape or lack basic route-finding skills.
The destination appears as a prominent pyramid-shaped outcropping upstream — use that as your guide. As the route traverses the rugged sycamoreand bear-grass-lined washes in the shadow of blocky Battleship Mountain, which flanks the western edge of the watercourse, the passage gets progressively tougher until, at the entrance to the “narrows,” the canyon is choked with massive quartz-encrusted monoliths.
Strong hikers will have no trouble picking through the rocks to reach the
goal. Within the towering walls of the narrows, golden velvet ash trees dot the shores of tiny pools like windswept beacons of light. Autumn foliage color usually lasts through mid-December unless frost turns the leaves prematurely brown.
Darting flocks of canyon wrens, chattering cardinals and roosting hawks find food and shelter among the cattails, reeds and willows that feast on the precious waters of LaBarge Creek.
Depending on water levels, you can hike through the twisting, rocky corridor as far as you like but consider your time wisely as the return trip back up the canyon will feel worse and take longer than you’d expect. The second bend within the narrows at roughly the 4.7-mile point makes for a good turnaround point that leaves plenty of time to slog your way out with daylight to spare.
Hiking LaBarge Narrows
Length: 9.4 miles out and back.
Rating: Moderate to difficult.
Elevation: 1,600-2,400 feet.
Getting there: From U.S. 60 in Apache Junction, exit at Idaho Road/State Route 88. Turn left at the off-ramp light and continue on SR 88 for 15 miles to the Canyon Lake Marina between mile markers 210 and 211. A Tonto Pass is not required if you park in the designated hiker parking area. The trail begins at the sign for Boulder Canyon Trail #103 across the road.
Details: www.fs.usda.gov/tonto.