Inked Dragon Adventuring / Hike & backpack in the Superstition mountains of Arizona

If wanting to do a hike, pay attention to the difficulty ratings and the elevation gains. Make sure you know you can handle the elevation gains as well as the mileage, because a few of these hikes are quite long. The Weavers needle loop is a 12 mile loop with some ups and downs in both directions, and both backpacking trips are over 20 miles round trip. While most of the hikes aren’t too bad, there are some that have aggressive elevation gain in spots, so if anyone needs to stop for a break during the hike, we’ll collectively make stops to wait on everyone. At those points it will allow everyone to catch up and take a break so that I can tell you about the area and ensure everyone is safe.

Also take into consideration the weather through the season. In October when Inked Dragon Adventuring opens for the season it’ll still be warm, so you will want to bring extra water as you may drink more, but once it gets into winter you may drink less. And as these hikes do go through the winter some hikes may be colder than others, so make sure to bring appropriate clothing if you want to to make sure you stay warm. It’s up to you to check the weather reports for the day of the hike. If it calls for rain in the area for the day it widens the chances for a flash flood, and I will email to whether the hike is canceled or not, and it will give a 100% refund if canceled due to weather.

If you don’t have your own gear it’s an extra $25 and a $100 deposit, and the deposit is entirely refundable once you return all the gear you received. The deposit for gear gets you a 22L or 30L pack with an empty 3L bladder, a headlamp, and an emergency blanket for the duration of the hike.

The hikes show 3 per order, but you can go back in and order more if you need to, that was just so the Add to Cart form wasn’t too long.

What you get for duration

22L or 30L Daypack with empty 3L bladder, headlamp, emergency blanket (all with deposit) {22L pictured below, photo links to gear provided}
Guided tour, safety tips
Details about trail, area, animals, and cactus along route

What you should bring

1 gallon of water for the 3L bladder on the pack. (If you feel you drink more, bring smaller bottles that can fit in the pack. During hotter months and/or longer trails its best to pack extra.) Golden rule: “Always bring more water than you think you’ll need”
Good shoes to hike in, hiking shoes are best, but something with good tread, not smooth
Snacks, for energy and something easy for lunch
Sunscreen
Jacket (depending on weather) and/or hat
Positive attitude & energy

Make sure to pay attention to start times. The parking lots fill up quick once it starts to cool down, and some can add a mile or more to the hike if we don’t get there early enough. So try to plan ahead and make sure to be on time as these are groups hikes. If everyone makes it to the trailhead on time we can probably get on the trail earlier than the start times.

We will try to keep a good pace going but we won’t burn ourselves out. The later in the year it gets, it’ll get darker earlier, so if as a group you choose you want to spend more time at locations, we’ll be rewarded with a beautiful sunset coming out or down, and will have headlamps to navigate safely.

Weavers Needle loop (info & purchase)