Sacaton Creek

July 11, 2025

The Trout Fire has now been burning for a full month. As of this writing, it's 96% contained, but still producing plenty of worrisome smoke. The monsoon arrived with great promise on July 2, registering 1.5" at our weather station, then promptly went on a 10-day holiday. Subsequent storms have only dribbled precipitation on the Gila while igniting a half dozen new fires.

The Trout Fire perimeter remains closed, affecting most trails between NM 15 on the west, NM 35 on the north and east, and south to the edge of Fort Bayard. This means most trails above 7000' but within a half hour's drive from Silver City are now off limits. So, we've switched our focus to trails in Emory Pass and the west side of the Gila. On July 11, Dave and Dennis and I hiked the Sacaton Creek Trail, which is famous for a permanent stream, deep pools and a sizable waterfall.

For example, here's Sacaton Creek on April 8, 2024.

And March 3, 2024.

So imagine our surprise when we arrived at the trailhead and found not a drop of water where a sizable pool should be!

This tiny puddle was the only water we saw on this hike!

The old cabin is also looking much worse for the wear. 2024 on the left versus 2025 on the right.

Summer wildflowers were understandably scarce, so we photographed pretty much every flower we saw. Here's bergamot or bee balm with a golden-banded skipper.

The skipper.

Western wallflowers.

Columbine.

Past the cabin, the trail was in terrible shape, with a lot of deadfall and gravel bars from recent flooding. We took turns crawling over tangles of brush in the streambed, or sidehilling along old game trails. But the views were tantalizing, including the bare summit of West Baldy.

And near our turnaround point, we caught a glimpse of Sacaton Arch, high on an opposing cliff face (photo by Dave B).

A rare photo of the photographer (photo by Dave B).

Traversing what looks like an old campsite on our way back to the trailhead. In retrospect, we should have stayed in the streambed, snags and all, rather than risk the treacherous sidehill.

Extreme drought notwithstanding, it was a very enjoyable hike. Despite temperatures in the low 90s, the dense forest cover and a stiff breeze kept us quite comfortable.

Petroglyphs near the trailhead. Lunch at the Gila Deli on the way home. Another fine day in the Gila!