In a recent thread, a couple people asked about the location of some pictures I took. My son and I got hammered here in Dec 2008, and could not easily navigate the whole trip we had planned due to rain, sleet, ice and snow. So I went back and did it a couple months later, so I could send him some pictures. Also it was my first test of a quilt, trekking poles, and Caldera Cone... even trips should be multi-purpose.

http://tinyurl.com/3gvjh6z

Edited by ngatel on 05/31/2011 21:26:29 MDT.

I had attempted the same loop (though different trailhead/start-n-stop) in March of this year. We had to bail before we even got to the trailhead due to Dry Lake having become Wet Lake. Since we were starting at the Butler/Rockhouse junction, we were greeted by a lovely mud pond 5 miles south of the trailhead. Despite the weather, it was beautiful down there and we made the best of it by kicking around other parts of the desert. I can't wait to go back next year. This route looks like it doesn't require that high clearance of a vehicle to get to the trailhead--which Butler does.

Thanks again for the thorough details.

Morgan

If the road is dry, a passenger car can make it. You cannot get much further without 4WD. The only difficulty with this route is finding an easy way out of Butler without going all the way to the end of the canyon. The route I show out of the canyon is the only feasible one I could find.


Once you get pass Alcoholic pass you will hike down for maybe a mile, then it is cross country towards Butler Canyon. Hike the dirt road when you get close to Butler.


Also once you are up on the plateau, stay out of Box Canyon except for the route I indicated! Stay as close to the ridge above Box canyou as you can as you hike toward Coyote Canyon.


Water in Coyote is pretty nasty where Box Canyon empties out, due to all the 4WD vehicles driving across the creek.