Hell's Hole Trail

Only hiked half the trail (4.6 miles RT), to Workman Creek and back. Nice elevation mix, lot of pine needle forest then opening up to a valley with views and drops down to the first creek. Saw two cows by the trail about a half mile in. No one else here on a Monday, extremely quiet woods, good birding ops in the valley, hawks up by the cliffs.

This trail has the potential to be really nice, but it is overgrown with tons of trees fallen across it. We kept losing the trail, and finally gave up after the first mile and a half took us close to 2 hrs. The views we got were beautiful, though, and even in late summer, there were lots of wildflowers.

This hike was a tough one without a doubt, especially when you add on all your backpacking weight, those inclines and declines are brutal. The decline into Hell’s Hole is full of overgrown shrubs that will stick you if you don’t have long clothing on. The switchbacks are seriously no joke going up or down. Not to mention the length of the trail was very misleading the whole way. My group and I decided to turn around halfway down the hole and just camp out at the first creek crossing 3 miles in. Between the hours of 10am and 1am, multiple groups came through our site, completely lost in the dark and couldn’t find the trail. We were also told that we weren’t missing much at the bottom of Hell’s Hole and that our campsite we were already at was much more beautiful.

Can you climb out the canyon where the falls are? My buddy was pretty frantic when I started my pathway past the falls. I got about a half hour up before I decided to turn around, as the time investment to be turned around in the canyon for lack of gear wouldn't be worth it. If I had one more day, I would have continued around that next bend. Bring machete and help clear trail please.

Beautiful views, but backpacking this was INSANE. The shrubs are so overgrown on this trail that you're being pushed over the side of the mountain going down through the switchbacks at the end. Definitely recommend tough outerwear. I camped out at a creek about halfway through and multiple groups came through between 11p-1a because they were still lost. Having downloaded the map and timing this trek correctly was imperative.

It felt like I was going threw uncut brush on the decent to the creek but the view along the way down was amazing. Felt like I was going to a hidden swim hole that few knew about. Definitely will be back to camp at the bottom.

I was prepared for the trail as it is described by AllTrails. It was horribly misrepresented. This was such a terrible hike. The mileage is wrong. Plan for an additional 4mi each way. There are two camping spots at the end but they are tiny. We ended up hiking back to the creek to camp out. The other groups that camped at Hell’s Hole ended up leaving in the middle of the night and were lost for 3hrs... they found our site around 1AM, 3mi from the trailhead. I would not recommend those trail to anyone.

This was an incredible hike! Beautiful the whole way through, and I thought it was pretty tough from start to finish. As others have mentioned, portions have quite a bit of tall brush, so wearing long pants and long shirt is super helpful. The hike to the bottom of Hell's Hole and the creek is pretty clear and easy. Once you get to the creek, the Alltrails GPS keeps going, I assume to the waterfalls, but for us it was impossible to follow. We went off trail for quite a while and it just wasn't safe during snake season, nor all that responsible to the terrain. We even waded through the creek for a while. I am still so confused on how anyone keeps going :) This trail was actually heavily populated. It was a Saturday and we probably passed 30+ people.

This hike means is rated hard for a reason. The first 80% is fairly easy but that last 20% kicks your butt. The hike all in all for amazing. The views were spectacular all throughout the trail. The bushes were quite overgrown so be prepared for that. I wore shorts the entire time and my legs are fairly scratched up. Honestly the best part about this hike is the end goal of an absolutely beautiful waterfall. Lastly just bring lots of water and snacks. You will need it.

This was a nice easy hike until the last 1.5 miles down to the creek bed. As many other reviews mention, these switch backs are tough. Especially with gear. Overall, it was a great hike. We made it to the bottom (5.5 miles) in about 4 hours, taking our time. The few campsites were simple and small as expected. Getting to camp right next to the creek was great, there is something special about sleeping next to water. Wear a good pair of hiking boots, think long pants and long sleeve shirt for this hike. And, as always in AZ, bring more water than you think you’ll need.

My buddy sent me pics of waterfall and beautiful scenes. I went on this hike and saw none. The drop into hells hole hoes a thousand feet down in one mile of overgrown vegetation that leans towards pushing u down the edge. I wore short sleeves which was a huge mistake. At the bottom there are 3 camp sites. We took the best one littered with beer cans and broken fishing poles. The water only existed in a disgusting stagnant pool a short ways from 2 maggots infested dead deer. Honestly if I wasn’t sadistic and loved hurting myself on the insane elevation climb I would have hated this hike. The best part was us being away from literally any human. We knew nobody was out there at all. The worst part- was the rest of it. AZ has so many beautiful places in it for me to waste time on this trip again. No clue where a waterfall was. We struggled to find water at all.

Bar none best hike due to being the most challenging for me. The switchbacks were insane and beautiful. I would suggest poles or rope. Wear long sleeves and a good pair of hiking footwear as there is tons of overgrowth. Maybe a machete for some bushwhacking. Glad we spent the night. Had a little mishap going off trail, (about mid way) by following the creek to the right instead of crossing over the creek, but made for a good adventure and got to see some beautiful terrain. Once we backtracked, and got back on trail, all was good and we made it to our destination campsite by the river before sundown. Couldn't find the waterfall but still had a great time! would I do it again?....hahahaha no.

Awesome trail, hard climb back out. Wasn’t able to make it to the confluence of the two creeks, lost the trail in the river bottom.

It had some great views. The water was beautiful. Backpacked in and out and camped along the river at the bottom. There were great spots to camp down there with big fire pits from other campers. Only reason I wouldn’t do it again is because the trail was so overgrown and the bushes were so thick and thorny. Without a long sleeve shirt and pants it would have been even more brutal. But there were a ton of overgrown parts that were very difficult to get through. Beware if you go you’ll want protection for your arms and legs. And be prepared to get a little frustrated by it. Would have been much faster without constantly trudging through thorny bushes. There are other places to come near water that have nicer trails.

Beautiful trail but pretty overgrown. Went in January and there was plenty of water. The switchbacks are no joke.

Pretty secluded trail, the creek barely had water but some rain will lush it right back up. Didn’t make it to the end due to arriving late but definitely a nice hike with lots of greenery to see

Wasn't able to make it all the way down to Hell's Hole due to poor timing on my part. I made it to about mile 5 and had to turn back around to beat sunset. I think if I had allotted myself time to rest at the bottom, the trail wouldn't have been so tiring but a 10 mile hike with no break was TOUGH. You do have to cross the small creek at one point and I'd definitely advise wearing long pants because the overgrown brush isn't too friendly. Even though I didn't make it to Hell's Hole there were amazing views and a quiet trail. I'd recommend this hike in a heart beat for someone who's in shape and has a hiking buddy to go with!

This was a beautiful trail not very difficult at the beginning but on the way back be ready for all up hill. Painful but definitely worth it!

Great hike but pretty difficult. The trail was overgrown and narrow on the final descent into the hole, so I would recommend pants and sleeves. I recommend this one for experienced hikers only.

Great hike, not many people at all. It's clean, didn't see a single piece of trash. Took 7 hrs total.