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Arizona trails · Hl Canyon

Hl Canyon

A 5.3-mile out-and-back in Arizona, with 832 ft of climbing. Reaches Sardine Saddle Spring and other spring destinations. Managed by U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
5.3 mi
Elevation gain
832 ft
Difficulty
Hard
Max grade
36%
Steepest mile
+746 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
2.1 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

6,285 – 7,116 ft12345

Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 69% of the ascent, between mile 3.5 and mile 5.3. It gives back about 1,330 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Hl Canyon

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Hl Canyon access. About 2 h 07 min drive (66 mi) from Safford. 33.22474, -109.37219 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:56 a.m., the sun rises at 6:21 a.m. and sets at 5:45 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:10 p.m. (MST) — 11 h 24 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 10.6-mile round trip takes roughly 4 h 45 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:06 a.m. — 6 h 39 min before sunset.

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