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| El Camino Del Diablo/Sierra Pinta Peak, AZ | |
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| | El Camino Del Diablo/Sierra Pinta Peak, AZ | | | |
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El Camino Del Diablo/Sierra Pinta Peak, AZ
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| Hiking | 17.00 Miles |
2,000 AEG |
| | Hiking | 17.00 Miles | | | |
| 2,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | My fifth or sixth sortie on the El Camino Del Diablo. While a worthwhile scenic drive, the best known secret is the hiking. It's pretty darn good, with the openess of the desert here and the abrupt jagged mountain ranges; just put on that pack and take off.
There are a few write ups out there. Most folks are deterred due to the remoteness, the effort to just get here, and the uncertainty with the border situation. So solitude is the name of the game if you choose to hike here.
This trip I entered the Barry Goldwater range at Christmas Pass road off I-8, permit required. You enter the Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge in a little over 20 miles, signed. The drive is over the Mohawk sand dunes presided over by mountains of the same name. I car camped about 10 miles north of Tule Well, before the beautiful Christmas Pass area, at the entrance to a closed road. The next morning I was set on bagging Sierra Pinta peak. The approach hike is a long 7 miles over sandy plains dotted with mesquite and very few cactii. Nearing the mountain range some of the ocotillos were very green and had a few blooms. Entering the canyon that lead to a gully that ran to the ridgeline to the summit. It is rocky and rough. There are some granite spillways here with a wildlife guzzler, and Heart Tank. The route is steep and contouring out of the gully is recommended. A little hand and foot climbing. I made the sharp ridgeline and traversed to the summit. Another spot with the forever views. I signed the register placed by the Sierra Club Los Angeles Desert Peaks section in 1985. The last person who signed in before me was in 2006.
The descent was trickier on the decomposing granite. It was slow, so much so I completed the last hour of the hike back to my Jeep in the dark, aided by the moon. I settled in to sleep in the back of the Jeep, but was wakened by the Border Patrol checking permits and making sure all was well.
The next morning I drove on into Tule Well, not occupied, checked over the camp area and headed east toward Papago and Bates Well. I stopped briefly at the edge of the pinacate for a photo walk at the Pinta Sands. The road here can be a huge sandtrap, but despite some huge ruts, wasn't in bad shape. The lava field here extends into Mexico as part of the Sierra Del Pinacate preserve, and the Pinacate mountains can be observed from here.
At Papago Well I did a short hike to check over the Papago Mine, an extensive operation, and to size up Papago mountain, a worthy goal for another trip.
I passed another Border Patrol officer, but we just waved at each other. Border Patrol stations are now at O'Neill pass and at Bates Well. When I first drove the Camino, nothing was out there.
Other trips I've done have included hikes in the Agua Dulce Mtns, Tule Mtns, at Tinaja Altas, Cabeza Prieta mtns. For those who like stats here are some, not all inclusive or maybe accurate:
Cabeza Prieta Peak--- RT 8 miles, EG 1600 ft
Sierra Pinta Peak--RT 16-17 miles EG 2000 ft
Peak 2014 from Tule Well 4-5 miles RT EG 1400ft |
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