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Author Full Detail Guide Overview: Rugged off-trail summit route with epic 360 views of Wood Canyon and the White Canyon Wilderness. Peak 4,054 has a very strong prominent summit and is a superb destination for anyone that has a love for the area. Reaching the summit requires steep scrambling with hand use. Hike End: Lat. 33 Degrees/12'/07.96"/N & Long. 111 Degrees/07'/07.65"/W (4,054 Feet) Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community. 2011-01-09
One-Way Notice This hike is listed as One-Way. When hiking several trails on a single "hike", log it with a generic name that describes the hike. Then link the trails traveled, check out the example. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
Most recent Triplog Reviews
Wood Canyon - Peak 4,054
I drove as far as reasonable (ok so it was a little farther) then hoofed it up the canyon toward what i thought was Peak 4054. It was, but as I found out when I reached the center of three 'summits' I still had another slope to drop down before climbing to the true summit.
From the vantage point in the center, I didn't like the looks of the climb to the summit. But once I got to climbing it was just one hand-hold at a time and I made it up just fine. I took the usual panorama video and photos before heading back across the center peak and finally to the northern-most 'false-summit' that could be seen from the TH.
I wandered a bit on the return trip while taking photos and scanning the terrain for the hike to Peak 4110, which I would be setting off for within 15 minutes or so.
As mentioned in the description for this hike, this area has a lot to offer. I'll be coming back very soon for aimless wandering if nothing else. Oh wait, I have another peak to bag out there so I will have a specific reason to return.
I'm posting a chunk of the photos on HAZ, as usual the full set will be on my website.
A 75 second summit 360-degree pan video is here:
http://changephoenix.com/jpserver/web/public/album.php?id=294
From the vantage point in the center, I didn't like the looks of the climb to the summit. But once I got to climbing it was just one hand-hold at a time and I made it up just fine. I took the usual panorama video and photos before heading back across the center peak and finally to the northern-most 'false-summit' that could be seen from the TH.
I wandered a bit on the return trip while taking photos and scanning the terrain for the hike to Peak 4110, which I would be setting off for within 15 minutes or so.
As mentioned in the description for this hike, this area has a lot to offer. I'll be coming back very soon for aimless wandering if nothing else. Oh wait, I have another peak to bag out there so I will have a specific reason to return.
I'm posting a chunk of the photos on HAZ, as usual the full set will be on my website.
A 75 second summit 360-degree pan video is here:
http://changephoenix.com/jpserver/web/public/album.php?id=294
2012-11-25 CannondaleKid
Wood Canyon - Peak 4,054
This was just an exploratory outing with the primary portion of the trip recommended by Grasshopper (Hank) http://hikearizona.com/map.php?QX=1716
Hiking partners Tom and Howard (azwhitewing) and I drove to Superior, turned right (South) on 177 to Arnett Road. A little more than a mile farther, we came to a Jeep/ATV trail heading South, I think this is called Wood Canyon Trail. It was about 0900 now and the sun was beginning to warm things up, so we unloaded our ATV's and strapped our gear on them and headed down the trail.
It is a fairly rough trail requiring the frequent use of low gears, but nothing exceptional for the little 250cc, 2WD drive ATV's. We came across areas of the creek that we had to cross where there was a fair amount of flowing water for short stretches before it soon disappeared into the wash. The trees and brush along the creek was a lush green showing that they had plenty of water to rely on. It just seems so refreshing to come across the cool, clear flowing water in the midst of the desert surroundings.
We continued on the trail for about 4 miles, stopping frequently to inspect some unusual rock formations, wander up a stretch of flowing water or catch a glimpse of an alcove along the rocky cliffs. The farther we traveled along the trail, the views became increasingly more scenic. We stopped for a break around the location of the spring, where there was a steady trickle of water flowing across the trail (33deg, 12.704 by 111deg, 6.826). The rock formations had small alcoves and windows as well as Hoodoo like spires along the East side of the canyon. It was a very beautiful and scenic spot to take a break that offered several level camping sites, close to water.
We turned our ATV's around here and began our return. Along the way, we inspected one of the alcoves we had passed earlier. The soft sandy floor of the cave had some imprints resembling the trails left by snakes, (snakemarks?
) so we didn't investigate further. We came upon a long expanse of rock wall, that we hadn't noticed on the way in, that must have taken some rancher a long time to build.
As we arrived at the trailer, we had sufficient time to continue exploring, so we headed on down to the Telegraph Canyon Trail. We followed the complex trails past open pit Perlite mines and cattle guards until we ascended long stretches of rough substrate only to descend them a short distance later. A high clearance 4WD drive vehicle could travel this road, but extreme care should be exercised because of the drops and ruts. Finally we reached a place down in the canyon where we made our turn around and retraced our tracks back to the trailer.
This was an exciting day of exploring the back country South of Superior. I have to agree with Hank that the scenery can be spectacular in many of the remote canyons that contain creeks, unusual rock formations and sudden alcoves. The beauty of the area is diminished, however, by the amount of trash left lying around and it's hard to travel even a hundred yards without coming across beer cans or plastic bottles. Shooting ranges are a regular occurrence with shotgun shells and brass littering the ground and shot-up targets lying against the rock walls. Going deeper into the wilderness gets you away from the trash, but cans, bottles and bullet shells persist. It's just so unfortunate that some people can't enjoy the beauty of this country without leaving their signs behind.
Hiking partners Tom and Howard (azwhitewing) and I drove to Superior, turned right (South) on 177 to Arnett Road. A little more than a mile farther, we came to a Jeep/ATV trail heading South, I think this is called Wood Canyon Trail. It was about 0900 now and the sun was beginning to warm things up, so we unloaded our ATV's and strapped our gear on them and headed down the trail.
It is a fairly rough trail requiring the frequent use of low gears, but nothing exceptional for the little 250cc, 2WD drive ATV's. We came across areas of the creek that we had to cross where there was a fair amount of flowing water for short stretches before it soon disappeared into the wash. The trees and brush along the creek was a lush green showing that they had plenty of water to rely on. It just seems so refreshing to come across the cool, clear flowing water in the midst of the desert surroundings.
We continued on the trail for about 4 miles, stopping frequently to inspect some unusual rock formations, wander up a stretch of flowing water or catch a glimpse of an alcove along the rocky cliffs. The farther we traveled along the trail, the views became increasingly more scenic. We stopped for a break around the location of the spring, where there was a steady trickle of water flowing across the trail (33deg, 12.704 by 111deg, 6.826). The rock formations had small alcoves and windows as well as Hoodoo like spires along the East side of the canyon. It was a very beautiful and scenic spot to take a break that offered several level camping sites, close to water.
We turned our ATV's around here and began our return. Along the way, we inspected one of the alcoves we had passed earlier. The soft sandy floor of the cave had some imprints resembling the trails left by snakes, (snakemarks?
) so we didn't investigate further. We came upon a long expanse of rock wall, that we hadn't noticed on the way in, that must have taken some rancher a long time to build.
As we arrived at the trailer, we had sufficient time to continue exploring, so we headed on down to the Telegraph Canyon Trail. We followed the complex trails past open pit Perlite mines and cattle guards until we ascended long stretches of rough substrate only to descend them a short distance later. A high clearance 4WD drive vehicle could travel this road, but extreme care should be exercised because of the drops and ruts. Finally we reached a place down in the canyon where we made our turn around and retraced our tracks back to the trailer.
This was an exciting day of exploring the back country South of Superior. I have to agree with Hank that the scenery can be spectacular in many of the remote canyons that contain creeks, unusual rock formations and sudden alcoves. The beauty of the area is diminished, however, by the amount of trash left lying around and it's hard to travel even a hundred yards without coming across beer cans or plastic bottles. Shooting ranges are a regular occurrence with shotgun shells and brass littering the ground and shot-up targets lying against the rock walls. Going deeper into the wilderness gets you away from the trash, but cans, bottles and bullet shells persist. It's just so unfortunate that some people can't enjoy the beauty of this country without leaving their signs behind.
2012-04-04 AZLumberjack
Wood Canyon - Peak 4,054
After a very enjoyable and rewarding off-trail morning hike to locate, document, and view "Wood Canyon-Tower Arch", it was impossible for me to pass-up Eric's offer for his proposed afternoon first time adventure--> http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=173971 . This towering Peak 4054 would be our first time try for summit, and completely off trail as well.
I am pretty good at producing, downloading, and following a previously hiked or previous published hike description, but remote route finding for the first time is not my back country forte, so having Eric in the lead on this one would help assure we find the best route to and back. It was an excellent afternoon adventure to top off our days' hiking and like our "Wood Canyon-Tower Arch" morning hike, we both felt it enjoyable enough to share with all here via a new HAZ hike description with our documented pic sets and default GPS hiking / TH driving tracks.
I am pretty good at producing, downloading, and following a previously hiked or previous published hike description, but remote route finding for the first time is not my back country forte, so having Eric in the lead on this one would help assure we find the best route to and back. It was an excellent afternoon adventure to top off our days' hiking and like our "Wood Canyon-Tower Arch" morning hike, we both felt it enjoyable enough to share with all here via a new HAZ hike description with our documented pic sets and default GPS hiking / TH driving tracks.
2011-01-08 Grasshopper
Wood Canyon - Peak 4,054
Part II
While standing atop the ending point for the arch hike, I looked to the southwest and showed Hank what I had in mind for our afternoon mission. A little less than a mile away was a fortress of rock that I've wanted to summit for about a year now. It looked so ominous from where we were standing. I figured he would tell me to go pound sand. He glanced over at the distant mountain and said, "Lets do it". Wow! Apparently he trusts me. That's scary... I had spoken to him earlier in the week about a potentially manageable backside route. That was good enough for him. Hank never ceases to amaze me of what he can accomplish when he puts his mind to something. He knows his limits and will cautiously push himself when needed. I've found that I can trust his experience and ability. He knows when to turn back if things end up beyond his comfort zone. That is so cool!
Well, we're off... At around noon we were standing at the base of the western edge and were ready to begin our hopeful accent. The route initially follows a loose brushy gully to an upper saddle (see photo #2). From the saddle is where things get a little sketchy... The route headed up a near vertical face of jagged granite (see photo #3). Everything looked very solid with numerous handholds and steps. The exposure was manageable and it looked like coming down wouldn't require any rope. I was comfortable with the line and was chomping at the bit to see the summit. The question of the day was... What is currently going through Hank's mind at this point? He's going to think I've lost my mind if I suggest heading up that. He looked apprehensive but was willing to give it a try. Sometimes you really just need to put your hands on it. Something that may look impossible from a distance can end up being surprisingly easy. He followed my lead and within no time we up and over the steep obstacle. After a short distance of rock hopping along a meandering ridge route, we were finally at the rugged summit.
EXCELENT!! This is why I do what I do! The views were absolutely amazing. This is the epitome of a remote backcountry summit. In one 360 turn, I could literally see the entire area that I have grown to love over the years. Everything was visible... The Rincon, The Spine, Battle Axe Butte, Wood Canyon, White Canyon, and Walnut Canyon were all in clear view. Peak 4,054 was the icing on the cake. Sooo cool! To my surprise there was an old summit registry dating back to 1979. The list of accents was short. Some of the gaps spanned as much as ten years. Now that's my kind of summit registry! I will be exploring this area for many years to come and I was so glad to be able to share this summit with Hank. A truly great ending to an incredible day.
Eric (ssk44)
While standing atop the ending point for the arch hike, I looked to the southwest and showed Hank what I had in mind for our afternoon mission. A little less than a mile away was a fortress of rock that I've wanted to summit for about a year now. It looked so ominous from where we were standing. I figured he would tell me to go pound sand. He glanced over at the distant mountain and said, "Lets do it". Wow! Apparently he trusts me. That's scary... I had spoken to him earlier in the week about a potentially manageable backside route. That was good enough for him. Hank never ceases to amaze me of what he can accomplish when he puts his mind to something. He knows his limits and will cautiously push himself when needed. I've found that I can trust his experience and ability. He knows when to turn back if things end up beyond his comfort zone. That is so cool!
Well, we're off... At around noon we were standing at the base of the western edge and were ready to begin our hopeful accent. The route initially follows a loose brushy gully to an upper saddle (see photo #2). From the saddle is where things get a little sketchy... The route headed up a near vertical face of jagged granite (see photo #3). Everything looked very solid with numerous handholds and steps. The exposure was manageable and it looked like coming down wouldn't require any rope. I was comfortable with the line and was chomping at the bit to see the summit. The question of the day was... What is currently going through Hank's mind at this point? He's going to think I've lost my mind if I suggest heading up that. He looked apprehensive but was willing to give it a try. Sometimes you really just need to put your hands on it. Something that may look impossible from a distance can end up being surprisingly easy. He followed my lead and within no time we up and over the steep obstacle. After a short distance of rock hopping along a meandering ridge route, we were finally at the rugged summit.
EXCELENT!! This is why I do what I do! The views were absolutely amazing. This is the epitome of a remote backcountry summit. In one 360 turn, I could literally see the entire area that I have grown to love over the years. Everything was visible... The Rincon, The Spine, Battle Axe Butte, Wood Canyon, White Canyon, and Walnut Canyon were all in clear view. Peak 4,054 was the icing on the cake. Sooo cool! To my surprise there was an old summit registry dating back to 1979. The list of accents was short. Some of the gaps spanned as much as ten years. Now that's my kind of summit registry! I will be exploring this area for many years to come and I was so glad to be able to share this summit with Hank. A truly great ending to an incredible day.
Eric (ssk44)
2011-01-08 ssk44
Wood Canyon - Peak 4,054
Part I
Hank and I set out for a day of adventure on Saturday. We got our moneys worth... Our first mission was to reach a large mountaintop arch that I had discovered on a prior mountain biking trip. The front side of the butte was completely shadowed and the low sinking sun was shining directly through the opening. In ten years of coming to this area, I had never seen it before that day. The setting looked amazing!
I wasn't sure if we would be able to reach the location but Hank was ready and willing to try. We ended up circling the entire butte looking for a route. Everywhere we looked was nothing but vertical rock face with no visible safe routes. I was completely deflated by this point. When I was just about ready to give up, my arch finally came into view. There it is!! I must get up higher somehow for a better view. My excitement had put me out ahead of Hank at this point. I was climbing up those rocks like a mountain goat. It looked like an adjoining secondary butte had a manageable route. The initial lower ledge was almost too high. Three ledges later, I was standing on the flat summit of a tower of rock with epic views of the arch and surrounding area. What an amazing setting to experience in person. By this time, Hank had caught up with me at the saddle. With a little persuasion and support I talked him into climbing up onto the butte to see what I was seeing. He just had to see this!
Although we "technically" didn't reach the arch, I was easily satisfied with our accomplishment. I was close enough. I feel there's a climbable route to the arch (maybe) from the south saddle, however coming down safely will require rope and that's assuming there is a good anchor point on top. I didn't like the odds. Do you feel lucky??
Eric (ssk44)
Hank and I set out for a day of adventure on Saturday. We got our moneys worth... Our first mission was to reach a large mountaintop arch that I had discovered on a prior mountain biking trip. The front side of the butte was completely shadowed and the low sinking sun was shining directly through the opening. In ten years of coming to this area, I had never seen it before that day. The setting looked amazing!
I wasn't sure if we would be able to reach the location but Hank was ready and willing to try. We ended up circling the entire butte looking for a route. Everywhere we looked was nothing but vertical rock face with no visible safe routes. I was completely deflated by this point. When I was just about ready to give up, my arch finally came into view. There it is!! I must get up higher somehow for a better view. My excitement had put me out ahead of Hank at this point. I was climbing up those rocks like a mountain goat. It looked like an adjoining secondary butte had a manageable route. The initial lower ledge was almost too high. Three ledges later, I was standing on the flat summit of a tower of rock with epic views of the arch and surrounding area. What an amazing setting to experience in person. By this time, Hank had caught up with me at the saddle. With a little persuasion and support I talked him into climbing up onto the butte to see what I was seeing. He just had to see this!
Although we "technically" didn't reach the arch, I was easily satisfied with our accomplishment. I was close enough. I feel there's a climbable route to the arch (maybe) from the south saddle, however coming down safely will require rope and that's assuming there is a good anchor point on top. I didn't like the odds. Do you feel lucky??
Eric (ssk44)
2011-01-08 ssk44
Wood Canyon - Peak 4,054
Inner beauty...
Saturday afternoon, I returned to Wood Canyon for a nice mountain bike ride with a little bit of off-trail hiking. I parked near Highway 177 and rode the entire jeep trail along Wood Canyon to the upper spring. This is a superb mountain bike ride. The canyon is gorgeous and the ride is very balanced. Not too rough and not too easy, with some nice up and down section to catch your wind.
I truly can't emphasize how special this place is. The canyon literally glows during the late afternoon hours. It's a photographers dream. Returning back from the upper spring in the late evening will reward you with one of the most memorable and enjoyable walks you'll ever take. Wood Canyon and its surrounding ridgelines are a hikers playground. The off-trail opportunities are nearly endless. There is sooo much cool stuff to explore around this area. Everything from Gila River and north, including The Spine, Walnut Canyon, White Canyon Wilderness, The Rincon, and Wood Canyon, are some of the best-kept secrets this state has to offer.
Eric (ssk44)
Saturday afternoon, I returned to Wood Canyon for a nice mountain bike ride with a little bit of off-trail hiking. I parked near Highway 177 and rode the entire jeep trail along Wood Canyon to the upper spring. This is a superb mountain bike ride. The canyon is gorgeous and the ride is very balanced. Not too rough and not too easy, with some nice up and down section to catch your wind.
I truly can't emphasize how special this place is. The canyon literally glows during the late afternoon hours. It's a photographers dream. Returning back from the upper spring in the late evening will reward you with one of the most memorable and enjoyable walks you'll ever take. Wood Canyon and its surrounding ridgelines are a hikers playground. The off-trail opportunities are nearly endless. There is sooo much cool stuff to explore around this area. Everything from Gila River and north, including The Spine, Walnut Canyon, White Canyon Wilderness, The Rincon, and Wood Canyon, are some of the best-kept secrets this state has to offer.
Eric (ssk44)
2010-12-11 ssk44
