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Regal Raptor Roost by outdoor_lover Overview On the eastern edge of the Harquahala Mountain Range, lies a small group of isolated mountains with the largest, Eagle Eye Peak, being named for the large "Eagle Eye" or Arch near the top. This area offers endless off-trail exploring opportunities through a valley of mountains adorned with caves, alcoves, and many rock formations, including arches. There is strong evidence that many raptors call this area home as well. This area has many options from a short Hike, even just a stroll, to all out bushwacking and scrambling to reach those prime areas near the main Arches and the Peak. Warning Access to many of the caves and alcoves in this area should only be attempted by persons with technical climbing equipment. Please use common sense and don't attempt to gain access to some of these areas unless you have the correct skills necessary to do so. History Harquahala comes from "Aha qua hala", a Native American term meaning "Water there is high up". The small group of mountains to the northeast, isolated from the rest of the Harquahala Range and Wilderness, was deemed Eagle Eye Mountain and Eagle Eye Peak. The Town of Aguila which lies just to the north of these mountains was named for this Peak, with "Aguila" being Spanish for "Eagle". The area was originally inhabited by a Yuman Tribe of Mariposa Indians dating back as far as 1775, before a Reservation was established along the Gila River in 1858. The area became a small Railroad settlement before the fertile valley became an agricultural giant. The Town of Aguila established in 1909, boasts the world's largest and finest cantaloupes. Hike This Hike can be done in many different ways and directions, with many or few destinations. This Description will be for a clockwise Loop, taking in the three main attractions although side trips can easily be accomplished within this Loop as well. The Hike begins from the small lot in front of the Eagle Eye Cemetery traveling clockwise. Follow the dirt road past the apparent "dumping" site along the eastern edge of the Cemetery and over a small pass, entering a valley below. If you just follow the road, eventually you will exit the valley and end up on paved Eagle Eye Road, west of the entire area and you can walk the paved road north, back to your car. Eagle Eye Arch and Peak will be to the east as you enter the valley. As you top out at the Pass, you will notice a campsite to your left with a fire ring. Walk through this site and start up the open area of the slope. This area will have a lot of loose lava rock. As you start to get up the slope, you will begin to notice that there is an actual Trail, which will be become more evident the further up you go. This trail will take you through a smaller Arch, and also all the way up to the Eagle Eye Arch. There will be very little scrambling on this portion, but it will be steep. Your biggest enemy will be all of the scree. After visiting the Arch, you can scramble to the south and get on the Ridgeline that will take you over to Eagle Eye Peak. The trail will actually take you partway to an area where you can do a climb up. Traverse the base of the cliffs and go around a small rock outcrop and then it's just a short, exposed climb to get to the top. However, when you reach the top, you will not be at the true "Peak". You will have passed it and you need to descend into a saddle and then back up. From the Peak you can also follow the ridgeline north and actually stand on top of the Arch. From there, you can pick your poison as far as what route you want to take down, but following the Ridgeline further to the south and down is recommended. You will pass a very large alcove on the way down, you may not see it at first, but if you look for it, you'll find it, it's pretty prominent looking back at it. After you are back down in the valley, keep your eye out for the Crested Saguaro in the area between the mountain and the dirt road. Head south to the small mountain at the end of the valley and you will see another, smaller Arch. This can be accessed from either the north or south side. If you want to maintain a true Loop, ascend via the south and descend on the north side. Either way, albeit a little steep in places, it will also require very little scrambling. If hiking around to the south side and up, keep an eye out for Bees, as there appears to be a hive in a crevice at the base of the cliffs, just east of the Arch. On the north side, you will have to ascend at an angle going west and then switchback to the east at the cliff base, to get up. Once you descend from this mountain, proceed north in the valley past the "beginning" of the Ridgeline of Eagle Eye Mountain to the west. This is just a rocky outcrop somewhat "disconnected" from the true Ridgeline. Start angling your way up the gradual slope and watch for a small, very undefined drainage area going up. This is going to be the easiest way to ascend up to the Ridgeline and if you can follow it, you will naturally switchback up past the areas that will not allow access. Route finding is a must here, there are very few areas where you will not "cliff out". There will be just a touch of scrambling before you top out on the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline itself is very rocky with both large and small rocks being somewhat of a bother, but follow the Ridge north. There will be some scrambling involved before you get to the end. Just before you top out at the end, which is the high point of Eagle Eye Mountain, you will encounter one slightly exposed scramble. At this point, facing this small slope, if you look to your right, you will see a large Cave opening in the cliff. Just a landmark to remember. The Cave is enticing, but even if you don't mind the exposure enough to get to the entrance, you will not get much farther in without technical equipment. After visiting the high point, you can opt to go back the way you came, or if you're really into scrambling, you can scramble down, starting southeast of the Cave and heading northeast. You will eventually turn a corner and see a saddle below you that you can descend to. Or you can opt to follow the cliff face, west, and you will encounter a large alcove with a smaller one next to it. This is also a small bird graveyard as you will find numerous tiny bones discarded by hungry raptors. From here you can descend and go east to the saddle. From the saddle, you have two options. You can turn east, descend back down into the valley and out the way you came via the dirt road, or you can turn west and descend between Eagle Eye Mountain and the mountain to the north of it, following that mountain around to the north side and back to the Cemetery. If you aren't tired of the scrambling yet, you can also use the saddle to access the top of the mountain north of Eagle Eye Mountain, as well as explore it's slopes. Throughout this entire route, it will become even more evident as to why this area was named after a raptor. Along with the "Eagle Eye", it is strongly apparent that many raptors choose to use this area. Enjoy and be safe! Water Sources None Camping Primitive, dispersed camping, and backpacking is allowed. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.
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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
Eagle Eye Mountains
Eagle Eye Arch & Peak
So, I knew I had to return to this area to bag the actual Peak. Preston and I had done the Arch a few weeks before, and I had found a possible way up to the Peak without having to go down and around, but it was sketchy. I knew Preston wouldn't be comfortable attempting it with his knees, so Joe became the natural choice. 
He's on the way out, and it's a short, sweet Hike. I knew he would find a Route if that one didn't work and it would be recorded on GPS. And he did... 
Besides that, I know I've been frustrating him lately ](./dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
and that he wanted to kick my 
so I figured I would give him the chance... 
I played Tour Guide when we got there, showing him the Cemetery and the local Aguila dumping ground and then we head up to the Arch, finding the Trail easily. (Someone actually made an arrow with rocks, pointing to the Campground.) There was a breeze down in the Valley that continued to increase in intensity as we gained elevation. We got up in good time and the wind is now a 40+ MPH gale, threatening to blow us right through the Arch.
I showed Joe the little chute to get up and around the end of the Arch, but having been up there before, I knew it was a borderline climb for me to get up on top. With the wind, there was no way I was going to attempt that one today. 
Joe "cowboyed up" and made it almost to the top, but decided that that horse was just going to be too wild of a ride today. 
Then the fun really began. Finding a Route up to the Peak without having to sacrifice the elevation we had already gained. It was only another 40 feet or so, up to the Peak, but we were faced with some pretty vertical smooth rock all along the base of the ridge. I showed him my option, but it still didn't look that great. Joe traversed further south to try to find an alternate, while I attempted it. Got to one position with about 7 feet left to go and just could not get past it...
So I climbed back down and went to find Joe who was having his own unsuccessful adventure. We traversed further south and I attempted another spot and Joe went around to another. Within a minute or too, Joe appears above me, smiles, and disappears again. Once again, I ended up having to downclimb and then went around to find Joe's route. I can hear him and he's found a way all the way up and is now about 30 feet above me. 
He guided me through the Route. The only disadvantage I found was that Joe has me in height and reach, so I found it to be a tad tougher than he did. I had to really stretch for those optimum handholds... We make the top thinking that it's the Peak, but realize we've actually passed the "true" Peak and so we backtracked down into a saddle and back up.
Found a can in a can that may have been the original Peak Log, but if that was originally paper in there, it was already back to nature. There was also a baby food jar with a small notebook that had maybe a dozen names in it, with the most recent from 2010. Joe continued to traverse the Ridgeline to the north and made it out to the top of the Arch. He found some kind of symbolic shrine out there that was interesting. The wind was strong, but not quite as bad as it had been down at the Arch. He returned to the Peak and then the aerial show began.
A pilot decided to buzz the Valley floor below us in his private plane and exit through the pass at the north end. He was only about 100 feet off the ground. Pretty cool. Then Nature decided to show us her aerodynamic wonders. The Cliff Swallows (fighter jets in disguise) decided to start dive bombing us. No way of getting a picture, those guys can maneuver on a dime. And then came the pair of Red Tailed Hawks. I think they're nesting in the area as Preston and I saw a pair when we were here the first time. We watched them ride the wind currents and I think Joe was even impressed. He may not be a "bird" guy, but he actually ended up snapping a few pics, so my attempt to "convert" him to the "wild side" was working.... 
We finished traversing the Ridgeline to the south and headed down. We passed the "cave" that I had wanted to check out, but it turned out to just be a huge alcove that went in about 10 feet. I showed him the Crested Saguaro and we followed a pretty nice little Trail through the desert that intersected back up with the road.
We stopped in Wickenburg for a good lunch at El Ranchero and then headed back into town. It was a thoroughly enjoyable Hike with good company. Regained my confidence on some of my scrambling/climbing skills, which was sorely needed. Thanks for joining me Joe! It was a good day!
P.S. The JBM and PBM were non-existent today as long as we talked about the Hike and nothing else. Otherwise they were pegging out on other topics...
I think we called it a "draw".... 
Either that, or he's a really good loser...
He's on the way out, and it's a short, sweet Hike. I knew he would find a Route if that one didn't work and it would be recorded on GPS. And he did... Besides that, I know I've been frustrating him lately and that he wanted to kick my so I figured I would give him the chance...
I played Tour Guide when we got there, showing him the Cemetery and the local Aguila dumping ground and then we head up to the Arch, finding the Trail easily. (Someone actually made an arrow with rocks, pointing to the Campground.) There was a breeze down in the Valley that continued to increase in intensity as we gained elevation. We got up in good time and the wind is now a 40+ MPH gale, threatening to blow us right through the Arch.
I showed Joe the little chute to get up and around the end of the Arch, but having been up there before, I knew it was a borderline climb for me to get up on top. With the wind, there was no way I was going to attempt that one today. Joe "cowboyed up" and made it almost to the top, but decided that that horse was just going to be too wild of a ride today.
Then the fun really began. Finding a Route up to the Peak without having to sacrifice the elevation we had already gained. It was only another 40 feet or so, up to the Peak, but we were faced with some pretty vertical smooth rock all along the base of the ridge. I showed him my option, but it still didn't look that great. Joe traversed further south to try to find an alternate, while I attempted it. Got to one position with about 7 feet left to go and just could not get past it...
So I climbed back down and went to find Joe who was having his own unsuccessful adventure. We traversed further south and I attempted another spot and Joe went around to another. Within a minute or too, Joe appears above me, smiles, and disappears again. Once again, I ended up having to downclimb and then went around to find Joe's route. I can hear him and he's found a way all the way up and is now about 30 feet above me. He guided me through the Route. The only disadvantage I found was that Joe has me in height and reach, so I found it to be a tad tougher than he did. I had to really stretch for those optimum handholds... We make the top thinking that it's the Peak, but realize we've actually passed the "true" Peak and so we backtracked down into a saddle and back up.
Found a can in a can that may have been the original Peak Log, but if that was originally paper in there, it was already back to nature. There was also a baby food jar with a small notebook that had maybe a dozen names in it, with the most recent from 2010. Joe continued to traverse the Ridgeline to the north and made it out to the top of the Arch. He found some kind of symbolic shrine out there that was interesting. The wind was strong, but not quite as bad as it had been down at the Arch. He returned to the Peak and then the aerial show began.
A pilot decided to buzz the Valley floor below us in his private plane and exit through the pass at the north end. He was only about 100 feet off the ground. Pretty cool. Then Nature decided to show us her aerodynamic wonders. The Cliff Swallows (fighter jets in disguise) decided to start dive bombing us. No way of getting a picture, those guys can maneuver on a dime. And then came the pair of Red Tailed Hawks. I think they're nesting in the area as Preston and I saw a pair when we were here the first time. We watched them ride the wind currents and I think Joe was even impressed. He may not be a "bird" guy, but he actually ended up snapping a few pics, so my attempt to "convert" him to the "wild side" was working....
We finished traversing the Ridgeline to the south and headed down. We passed the "cave" that I had wanted to check out, but it turned out to just be a huge alcove that went in about 10 feet. I showed him the Crested Saguaro and we followed a pretty nice little Trail through the desert that intersected back up with the road.
We stopped in Wickenburg for a good lunch at El Ranchero and then headed back into town. It was a thoroughly enjoyable Hike with good company. Regained my confidence on some of my scrambling/climbing skills, which was sorely needed.
Thanks for joining me Joe! It was a good day!
P.S. The JBM and PBM were non-existent today as long as we talked about the Hike and nothing else. Otherwise they were pegging out on other topics...
I think we called it a "draw".... Either that, or he's a really good loser... 2013-03-04 outdoor_lover
Eagle Eye Mountains
Eagle Eye Arch & Peak
The old west continues to intrigue. Pam said Preston was too big of a wuss to man up and conquer the peak so I had to step in.[1] This one starts wherever you please and Eagle Eye Cemetery works well. Shamefully trashed on the perimeter it boasts an intriguing twist. That being the attention to detail and creativeness in signage and fencing.
Eagle Eye "mountains" are the northeastern terminus of the Harquahala range. Everyone knows the song hark wha hala angles sing, glory to the bla bla bla... naturally I couldn't resist the adventure! It's difficult to explain. There is just something about the views from this range that intrigue. The contrast between peaks and flat expanse has a cinematic quality.
Upon reaching the arch the wind was borderline dangerous. Pam mentioned a route over the arch. I checked it out. It's almost rlrjamy (the artist currently riding the little bo peep moniker) type stuff. Getting up looks doable, getting down in gale force winds... not this cowboy.
Thus began the hunt for Red October. Riddle me this... Eagle Eye "Mountain" is black whereas Eagle Eye "Peak" is red. We searched and searched then found a route up directly to the peak. Difficult this was not. Rather enjoyable beyond anticipation.
1) exaggeration and falsification added for shock value
Wildflowers
Itty bitty and sparse for the most part. Down in the valley poppies dabbled on occasion.
Eagle Eye "mountains" are the northeastern terminus of the Harquahala range. Everyone knows the song hark wha hala angles sing, glory to the bla bla bla... naturally I couldn't resist the adventure! It's difficult to explain. There is just something about the views from this range that intrigue. The contrast between peaks and flat expanse has a cinematic quality.
Upon reaching the arch the wind was borderline dangerous. Pam mentioned a route over the arch. I checked it out. It's almost rlrjamy (the artist currently riding the little bo peep moniker) type stuff. Getting up looks doable, getting down in gale force winds... not this cowboy.
Thus began the hunt for Red October. Riddle me this... Eagle Eye "Mountain" is black whereas Eagle Eye "Peak" is red. We searched and searched then found a route up directly to the peak. Difficult this was not. Rather enjoyable beyond anticipation.
1) exaggeration and falsification added for shock value
Wildflowers
Itty bitty and sparse for the most part. Down in the valley poppies dabbled on occasion.
2013-03-04 joebartels
Eagle Eye Mountains
Time to go up and see the big Arch! I picked Preston up and away we went. Parked at the Cemetery and walked east up the dirt road that turns to the south and climbs up into the Valley. Once we topped out in the Valley, we encountered a nice flat area, east of the road, with a nice Fire Ring. The Arch was pretty much straight east of us here, and it looked like as good of a spot as any to head up. We Hiked up the gradual slope that was pretty much nothing but black and red lava rock. I kept a "straight on" course that was pretty open as far as vegetation goes, and soon it became apparent that this was a good route, as the open area I was following turned into a well defined Trail. This is no Game Trail folks, someone built this and it was pretty easy to follow, other than the fact that it was steep and loose in many spots. And it takes you right through another nice little Arch!
Before we knew it, we were near the top. Just below, and to the right of the Arch, is the only spot where you have to do a serious little Scramble, to get up to the Arch itself. The Trail continues south just a little further and then ends. The Scramble part, up to the Arch, is a large Vase-shaped hole in the rock that you climb through and up. The Arch was very 
and huge!!! The only drawback is there is alot of Graffiti up there... Apparently, the way we came up, through that small scramble, is the only way up and down from this Arch, unless you are a climber. The other side of the Arch is straight down... There was a small Chute on the north side of the Arch and I took it, hoping that there was a way here to get up on top of the Arch, but once I topped out above the Chute and looked, there was just a tad too much exposure for me to want to continue...
We enjoyed the Arch for a bit, and then headed back down to the Trail. I followed the Trail further south up there, looking for access to get up to the Ridgeline, and found one possible spot, that's all...The rest was straight up climbing. One area looked doable, but it will involve good tread and not minding a little exposure, as it is smooth, domed, sandstone rock with little to no footholds or handholds. Otherwise, the best route up to the Ridge is going to be back down the Trail through the smaller Arch. Another Trail that turns into a Game Trail, takes off to the South, about 50 feet below the small Arch, and traverses the slope through a couple of drainages. Then you'll have to do a Scramble back up to the Ridgeline. I will be returning to find a good Route up.
We gradually got back down to the Valley, following the Game Trail, where we laughed at a ninja Saguaro and took a small lunch break. After the break, we headed up to the Saddle between Eagle Eye Mountain and what Preston is calling Cemetery Hill to the north. Definitely a decent route from the Saddle up Cemetery Hill. Just go north towards a drainage and following the drainage up to the top. No Scrambling involved... There are some awesome Campsites up there. There are natural "Decks" up there with flat, grassy areas capable of allowing several tents... We found a decent route down the north side of Cemetery Hill, and got down in pretty short order and back to the Escape.
It was a good Hike! I love putting my Route finding skills to the test on stuff like this. Just need to go back now and hit the actual Peak and the large Cave on that Ridgeline.
Thanks for joining me Preston on another cool Eagle Eye Hike!
I picked Preston up and away we went. Parked at the Cemetery and walked east up the dirt road that turns to the south and climbs up into the Valley. Once we topped out in the Valley, we encountered a nice flat area, east of the road, with a nice Fire Ring. The Arch was pretty much straight east of us here, and it looked like as good of a spot as any to head up. We Hiked up the gradual slope that was pretty much nothing but black and red lava rock. I kept a "straight on" course that was pretty open as far as vegetation goes, and soon it became apparent that this was a good route, as the open area I was following turned into a well defined Trail. This is no Game Trail folks, someone built this and it was pretty easy to follow, other than the fact that it was steep and loose in many spots. And it takes you right through another nice little Arch!
Before we knew it, we were near the top.
Just below, and to the right of the Arch, is the only spot where you have to do a serious little Scramble, to get up to the Arch itself. The Trail continues south just a little further and then ends. The Scramble part, up to the Arch, is a large Vase-shaped hole in the rock that you climb through and up. The Arch was very and huge!!! The only drawback is there is alot of Graffiti up there... Apparently, the way we came up, through that small scramble, is the only way up and down from this Arch, unless you are a climber. The other side of the Arch is straight down... There was a small Chute on the north side of the Arch and I took it, hoping that there was a way here to get up on top of the Arch, but once I topped out above the Chute and looked, there was just a tad too much exposure for me to want to continue...
We enjoyed the Arch for a bit, and then headed back down to the Trail. I followed the Trail further south up there, looking for access to get up to the Ridgeline, and found one possible spot, that's all...The rest was straight up climbing. One area looked doable, but it will involve good tread and not minding a little exposure, as it is smooth, domed, sandstone rock with little to no footholds or handholds.
Otherwise, the best route up to the Ridge is going to be back down the Trail through the smaller Arch. Another Trail that turns into a Game Trail, takes off to the South, about 50 feet below the small Arch, and traverses the slope through a couple of drainages. Then you'll have to do a Scramble back up to the Ridgeline. I will be returning to find a good Route up.
We gradually got back down to the Valley, following the Game Trail, where we laughed at a ninja Saguaro and took a small lunch break. After the break, we headed up to the Saddle between Eagle Eye Mountain and what Preston is calling Cemetery Hill to the north. Definitely a decent route from the Saddle up Cemetery Hill. Just go north towards a drainage and following the drainage up to the top. No Scrambling involved...
There are some awesome Campsites up there. There are natural "Decks" up there with flat, grassy areas capable of allowing several tents... We found a decent route down the north side of Cemetery Hill, and got down in pretty short order and back to the Escape.
It was a good Hike! I love putting my Route finding skills to the test on stuff like this. Just need to go back now and hit the actual Peak and the large Cave on that Ridgeline.
Thanks for joining me Preston on another cool Eagle Eye Hike!
2013-02-18 outdoor_lover
Eagle Eye Mountains
Second week in a row out here with Pam, this time to scale Eagle Eye Peak and it's house-sized arch. Turns out there is a foot path up. The path is steep and slippery. The path also passes through a tiny arch. There's more arches here than a McDonald's convention. There is some scrambling, and I was at the limit of my comfort zone. There's a short, but tricky, chute up the outside edge of the arch, but you would need to be braver than us to try to get to the outside top that way. Lots of exposure. Saw a couple, looked about our age, descending the wash between Eagle Eye Mountain and Cemetery Hill. We waved. I think they saw us. While in the arch, I noticed a goat path that travelled south, from the tiny arch, across Eagle Eye Peek's western slope. We took that, in the hope we would find an easy way to the massive cave a few hundred feet south of the Peek's summit. Definitely doable, but we decided to leave it for another day. We were eating lunch next to the central jeep trail, when I noticed the couple up in Eagle Eye Arch. Never saw them after that. Hope they did not fall off the backside. (The east slope is 400 feet straight down.) After lunch we went up the wash, an easy climb to the top of Cemetery Hill, which has quite a few flat shelves that would make awesome camp sites. Then we descended the north side of Cemetery Hill -- not bad except for attempted murder by a cat's claw -- back to Pam's SUV.
2013-02-18 kingsnake
Eagle Eye Mountains
I like maps. Always have. I can remember being maybe six years old looking at my dad's camping topos, pretending I was moving troops. My favorite book was the West Point Atlas of Military History, which had those old-style slashes-for-hillsides topo maps for every battle in every war the US had been in from the French & Indian War through Korea. So, a few weeks ago, when I was looking at doing something near Alamo Lake, in satellite view, I noticed that there were these black splotches randomly around the western desert. Looked like lava cones, they were so dark compared to the surrounding terrain. I zoomed in on topo view for a splotch south of Aguila, and saw that there were two arches within a half mile of each other. At least according to the map, and as anybody who has been outdoors should know, maps lie. Happily, this time, they did not.
I planned out a route -- because planning is what I do, like most people breath
-- but as any soldier knows, no plan survives contact with the enemy. So, at least as far as hiking goes, my plans are more guidelines to things I want to see, or routes that look like they might be good.
I don't visit many cemetery's, but it turned out there was some interesting graves, a few of which I straightened out as flags were drooping, or flowers had tipped over.
Pam and I then set out for Eagle Eye Mountain. She was a great pathfinder, finding routes up that I would have foregone for searching for an alternate, both on Eagle Eye Peak, and the mini-arch hill. As it was, for both, we took a different route down than up, giving future explorers two alternate approaches to each.
A couple of times we heard relatively sharp booms, which sounded like a large bore rifle, but then rather than hear a crack or zip nearby, we instead heard a boom overhead, going away, in a specific direction. Did not see any military jets, so not sonic booms. Also not explosive, as the sound was directional, rather than general. (Did hear some very deep, barely audible, rumblings that were probably explosive.) Saw 9mm luger, 9mm parabellum, .30-06, .30 (!?), .40 S&W, .22, 7.62x39, and some other shells I don't remember. Also found an unfired copper-jacketed, boat-tailed, rifle bullet -- just the bullet, no casing -- a little larger than a .22. Pretty certain it was not .223 / 5.56, as I've seen those lots of times in the Army. Maybe a .270? Beware there is a shooting gallery / junkyard west of Eagle Eye Mountain, though Pam and I did not go there.
Final mention of things military, we saw a couple old radial-engine planes apparently doing touch & gos at the Aguila air strip. Looked like WWII trainers, or possibly a dive/torpedo bomber. Unfortunately, they did not give us a personal flyby. (Turns out they were T-6s, in a RAF paint scheme.)
There's actually quite a bit of graffiti throughout the area, not just under Eagle Eye Peak arch. Hiking it in the day required enough concentration; I'm not sure how drunks at night survived it. The rocks are mostly volcanic, though there was some that appeared to be some sort of sandstone. (Sorry, not a geologist. ) Gloves definitely recommended.
The mini-arch south of Eagle Eye Mountain is "mini" only in that is smaller than the one on Eagle Eye Peak. The "mini" is actually large enough, and with a flat floor, that camping in it would be really neat, especially with stars and no light pollution.
It was fun exploring a place that was not one of the usual suspects, in a region which -- at least in terms of HAZ hike descriptions (there were only three) -- has been little served.
Final stop of the day was El Ranchero, for a Mexican dunch / linner, that all three of us loved. (El Ranchero is just west of the underpass on Hwy 60 in Wickenburg: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mexican+r ... wickenburg )
Sorry for blabbering on, but HAZ is my creative writing outlet since I stopped blogging.
I planned out a route -- because planning is what I do, like most people breath
-- but as any soldier knows, no plan survives contact with the enemy. So, at least as far as hiking goes, my plans are more guidelines to things I want to see, or routes that look like they might be good.
I don't visit many cemetery's, but it turned out there was some interesting graves, a few of which I straightened out as flags were drooping, or flowers had tipped over.
Pam and I then set out for Eagle Eye Mountain. She was a great pathfinder, finding routes up that I would have foregone for searching for an alternate, both on Eagle Eye Peak, and the mini-arch hill. As it was, for both, we took a different route down than up, giving future explorers two alternate approaches to each.
A couple of times we heard relatively sharp booms, which sounded like a large bore rifle, but then rather than hear a crack or zip nearby, we instead heard a boom overhead, going away, in a specific direction. Did not see any military jets, so not sonic booms. Also not explosive, as the sound was directional, rather than general. (Did hear some very deep, barely audible, rumblings that were probably explosive.) Saw 9mm luger, 9mm parabellum, .30-06, .30 (!?), .40 S&W, .22, 7.62x39, and some other shells I don't remember. Also found an unfired copper-jacketed, boat-tailed, rifle bullet -- just the bullet, no casing -- a little larger than a .22. Pretty certain it was not .223 / 5.56, as I've seen those lots of times in the Army. Maybe a .270? Beware there is a shooting gallery / junkyard west of Eagle Eye Mountain, though Pam and I did not go there.
Final mention of things military, we saw a couple old radial-engine planes apparently doing touch & gos at the Aguila air strip. Looked like WWII trainers, or possibly a dive/torpedo bomber. Unfortunately, they did not give us a personal flyby.
(Turns out they were T-6s, in a RAF paint scheme.)
There's actually quite a bit of graffiti throughout the area, not just under Eagle Eye Peak arch. Hiking it in the day required enough concentration; I'm not sure how drunks at night survived it. The rocks are mostly volcanic, though there was some that appeared to be some sort of sandstone. (Sorry, not a geologist.
) Gloves definitely recommended.
The mini-arch south of Eagle Eye Mountain is "mini" only in that is smaller than the one on Eagle Eye Peak. The "mini" is actually large enough, and with a flat floor, that camping in it would be really neat, especially with stars and no light pollution.
It was fun exploring a place that was not one of the usual suspects, in a region which -- at least in terms of HAZ hike descriptions (there were only three) -- has been little served.
Final stop of the day was El Ranchero, for a Mexican dunch / linner, that all three of us loved. (El Ranchero is just west of the underpass on Hwy 60 in Wickenburg: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mexican+r ... wickenburg )
Sorry for blabbering on, but HAZ is my creative writing outlet since I stopped blogging.
2013-02-13 kingsnake
Eagle Eye Mountains
So, I'm driving around the Aguila area going to and from Alamo Lake and notice what is a possibly very large Arch just south of the Town of Aguila...I'm thinking, hmmm....Then Preston posts a Triplog of Alamo Lake and states that he is going to Aguila next week...Hmmm.... I PM him and it's on....
Preston had the route all figured out already, so I just showed up at the local Cemetery and parked it...Preston poked around the Cemetery a little before I got there, so after getting situated, we took off. I'm not big on walking around in a Cemetery unless it has a lot of history, I just feel weird about that. But just outside of it, is the best place to park.
We had originally planned on a bigger Loop than what we actually did...We soon figured out that there is so much to explore in this little area that time was against us...Numerous Caves, Addits, Arches....Wow!!! There are two main Arches shown on the topo, but there are a bunch of little ones. The topo lists one of the smaller Mountains as Eagle Eye Mountain and the large Mountain as Eagle Eye Peak. Eagle Eye Peak has the large, main Arch. The other Arch on the topo is on a smaller hill behind Eagle Eye Mountain. We started the Loop going CCW, following a small dirt road, but decided against following the road the whole way, as it ends up too far west. Apparently, the local residents feel that this flat area around the Cemetery makes for a good dump as we ran into a couple of very large trashy areas, one on each side of the Cemetery boundaries...Pitiful...
Preston's first goal was to hit a Cave shown on the topo. When I first saw it, I didn't think it was doable, but as we got closer, hmmmm, and up we went... What looked like a large Cave turned out to be more of an Alcove, with a smaller one right next to it. Nice views from here. Everywhere you looked in this little Range, there were Caves and Alcoves...You could spend days... And it also became very apparent, early on, that Birds of Prey love this area...Not only could you find a niche for selling bird poop, but apparently they dine up there as well, as there were small bird bones everywhere at the base of the cliffs. I even found a skull with the beak still attached... I also found a tiny legbone with a Band still attached. I took that one and am researching the Band.... We apparently were also bothering a pair of Hawks of some sort, as at one time they were soaring large circles around us, screaming their displeasure...Almost nesting time.... I'm thinking that they were possibly Swainsons...Could not get a picture, too far away and not quick enough, as I was usually clinging to a Rock at the time....
So after playing at the Cave/Alcove, it was time to get on top of Eagle Eye Mountain. Not happening from there, so we bushwacked pretty much at the base of the cliffs until we found a place to go up. It was steep and there was scrambling involved but all in all, not bad. Came upon another very cool Cave that was connected to another Cave above it. Could instantly tell that there would be no getting in the lower Cave without technical gear, but the higher one ended up being kind of accessible. It was not easy to get to the entrance and once there, you really could not go in more than 6 feet as the floor dropped away into the Cave below...Very sweet though...The longing for a rope was very strong here...
We topped out on Eagle Eye Mountain and were treated to some very sweet, clear views for miles in every direction...Spent some time enjoying this, taking pics and studying Eagle Eye Peak across the valley, including the incredibly disgusting Graffiti that someone took a lot of time and paint to do...Right at the big Arch too...
We hiked along the very Rocky ridgeline and found an exit spot further south, as we wanted to get down to the Valley floor and continue south to the hill with the smaller Arch. Finding a Route is not easy, you can "cliff out" in alot of areas and all of it is pretty steep with ball bearing slopes and scree....But we lucked out and got down and proceeded over to the small hill. Decided to try to find a better route than what presented on the north side and we went over the ridge on the east end and came at it from the south. As we were climbing up the ridge, we saw a plane circling that looked "vintage"...I couldn't get a shot of it then, as it appeared to land at the Private Airport northeast of the Cemetery. I got a shot of it later, but it was out quite a bit and I had to use full zoom, so it's blurry....
Just before the last climb up to the Arch, I spotted a bunch of Bees flying in and out of the wall of the Cliff. We were slated to go right past that spot, but opted to drop down about 20 feet and go around. Apparently that was enough, as we were not bothered by dive bombing, stinging bees. It looked like they had a Hive in a crevice there.... Something for you all to keep in mind if you do this Hike...
The Arch was very cool, and although it was a small hill compared to the other "mountains" in this grouping, you still had some great views, including the entire little valley of this little Range...
After messing around up there a little bit, we opted to try to find a way down the north "face". I found it and it was actually pretty easy... Hardly any scrambling at all. We walked back through the Valley. There is actually a road that runs through the whole valley from the Cemetery out to Eagle Eye Road to the west. We followed this road until I spotted a Saguaro that looked like it was Crested. "Squirrel"! And it was a Crested! It's just a baby as far as Cresteds go, but it's on it's way... After the photo ops were done, we intersected back up with the road and headed back to the vehicles.
Would have liked to Hiked up to the Peak and the big Arch, but time wasn't on our side today. Will be returning to this area very soon!!! What an awesome little area!!! I am actually working on a Description for this, as this area deserves to have it's own page... Perfect Hike for me at this time, since I'm really out of shape, but it was awesome...Thanks for the invite Preston!!! I'll be back...
Afterwards Preston and his wife Bernie treated me to some really good Mexican Food in Wickenburg called El Ranchero. It was really good and I would highly recommend the place... You picked all the winners today Preston...Thank you! Really good to see Bernie again too...
I do apologize for the large Photoset...Very interesting area...
I PM him and it's on....
Preston had the route all figured out already, so I just showed up at the local Cemetery and parked it...Preston poked around the Cemetery a little before I got there, so after getting situated, we took off. I'm not big on walking around in a Cemetery unless it has a lot of history, I just feel weird about that. But just outside of it, is the best place to park.
We had originally planned on a bigger Loop than what we actually did...We soon figured out that there is so much to explore in this little area that time was against us...Numerous Caves, Addits, Arches....Wow!!! There are two main Arches shown on the topo, but there are a bunch of little ones. The topo lists one of the smaller Mountains as Eagle Eye Mountain and the large Mountain as Eagle Eye Peak. Eagle Eye Peak has the large, main Arch. The other Arch on the topo is on a smaller hill behind Eagle Eye Mountain. We started the Loop going CCW, following a small dirt road, but decided against following the road the whole way, as it ends up too far west. Apparently, the local residents feel that this flat area around the Cemetery makes for a good dump as we ran into a couple of very large trashy areas, one on each side of the Cemetery boundaries...Pitiful...
Preston's first goal was to hit a Cave shown on the topo. When I first saw it, I didn't think it was doable, but as we got closer, hmmmm, and up we went...
What looked like a large Cave turned out to be more of an Alcove, with a smaller one right next to it. Nice views from here. Everywhere you looked in this little Range, there were Caves and Alcoves...You could spend days... And it also became very apparent, early on, that Birds of Prey love this area...Not only could you find a niche for selling bird poop, but apparently they dine up there as well, as there were small bird bones everywhere at the base of the cliffs. I even found a skull with the beak still attached... I also found a tiny legbone with a Band still attached. I took that one and am researching the Band.... We apparently were also bothering a pair of Hawks of some sort, as at one time they were soaring large circles around us, screaming their displeasure...Almost nesting time.... I'm thinking that they were possibly Swainsons...Could not get a picture, too far away and not quick enough, as I was usually clinging to a Rock at the time....
So after playing at the Cave/Alcove, it was time to get on top of Eagle Eye Mountain. Not happening from there, so we bushwacked pretty much at the base of the cliffs until we found a place to go up. It was steep and there was scrambling involved but all in all, not bad. Came upon another very cool Cave that was connected to another Cave above it. Could instantly tell that there would be no getting in the lower Cave without technical gear, but the higher one ended up being kind of accessible. It was not easy to get to the entrance and once there, you really could not go in more than 6 feet as the floor dropped away into the Cave below...Very sweet though...The longing for a rope was very strong here...
We topped out on Eagle Eye Mountain and were treated to some very sweet, clear views for miles in every direction...Spent some time enjoying this, taking pics and studying Eagle Eye Peak across the valley, including the incredibly disgusting Graffiti that someone took a lot of time and paint to do...Right at the big Arch too...
We hiked along the very Rocky ridgeline and found an exit spot further south, as we wanted to get down to the Valley floor and continue south to the hill with the smaller Arch. Finding a Route is not easy, you can "cliff out" in alot of areas and all of it is pretty steep with ball bearing slopes and scree....But we lucked out and got down and proceeded over to the small hill. Decided to try to find a better route than what presented on the north side and we went over the ridge on the east end and came at it from the south. As we were climbing up the ridge, we saw a plane circling that looked "vintage"...I couldn't get a shot of it then, as it appeared to land at the Private Airport northeast of the Cemetery. I got a shot of it later, but it was out quite a bit and I had to use full zoom, so it's blurry....
Just before the last climb up to the Arch, I spotted a bunch of Bees flying in and out of the wall of the Cliff. We were slated to go right past that spot, but opted to drop down about 20 feet and go around. Apparently that was enough, as we were not bothered by dive bombing, stinging bees. It looked like they had a Hive in a crevice there....
Something for you all to keep in mind if you do this Hike...
The Arch was very cool, and although it was a small hill compared to the other "mountains" in this grouping, you still had some great views, including the entire little valley of this little Range...
After messing around up there a little bit, we opted to try to find a way down the north "face". I found it and it was actually pretty easy...
Hardly any scrambling at all. We walked back through the Valley. There is actually a road that runs through the whole valley from the Cemetery out to Eagle Eye Road to the west. We followed this road until I spotted a Saguaro that looked like it was Crested. "Squirrel"! And it was a Crested! It's just a baby as far as Cresteds go, but it's on it's way... After the photo ops were done, we intersected back up with the road and headed back to the vehicles.
Would have liked to Hiked up to the Peak and the big Arch, but time wasn't on our side today. Will be returning to this area very soon!!! What an awesome little area!!! I am actually working on a Description for this, as this area deserves to have it's own page...
Perfect Hike for me at this time, since I'm really out of shape, but it was awesome...Thanks for the invite Preston!!! I'll be back...
Afterwards Preston and his wife Bernie treated me to some really good Mexican Food in Wickenburg called El Ranchero. It was really good and I would highly recommend the place...
You picked all the winners today Preston...Thank you! Really good to see Bernie again too...
I do apologize for the large Photoset...Very interesting area...
2013-02-13 outdoor_lover
