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Remote Adventure by chumley Overview: This remote peak of is tougher to get to than it is to climb. But the views are rewarding, and there's virtually no sign of civilization in any direction. Private Property Warning: Driving to the start of this hike requires you to cross numerous parcels of private land as well as State Trust Land. As of this writing, the private land was operated by Wagon Bow Ranch, which allows recreational access through an agreement with AZGFD. This access can be revoked at any time. Please follow the rules, respect landowner rights, and sign in at the Kiosk (details in the directions below). The hike itself begins on State Trust Land, but quickly crosses a barbed wire fence that marks the boundary of the ORO Ranch. Permission to access ORO Ranch property must be obtained from the ranch. Getting permission is a difficult task as this ranch does not allow public access. Research from online hunting forums indicates that the ORO Ranch aggressively patrols its borders with armed horsemen. I would not recommend this hike if you do not have permission to cross ORO Ranch Property! Contact information can be easily found via web search. Name: Will C. Barnes' book Arizona Place Names indicates that the Mohon Mountains and Mohon Peak are named after a Hualapai man named Jim Mahone, who served as a scout and guide under General George C. Crook. Mahone was called upon to help the US Army defend against the aggressive actions of Geronimo. There is no indication as to why there is a differentiation in spellings. Hike: The hike begins in the open range just beyond Little Mesa Tank. Head east, crossing what was apparently once an old airstrip. If you look for it, you'll see it! After just 1/4 of a mile, you will cross the fence line that marks the entry onto ORO Ranch property. There are no signs indicating it, but you've been warned. It's private and access is not allowed without permission. Next, follow the javelina trails down into the drainage ahead of you, before climbing up the other side to the visible dirt road. The road will then lead down into Dividing Canyon, across the drainage, and then along a slow but steady climb up the north side of the canyon. Once out of the canyon, follow the road for another mile until reaching the very large Goldwater Tank on your left at about the 2.5 mile mark. A few hundred yards after passing the tank, leave the old road and head left, following obvious cattle tracks up toward the ridge. The cattle have worn paths better than the Boy Scouts, and ascending the ridge is straightforward. At about 4.2 miles, the route switchbacks through a rock outcropping in a section of trail that must certainly have received human assistance. The climb continues steadily before reaching a false peak at the 5.5 mile mark. From here, you will once again have a good view of the peak and it's sloped approach. You will head to the right here and cross the saddle before making the final ascent. This portion of the hike no longer has any cattle tracks and you are on your own to pick a route, but the vegetation is forgiving and a route is not difficult to come by. Avoid the desire to head for the large rock outcropping on the right, stay left and cross an open meadow instead. On the ridge, turn right and travel the final 100 yards to gain the peak by staying low on the east side. At the summit, enjoy landmarks in all directions, including the San Francisco Peaks, Granite Mountain, the Bagdad mines, Tres Alamos, the nearby Aquarius range, and the Harquahalas. The descent will be easier to follow the cattle paths, and you can make good time back to the trailhead. Prominence: Mohon Peak is number 64 on the list of 73 of Arizona's Prominent Peaks (2000 feet or more of prominence). This one squeezes in with 2059 feet, with a peak elevation of 7499. Getting There: Detailed driving directions are provided below. The first 15.3 miles on Trout Creek Rd and Bogles Ranch Rd are sedan accessible, 2-lane, graded dirt. The next 3 miles on Wagon Bow Road, Wagon Bow Trail, Torok, and Great Western are 2wd high-clearance accessible in dry weather. The final 4.5 miles are 4wd only with two very rough sections when crossing Winslow and Gonzales Canyons. These roads may deteriorate over time and become impassable, but at the time of this writing, a stock 4wd truck could make the trip. Good tires are recommended. Be prepared, you are miles from anywhere! A GPS track has been posted for the drive as well as the hike. 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
Mohon Peak
This wasn't really on my radar until a month or so ago, when two different hazzers told me about it. Apparently the challenge is getting close to it, rather than actually summiting it. So I did my research and found what I thought was a likely route.
We made it farther than I planned to go in the dark, knowing the road gets sketchy, but nonetheless, it was too sketchy to make it the whole way. So we randomly camped on the road, and finished the drive with daylight the next morning.
The hike is straightforward, and relatively easy. This is ranching country, and there are plenty of cattle around. There is a cattle-track that leads almost all the way to the summit. It is so well traveled, I can honestly say that I have seen official forest service trails that are not in as good condition, nor as easy to follow as this!
Still, there are a lot of miles and elevation gained, and it takes a while to get to the summit. Once there, we were disappointed that the only register was placed only two years ago, with only one group signed in.
The sunny morning had become increasingly cloudy, with scattered showers visible in the distance. The wind picked up, and it actually got cold for a while as we began the descent. The trip down was quick and uneventful, until Blanco decided to get a little extra exercise
.
Back at the truck we relaxed a few minutes before embarking on the 90 minute drive back to highway 93 (25 miles). Once the first 30 minutes of miserable road is over, the next hour is smooth sailing. For the record, the last 4 miles are awful, but not as bad as White Box/Hanging Gardens (for reference). The first 15 miles are a piece of cake. The middle 5 reasonably good.
Not the most scenic or exciting mountain I've ever climbed. But there's something cool about it's remoteness. There's nothing out there but cows and views.
Great day with good peeps and pups.
We made it farther than I planned to go in the dark, knowing the road gets sketchy, but nonetheless, it was too sketchy to make it the whole way. So we randomly camped on the road, and finished the drive with daylight the next morning.
The hike is straightforward, and relatively easy. This is ranching country, and there are plenty of cattle around. There is a cattle-track that leads almost all the way to the summit. It is so well traveled, I can honestly say that I have seen official forest service trails that are not in as good condition, nor as easy to follow as this!
Still, there are a lot of miles and elevation gained, and it takes a while to get to the summit. Once there, we were disappointed that the only register was placed only two years ago, with only one group signed in.
The sunny morning had become increasingly cloudy, with scattered showers visible in the distance. The wind picked up, and it actually got cold for a while as we began the descent. The trip down was quick and uneventful, until Blanco decided to get a little extra exercise
.
Back at the truck we relaxed a few minutes before embarking on the 90 minute drive back to highway 93 (25 miles). Once the first 30 minutes of miserable road is over, the next hour is smooth sailing. For the record, the last 4 miles are awful, but not as bad as White Box/Hanging Gardens (for reference). The first 15 miles are a piece of cake. The middle 5 reasonably good.
Not the most scenic or exciting mountain I've ever climbed. But there's something cool about it's remoteness. There's nothing out there but cows and views.
Great day with good peeps and pups.
2014-04-05 chumley
Mohon Peak
I first heard of Mohon Peak roughly a week ago. Chumley discovered it and thought it could be fun. Lee was interested and the three of us were on our way Friday night. We drove up and followed the access roads just about all the way to the trailhead. The roads deteriorated the farther back we got. It was rough in places but Lee did a solid job driving and I thank him for that. 
We started our hike on Saturday morning after tearing down camp and driving the last two miles to the "trailhead". Our hike started cross country as we headed for the peak. About a half mile in we had to navigate over or under a barb wire fence. Once past the fence Blanco discovered a pack of javelina. They ran for their lives!
We all laughed and continued. Soon after we reached a road and followed that for the next few miles.
After passing a cow tank we went off trail and followed a ridge to towards the summit. The going was relatively easy. Along the way we found a variety of cow trails that led straight up. These "trails" made for fast travel as there was a steady gain of elevation. The trails disappear near the summit but it's not an issue as you wind your way through a variety of foliage that is a pain. Soon after we found ourselves on the summit.
The summit had some old relics on top. You'll have to see the pics to get an idea on what this stuff was. I didn't care much. I was hoping to find an old register with a handful of names. We found one but it was only a couple of years old. There were two separate entries from May 2012 and that was it. I added our names to the log and we headed down soon after.
The return was most uneventful. We flew down as we followed a cow trail that led us directly to the cow tank. Along the way a bull was stalking us. Blanco didn't like this too much and eventually chased the bull away. They easily ran for a mile (toward the trailhead) and I thought we'd never see Blanco again. After several minutes and hiking a good mile I spotted Blanco coming back to us. We were all relieved. From there we made our way back to the vehicle and headed out. Our next destination was Hualapai Peak.
This was a fun hike but I would never hike it again. The views are solid and we didn't see a soul. I really wish the register went back a decade or two.
We started our hike on Saturday morning after tearing down camp and driving the last two miles to the "trailhead". Our hike started cross country as we headed for the peak. About a half mile in we had to navigate over or under a barb wire fence. Once past the fence Blanco discovered a pack of javelina. They ran for their lives!
We all laughed and continued. Soon after we reached a road and followed that for the next few miles.
After passing a cow tank we went off trail and followed a ridge to towards the summit. The going was relatively easy. Along the way we found a variety of cow trails that led straight up. These "trails" made for fast travel as there was a steady gain of elevation. The trails disappear near the summit but it's not an issue as you wind your way through a variety of foliage that is a pain. Soon after we found ourselves on the summit.
The summit had some old relics on top. You'll have to see the pics to get an idea on what this stuff was. I didn't care much. I was hoping to find an old register with a handful of names. We found one but it was only a couple of years old. There were two separate entries from May 2012 and that was it. I added our names to the log and we headed down soon after.
The return was most uneventful. We flew down as we followed a cow trail that led us directly to the cow tank. Along the way a bull was stalking us. Blanco didn't like this too much and eventually chased the bull away. They easily ran for a mile (toward the trailhead) and I thought we'd never see Blanco again. After several minutes and hiking a good mile I spotted Blanco coming back to us. We were all relieved. From there we made our way back to the vehicle and headed out. Our next destination was Hualapai Peak.
This was a fun hike but I would never hike it again. The views are solid and we didn't see a soul. I really wish the register went back a decade or two.
2014-04-05 John9L
