Route Editor
Route Scout
Beautiful views! by phelpsk Start at Bull Dog Canyon and follow the sandy wash to the jeep trail. You will notice a lot of bullet casings on the ground since people used to target shoot here. Target shooting is obiviously NOT permitted now! Stay to the left and up to the non-motorized path. Stay left and trail begins at rock cairns. Turn North here. Very well maintained trail by an anonymous hiker. As you follow the trail you will notice little touches that are fun to discover, like a mini Stonehenge and a nice rock bench for resting. There is a Dead Cow Cave (not sure if there is actually a dead cow in there). Nice resting spots in the shade and a beautiful view from the top with a nice bench under a palo verde tree. Lots of cholla, so be careful with doggies! Make sure you wear good tread. The way down can be a bit slippery due to all the gravel. Great hike to take out of town guests. You can see Fountain Hills, Four Peaks, Red Mountain, Camelback and the North side of the Superstition Mountains from the top. Sometimes you will see people on the lower horse trails and hear quads on the lower trails as well. Take plenty of water and a snack. Children can do this hike and genuinely enjoy it, if they like the outdoors. The desert flora is prolific and you will want to take your camera to document all the beauty Feb-April. I especially appreciate the orange Mexican Poppies everywhere! 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
Lone Mountain 2809 - E J Peak
Lone Mountain
Quick early hike to enjoy what passes for rain nowadays.
It was dry when I began, then the clouds/mist came in below and behind me as I climbed. Once up top the mist moved in so I could enjoy the descent through misting, so faint my short only felt slightly damp at the end.
I don't usually take photos (this is trip #125) but today was something special.
It was dry when I began, then the clouds/mist came in below and behind me as I climbed. Once up top the mist moved in so I could enjoy the descent through misting, so faint my short only felt slightly damp at the end.
I don't usually take photos (this is trip #125) but today was something special.
2018-03-11 CannondaleKid
Lone Mountain 2809 - E J Peak
Had bigger plans for the day, but didn't get out the door early enough. Instead, came over here for the quick exercise.
Met another hiker also going up, who was carrying radio equipment to do a Summits on the Air (SOTA) activation. Those who keep up with hikearizona triplogs would recognize this as the activity BEEBEE does and has posted about. The other hiker, hikearizona user jongoering and ham call sign N7AZ, invited me to participate since I have a ham license (I am inactive, but my license is kept current). We made 4 contacts on 2 meters on a handheld radio. I then called my dad on the phone, and we set up a contact on 10 meters, on a portable HF radio. My dad got my mom to participate as well, for a sixth contact. Before leaving, I thanked Jon for letting me participate, and Jon stayed up to try some more bands.
Got some extra mileage and elevation from turning around to do the radio stuff.
Met another hiker also going up, who was carrying radio equipment to do a Summits on the Air (SOTA) activation. Those who keep up with hikearizona triplogs would recognize this as the activity BEEBEE does and has posted about. The other hiker, hikearizona user jongoering and ham call sign N7AZ, invited me to participate since I have a ham license (I am inactive, but my license is kept current). We made 4 contacts on 2 meters on a handheld radio. I then called my dad on the phone, and we set up a contact on 10 meters, on a portable HF radio. My dad got my mom to participate as well, for a sixth contact. Before leaving, I thanked Jon for letting me participate, and Jon stayed up to try some more bands.
Got some extra mileage and elevation from turning around to do the radio stuff.
2017-09-16 jochal
Lone Mountain 2809 - E J Peak
Lone Mountain Loop
I covered some new ground for a bit of variety.
What I learned about traction on a scale of 1 to 10:
Merrell Moab MWP = 5
Red Head Trailblazer = 10
How did I learn it? I learned it the hard way, of course...](./dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
I'll be carrying a number of embedded hedgehog spines in my hand and wrist as a lesson.
What I learned about traction on a scale of 1 to 10:
Merrell Moab MWP = 5
Red Head Trailblazer = 10
How did I learn it? I learned it the hard way, of course...
I'll be carrying a number of embedded hedgehog spines in my hand and wrist as a lesson.
2017-01-05 CannondaleKid
Lone Mountain 2809 - E J Peak
Lone Mountain & 'Roadside Assistance'
I thought this would be a quick warmup, expecting a nice drama-free hike. But today I guess it was not to be.
The ascent and half the descent went smooth as silk, stopping at the last flat spot for a photo. My attention was drawn to Usery Pass Road, where a very loud Razor-like Red ATV was cruising down the road with a pickup following closely behind. As they passed the Usery/Bulldog Gate the pickup passed the ATV, and a moment later I saw the ATV turning around... they had missed the turn to the Bulldog Gate.
Just as they pulled up to the entrance gate, farther up the hill on Usery Pass Rd I heard/saw another red pickup accelerating down the hill, then I saw it pass the Bulldog parking lot and a moment later I heard tire squeal just in time to lose sight of the truck when my view was obstructed by a hill, which was when the tire squeal became a howl and I could tell by the sound the truck was spinning around, then I heard a loud muffled thump followed by the sound of gravel being thrown up.
My first thought was that the truck possibly had hit one of the wild horses since there is a spot where they cross near where the sound came from. So, instead of continuing my leisure descent, I trotted the rest of the way back to the Jeep, jumped in and drove down the road.
Just around a corner there's the red pickup stopped at a slight angle toward the center with the left front tire popped off the rim in the traffic lane. With no dead/injured horse in view and by the looks of the tire marks, going too fast for the corner, the guy hit the brakes, locked up and spun completely around, hitting the dirt embankment on the driver's side while going backward, then spinning back around to face forward again.
A young guy & girl probably 18-20 years old were standing behind the truck so when I pulled up behind them I asked if they were ok. They said they were, which it appeared they were, physically, anyway. Mentally? I could tell they had a good scare, probably including experiencing a life-flashing-before-the-eyes moment. The girl told me the truck almost rolled over when it hit the embankment.
Ok, so here's the situation...
- Young kid with no money
- Only had a driver's license 6 weeks
- Spent what little he had on a cheap truck (literally a P.O.S.)
- RF tire had the bead off/on and some sand caught in the bead, but it still has enough air
- LR tire almost flat with the outer bead having popped off & partway back on
- LF tire is flat, popped completely off inner and outer beads
- And guess what? Yup, no spare, no jack, no tire iron, no key for the wheel-lock
So where do we begin?
Ok, RF tire is good enough as is so we'll leave it alone. The LR is just needs enough air to pop it all the way back on the bead, so we started there. I turned the Jeep around and backed up so my air line would reach, cranked up the air compressor and within two minutes the LR tire popped back on the bead.
The front of the truck is still in the road, so I told the kid to slowly drive it off the bike lane and all the way onto the shoulder. I mean REALLY slow because if we were going to have any chance at getting the LF tire back on both inner and outer beads, it had to stay straight on the wheel. Done... now the fun stuff begins.
With the flat tire, my bottle jack was too tall to put under the axle (it was a 4x4)
Ok, so a little digging was involved before jacking it up but luckily (for him) I had a small collapsible shovel and soon the jack was in action. Only problem, the tire was tall enough that the jack ran out of travel before the tire was fully off the ground.
For us to have a chance at getting the tire popped on fully, it needed to be able to be 'round' so we absolutely had to get it up high enough to put a ratchet strap around the tire, which would be used to squeeze the beads out far enough to put air in. That's when I handled the shovel to the kid and told him to start digging.
Once he dug enough to put the strap around the tire I put the strap on and cranked it as tight as it would go. The outer bead looked good but with the inner part of the tire still on the ground, the tire was still misshapen enough it would not butt up against the bead.
More digging. By this time I dug out a pry bar and was breaking the dirt loose while the kid dug it out. Looking good!
Now we could turn the wheel and it was easy to re-install the ratchet strap all around the tire on the center rib of the tread. Ok, now the tire has a chance to go back on the bead. First I pushed hard on the tire to try and seat on slightly on the inside bead, then all three of us (guy, girl and myself) holding the tire against the outer bead and hit it with air.
(Good thing I had an air compressor with a 5 gallon tank)
Just as it appeared the tire would pop onto the outer bead, we heard air coming out the back.
Oh great, I thought, it won't hold on the inside when we pull on the outside... but that wasn't the problem, the wheel was bent and no longer round, so as the tire was getting enough air to make it round again, it was leaking faster at the bend.
Now, I had a hammer (Peter, Paul & Mary anyone?) but it was a regular claw hammer... the mini-sledge I usually have in the Jeep is back at home. So, while laying down in the damp sand along the road, it's taking everything I have to start getting the bend out.
As soon as it seems it just may work, I used a spray bottle and wet the rim & tire all around on both sides, cranked the ratchet strap so tight I thought it would break, then the three of us working together again it's starting to work... the outer bead is moving toward us but before it would 'pop' back on, there's more air leaking out the back by what's left of the bent part.
Ok, I'm out of energy with the hammer so I gave it to the kid, showed him where to hit it and from which angle, and told him "Hit it as hard as you can for as long as you can" while I kept adding more air into the tire.
By now my compressor has been running for 20 minutes straight and it's getting HOT so something's gotta give or we're done here. And whadda'ya know, the tire pops on the outer bead with a bang followed moments later by the inner bead.
Still need more air in the tire so I kept adding more until it hit normal pressure, which happened just in time. Because that's when air is blowing out full force around the air compressor motor.
Whatever the problem, it can wait until I get home. Before leaving I told the kid at a MINIMUM he needs to get a spare, a jack & front brake job. The pads have been metal-to-metal on the rotors for some time and rotors are now junk!
"Is that why it squeals all the time?" the kid asks?
I almost wondered how he had enough brakes to squeal the tires, until I realized that is why it got worse... only the rear brakes where doing their job, so when they locked, the rear end was doing the steering. So, one more time, get it FIXED!
They offered profuse thanks, to which I replied, You don't owe me a thing, all I ask is you "Pay-It-Forward" if and when you ever have the opportunity!
And with that, I'm outta here!
When I got home I found the compressor had gotten so hot, even though there was a half inch between the two, the vinyl air line melted. And that is one tough air line! It took me 30 minutes to cut the old line off the fitting and install a new line. Even using Tracey's hair dryer to make the line pliable enough to push it back on the fitting, I simply could not get it all the way on. But it's on, it hold air again and that's all that counts.
Whew! And here I was all set to hit the gym after the hike. No need, the hike was plenty good for the lower body, and all the hammering and digging gave my arms a good workout. I think it's time to be lazy the rest of the day.
The ascent and half the descent went smooth as silk, stopping at the last flat spot for a photo. My attention was drawn to Usery Pass Road, where a very loud Razor-like Red ATV was cruising down the road with a pickup following closely behind. As they passed the Usery/Bulldog Gate the pickup passed the ATV, and a moment later I saw the ATV turning around... they had missed the turn to the Bulldog Gate.
Just as they pulled up to the entrance gate, farther up the hill on Usery Pass Rd I heard/saw another red pickup accelerating down the hill, then I saw it pass the Bulldog parking lot and a moment later I heard tire squeal just in time to lose sight of the truck when my view was obstructed by a hill, which was when the tire squeal became a howl and I could tell by the sound the truck was spinning around, then I heard a loud muffled thump followed by the sound of gravel being thrown up.
My first thought was that the truck possibly had hit one of the wild horses since there is a spot where they cross near where the sound came from. So, instead of continuing my leisure descent, I trotted the rest of the way back to the Jeep, jumped in and drove down the road.
Just around a corner there's the red pickup stopped at a slight angle toward the center with the left front tire popped off the rim in the traffic lane. With no dead/injured horse in view and by the looks of the tire marks, going too fast for the corner, the guy hit the brakes, locked up and spun completely around, hitting the dirt embankment on the driver's side while going backward, then spinning back around to face forward again.
A young guy & girl probably 18-20 years old were standing behind the truck so when I pulled up behind them I asked if they were ok. They said they were, which it appeared they were, physically, anyway. Mentally? I could tell they had a good scare, probably including experiencing a life-flashing-before-the-eyes moment. The girl told me the truck almost rolled over when it hit the embankment.
Ok, so here's the situation...
- Young kid with no money
- Only had a driver's license 6 weeks
- Spent what little he had on a cheap truck (literally a P.O.S.)
- RF tire had the bead off/on and some sand caught in the bead, but it still has enough air
- LR tire almost flat with the outer bead having popped off & partway back on
- LF tire is flat, popped completely off inner and outer beads
- And guess what? Yup, no spare, no jack, no tire iron, no key for the wheel-lock
So where do we begin?
Ok, RF tire is good enough as is so we'll leave it alone. The LR is just needs enough air to pop it all the way back on the bead, so we started there. I turned the Jeep around and backed up so my air line would reach, cranked up the air compressor and within two minutes the LR tire popped back on the bead.
The front of the truck is still in the road, so I told the kid to slowly drive it off the bike lane and all the way onto the shoulder. I mean REALLY slow because if we were going to have any chance at getting the LF tire back on both inner and outer beads, it had to stay straight on the wheel. Done... now the fun stuff begins.
With the flat tire, my bottle jack was too tall to put under the axle (it was a 4x4)
Ok, so a little digging was involved before jacking it up but luckily (for him) I had a small collapsible shovel and soon the jack was in action. Only problem, the tire was tall enough that the jack ran out of travel before the tire was fully off the ground.
For us to have a chance at getting the tire popped on fully, it needed to be able to be 'round' so we absolutely had to get it up high enough to put a ratchet strap around the tire, which would be used to squeeze the beads out far enough to put air in. That's when I handled the shovel to the kid and told him to start digging.
Once he dug enough to put the strap around the tire I put the strap on and cranked it as tight as it would go. The outer bead looked good but with the inner part of the tire still on the ground, the tire was still misshapen enough it would not butt up against the bead.
More digging. By this time I dug out a pry bar and was breaking the dirt loose while the kid dug it out. Looking good!
Now we could turn the wheel and it was easy to re-install the ratchet strap all around the tire on the center rib of the tread. Ok, now the tire has a chance to go back on the bead. First I pushed hard on the tire to try and seat on slightly on the inside bead, then all three of us (guy, girl and myself) holding the tire against the outer bead and hit it with air.
(Good thing I had an air compressor with a 5 gallon tank)
Just as it appeared the tire would pop onto the outer bead, we heard air coming out the back.
Oh great, I thought, it won't hold on the inside when we pull on the outside... but that wasn't the problem, the wheel was bent and no longer round, so as the tire was getting enough air to make it round again, it was leaking faster at the bend.
Now, I had a hammer (Peter, Paul & Mary anyone?) but it was a regular claw hammer... the mini-sledge I usually have in the Jeep is back at home. So, while laying down in the damp sand along the road, it's taking everything I have to start getting the bend out.
As soon as it seems it just may work, I used a spray bottle and wet the rim & tire all around on both sides, cranked the ratchet strap so tight I thought it would break, then the three of us working together again it's starting to work... the outer bead is moving toward us but before it would 'pop' back on, there's more air leaking out the back by what's left of the bent part.
Ok, I'm out of energy with the hammer so I gave it to the kid, showed him where to hit it and from which angle, and told him "Hit it as hard as you can for as long as you can" while I kept adding more air into the tire.
By now my compressor has been running for 20 minutes straight and it's getting HOT so something's gotta give or we're done here. And whadda'ya know, the tire pops on the outer bead with a bang followed moments later by the inner bead.
Still need more air in the tire so I kept adding more until it hit normal pressure, which happened just in time. Because that's when air is blowing out full force around the air compressor motor.
Whatever the problem, it can wait until I get home. Before leaving I told the kid at a MINIMUM he needs to get a spare, a jack & front brake job. The pads have been metal-to-metal on the rotors for some time and rotors are now junk!
"Is that why it squeals all the time?" the kid asks?
I almost wondered how he had enough brakes to squeal the tires, until I realized that is why it got worse... only the rear brakes where doing their job, so when they locked, the rear end was doing the steering. So, one more time, get it FIXED!
They offered profuse thanks, to which I replied, You don't owe me a thing, all I ask is you "Pay-It-Forward" if and when you ever have the opportunity!
And with that, I'm outta here!
When I got home I found the compressor had gotten so hot, even though there was a half inch between the two, the vinyl air line melted. And that is one tough air line! It took me 30 minutes to cut the old line off the fitting and install a new line. Even using Tracey's hair dryer to make the line pliable enough to push it back on the fitting, I simply could not get it all the way on. But it's on, it hold air again and that's all that counts.
Whew! And here I was all set to hit the gym after the hike. No need, the hike was plenty good for the lower body, and all the hammering and digging gave my arms a good workout. I think it's time to be lazy the rest of the day.
2017-01-04 CannondaleKid
Lone Mountain 2809 - E J Peak
Lone Mountain & Usury Peak
recent peak ideas from other haz members
these two make for a good combo, starting at the same trailhead
went up lone mountain first
a surprisingly good trail to a nice summit area
went across the road and started up a bike trail, then bushwhacked to the correct route
again, decent trail the entire way to the ridge and then the peak
good views of the area
signed the register but chose not to dig for the benchmark
discussed options from there, bypassed 2959 to make a loop going over 2933 and down the ridgeline
a bit of a scree slide down from 2972, off trail to 2933, then a steeper slide off the northeast side of 2933
the rest of the ridgeline was much easier, and it would be better to go up this way
plenty of cairns on this portion
enjoyed the loop
will bring a hiking pole next time for the descent
three peaks and a good time hiking with john and denny
imported both routes but for some reason couldn't follow the track on route scout
will have to figure that out and practice in town
thanks for hitting these peaks with me, guys - always enjoy your company
these two make for a good combo, starting at the same trailhead
went up lone mountain first
a surprisingly good trail to a nice summit area
went across the road and started up a bike trail, then bushwhacked to the correct route
again, decent trail the entire way to the ridge and then the peak
good views of the area
signed the register but chose not to dig for the benchmark
discussed options from there, bypassed 2959 to make a loop going over 2933 and down the ridgeline
a bit of a scree slide down from 2972, off trail to 2933, then a steeper slide off the northeast side of 2933
the rest of the ridgeline was much easier, and it would be better to go up this way
plenty of cairns on this portion
enjoyed the loop
will bring a hiking pole next time for the descent
three peaks and a good time hiking with john and denny
imported both routes but for some reason couldn't follow the track on route scout
will have to figure that out and practice in town
thanks for hitting these peaks with me, guys - always enjoy your company
2016-01-03 trekkin_gecko
Lone Mountain 2809 - E J Peak
Lone Mountain Loop
Still have lots of packing to do for our Africa trip so we wanted something close. Started at the Usery Bulldog gate, took the eastern Wild Horse Trail around the north side of Lone Mountain, looped around the eastern end before catching the end of the Lone Mountain Trail for the last part.
2015-07-14 CannondaleKid
Lone Mountain 2809 - E J Peak
The usual exercise hike... except for a Gila Monster on Usery Pass Road.
While passing the Usery Park gate heading south on Usery Pass Road I wondered why approaching vehicles were swinging into the bike lane as they approached... until I passed the spot and saw a Gila Monster stopped halfway across the road.
So I pulled over, turned around, stopping on the shoulder just before it and proceeded to coax it the rest of the way across the road. At which point I figured I'd shoot a photo and video.
One video:
Gila Monster
While passing the Usery Park gate heading south on Usery Pass Road I wondered why approaching vehicles were swinging into the bike lane as they approached... until I passed the spot and saw a Gila Monster stopped halfway across the road.
So I pulled over, turned around, stopping on the shoulder just before it and proceeded to coax it the rest of the way across the road. At which point I figured I'd shoot a photo and video.
One video:
Gila Monster
2015-04-29 CannondaleKid
