The Eagles Eye - New Water Mountains, AZ

Overview
The Eagles Eye is a prominent arch that can be seen from I-10 between about MP 35 to MP 40. The hike is short but has just enough scrambling and drop-offs to get the adrenaline flowing. There are a few tricky spots where one should pay attention on this cross-country hike.


Hike
From the wilderness boundary at the end of BLM road 0046, the route follows a sandy wash. In pre-wilderness days, this was a continuation of the jeep road. At one point the wash gets too narrow for a jeep, and you can vaguely spot where the old 4WD route goes up and around to the southwest.At about one mile, look for a cairn on the left. Just beyond, there is a wash coming in from the left, which will be your route for a while. Immediately there is a waterfall in that wash which is steep, but do-able climbing. Alternatively, at the cairn, there is a short trail that goes around the waterfall. If you follow the trail, don’t get carried away and continue up the ridge.

Continue in the wash about a quarter mile, and you will come to Hidden Tank in a canyon coming in from the right. It is quite pretty. There is a marker there, as well as an official-looking wildlife camera. It is a pretty cool little place. The route continues in the wash flowing into this tank. When Chumley hiked this in 2018, it looks like he walked right through the tank, but for those with an aversion to getting their feet wet, there is a workaround.

To stay dry, continue up the wash heading due north about 100 yards. Where the trees clog the wash, look for cairns and a bit of a path heading steeply up the side of the ridge. Follow the way trail up the ridge and then back down to the wash, coming out just above Hidden Tank. Turn left and head up the wash.

Just when you think the going is easy, the wash abruptly ends in a cirque with a waterfall. Just to the left of the waterfall going upstream is a straightforward scramble up the bank. On the way back, you might be tempted to explore several scrambles down, some of which are marked by huge cairns, but none are any easier than this.

Continue following the wash to a pass, and here is where the adrenaline may start flowing. The Eagles Eye is close, but there are several little scrambles yet to go, traverses along scree-filled slopes, and sufficient cholla to get you in trouble. Bear around the tops of the washes to your right, and in a few minutes, you will be sitting in the center of the eye.

After signing the log and enjoying your triumph, follow the same route back.

2022-03-13 GrangerGuy