Barfoot Peak - Chiricahuas, AZ

Overview
Barfoot Peak is in the Chiricahuas mountains, at an elevation of 8,803 feet. It's a short but challenging bushwhack with some steep areas, some scrambling, and can be accomplished in roughly 2 hours by an experienced hiker.


Hike
Start from the Barfoot Park area and walk up the road for roughly 0.2 miles or more depending on your starting point. When the road curves to the right you will see a good place to get off the road on the left side. Turn left here and climb up a gradual slope aiming for the east ridgeline. From here I started climbing up the steep slope to the high point above me. There were a few fallen trees to go around or step over. I reached a high point which was east of Barfoot Peak. It was very rocky and brushy, but I was able to squeeze by and continue working my way toward Barfoot Peak.From here, it's about 0.5 more miles to the summit. For most of the rest of the way, I had to weave around obstacles and I ended up staying just north of the ridgeline, sometimes needing to drop 10 to 20 feet below to go around rocky or brushy areas. There were a few areas where I saw footprints or small holes in the ground where someone hiked before, or perhaps these were tracks from a large animal. From here I kept working my way around brush, sometimes going through Gamble oak and trying to avoid any thorny stuff (ex. New Mexico Locust). Keep heading up and you will be at the summit soon. When I was here in July 2023, I searched the peak thoroughly but could not find a registry anywhere. Looking south there were some insane drop-offs. Looking to the southeast you should be able to see Barfoot Lookout, also known as Buena Vista Peak. Looking north, in the distance, you may be able to see Cochise Head.

Within a few minutes of leaving the summit, heading west, I reached an area where I had to go down and cross over a large patch of scree. It looked much worse than it was. I found the rock to be fairly easy to walk across because of the larger pieces. But, these rocks are loose, so it's important to be careful here to avoid an ankle sprain. I took my time and reached the saddle to the west after about 20 minutes.

After getting to the saddle, it appeared that I was off the rocky section and I could relax a bit. From here, the terrain was dirt with a mixture of grass and rocks. Although very steep going down, I was able to zig-zag downward without slipping. At times I found some animal trails but there was nothing that continued going down. I followed sections of animal trails and took it step by step until I reached the bottom. Near the bottom, I was able to see a picnic area, and metal axles/wheels, so I already knew exactly where I was. Then, I climbed back up the hill to get back to my campsite.

2023-07-04 Mike_W