Tortilla Creek North Ridge, AZ

Overview
Hike from the dirt road near topo "x" mark 2055 up to the ridge and over to high point 2982. You could follow the ridge all the way to FS213 (the road to Tortilla Trailhead). Best hiked after recent rains if you'd like to hear the roar of the creek below. It seems if it rains over an inch in a day the tortilla bridge turns into a spillway for a day or two. If it rains two inches in a day the bridge becomes inaccessible. As with all my steep/hillside/ravine/brush type off-trail hikes... they are best attempted only from December into the second week of February or you'll be wrestling snakes galore!


Hike
This hike had been on my want-to-do list for years. Figured I'd hike the ridge near it's origins around Mesquite Flat and follow the ridge over to FS213 or at least to peak 3420. From topo mark 2055 I headed up to the ridge. It's not too steep and the brush is fairly negotiable without incident. I made the mistake of trying to go over the first high point and cliffed out. Before proceeding I couldn't help but absorb all the views. Most I'd seen from various angles but smack dab below was a killer overview of the Peters/Tortilla Creeks confluence.Next, I backtracked down and south around the point I cliffed out. The slope is very steep and probably rather dangerous if you stand around and think about it. Once around the high point, the ridge dips before winding up to peak 2982. Walking along the ridge you can hear the roar of the creek far down below. You get glimpses of Tortilla Creek at various opportunities along the way.

Continuing to peak 3420 or FS213 appears to be possible with easy to moderate effort. I pretty much lost all desire to continue as my hands, ears, and nose were freezing. Which oddly enough was accompanied by sweating. I doubt I'll be coming back as this area wasn't as exciting as anticipated. Nevertheless, it's always fulfilling to cure the curiosity of the unknown.

2005-01-06 joebartels