Signal Peak 4877 - KOFA Photoset • chumley • 2014-02-21 • HikeArizona.COM

Signal Peak 4877 - KOFA, AZ

	2014-02-21
	15 by chumley

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Signal Peak 4877 - KOFA

Southwest, AZ

Signal Peak 4877 - KOFA

Southwest, AZ

Hiking	2.00 Miles	2,175 AEG

Hiking	2.00 Miles	2 Hrs 20 Mns	0.86 mph
	2,175 ft AEG

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BobP

Though we did Signal and Ten Ewe in the same hike, I'm splitting them up. Check out my triplog for Ten Ewe if that interests you, or if you'd consider doing them both together as we did.

Details:
Starting from the campsite at the junction of Ten Ewe Canyon and the road, we began the hike up canyon. After about 0.3 miles, we spotted cairns that indicate a route that leaves the wash on the left side. From there to about .65 miles, we climbed the gentle ascent up between the two drainages, Ten Ewe on the left, and Indian on the right, before reaching a rock outcropping that the route goes to the right of, before coming to a clear sandy viewpoint overlooking Indian Canyon to the right at about .7 miles.

From here you might think that the route drops into the drainage, but no, it continues a solid ascent up the left side, parallel to, but above, the canyon itself. At .9 miles, the route reaches a saddle of sorts, where you are exposed to a mini "inner basin". Here the route stays left, but descends slightly, the first respite from the relentless climb so far. At the 1-mile mark, the route crosses the Indian Canyon drainage by passing through a dense, shaded "tunnel" of trees and other flora.

The next .2 miles (1.2 miles total) generally follows the canyon upwards to the west, before turning to the northwest at a junction of drainages, climbing an additional .3 miles (1.5 miles total) up an exposed rock drainage with a cave/overhang above on the left. From here, the route is easy to follow through upper reaches of the mountain with rocky footing and typical desert flora.

At the 1.6 mile mark, you reach another saddle, opening views to the south and exposing the summit of Signal Peak for the first time. The peak visible above to the immediate right is a few feet below the true summit, so the route passes below it to the 1.7 mile mark and the saddle between the two peaks, introducing the first views to the west into Palm Canyon and the La Posa Plain below. An additional short climb gets you to the true peak at 1.75 miles.

A summit register exists in a cemented spot in a small sheltered alcove about 100 feet northeast of the summit benchmark. The views here are spectacular, and worth every bit of effort it took to gain this summit. Enjoy it. Have a snack and take it all in!

On this trip, Bob and I reached the summit in about 100 minutes, and then enjoyed a summit beer and some lunch before heading to the south a quarter mile to the adjacent peak and views, before checking out the peak to the east of the summit that appears higher from all spots except when you are on that peak itself!

It was a little hazy on the day we were there, but I was surprised to later discover that views included the Harquahalas, Big Horn, Saddle Mtn, Eagletails, and Woolsey, about 60-70 miles away. On a clearer day, the Sierra Estrella (110 mi) would be in view looking back to the east, and I've heard others have spotted the Santa Rosas and San Jacintos, 130+ miles to the west on the clearest of days.

Return the way you came, or make it more of an adventure by hitting up Ten Ewe, Signal's next door neighbor.

While Signal is an off-trail summit, there is a fairly well-established route and no exposure or real scrambling. Ten Ewe is a different animal, so if class 3 and some exposure aren't your thing, you probably will want to stick with just Signal.

(Note: Mileage and time posted are for the ascent, breaks, and side trips only.)

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Catclaw Acacia

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Cag Shot Campsite Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]