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| Hiking | 8.39 Miles |
2,346 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.39 Miles | 6 Hrs 6 Mns | | 1.52 mph |
| 2,346 ft AEG | 35 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | The Road:
The route to the trailhead is easily followed, taking the Vekol Valley Road south from exit 144 on I-8. The Vekol road is pretty good, except for some deeply rutted sections. I was really glad I had my 4x4. I think theoretically in dry conditions, you could do this approach with a high clearance vehicle like a Subaru Crosstrek, but it would be dicey. The turnoff for the trail is marked. The road from the Vekol to the trailhead gets worse.
The Trailhead:
There is no TP in the outhouse, and the door does not close all the way, but it is otherwise nice. When I arrived there, it was 27 degrees, about 10 degrees colder than the NWS forecast, but consistent with what the local paper was forecasting for this area. I was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, as well as a felt hat, and a Buff around my neck, more than my usual attire for the Sonoran Desert. There are 3-4 campsites at the trailhead with firepits and tables. One site was occupied. It would be lonely camping.
The Trail:
The fairly heavy forest of saguaro in the shade in front of the mountain in the sun made for some interesting photography in the early morning light. The desert was very quiet. The main noises I heard were the wind, my footfalls, and my own voice making my audio notes.
I found a Pepsi can a few yards off the trail. I pulled it onto the trail, so I would see it on the way back. I didn't really expect anyone else would see it before I returned, so no one should have been offended by it before I picked it up. It is really appalling that people toss their litter this way in the wilderness.
Based on the register, it looked like several parties had visited on Saturday, including a 5-year-old who made it to the top, and one party of two on Monday of this week.
After the flat warmup to the register, the trail continues flat for a short distance, followed by a brisk climb, and then another prairie section. A little abruptly, the trail ends its easy flat and starts climbing. This trail is very well constructed: cairns, water bars, all the normal things of a good trail. The trail slowly steepens. Like a frog in a pot of slowly heating water, you hardly notice the ever-increasing grade. Like a slithering snake, the trail climbs the hill in a series of very short switchbacks. The trail is an interesting geologic mix, alternately lava boulders and caliche, that white, hardpan calcium carbonite cement that glues together rock just below the surface of the desert. The trail is nowhere in doubt.
The flatland vegetation is primarily cholla of two kinds (teddybear cholla and buckhorn cholla), prickly pear, dormant ocatillo, creosote bush, saguaro and palo verde. It is an interesting mixture. No single or two plants dominate the area, as I often see in the desert. As you climb through 3200 feet, the vegetation stays pretty much the same. The teddy bear cholla give way to century plant, and the saguaros get smaller, but otherwise, pretty much the same. By 4200 feet, the dominant vegetation has narrowed mainly to prickly pear and palo verde, and ocatillo.
It is possible to see all the way back to the trailhead as you climb. As you pass through 3000 feet, you can start to see distant mountain ranges to the west and north, including the Sierra Estrellas and the Maricopa Mountains Wilderness.
I was unable to find a register at the first summit, 4356 feet. Not finding one, I headed off to the second summit, which is about 20 feet higher. I always find going down into the saddles between the false summit and the real summit very depressing. Sometimes I skip them, but this time I forged ahead. There are many more prickly things encroaching the trail up on the summit meadow compared to the climb up; care is required. The climb up to the true summit stays to the east rim of the meadow and summit, possibly to avoid a lot of the vegetation.
The true summit is totally weird. Instead of heading directly to the summit, the trail circles it counterclockwise, spiraling slowly inward. Near the summit, the trail vanishes altogether. Making a short cross country beeline for the summit, I encountered a USGS marker, pointing toward the summit, and then a pole stationed in a circle of rocks, with a triangulation reference marker in the middle. The summit register is within the circle, but it sure appears to me that the true high point is yet a bit further SE. I walked over to what appears to me to be the high point, and back, before departing. There are many log books in the summit register. No clear reason why so many.
From where the trail ends, there is a great view north to the Sierra Estrellas, and South Mountain Park, as well as Maricopa. Phoenix is hidden behind the mountains for the most part.
On the return, just below 4000 feet, the path is both steep and covered with bearing-shaped rocks. The footing is quite treacherous descending. I was saved by my trekking poles more than once. By 3700 feet, the switchbacks continue, but the treachery is much less, as the rocks have become angular again. |
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Wildflowers Observation None
Nothing in December. In season, this could be beautiful! |
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