DESTINATION Coyote Peak - Pinal County 1 Photoset
2023-03-23 | | -
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| Hiking | 3.83 Miles |
929 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.83 Miles | 2 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.53 mph |
| 929 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I did this solo hike after Durham Hills high point. At first I drove 6.9 miles on Freeman road and found a turn off on the North side of the road. In this area there was a corral on the North side of the road and a sign that said private property, no trespassing. So, I decided to drive about 0.4 miles West to get to the public land. There's a sign indicating this when traveling East and West. At the better parking location, I found a nice spot to pull into on the North side of the road. From here, I walked North and within roughly a hundred feet, I saw a road that was apparently used for a high pressure gas line. There were a few signs indicating this. I followed the road Northeast for about 1/2 mile that I realized this road was going too far to the East. From here, I decided to start my "open country" hike and head North. After heading North for about 200 feet, I saw a barbed wire fence. I didn't see any way around this, so I went under the fence and kept hiking North toward Coyote peak. The hike through the open country terrain was pleasant. There were a lot of teddy bear chollas, but I didn't have to get close to any of them, as there was a lot of open space. It was easy to find a clear path through. I suppose we can thank the cattle for grazing and clearing this area. Looking to the East I saw 2 saddles. I decided to aim for the Northern saddle on the ridgeline going to the peak and that worked out well. When I got on top of the ridge I kept heading up, and after a few minutes I saw another barbed wire fence that was going right up the middle of the ridgeline. I assumed that the private property was East of the fence and that public land was West of the fence, but it wasn't clear to me what the first barbed wire fence was for. I kept working my way up, stepping around many wildflowers including lupine, orange and yellow poppies, Arizona daisies, chia, and more. Even though there were so many flowers, I didn't want to step on any. I made it to the peak which contained a lot of rock and also found a glass jar registry with entries going back as far as 1995. Near the top, there were some birds nesting and I didn't get a close look, but they were probably turkey vultures. I also saw evidence of cattle making it nearly all the way to the peak, but didn't see any cattle anywhere on this hike. It is incredible how these cattle can climb these steeper grades. On the way down, I decided to follow the barbed wire fence all the way and it ended at the corral that I saw on the drive in. Then, the fence turned West and paralleled the road. I followed this fence 1,000 feet past where I parked to see if there was an end to it and I didn't find the end. Anyway, I ducked under the fence and walked over to the road to complete my hike.
AEG = 929 feet. |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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