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| Hiking | 3.47 Miles |
708 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.47 Miles | 1 Hour 38 Mns | | 2.60 mph |
| 708 ft AEG | 18 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This hike was to the highpoint of the Bear Mountains (elevation of 8,221 feet and prominence of 1,034 feet). The Bear Mountains are in Socorro County in the Cibola National Forest. This peak is basically in the middle of nowhere, 15-20 miles north of the town on Magdalena.
This peak does not have an official name, and it sometimes is referred to as "Sanders Benchmark" or simply as "Peak 8221". I did not see the benchmark, and it was likely covered up by rocks for a summit cairn.
I drove in on a primitive ranch road. You don't necessarily need 4WD to get to where I parked, but high clearance is a must. I drove in 4WD, but probably could have done without it. With the right vehicle it is possible to drive within 700-800 feet of the summit, but I was happy with doing some mostly easy road walking in this scenic area.
The area had a lot of grassy knolls, which reminded me of the White Mountains of Arizona.
The road was mostly on hard packed dirt until about 1/4 mile from the summit, which made for easy walking. The last 1/4 mile on the road was to a saddle -- this section was very steep with lots of loose rocks. I doubt if I would have driven it, especially since it was so close to the summit anyway.
There were nice views at the summit. Not many people come out here -- the summit register log contained about one entry per year. The quota for 2023 has now been met!
This was an enjoyable hike in a remote area. If you enjoy solitude, you are almost guaranteed to find it out here. |
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Wildflowers Observation None
I did not see any flowers on this hike. |
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| _____________________
| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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