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| Hiking | 6.97 Miles |
1,485 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.97 Miles | 5 Hrs 8 Mns | | 2.06 mph |
| 1,485 ft AEG | 1 Hour 45 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I arrived at the pullout a bit late, around 11.30 am. See driving directions for 2 ways of getting across the fence. The third way obviously would be to slide under it.
After getting past the gate, I walked approx. 1.9 miles on a high clearance/gravel road. Thanks to the 4 other hikers who provided their routes. I found it easiest to stay on the road until the brush looked better, then I headed Northeast toward the peak. There was evidence of cattle here which I'm always thankful for. They tend to graze enough to be able to walk through a brushy area without any problems. At least in this area I was able to tunnel through ocotillo, mesquite, and other bushes. I saw a small wash to my left and stayed to the right of it for a while. Eventually, I decided to cross the wash and head up the ridgeline in front of me. The ridgeline sloped to the right heading up to the right side of the mountain. It was easy to see that I could take that low ridgeline to the high ridgeline, then make a left and continue towards the summit.
On the way up the low ridgeline, there was a lot of ocotillo, and other desert brush to weave around. Partway up the ridgeline I saw a dead oak tree or what was left of it, and a lot of other brush around it. I had to zig-zag quite a bit on this ridgeline. When I got to the top ridgeline, there wasn't as much brush but it was rockier. It was a bit windy so I stayed West of the ridgeline and dropped down about 10-20 feet. I stopped here to take a 15 minute lunch.
After lunch I continued toward the summit. From a distance, the bands of rock looked like it would involve some class 3 moves and I was right. When I got closer, I found a nice route that went between 2 rock formations and weaved a bit heading straight for the summit. I needed to use my hands in a few areas and dodge some ocotillo. There was also some loose rock in a few areas.
I arrived at the summit and found a plastic jar at the high point. It was well protected by rocks. The oldest entry I found was from March 2025 by Jesse Johnson. I'm not sure what happened to the older entries. At the summit, there was a few bees but they were not aggressive. I just left them alone and they did not bother me. Looking North I could see Granite peak which appeared to be about 3 miles away. In the far distance looking North I could see what I thought was Apache peak and the Cape, which has a distinctive shape and pattern to it. I took a few photos from the summit and a video and started heading down using roughly the same route I used on the way up.
I saw one large grasshopper the entire hike and a few other smaller ones at times. That was it in terms of wildlife. When I got close to the fence, I decided to look for another place to cross and I found one West of the corrals. Take a look at my route and you will see where I stepped over the barbed wire fence area.
Many thanks to the land owners for allowing us hikers to walk across their land. Although the peak is on AZ state trust land, I needed to hike North 2.25 miles across their land before I reached the AZ state trust land. Without this access, hiking this mountain would involve a much longer route and longer drive also.
I thought about hiking Spire peak to the South of AZ-82, but I ran out of time. Had I got an earlier start, I would have probably done that hike, however, the timing worked out well. By the time I got back to Tucson, I was able to stop and get a Jersey Mike's sub - #55 The Big Kahuna cheesesteak. Then, I rushed home from there to watch the Steelers Texans NFL playoff game. This could be Aaron Rogers last game, but I guess it depends on if he wants to play another season. As of now, the Texans are ahead quite a bit in the end of the 4th quarter.
Stats:
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Distance (round trip): 6.97 miles
AEG: 1,485 feet
Strava moving time: 3 hrs 24 mins
Strava elapsed time: 5 hrs 8 mins
Directions:
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From Tucson, take I-10 East toward Benson.
Take exit 302 for AZ-90 E toward Ft Huachuca/Sierra Vista.
Continue on AZ-90 E for approx. 18.8 miles.
Turn right onto AZ-82 W, continue for 4.5 mi.
Look for a pullout on the right side of the road.
Park here and look for nearby sign stating 'foot access allowed'.
There is a primitive gate here that has some locks halfway up the post.
The top left corner of the gate had a piece of wire that I was able to unwrap.
The bottom left corner of the gate had the post set into a wire loop.
To make a long story short I was able to tilt the gate in a way where I was able to STEP OVER the locks.
Not sure whether the land owners did this intentionally or not.
The locks sort of contradict the 'foot access allowed' sign.
If foot access is really allowed, why are there any locks period?
Either way, I got through the gate easily and then put it back the way I found it.
By the way, on the way out, I found a low spot on the barbed wire fence and was able to step over it.
A taller person will have no trouble doing this.
See my route for that location. |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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