username
X
password
register
for free!
help
ArticlesGuidesRoutes
 
Photosets
 
 Comments
triplogs   photosets   labels comments more
High Peak Road #507 - 9 members in 75 triplogs have rated this an average 3.4 ( 1 to 5 best )
1, 2, 3, 4  Next
75 triplogs
login for filter options
Mar 17 2025
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Snowshoeing avatar Mar 17 2025
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Snowshoeing2.50 Miles 350 AEG
Snowshoeing2.50 Miles
350 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
So with the recent snowfall, I was able to get in a snowshoe this season after all!
Took High Peak road just up to the big meadow and back.
Snowshoes were a must for about 80% of the road.
Beautiful up there and with wispy clouds added to the scenery.
:D
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Oct 22 2024
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 22 2024
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking10.50 Miles 1,650 AEG
Hiking10.50 Miles
1,650 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Partners partners
AddSanz
We took a new friend up who just moved here to the Gila Valley.
Thought a good one to show her would be to the top to look down on her new home!
Aspens were poppin' all the way to the top.
Saw a few familiar HAZ names in the register.
Clear blue sky, a gentle breeze with perfect temps ... love this time of the year!
Up top we talked with the Fort Grant fire crew who were there planting new seedlings (Douglas firs).
The last 2 attempts have failed, hopefully this is the year they take hold :pray:

Our new partner was awesome, we had a great time, thank you Graham!
:D
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Oct 15 2024
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 15 2024
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking5.00 Miles 650 AEG
Hiking5.00 Miles
650 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Checking on the fall colors.
Up to the 2nd meadow and back.
33/33/33 leaf colors.
Sunset coffee at the Shake Trail.
:)
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Sep 29 2024
avatar

 Guides 170
 Routes 148
 Photos 5,914
 Triplogs 2,097

48 male
 Joined Apr 12 2004
 Tucson, AZ
Big Creek Trail #320ATucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 29 2024
PrestonSandsTriplogs 2,097
Hiking9.90 Miles 1,920 AEG
Hiking9.90 Miles
1,920 ft AEG
 
Linked   linked  
Partners none no partners
Following a relaxing morning in camp, it was time to hit the trail for an old favorite destination. I considered starting on High Peak Road, but I was curious what remained of Big Creek Trail, one of my old favorites. I parked near Hospital Flat and saw my ancient cairn still next to the road, and started up the now mostly vanished beginning of the old logging road that is/was Big Creek Trail. The bottom 2/3 of the route was still navigable, but no longer resembled a trail. Upon reaching the big switchback, I was greeted with a massive erosion scar where the road had once been. I carefully bypassed the dirt cliff as I entered the worst of the Frye Fire burn scar. The “Tree Tunnel” was long gone, and aspens, millions of them, began crowding what remained of the trail. I squeezed, climbed, and crawled through an absolute thicket of aspens for a half mile until I reached the top end of the trail at High Peak Road. Took me just under an hour to reach this point. I miss the old days of Engelmann spruce and Corkbark fir providing a shady, sheltered feel to the top part of the trail.

I then continued up the road to its end at the top of the mountain, enjoying perfect weather, beautiful fall aspen color, and cloudless skies the whole way. The views were amazing as always. Checked out the register and roamed around on top for a bit, checking out the re-vegetation trees that had been planted up there over the years and their progress. Growth is slow, but anything is good on top of the denuded mountain.

With afternoon growing late I began the downward trek, opting to not take Big Creek Trail back and instead add some extra distance. I had not seen anyone the entire hike until I came across some random dude who was parked in the trees with his motorcycle. I think we were both surprised to see each other. As I hiked down, motorcycle guy rode his bike up and down the road for a ways several times, passing me each time, for no apparent reason that I could figure. Seemed like a weirdo. I bypassed the bottom section of the road and motorcycle guy by hopping up and over a ridge and dropping back down to the Swift Trail, which I followed back to my truck, getting there as darkness fell.

I camped out once again at Hagens, enjoying stars, a great book, and a more level tent site than the previous night.

My verdict on Big Creek Trail: it can still be used as a loop option with High Peak Road, though I wouldn’t recommend it. It will need someone to mow a path through the aspen thickets to be an enjoyable trail again.
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
_____________________
"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan
  1 archive
Sep 27 2024
avatar

 Guides 41
 Routes 1,626
 Photos 14,983
 Triplogs 2,762

69 male
 Joined Jan 20 2009
 Far NE Phoenix,
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 27 2024
The_EagleTriplogs 2,762
Hiking10.05 Miles 1,619 AEG
Hiking10.05 Miles   3 Hrs   40 Mns   2.91 mph
1,619 ft AEG      13 Mns Break12 LBS Pack
 
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Partners partners
johnlp
trekkin_gecko
Route Scout Route Recorded  on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX
After a close encounter driving to the Pinalenos, with a horse meandering across the road in front of us on the Rez and a bear jumping across in front of us on the Swift Trail, we made it to our campsite at Soldier Creek Campground.

With the furnace set to high in the valley, we expected a full house, but we were pleasantly surprised to find only one other site occupied for both nights we were there.

We also made two other stops prior to camp: one to pick a few apples at the orchard and another so John could check in with his girlfriend Denise at the Visitors Center and get their schedules in sync.

Once we had camp set up, it was off to High Peak Road to start our hike.

Averaging a bit over 300 feet of elevation gain per mile, it was a pleasant stroll. Evidence of the 2017 Frye Fire was apparent but did not distract from the distant views and colors of early fall.

The peak view itself is okay, but the view walking a couple of hundred yards to the north, back to the two-track, was much better. Close to the top: [ youtube video ]

We found the register and added our names. We located one of the reference marks but were unable to find the peak marker. Finally, we reached the top of another one of the 27 peaks in Arizona above 10,000 feet.

Pleasant temperatures in the 60s for the hike! (or about half what it was in the valley)
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
_____________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry 🦅
  5 archives
Sep 27 2024
avatar

 Guides 10
 Routes 673
 Photos 7,281
 Triplogs 4,660

67 female
 Joined Nov 17 2008
 phoenix, az
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 27 2024
trekkin_geckoTriplogs 4,660
Hiking9.70 Miles 1,647 AEG
Hiking9.70 Miles   3 Hrs   40 Mns   2.81 mph
1,647 ft AEG      13 Mns Break
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Partners partners
johnlp
The_Eagle
mount graham has been on all of our wish lists for years
this trip was a reschedule from june
given the recent heat wave, temps were fine and it was a nice break
drove up to soldier creek and set up camp
bruce successfully dodged a horse on the rez and a bear on the swift trail on the way
parked off high peak road and headed up
a road walk the entire hike except for the summit
good views of heliograph peak and the surrounding area, in part due to a significant burn from the frye fire
spent a few minutes at the summit, headed back down and returned to camp
we all thought there would be more people up on the mountain, but only one other party in soldier creek campground
nice to have a fire
temps dropped to maybe 50 at 9400 feet
no red squirrels were harmed
*using john's stats
 Meteorology
 Meteorology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Autumn - Color Foliage
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
_____________________
hazhole
  1 archive
Sep 27 2024
avatar

 Guides 1
 Routes 14
 Photos 7,202
 Triplogs 5,208

68 male
 Joined Mar 16 2008
 chandler,az
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 27 2024
johnlpTriplogs 5,208
Hiking9.70 Miles 1,647 AEG
Hiking9.70 Miles   3 Hrs   40 Mns   2.81 mph
1,647 ft AEG      13 Mns Break
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Partners partners
The_Eagle
trekkin_gecko
Day one of our three days hiking in the Pinalenos. Mount Graham was the target for our first hike. Not a difficult hike but the altitude had me slowed considerably. Felt better the next two days. Nice scenery even though there was a good amount of burned area from the Frye fire seven years ago.
We scored one of the best campsites on the mountain and were pretty much alone for the two nights we spent at Soldier Creek. Good first day. :)
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
_____________________
“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson
 
Aug 27 2024
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Aug 27 2024
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking4.50 Miles 600 AEG
Hiking4.50 Miles
600 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Up to the half way meadow and back under monsooney weather.
:D
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Apr 13 2024
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Apr 13 2024
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking3.00 Miles 348 AEG
Hiking3.00 Miles
348 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
One more snow hike before it's gone.
Up High Peak Rd to the first meadow.
Road up was 50/50 with snow.
Meadow was mostly covered, 3 feet deep in some places.
Had a hot chocolate & hammock.
Peaceful day.
:D
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Oct 26 2023
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 26 2023
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking3.00 Miles 300 AEG
Hiking3.00 Miles
300 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
One last trip up high to hike through the fall aspens.
Then a trip down to Jacobson Creek from Angle Orchard.
:)
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Oct 17 2023
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
Plain View Peak 10370Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 17 2023
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking9.30 Miles 1,500 AEG
Hiking9.30 Miles
1,500 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Partners partners
AddSanz
Wildest trip of the year candidate!

Headed up High Peak Road under warm mostly sunny skies ... 30% chance of thunderstorms.
Beautiful golden aspen colors throughout.
Arrived just below Plain View Peak to increasing stormy skies.
Within minutes that 30% turned into 90% thunderstorms with lightning strikes hitting above Mt Graham.
We made a quick decision to bag at least one peak and literally jogged up to Plain View Peak.
While I got my storm pics, Addie signed the register and we quickly jogged back down.
Lightning was now scary close and it BB size hailed on us the entire way back down finally letting up at High Peak meadow ... :pk:
Another mile down and we were back at the start safe & sound.
Crazy fun (to me) but, yikes!
We slow rolled the drive back down the mountain viewing the peak fall colors and counted 8 deer and at least 20 Abert's squirrels along the way.

A little intense, a little scary, a lot of fun ... we survived to hike another day!
:D
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Oct 10 2023
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 10 2023
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking5.00 Miles 800 AEG
Hiking5.00 Miles
800 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Up High Peak road to the Big Creek trail connector and back.
Met a nice couple at the first High Peak meadow, always rare to run into people up there.
Aspen colors are from green to gold, they need another week or two to peak.
Heliograph Peak and the eastern side of the mountain looks nice and golden ... and Grant Hill.

Fall colors driving up the Swift Trail above 6000 ft to Ladybug Saddle are popping good!

No wildlife spotted on top, but the always plentiful deer spotted on the drive back down.

It was a really nice day on Graham.
:D
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Oct 07 2023
avatar

 Guides 170
 Routes 148
 Photos 5,914
 Triplogs 2,097

48 male
 Joined Apr 12 2004
 Tucson, AZ
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 07 2023
PrestonSandsTriplogs 2,097
Hiking9.60 Miles 1,600 AEG
Hiking9.60 Miles
1,600 ft AEG
 
Linked   linked  
Partners partners
Jim
Day trip to the Pinalenos with Jim. First stop was Angle Orchard where we picked a ton of apples. Lots of other folks out picking too. Second stop was near the end of the pavement, where we started our hike up High Peak Road. Beautiful cool, fall weather and a gentle breeze. Lots of aspen color, near peak I’d say. Nice to see all the new aspen growth amidst the dead coniferous trees from the 2017 Frye Fire. In time Graham could be another Escudilla if the aspens survive. The wind picked near the summit and out came warm gear. Big thunderstorms over the White Mountains, didn’t expect to see that. Searched around and located the benchmark and register, saw several HAZ names in there. Headed back down around 5 pm in the cold wind. Amazing sunset with deep orange glow on the western horizon. Made for nice backlighting among the aspens. Got down after dark and then hopped in the 4Runner for the trip down the Swift Trail. Stopped at the Willcox truck stop on Fort Grant Road for dinner at Subway. Made it back to Tucson a little before 11pm, a 15 hour trip in total. Great day and fun adventure!
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
_____________________
"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan
 
Oct 07 2023
avatar

 Guides 73
 Routes 176
 Photos 10,174
 Triplogs 2,324

46 male
 Joined Sep 08 2006
 
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 07 2023
JimTriplogs 2,324
Hiking9.60 Miles 1,600 AEG
Hiking9.60 Miles
1,600 ft AEG10 LBS Pack
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Partners partners
PrestonSands
Preston drove (which was awesome!) for an Angle Orchard trip with a Mount Graham hike after. I picked 32 lbs and I believe he got 30 lbs. My haul was mostly Arkansas Black (perhaps 75%) and some Winesap, along with a few Fuji, blushing golden, and even a couple of Red Delicious, just because. I am most excited about those Arkansas Blacks as they store well, but also taste great. However, everything I sampled was actually really good, including those Red Delicious, which was why I bought them. Perhaps the dry summer and fall brought out some flavor? Very nice conditions in the orchard, too.

After apple picking, we went up the Swift Trail and started the hike. Fall color is visible from US 191, and will soon be near peak up top, perhaps later this week or next weekend. It was very colorful for the hike yesterday. The road has recently been driven by someone with a gate key, and the area closure sign is gone. As always, excellent views the entire hike, and the summit was nice. No flying snakes, this time, though. A few birds near the top, but with the wide open expanse up there, little wildlife is present. Preston found our 2022 summit register entries, along with 4 other HAZ members.

It was chilly for this hike, with summit temperatures probably in the mid to high 40s while we were up there. It was also windy at times, which made it colder, but the wind wasn't really that bad. We both found it comfortable hiking up, but after the summit coming down was a bit cold. We just needed a hat to help with the chill. Summer is over! Really, I think temps like that are a shock to me because I was walking around in 102 degrees on Friday and it felt more or less okay so long as I was in the shade.

Mount Graham ended up being my high point for 2023. My first year since 2006 where I didn't get up over 11,000', and specifically to or over 11,916' which was my yearly high when I hiked Mount Charleston in 2021. Every other year since 2006 I hiked Humphrey or better, up to Mount Whitney. So, while this is a new low high for me, I still managed to summit the high-point of SE Arizona, which is good.
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
_____________________
🍭
 
Sep 19 2023
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
Webb Peak from Ash Creek THTucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 19 2023
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking7.25 Miles 1,200 AEG
Hiking7.25 Miles
1,200 ft AEG
 no routes
Hardest hit area of the 2017 Frye Fire was the entire Webb Peak area.
95 percent tree mortality including the 1933 fire lookout tower.
After 6 years the outer trail has recently been redone all the way to the top.

We headed up to check it out parking at Columbine Corrals.
Hike - Down Ash Creek Trail :next: Up Webb Peak from Ash Creek :next: Lunch break under the lookout tower :next: Down Webb Peak Trail #345 to Columbine to complete the loop.
Basically you now hike through a 6 year old total burn area covered in dead grey pines with 6-20 foot aspens covering almost the entire forest floor. There were also ferns, wildflowers and a few green pines here and there. Kind of a surreal sight to see it like this, but wow ... this is going to be one hell of a great aspen forest in the coming years!
All the Webb trails are in great condition now, Ash Creek Trail below the T is a total disaster.

After our loop we drove back down the Swift Trail for a short hike up High Peak road to the old bottle dump I dug a few days earlier. Had an extra person to help me haul down some more of the cool bottles I uncovered. These old bottles will decorate our cactus gardens.

Webb Peak now looks completely different from all my younger days of hiking the area, but there is a new mysterious beauty to these burn areas that is starting to grow on me.

Happy to see this loop again and happy to see it with the person I hiked it with just before the fire.
:D
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Sep 15 2023
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 15 2023
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking3.00 Miles 250 AEG
Hiking3.00 Miles
250 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Treasure hike!
Took High Peak road up a bit to an old forest bottle dump that was shown to me many years ago.
Spent 2 hours digging out approx 50 bottles with 1 coca-cola bottle (Safford, AZ on bottom) as the big prize :y:
Headed back down with 8 bottles and 2 silver spoons loaded in my haversack ... top shelf stuff!
The mountain was beautiful at 9000 feet, leaves are changing color, still plenty of wildflowers and very green with a 50/50 cloudy sky and temps in the 60's.
Saw a Black-Tail rattlesnake on the drive up, 6 gobblers at the start of my hike, several white-tail deer along the way and a dead Twin Spotted rattlesnake on the road driving back down.

Treasures, high mountain scenery & lots of critters ... It was good!
:D
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
  1 archive
Jul 16 2023
avatar

 Routes 31
 Photos 4,724
 Triplogs 187

50 male
 Joined Mar 14 2016
 Gold Canyon, AZ
Big Creek Trail #320ATucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 16 2023
00blackoutTriplogs 187
Hiking11.00 Miles 2,100 AEG
Hiking11.00 Miles   4 Hrs   36 Mns   2.39 mph
2,100 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Partners none no partners
With being over in Chicago the past week, not being able to hike and the disgusting heat here I headed over to the Pinalenos. My original plan was to hike High Peak Road to the top, head over on the connector road and take Big Creek Trail back down for a nice loop. Started up High Peak Road, which is in good shape pretty much the entire way to the top but does have a good amount of 4-5 foot tall Aspens growing on it. Made it up to the top and started making my way over to the Big Creek Trail but took a break in the shade first. As I was getting ready to head down, I noticed that I was only a couple miles from the top of Mt. Graham (elevation 10,720 feet) and the threat of thunderstorms was pretty low, so I decided to continue up the mountain. The last half mile up was a slog, the continuous up and higher humidity killed my energy so I took a nice break once on top before heading back down. On the way down I was torn on taking the Big Creek Trail back down or staying on the High Peak road since I already knew it's condition. I choose to head down the Big Creek Trail which unfortunately was the wrong decision. There was an initial trail that turned into a Aspen, deadfall mess. I fought my way through the mess for a good mile before I came to a small switchback and the trail cleared up (too bad it was only for a minute). As I came to Big Creek there was a pretty good sized wash out where the trail would be. I 'slid' down into the wash out and took a quick break to study my route. I hiked a little ways down the wash out and climbed back out. Still not finding the trail and with the route I had downloaded a bit confusing at this spot I continued down the side of a large drainage, only to come to another large washout, which I had to climb down and back out of again. Covered in dirt I was finally able to find a small resemblance of a trail and hike it back down to the Swift Trail (it took me 3 hours to hike this 3 mile section). It was roughly a half mile walk on the dirt road but it felt like a lot more then that as I was covered in dirt and exhausted. Made it back to my truck and enjoyed the drive back down the mountain. Temps were a perfect 68 degrees to start my hike and the temp gauge was showing 79 as I was driving down. Came across two mountain bikers on High Peak Road and two hikers up near High Peak Cienega and a ton of deer all day.

*Disclaimer - because a portion of this hike is in the Red Squirrel Refugium area which is a closed area, this hike was just a dream that I had as I would never enter the illegal area. The pics are what I dreamt of. :) :lol:
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate
_____________________
Hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee. :y:
 
Oct 19 2022
avatar

 Guides 4
 Photos 4,732
 Triplogs 2,607

55 male
 Joined Sep 29 2004
 Small Town USA
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Oct 19 2022
SkyIslander18Triplogs 2,607
Hiking4.00 Miles 500 AEG
Hiking4.00 Miles
500 ft AEG
 no routes
Partners none no partners
Weather forecast - Partly cloudy with slight breeze high of 42 degrees.
What I got at 9000 ft - Fully in the clouds with winds at 25, gusts up to 45 and cold AF!
I first hiked up to High Peak meadow to meet some crazy extreme weather. The aspens were golden and looked spectacular in the clouds, but I could only tolerate about an hour up there in that weather.
Next up was back down and around the mountain to Twilight. There I met the partly cloudy with slight breeze forecast. Hiked around the bend to the Heliograph Peak view and back.
Twilight CG was empty so I took advantage and had a nice quite dinner with campfire.
While sipping hot chocolate I had a lone coati wander through the campground 8)
Drove back down at sunset.
Swift Trail colors are popping and aspens are golden (on High Peak).
:D
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
_____________________
https://www.instagram.com/skyislander22/
 
Sep 17 2022
avatar

 Guides 170
 Routes 148
 Photos 5,914
 Triplogs 2,097

48 male
 Joined Apr 12 2004
 Tucson, AZ
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 17 2022
PrestonSandsTriplogs 2,097
Hiking9.60 Miles 1,600 AEG
Hiking9.60 Miles   5 Hrs   25 Mns   2.06 mph
1,600 ft AEG      45 Mns Break
 
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners partners
Jim
Jim invited me on a trip to Mount Graham and Angle Orchard and I happily joined. It would be my first time in the Pinalenos in 5 years. We arrived at Angle Orchard mid morning and picked a ridiculous amount of apples. Lots of others doing the same. Did a short side hike to Cluff Dairy after that.

We started toward our main hike destination a bit after 1 in beautiful, sunny, breezy, cool conditions. This was my first time on High Peak Road following the 2017 Frye Fire, and I was curious to see how the mountain was recovering. In many places where the Frye burned, aspen are coming up, some places quite dense, and lots of grass in other areas. Blackened matchsticks are dominant for the majority of the west side of the road. Interesting to see a sign for the Hawkins Trail. That was new when I was there last, but no sign then. Not sure if it would be navigable or not.

We made our way at a pleasant pace up to the summit and then out to a rocky promontory overlooking the Gila Valley. Jim noticed a rattlesnake that we nearly stepped on among the rocks, I had no idea they were up this high. Turned out to be a Twin-Spotted Rattlesnake, my first time seeing one. We lingered a while on the summit, enjoying the views and appreciating the special place that we were at, and signed the register. Jim mentioned a replanting project that had taken place, which I wanted to see, so we detoured a bit on the way down. We counted quite a few young, 1-2 foot tall Engelmann spruce and corkbark fir trees that had been planted, apparently in 2018, based on the box of dead seedling trees we came across stuffed between some logs. Seeing those little trees, the beginnings of a new forest (hopefully), made me smile.

The sun was getting lower on the horizon on our way down, with golden sunset light giving way to dusk as we reached the trailhead. We drove down the mountain, stopped for dinner in Willcox at Subway, and then headed back to Tucson.

It felt so nice to be in the Pinalenos again, like a lost part of me had come back to life. Seeing the mountain right after the 2017 Frye Fire had been such a depressing (and traumatic) sight that it had kept me away for 5 years. The mountain sustained heavy damage and won’t be the same in my lifetime, but I still love it dearly. It’s wounds and mine are beginning to heal.
_____________________
"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan
  2 archives
Sep 17 2022
avatar

 Guides 73
 Routes 176
 Photos 10,174
 Triplogs 2,324

46 male
 Joined Sep 08 2006
 
High Peak Road #507Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Sep 17 2022
JimTriplogs 2,324
Hiking9.60 Miles 1,600 AEG
Hiking9.60 Miles   5 Hrs   25 Mns   1.77 mph
1,600 ft AEG10 LBS Pack
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Partners partners
PrestonSands
Apple picking and hike in the Pinalenos. Preston and I both picked 30 lbs, and then hiked to High Peak. Really excellent air quality and visibility. 4 Peaks, Ord, Mazatzal Peak, the Mogollon Rim, Nantac Rim, Baldy, and the Mogollon Mts were all clear. The valley looked good, too.

Despite finding several boxes of never planted and long dead seedlings, perhaps hundreds of them, there are some half decent spruce and firs slowly establishing near the top. Maybe in 20 years a return to see the emerging forest. There are a few douglas firs mixing in naturally, and even a ponderosa. It was a little chilly and windy, but I think it was better than the Canyon wind forecast.
_____________________
🍭
 
average hiking speed 2.46 mph
1, 2, 3, 4  Next

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

helpcommentissue

end of page marker