Signal Peak 4877 - KOFA • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Nov 13 2024
		Mike_W • Triplogs 528

Hiking	6.00 Miles	2,764 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles	4 Hrs	1.50 mph
	2,764 ft AEG

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Signal peak is a county high point. It's been on our radar for year and we finally took the time to drive out and hike it. We also hiked Ten Ewe mountain on the way back which was a pretty steep climb with some scrambling involved. There were cairns on both routes but I would highly recommend having a route for both hikes if you attempt them.

We made it to the trailhead using a rear wheel drive high clearance Ford F-350 van. If the road is dry, you should be able to make it to the trailhead using any high clearance vehicle.

Driving directions: Take I-10 from Phx/Tucson West to Quartzsite, AZ. Take US-95 South to Palm Canyon Rd. Turn Left. Continue for 3 miles to junction. Turn left to continue on Kofa Queen Canyon Rd. At this point the road will get a bit rougher but any high clearance vehicle should be fine. Continue for 6.9 miles to Skull rock area which will be North of the road. From Skull rock area, continue another 0.7 miles to Signal peak trailhead.

Trailhead location is at 33.368593, -114.061863.

...

Stats (including Ten Ewe peak):
-------
Distance (round trip) = 6 miles
AEG = 2,764 feet
Strava moving time = 4 hrs 0 mins
Elapsed time = 8 hrs 52 mins

_____________________

Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us

Mar 26 2024

PatrickL

Guides 7
Routes 79
Photos 2,440
Triplogs 652

34 male

Joined Jan 10 2010
Pomona, CA

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Mar 26 2024
		PatrickL • Triplogs 652

Hiking	4.26 Miles	2,300 AEG

Hiking	4.26 Miles	3 Hrs 7 Mns		1.55 mph
	2,300 ft AEG	22 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

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The plan was to hit Signal Peak and Cunningham. The math was solid - despite leaving Phoenix at 8:30am, I theoretically had time to bag them both before sundown. Turned out to be a one-and-done. Either way, I wanted to hike Signal later in the afternoon for good light so it worked out. Lots of driving for a 3 hour hike, but I'd do it again.

The drive from Palm Canyon Road to the trailhead took longer than expected. My tire tread has seen better days so I took my time. An Outback is suitable enough as far as ground clearance goes, but it's close - according to the amount of rocks hitting my skidplate, anything lower would be a total bummer. Good tires recommended for all of the pumpkin rocks.

I hit the trail around 12:30pm - it's easy to follow 95% of the time, and it climbs in a hurry. The slippery sections aren't so bad going up but they slow you down on the descent. Reached the peak in about 1h15m. The views up there are killer. I walked to the southeast of Signal to a cliff overlooking the eastern end of the Kofas - the unobstructed view is well worth it.

Coming down didn't go quite as quick as I wanted it to, again, pretty slippery in some spots. I got back to the car around 3:50pm. I clocked the drive out on Kofa Queen Canyon and it took me an hour to reach Palm Canyon Rd. Cunningham loomed in the distance while on 95, just wasn't in the cards today. Will have to bag it along with Castle Dome in the future.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

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Apr 07 2023

ncurtisi

Triplogs 5

36 male

Joined Jun 13 2011
Mesa, AZ

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Apr 07 2023
		ncurtisi • Triplogs 5

Hiking	4.72 Miles	2,333 AEG

Hiking	4.72 Miles	3 Hrs 5 Mns		1.53 mph
	2,333 ft AEG		20 LBS Pack

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Great hike. Arrived a little before 9. I missed the TH at first. Had to backtrack. It's hidden on like an inlet off of Kofa Queen Canyon Rd. I don't think I would have found it without help from the posters on here. It's about 10.75 miles from where you turn off of 95S. The road brings you by Skull Rock, which is worth stopping to look out.

At the TH, there's some metal fenceposts that indicate the way. I had a difficult time staying on the trail at first. Wasn't quite sure I was on it for the first half mile or so. At that point, the elevation starts in earnest and you can see the trail a little easier. There's a lot of scrambling and elevation gain for a little more than a mile before it gets rocky. Keep watching for cairns.

I got distracted by sheep and lost the trail again, but, man, were the sheep cool. After a couple wrong guesses, found the summit log on Signal Peak. Walked to the solar panels just for fun.

The view from the top was worth every step. Finished just before noon and the overhead sun was heating up the desert.

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Feb 05 2023

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Signal 10 Ewe, AZ

Hiking		Feb 05 2023
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	5.07 Miles	2,893 AEG

Hiking	5.07 Miles	5 Hrs 31 Mns	1.19 mph
	2,893 ft AEG	1 Hour 15 Mns Break

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Jaxbe22

After Ol' Smokey yesterday, this one was a last minute decision based on the surprise of finding the campsite at Skull Rock unoccupied. No reason to put in effort to drive anywhere else when this option is a mile away! Because it wasn't planned though, I didn't have the route loaded which made this repeat visit a little bit more adventurous.

Last time I took the ramp around the side of 10 Ewe and remembered it being a nice route. It's still a suitable way to go, but Jaclyn was hurling obscenities at me due to the loose footing and a bit of exposure. After taking the traditional route down, I can confirm it is far easier. But I STILL recommend the round the mountain ramp for those who enjoy being different.

It was windy and cold on Signal, much less so on 10 Ewe, with some calm spots and some crazy windy spots along the way up and down. Followed up with the traditional trip to the Yacht Club.

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

3 archives

Dec 17 2022

GrangerGuy

Guides 34
Routes 138
Photos 931
Triplogs 111

68 male

Joined Dec 26 2018
Phoenix, AZ

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Dec 17 2022
		GrangerGuy • Triplogs 111

Hiking	4.04 Miles	2,108 AEG

Hiking	4.04 Miles	6 Hrs 31 Mns		0.73 mph
	2,108 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	15 LBS Pack

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After camping overnight along the road, I started out from the car at 7:50 am. It was 37°. A little cold, but not bad if I kept moving. The trail is easy to follow. At the road it is marked by a couple of fence posts, and there are cairns all along the trail. This is a great hike to start at sunrise, and watch the sun work its way down on the peaks.

There was a little snow on the trail, and occasionally a frozen pool, but the ice and snow were never a problem. Lots of vegetation here: manzanita, barrel cactus, yucca, ocotillo, prickly pear, brittlebush, cholla, and grass everywhere. I heard but did not see a spotted towhee on the way up. The guide is correct: this trail is steep. And when it is not steep, it’s steeper. I had to shorten my poles to 105 cm on the way up, and extend to the max on the way down.

It took me three hours to get to the top. Lots of people report two hours or so, but 3 hours would be typical for me for a hike like this. I spent an hour on the top. There was sun, no wind, and I enjoyed reading the summit register while eating my lunch. A shout out to earlier HAZers I saw in the log: Dixie Flyer (12/21/20), Jim_H (3/29/18), Ben Chumley (1/21/18). There was an enigmatic signature by Mrs. Fred Becky (sic) Seattle (1/17/16). Wasn’t sure what to make of that one.

Going down was quicker. I started to see other hikers as I headed down, including a couple who were obviously spooked by the steep trail. Although, I would say the road was definitely high clearance, there was a VW Golf at the trailhead when I left. Not sure how they made it there.

Jan 16 2021

clayncallaway

Guides 1
Routes 168
Photos 384
Triplogs 161

32 male

Joined Aug 13 2017
Tempe

Signal Ten Ewe, AZ

Hiking		Jan 16 2021
		clayncallaway • Triplogs 161

Hiking	5.43 Miles	2,816 AEG

Hiking	5.43 Miles	5 Hrs 59 Mns		1.10 mph
	2,816 ft AEG	1 Hour 3 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

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Finally made it out to Kofa. A 94 GMC 2500 made it out to the trailhead with street tires. It was a little sandy in spots. Took things real slow for the first mile to soak up all the new views. We decided to hit Ten Ewe first and then popped over to Signal after that with a bonus excursion to check out some solar panels.

Kofa reminds me of the Superstitions but it doesn't have the Superstitions vibe where you feel like everything is trying to kill you.

We saw five Bighorn Sheep. Fantastic day.

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Dec 27 2020

Pixie87

Photos 4
Triplogs 4

female

Joined May 25 2017
Phoenix, AZ

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Dec 27 2020
		Pixie87 • Triplogs 4

Hiking	5.03 Miles	2,049 AEG

Hiking	5.03 Miles	3 Hrs 40 Mns	1.37 mph
	2,049 ft AEG

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What a beautiful hike! The trail was marked w/cairns and was easy to follow. The surrounding area was busy w/campers.

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Dec 21 2020

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Kofa NWR - Signal and 10U, AZ

Hiking		Dec 21 2020
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	5.90 Miles	2,657 AEG

Hiking	5.90 Miles	5 Hrs 21 Mns	1.82 mph
	2,657 ft AEG	2 Hrs 6 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Benchmark Cactuscat Pose Cag Shot HAZ Decal Reference Mark Summit Register Log

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I hiked up to Signal Peak and Ten Ewe Mountain in early January of this year, and I enjoyed the hike so much that I decided to do a repeat.

Queen Canyon Road seemed a little better this time. There were a few sandy sections that might be trouble if you didn't have a 4WD vehicle, but an SUV would probably have enough clearance. However, there are a few rocky sections that could be an issue with a standard street tire.

We went up Signal first and then over to Ten Ewe. The trek up through Ten Ewe Canyon was steep, but it was well cairned and the trail was generally easy to follow. The scenery was great all the way through the canyon, and I was glad that we were in the shade on the way up. Once we got to Signal, we hung out at the summit for a while and enjoyed the views. I located the benchmark and two reference marks.

The climb up to Ten Ewe was the highlight of the hike for me. When you look at Ten Ewe from a distance, you wonder how you'll be able to summit it. There is chute to go through for the initial climb; the upper part of the chute is a class 3 climb, but it is narrow and you can use the walls of the chute on either side to pull yourself up. Beyond the chute there are a couple of fairly easy class 3 climbs to make before getting to the summit. There are great views at the summit, and we enjoyed being up there. I did not see any survey marks at the summit. On the way down from the summit, we initially went east to avoid the first class 3 downclimb. We then descended Ten Ewe the way we came up, and made our way back to the TH.

On the way to Signal, we saw 3 bighorn sheep when we got to the first saddle. We saw another bighorn on the way down from Signal as we neared the turn to go to Ten Ewe.

It was a great day in the Kofa's, which to me are like the Supes without the crowds. We did not see another human on the hike.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bighorn Sheep

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Castle Dome Peak Squaw Peak Ten Ewe Canyon Ten Ewe Mountain

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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

Apr 11 2020

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Apr 11 2020
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	3.49 Miles	2,049 AEG

Hiking	3.49 Miles
	2,049 ft AEG

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Katie and I toured Kofa this weekend. We hiked Signal Peak, Palm Canyon and Tunnel Spring via a scenic drive of MST&T, 22 Burro Canyon Road. We wondered if we might catch some late flowers before we headed out and as it turned out, we seemed to have caught Kofa in nearly a super bloom. Poppies lined the roads all weekend and they were substantial during the hike up Signal.

We started by heading to Signal Peak Saturday. We snagged the skull site in the morning and hiked the peak in the afternoon. The hike up Signal was as steep as I had remembered, but the four dogs Katie and myself managed and we were at the summit before we knew it. The poppies were pretty spectacular down low along with the ocotillo and the rest of the pretty weeds. One person had actually reached the summit before us that day and we ran into a couple of parties on the way down. We got rained on and then hailed on during our descent. The rain and hail was consistent enough to get the dry falls trickling on the way down. This was perhaps one of my more memorable desert hikes. The clouds made the views spectacular and the wildflowers were as robust as I have ever seen in the desert anywhere. I told Katie on the way down, maybe the best desert mountain scenery to date that I have seen. The rest of the weekend did not disappoint. The Kofas are simply stunning right now.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Kofa Skull Rock

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
Kofa is currently having a bit of a super bloom right now.

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1 archive

Jan 08 2020

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,484
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,374

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Signal - Ten Ewe - Cunningham, AZ

Hiking		Jan 08 2020
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	9.00 Miles	4,613 AEG

Hiking	9.00 Miles	6 Hrs 13 Mns	1.75 mph
	4,613 ft AEG	1 Hour 5 Mns Break

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Cunningham Mountain

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I was wanting to add Signal Peak to my state county high-pointer list, and I did not want to go all the way there just for one peak, so I decided to also add 10U, aka Ten Ewe Mountain, and Cunningham Mountain.

I did Cunningham Peak first, and I followed the advice of @Jim_H and took the Pipeline Road off of Highway 95. The GPS coordinates for the turn are: 33.54607, -114.21717. It was a straight shot on this road for about 7.5 miles to where I parked just below a locked gate on the road up to the peak. The drive in was easy, although there was one place near Tyson Wash that was a bit washed out; a low clearance vehicle might have some difficulty at this spot; otherwise, most any vehicle could make it to the TH. I posted a GPS of my drive to the TH -- even though it is intuitive how to get to the TH, I still managed to take a couple of wrong turns for short distances.

The hike up to Cunningham was a contant, steep climb, and you start going uphill immediately. It is about 1.7 miles to the summit and you climb up 1,775'. There are lots of antennae at the top, which didn't really excite me. However, the views were great and I thought that it was a worthwhile climb. There were sections on the road up that were paved, which reminded me to Thompsons Peak in the MdDowells. I saw one benchmark disk on the summit.

After descending Cunningham, I took the Pipeline Road back to Highway 95 and made my way to the start point for the hike to Signal and 10U. To get the start point was about a 50 minute drive off of Highway 95 -- you'd definitely want a HCV for the drive; a 4WD vehicle would be best, but I imagine that a skillful driver could get there in a HC 2WD vehicle in dry weather.

The route descriptions in the guides for these 2 peaks provided by @chumley were very accurate, and I did not have much trouble getting to the summits. There was a pretty good use trail for most of the way to Signal Peak, along with a number of cairns. I had the default GPS track which was helpful. There were good views on top of Signal, and I found 3 benchmark disks up there. I signed the summit log, and noticed that @Jim_H had been up there.

The hike/climb up to 10U was the highlight of the day -- getting up there was fun, fun, fun! I went up a chute that had a bit of vegetation in it, but it wasn't bad. After that there was a bit of class 3 climbing to get to the summit, but to me there was nothing that was "sketchy". I enjoyed the views up there, but did not stay too long because it was getting late in the day. I did not see a summit log book or any benchmark disks up there.

The Kofa's are pretty neat -- as some have mentioned, the range is similar to the Supes in some respects. I'd certainly like to do some exploring in the Kofa Mountains!

I had a great time hiking these 3 peaks, especially 10U -- I may start warming up to hiking the desert peaks that are west of Phoenix! Peakbaggers may have an interest in Cunningham and Signal, as both are P2K summits, i.e., both have 2,000 feet or more of topographic prominence. In addition, Signal Peak is one of the 15 county high-pointers in AZ.

The mileage and elevation gain for the 2 hikes are below:
1)Cunningham: 3.4 miles with an AEG of 1,775'
2)Signal and Ten Ewe: 5.6 miles with an AEG of 2,838'

The stats above are the sum of the two.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Cairn Reference Mark Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cunningham Mountain Signal Peak Ten Ewe Mountain

_____________________

Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

2 archives

Mar 29 2018

Jim

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

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Mar 29 2018
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	9.49 Miles	2,650 AEG

Hiking	9.49 Miles	6 Hrs		2.11 mph
	2,650 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

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Short on options and time, I settled in at a camp just up the road from last year's site, to hike this the next day. Nice views of Castle Dome at sunset from my spot. I then parked just out of the canyon/ wash at a spot I hiked to last year, adding in the same road stats of 5 mile and 600' AEG. Somehow, I found the road to be in excellent shape, way better than anything else out here, and improved from last year. No large boulders, and I could have and should have driven up except for the added excercise, which I liked and wanted.

Much nicer this year, but time strapped. Warm, pleasant, and not windy. Skipped 10 Ewe, but that wasn't so great. Had a good time. This wasn't on my radar, but I was able to warm up for it, and was really happy I hiked it, as it sure is neat to observe from lots of places, including miles and miles away on I-8 just west of Gila Bend.

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1 archive

Mar 10 2018

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Signal TeN EWe, AZ

Hiking		Mar 10 2018
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	5.35 Miles	2,974 AEG

Hiking	5.35 Miles	3 Hrs 46 Mns	1.54 mph
	2,974 ft AEG	17 Mns Break

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I had an in town commitment that required me to choose a short hike. This pair is always a winner.

My plan was to explore a potential NEW ascent route of Ten Ewe from the "ramp" that climbs the southwest face. I'd read online somewhere that somebody had gone that way before and I'd never really considered it. The satellite photo makes it look like you could drive your Jeep up it if you had good enough tires. But photos can be deceiving.

Approaching it, I was pretty leery as the slope looked very narrow and steeply angled to the very exposed abyss below. Once there though, I was able to find a reasonably safe route with minimal light climbing and not much brush. This approach is much more scenic than the chute on the north side and I'd recommend this route be part of a lasso loop to the peak for anybody hitting this one in the future.

I also established that traveling between Ten Ewe and Summit Peak would be possible, which might make for a fun day sometime.

The weather was a treat. It rained all day, and I enjoyed seeing this range under a cloud of gray and rain. Three times the rain came down heavy enough that I ducked into a cave for a few minutes to wait it out. It didn't seem cold, but it was only 55 at my truck when I finished, so it might have been in the upper 40s up top. There was a nice breeze to go along with the stinging drizzle.

Of course, it makes no sense to be that close to a county high point and not actually hit it, so I made sure to bag Signal Peak too.

A fantastic day all around!

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

2 archives

Mar 25 2017

Jim

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

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Mar 25 2017
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	9.00 Miles	3,250 AEG

Hiking	9.00 Miles	7 Hrs 20 Mns		1.42 mph
	3,250 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	10 LBS Pack

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I drove out Friday and camped to give myself more time for this hike, and that was a smart choice given how long the drive takes. I probably could have made it all the way to the TH, but meeting a vehicle going down wash I opted to back up and park in a side spot to let them pass. I then decided that since I might be able to hike as fast as I could drive, and there were some large boulder in the next stretch, I would just park and walk. I was 1.5 miles from the TH according to Todd's mileage in the directions, and my car odometer. After the next section it was really smooth, but I liked the walk. Lots of poppies, too.

Maybe I was tired, or who knows what, but I was surprised that walking down wash I somehow chose the wrong two-track, which seemed impossible, but I ended up going a mile down wash from my car (per my odometer driving out) before I realized I was way past my parking area. I turned back, and found my car easier going up canyon. This error, when added to Ten Ewe's additional stats gives me 5 miles more and 600 additional feet. Except that brush in the wash hid my car, I couldn't believe I did that.

The hike is pretty enjoyable with a well worn trail right now, all the way to the summit of Signal. Clearly, the county high point status must draw them out. No one seems to do Ten Ewe, as that was rougher and there was no obvious trail. I made a nice large cairn in the gully below the tight squeeze. Views were not as good as last time on Castle Dome, low level haze from the breeze may have been to blame. It was cooler or cold, too. Only in the mid-70s in the canyon, so colder on top. Unlike on CD, there was a stiff breeze, too.

This hike feels far different than Castle Dome. I felt like I was in the western Superstitions, but with fewer people. The canyon live oaks in the upper canyon add a feel that is not western desert, in mind. Also, I saw a lot of people camping out here, some ATVers in the canyon, and 2 people coming down from the summit. The massif is really impressive coming in from the north, and it photographs well. However, I think Todd's group hikes account for the greater number of logs for this hike, compared to Castle Dome.

So far, given my December trip, my last trip, and this one, I confirmed that I like the KofA best when hotter, as in the low 90s. Fewer people, and more pleasant for me.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Shrub live oak

Wildflowers Observation Extreme
Poppies and lupines, and lots of colors with no crowds!

	Indian Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Upper Canyon seeping and flowing, with a lot of large pools. In the section with oaks.

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Mar 03 2017

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

KOFA sampler, AZ

Hiking		Mar 03 2017
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	15.00 Miles	5,000 AEG

Hiking	15.00 Miles	8 Hrs 30 Mns	1.76 mph
	5,000 ft AEG

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Castle Dome Peak - KOFA

Palm Canyon - KOFA

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Started with an early morning ascent of excellent Castle Dome Peak on a very well-cairned and established route that's better than a lot of official trails I've been on, with some fun scrambling and 3rd class near the top. Then Palm Canyon, short and interesting. Then Signal Peak, another good climb to a big summit, also follows a well-established route.

Visited Castle Dome Mining Museum the previous day, its well worth the $10 and a couple of hours.

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Dec 10 2016

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Signal and Ten Ewe, AZ

Hiking		Dec 10 2016
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	5.26 Miles	2,997 AEG

Hiking	5.26 Miles	3 Hrs 46 Mns	1.64 mph
	2,997 ft AEG	33 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	chumley	Dave1
	John9L	johnlp
	Tortoise_Hiker

Another great trip out to the KOFA Mountain Range. This time with more hiking partners and a fun group I must add. I think we all had a great day accompanied by perfect weather.

This range is just rugged and cool. I love it! On the way in and the way out I was reminded that I need to put Big Horn and Saddle Mountain on my to do list for the near future.

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Dec 10 2016

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Signal and Ten Ewe, AZ

Hiking		Dec 10 2016
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	5.26 Miles	2,997 AEG

Hiking	5.26 Miles	3 Hrs 46 Mns	1.64 mph
	2,997 ft AEG	33 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	Dave1	John9L
	johnlp	JuanJaimeiii
	Tortoise_Hiker

I had told Denny I would take him up Signal Peak in the Kofas as he pursues the AZ county highpoints. This is prime season to be in the Kofa, and I hadn't been since spring so it was nice to get back. We recruited Dave and three Johns to joins us on the day. Good thing everybody has a workable nickname. Specifying JJ9LP is much easier than everybody responding to "John"

We were at the trailhead in about 2:55, including a 15-minute morning breakfast stop, and on the trail by 9. We could have left a couple hours later since for some reason we made it a point of trying to keep up with JJ. :app:

County highpoint reached by 10:15. Spotted a lone ewe on a prominent point on our way to the southern viewpoint before heading over to Ten Ewe. JJLP and I took the upper chute and I was relieved to find it wasn't as much of a challenge as last time when I turned back and took the lower chute. I really like the high route better, but you have to get past a short climb where your best holds are very loose rocks. The slope up after that is fun.

After a short break at the summit we headed back down. It's steep, and we were back at the TH in no time. This is one of those hikes I can do a couple of times a season. It was great to hike with Denny for the first time in a long while ... and everybody else too I guess.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bighorn Sheep

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

Dec 10 2016

johnlp

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

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

Signal and Ten Ewe, AZ

Hiking		Dec 10 2016
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Hiking	5.26 Miles	2,997 AEG

Hiking	5.26 Miles	3 Hrs 46 Mns	1.64 mph
	2,997 ft AEG	33 Mns Break

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	chumley	Dave1
	John9L	JuanJaimeiii
	Tortoise_Hiker

First trip to the Kofas. Very cool! Lots of great hiking. Everything looks to be short and steep here. There is a trail up to Signal which was a bit of a surprise. Not groomed but fairly easy to follow. More of a route than trail over to Ten Ewe. Great views from top to bottom on this hike.

Fun group. Nice to hike with all of them again.

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_____________________

“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

Dec 10 2016

Tortoise_Hiker

Guides 1
Routes 148
Photos 9,924
Triplogs 3,652

63 male

Joined Apr 02 2005
Mesa, AZ

Signal and Ten Ewe, AZ

Hiking		Dec 10 2016
		Tortoise_Hiker • Triplogs 3,652

Hiking	5.26 Miles	2,997 AEG

Hiking	5.26 Miles	3 Hrs 46 Mns	1.64 mph
	2,997 ft AEG	33 Mns Break

no routes

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	chumley	Dave1
	John9L	johnlp
	JuanJaimeiii

Chumley thought I might like to bag this county high point so he let me tag along with some heavy hitters. I tried to hang on but they were almost out of site by the time I got out of the car. " See you guys at the top

" It's a steep one. Pretty good trail/route to the top. The views are awesome. The mountain range just seems to have a lot of character! Throw in the characters I was with and it made for a great hike. We even got to see one Ewe, which was fitting

. Very cool area. Thanks gentlemen! Good times! :y:

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Tortoise Hiking. Stop and smell the Petrichor.

Dec 10 2016

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

male

Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Signal and Ten Ewe, AZ

Hiking		Dec 10 2016
		John9L • Triplogs 1,647

Hiking	5.26 Miles	2,997 AEG

Hiking	5.26 Miles
	2,997 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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	chumley	Dave1
	johnlp	JuanJaimeiii
	Tortoise_Hiker

Chumley organized this trip and I was along for the ride. This is my first visit to the KOFA Mountains and I was impressed. The mountains rise up similar to the western Supes over Apache Junction. They are stunning as you drive into the mountains. The first few miles of road are in excellent condition but the road deteriorates as you drive back. High clearance is a must.

We parked at the unsigned trailhead and the six of us started the hike in. The first mile is easy going as you walk up the wash and then start gaining elevation. The climb gets steep and loose as you progress and the summit comes into view from one of the saddles. We continued on and topped out on the summit and enjoyed the views.

From there we dropped down a bit and then headed over for Ten Ewe. Chumley, LP & JJ opted for a challenging route while Tortoise, Dave1 and myself climbed up a chute with a squeeze near the top. Once above the squeeze it’s pretty much straight up although we zigzagged back and forth to avoid any exposure. All of us topped out and enjoyed the views. I headed down first and worked my way back down the route I came up. It was nice taking my time as I retraced my route down. All of us regrouped at a saddle below the chute and then blew down the mountain.

Once back at the vehicles we took a break and then drove over to our next hike of the day in Palm Canyon. I really enjoyed the Signal Peak hike. It’s very straightforward and good fun. Ten Ewe was another fun adventure and I’m glad we spent the time hitting that summit too! Thanks Chumley for organizing and driving!

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Nov 27 2016

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Nov 27 2016
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	4.75 Miles	2,779 AEG

Hiking	4.75 Miles	3 Hrs 37 Mns	1.45 mph
	2,779 ft AEG	21 Mns Break

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