Lookout Mountain Trail #78 • Hike • New Mexico • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jul 11 2021

DixieFlyer

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

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Sierra Blanca 11981

Southeast, NM

Sierra Blanca 11981

Southeast, NM

Hiking		Jul 11 2021
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	8.40 Miles	2,879 AEG

Hiking	8.40 Miles	5 Hrs 18 Mns	2.13 mph
	2,879 ft AEG	1 Hour 21 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Scenic Trail #15

Crest Trail #25 - Lincoln NF

Lookout Mountain Trail #78

Partners

none

no partners

Sierra Blanca Peak has been on my radar screen for a while -- it has the greatest prominence of any peak in New Mexico and is one of 57 ultra peaks in the continental US -- so I decided to do the hike.

This turned out to be a GREAT hike: awesome scenery; prolific wildflowers; lots of wildlife; a bit of route-finding; and some fun rock scrambling.

We started off on the Scenic Trail at first daylight, and right off the bat we saw a large herd of elk. We heard a bunch of coyotes raising a ruckus off in the distance but never saw them.

From the Scenic Trail we hit the Crest Trail. At times we were going through head-high lupine -- the lupine there is much taller than the lupine in AZ. We got to a point where there was some deadfall on the trail, and we took an off-trail shortcut to bypass the deadfall.

When we got to a junction with the Lookout Mountain Trail, we went on a short offtrail jaunt to hit the White Mountains Wilderness High Point. From there, we went back to the Lookout Mountain Trail and took it to - where else - Lookout Mountain. Just below Lookout Mountain we stopped and talked to a couple of guys who were ziplining. They were the only two people that we saw all day on the hike.

It was an easy walk to Lookout Mountain, and we stopped there for a few minutes to enjoy the views. From Lookout Mountain we headed south on a service road toward Sierra Blanca. Once leaving the service road it was off-trail the rest of the way to the Sierra Blanca summit. There was lots and lots of lupine on the lower part of the off-trail. We saw another huge herd of elk on this section. The first portion of the off-trail was very steep -- we went up 450 feet over about 0.3. miles. That brought us to a saddle, and we did some class 2 hiking along a ridgeline near a false summit, and then did a bit more class 2 climbing to get to the Sierra Blanca summit. The views there were great, so we hung out for a bit.

We reversed course until we got closer to Lookout Mountain. From there we took a ski run service road for a bit, and then went down a couple of ski runs to get back to the start point of the hike.

I really enjoyed this hike, and I'd like to do it again sometime.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Lupine

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Elk

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Intrepid Back Shot Point Reference Mark Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Lookout Mountain Sierra Blanca Peak

Wildflowers Observation Extreme

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

May 05 2014

Jim

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

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Three Rivers to Lookout Mountain 11580', NM

Hiking		May 05 2014
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	17.20 Miles	5,920 AEG

Hiking	17.20 Miles	8 Hrs 40 Mns		2.08 mph
	5,920 ft AEG	25 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Three Rivers Trail #44

Crest Trail #25 - Lincoln NF

Lookout Mountain Trail #78

Partners

none

no partners

Of the three long hikes I did last Autumn, this was the one I did not repeat and I wanted to do again. It was a wait, but it was worth it, despite the high winds up high. It was also my first time at high altitude (>10,000') since my last hike here in early October. This was also a good fitness test hike for Santa Fe Baldy, which I hope to hike next week.

The lower parts are always enjoyable with the flowing water, the smells of the pine and the bird calls in spring. After I left US 54 I saw and heard no one for the entire time I was out, until I got back to 54. This might be a beautiful area, but it is lonely.

Higher up the smells transition to Doug and White Fir, and then Spruce and Elk, or their feces; hard to tell as they go hand in hand. I spotted several Elk, both in the upper end of the canyon and well below me in the same area as last fall. Evidence of herbivory is everywhere. I also saw what must have been a fox, not coyote, judging by it's tail, posture and huge ears, trotting across the ridge near the ski resort.

It was cold and windy on top, but the views were pretty good. I never planned on Sierra Blanca today, but the south views would not have been that great anyway, as there was dust from the basin hazing things out. Lots of snow still on Blanca, and you can really see just how rocky that peak is, despite trees nearly to the summit on the NE aspect. If it were not so windy here, it might be covered in trees.

Travel time was about the same as last time, but I started at 1125. Got back to my car at 805. It took me almost 5 hours to reach the top, but 15 minutes less than 4 to get down. Might have been faster, except my Altras are totally worn out.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Limber Pine

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

Oct 04 2013

Jim

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

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Three Rivers to Lookout Mountain 11580', NM

Hiking		Oct 04 2013
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	17.20 Miles	5,920 AEG

Hiking	17.20 Miles	8 Hrs 40 Mns	2.11 mph
	5,920 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Three Rivers Trail #44

Crest Trail #25 - Lincoln NF

Lookout Mountain Trail #78

Partners

none

no partners

I thought this was going to be longer in mileage, but I am happy with the elevation gain. I trust the GPS, and the map elevation readings, but it didn't feel like close to 6,000'. I trust it.

I started at 10 of 11 this morning. Even with the shutdown, I was able to park at the trailhead, as had numerous other vehicles. Wind was up slightly, but not too bad. I enjoyed the smell of the pines and the running water. It took longer than I thought it would to make the crest trail, close to 3 hours, but a lot of the elevation gain is made on this section.

Rounding on to the Crest Trail and exposed to the wind, the hiking was harder, but not due to the trail. I encountered a flowing spring on the ridge, which is incredible given how high up it is. Flowing to a gallon+ per minute, I say.

Much of the views from the Crest were destroyed by the Little Bear Fire in 2012, but it is still very scenic. The grass is lush, and some erosion has roughed things up a bit, but overall it is in good shape. Had it not been for the wind, and the grass and herbaceous vegetation bothering my legs and getting in to my shoes, this was my favorite stretch of trail. Well, except for the end.

When you reach trail # 78, most of the hike is done, and in reality the real hike is up to this point. This may be the nicest of the hike. It has a Kendrick Mountain (Flagstaff) feel to it. The spruce is very nice, and the grass short and shady, for the most part. Very nice to walk on. Reaching the ski lift marks just about the end, and then it is a short hike up to the 11,580' summit, with a round wind break and views. I summited at 15:35.

On this day, I started too late to do Sierra Blanca, and the wind was nasty enough that I wouldn't have wanted to summit. Views were pretty good, and dust wasn't up much at all. Up from Monday's flawless sky, but not bad considering.

Hiking down went a lot faster than I thought. Then again, the hike was 3 miles shorter than I originally expected. I was down in 3 hours 38 minutes, total. Nothing impressive, but I thought I would be out later.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Fescue

Autumn Foliage Observation Light

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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.

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