Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Feb 05 2025

Mike_W

Guides 104
Routes 256
Photos 16,118
Triplogs 528

53 male

Joined Dec 30 2005
Tucson, AZ

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Feb 05 2025
		Mike_W • Triplogs 528

Hiking	7.18 Miles	2,320 AEG

Hiking	7.18 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	1.31 mph
	2,320 ft AEG

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URL Link: bmgr.recaccess.com

Note: This hike is in "Area A" of the Sonoran Desert National Monument, overlaps the Barry Goldwater region and requires a permit. Please visit this website to get a free permit which is good for 1 year: bmgr.recaccess.com

Maricopa peak is on Javelina mountain in the Sand Tank mountains which is a part of the Sonoran Desert National Monument AND "Area A" of the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Base. I never saw a place that had so many complex descriptive names before. Maricopa peak is the high point of the Sand Tank mountains.

Brian and I drove to meet Michael B here at 10 am. Michael and I chatted for many months but today was the first time we met, and this was the first hike we decided on together since none of us hiked this before. The high temp was supposed to be 80 today, a little above average for early February. This is a winter hike! Do not attempt this hike in the warmer months!

From our meeting point, we drove South and eventually crossed into the Sonoran Desert National Monument. Looking West we could see the semi-famous Squaw perks that I hiked a while back.

We parked near a camp site and started off following a route posted by Paul M. The route follows a road for about 1/3 of a mile, then turns left off the road after that. There were many hills along the way and you won't get a clear look at the summit until after you pass over many of the hills in the way. Every time we climbed up to a hill and looked at the summit, we noticed that there were more hills and ridgelines in front of us. We kept weaving through the hills and crossed a few canyons along the way. Finally, we saw 2 ridgeline heading up in the direction of the summit. The easier of the 2 ridgelines appeared to be the one further away. We hiked up the right side of this final canyon a bit, crossed the rocky canyon and then started up the ridge to the summit. The summit was out of sight at this point.

On the way to the summit, pretty close to the summit we found a large antenna. From here, we only had another minute to the summit. We found a registry that was surprisingly in good condition. It was placed there in December 1983 by Gordon MacLeod and Barbara Lilley. Quite impressive! The registry entry previous to ours was from Dec 2023, so nobody summited this peak in all of 2024.

On the way down we decided to stay more on the "C" shaped ridgeline, West of our route going up. We thought the route going down might be easier but it was not. On a few occasions we needed to drop left or right below the rocky ridgeline. In one spot, we went too far West and ended up following the wrong ridgeline. Once we realized this, we tried curving around and ran into some steep dropoffs so we decided to work our way down into the canyon below. The canyon below was a bit messy so we needed to weave a bit and hike along the sides at times. When we got lower, the canyon opened up and was easier to walk through. Brian and Mike B were slightly ahead of me in the sandy canyon. When I saw that I was just West of the road according to the topo map, I got out of the winding wash and got onto the old road. This road allowed me to make better time. Brian and Mike B made their way to the road and by this time I caught up to them, then we walked the road back to our parking spot.

Stats:
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Distance (round trip): 7.18 miles
AEG: 2,320 feet
Strava moving time: 4 hrs 21 mins
Strava elapsed time: 6 hrs 35 mins

_____________________

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

Feb 26 2022

DixieFlyer

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

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Feb 26 2022
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	6.53 Miles	2,354 AEG

Hiking	6.53 Miles	5 Hrs 28 Mns	1.39 mph
	2,354 ft AEG	47 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

This one has been on my radar screen for a while, and with the nice weather I figured that I would give this one a go today.

I drove in to the junction with 8015C and parked, as 8015 supposedly deteriorated from there. Actually, it didn't seem all that bad, although you'd definitely need a high clearance 4WD vehicle to go out of Bender Wash, which was a short distance from where I parked. I didn't mind the short road walk, so all was good.

After walking up the road, I went off trail and made my way to a ridgeline, which I followed to the summit. It was actually an enjoyable ridgeline to hike on: there was very little brush and the footing was good. It was mostly easy class 1 hiking, although there was a bit of class 2 scrambling in a place or two. I mostly stayed right on the ridgeline, which had a bit of up-and-down as opposed to trying to do some side-hilling.

There were some nice views at the summit, so I hung out there for a while. I signed the Lilley-Macleod logbook, which dated back to 1983. I saw a height of light at the summit, but I was unable to locate any flivers.

On the way back I intended just to go back the way that I came up, but as I was following the ridgeline I looked down and could see Bender Wash, which I knew would take me back within 100 feet or so of where I parked. I could see a good path to the wash that was brush-free, and since I couldn't come up with a good reason not to descend down to the wash, I decided to go for it. It was a little bit steep, but the footing was good so there was no problem going down. Once in the wash, it was an easy mile or so walking back to where I parked. It was actually nice to finish the hike walking on flat ground.

I saw 2 javelina, one deer, and no humans on the hike -- that is the kind of ratio that I can live with!

This turned out to be a very enjoyable hike. Even though the hike was totally off-trail, route finding was fairly easy and the footing was generally good. It was nice not to have to deal with the ankle-busting rock that characterizes some of the off-trail hikes that I have done lately.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Smuggling Accoutrements

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bender Wash Maricopa Peak Sand Tank Mountains

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
I saw a few poppies blooming but that was it. This area seems much drier than the places I typically hike in the Phoenix area, so I would not expect much of a wildflower show here.

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

Dec 08 2016

GeeEss

Guides 1
Routes 23
Photos 579
Triplogs 45

male

Joined Jan 10 2014
Fountain Hills,

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Dec 08 2016
		GeeEss • Triplogs 45

Hiking	5.30 Miles	1,750 AEG

Hiking	5.30 Miles	6 Hrs	0.88 mph
	1,750 ft AEG

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Unlike the previous two hikers, we chose to forego Javelina Mountain in favor of an in and out toward Maricopa Peak. Very tough road in absolutely requires high clearance 4WD. We got on the ridgeline approach ASAP and found it manageable, though several boulder piles slowed progress considerably. Once we hung right toward the final approach on the ridgeline between Maricopa and Javelina, progress slowed to a near crawl -- literally. No major impediments, just being cautious and very deliberate along these tedious boulder crawls. Very near the summit is a helipad that apparently sees regular use. Unlike the triangulation mark, the aforementioned log atop Maricopa Peak was nowhere to be found.

After about a mile along the ridgeline on our return, we bailed into Bender Wash, a much easier way to go. We found a few Hohokam glyphs and all manner of discarded Mexican clothing in the wash.

All in all, a tough but very rewarding hike. Highly recommended to any with a vehicle capable of making it to the "trailhead".

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May 17 2014

Outlander

Routes 68
Photos 807
Triplogs 64

male

Joined Aug 03 2007
Tolleson, AZ

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		May 17 2014
		Outlander • Triplogs 64

Hiking	7.00 Miles	2,500 AEG

Hiking	7.00 Miles	8 Hrs		1.17 mph
	2,500 ft AEG	2 Hrs Break	35 LBS Pack

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The mission was to hike Maricopa Peak and check out a trail through the Javelina Mountains.

The Javelina Mountains are a major landmark within the Sonoran Desert National Monument. They form a natural barrier to cross country travel, diverting the flow of traffic to either end of the six mile range, the west side in particular. However, there is a middle way, a pass that cuts through the center that is rumored to be a dedicated route for high-value contraband.

Maricopa Peak has a moderate grade on the north face and is fairly easy to hike. Rocks and shrubs are few, road access is good, and there is an excellent place to camp near the summit, a flat spot that doubles as a helicopter landing pad. The mountain has relatively deep topsoil on the north side, with jojoba, banana yucca, and canotia bush predominating in the higher elevations. I did not see any mule deer or sheep in the area, but that was to be expected, as they were likely using the eastern part of the range near the AGFD water catchment.

The summer heat put a damper on things, requiring many rest breaks and consumption of mass amounts of fluids, well over two gallons. Attracted to the sweat upon my brow, a swarm of gnats and biting flies followed me throughout the day. A slight breeze would have brought relief, but alas, the air remained still. The insects were so numerous that I had to wrap a bandanna across my face to keep them out of my mouth and nose, looking like some kind of desperado. When in Rome.....

The middle pass trail was not what I had expected, but it was good to finally see it with my own eyes. After walking the entire distance, I came to the conclusion that it is nothing more than a secondary route and is seldom traveled. The trail has not been improved, and it basically follows a rock filled wash all the way down to Javelina Well. The boulders and drops are many, making the route slow and hazardous to travel. The west end of Javelina Mountain is where the bulk of the smuggling action takes place. It has two excellent foot trails cutting north. Sneak over there from Road 8015 if you ever want to see the conga lines, it will pick back up again in October.

Javelina Well is an SDNM historic site which has remnants of a pioneer dwelling and well. People used to make an honest living in this little corner of the world, ranchers and miners, but time has moved on. A colony of bees had taken up residence nearby, building a hive in a small cave next to the wash. The bees made sure that I moved out double quick.

There is still much to see and explore at Javelina Mountain and the Sand Tanks. I will be back in the fall. As usual, a long day in the heat has a way of making one appreciate the small things.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Jojoba

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Honey Bee

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cadastral Survey Marker Gila Petroglyph Style (Anthropomorphic)

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Javelina Mountain Javelina Well Maricopa Peak

	Javelina Well	Dry	Dry
	This well has no water. It is filled with sand.

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comments disabled by a moderator

Feb 02 2013

sbkelley

Guides 6
Routes 13
Photos 1,377
Triplogs 184

41 male

Joined Mar 29 2007
Reno, NV

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Maricopa Peak - Sand Tank Mountains

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Feb 02 2013
		sbkelley • Triplogs 184

Hiking	8.34 Miles	3,605 AEG

Hiking	8.34 Miles	8 Hrs 20 Mns	1.00 mph
	3,605 ft AEG

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desert_boonie

Tmkelley

The Sand Tank Mountains are worth a visit, and they're closer to PHX than you think. The required BMGR permit and location south of I-8 kept me away from doing this for awhile, but the massif of Javelina Mountain and Maricopa Peak always looked interesting. Ken, Tanya, and I took our turn last Saturday.

We took Ken's jeep to the end of Road 8015, and except for the last mile or so, the road wasn't really rocky or steep at all. Healthy saguaro and cholla stands everywhere. Our initial plan was to head up Bender Wash, which would get us closer to Javelina Peak first. The main wash is actually wide, and had just been scoured by the recent rains, so progress was easy. Signs of passing immigrant parties appeared: water bottles, backpacks, and food tins. Surprised to see that on the mountain's north side. The wash steepened and we rock-hopped our way to the foot of a steep ridge, taking the calf-burning slope to its top. From there, we were about halfway between Javelina and Maricopa Peaks.

The main ridgeline itself is great travel: rolling, smooth, largely free of any obstacles and high on scenery. Travel is almost easiest directly on the ridge, though. We tried traversing the final obstacle before Javelina Peak: not worth it. Terrain to the south of us appeared rugged and remote - you cannot see a single habitation from here, and only the distant sound of I-8 pushes back the quiet. That, and afternoon bombing runs a couple miles away on the Goldwater...

The trek over to Maricopa Peak took awhile, and drops you at a low saddle, before the final push begins. Rock and terrain is generally solid, making for good passage. The last couple hundred feet up Maricopa features some decent optional scrambling...and a makeshift very-recently-used helicopter pad with a mangled palo verde tree nearby. Here's to hoping that was just a Luke AFB training exercise instead of illicit aircraft. Atop Maricopa Peak, there were a number of signatures in the log of people looking for a triangulation benchmark, which seems to be the main draw here, not the fact that it's the Sand Tanks' highpoint. Whatever the draw, the reward of the view is well worth it.

Back as the sun was getting low, and afternoon light is always amazing out there.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Javelina Mountain Maricopa Peak

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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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