|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 10.90 Miles |
3,507 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.90 Miles | | | |
| 3,507 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | I headed down to the Tucson area and hiked up to 3 peaks from 3 different trailheads:
1) Suizo Mountains Highpoint
2) Jeffords Peak
3) Golden Gate Mountain
Suizo Mountains Highpoint
I parked about 1/2 mile from Suizo Well, although I could have driven to the well. However, with such a short hike I did not behind some easy road walking.
From Suizo Well, I headed up to a ridgeline and basically followed the ridgeline all the way to the highpoint. The hike was all offtrail, but it was an easy offtrail. There was the usual desert vegetation (cactus, cholla, palo verde, mesquite, etc) but it was not very thick so it was easy to find pathways around the vegetation. Route finding was not too difficult -- just follow the ridgeline. There were some nice views at the summit, particularly to the west of Picacho and Newman.
Once you leave pavement you'd be driving on Arizona State Land Trust property -- it was a good thing that I had renewed my permit a couple of days before the hike. Google maps will get you to the TH if you search for "Suizo Well".
Jeffords Peak
This is another offtrail hike. This one was a little tougher than Suizo. The vegetation was not too thick, but there was a lot of knee to waist high grass that would hide some of the cactus along the way. Route finding was not always intuitive, and a GPS track was helpful. There were some nice views at the summit, which was enjoyable.
The road in was mostly hard packed dirt and an SUV could make the drive as long as it is dry.
Golden Gate Mountain
This hike was a nice change of pace from the prior 2 hikes because there was a trail the entire way, although it was a bit steep and slippery. I followed the Yetman Trail for about 1/2 mile or so, and then took a well cairned use trail up to the summit. I did not get started until about 3 PM, which was nice because the route went up the east side of the mountain and I was in shade the entire hike. Even though the trail was steep, it was all class 1 hiking until just right before the summit, when there was a bit of class 2 hiking requiring the use of your hands for balancing. This hike turned out to be much easier than I was expecting.
Synopsis
Golden Gate was my favorite of the 3 peaks. It was a more interesting hike than the other 2, and the views were nicer.
Distance and elevation gain for the 3 summits is below. Stats above are the sum of the 3.
Suizo: 3.7 miles with 856 feet of AEG
Jeffords: 4.5 miles with 1,257 feet of AEG
Golden Gate: 2.7 miles with 1,354 feet of AEG |
 |
Suizo Well |
76-100% full |
76-100% full |
| | | There was a steady stream of water from the windmill, and the tank was about full. | | _____________________
| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
