|
| | | Rhyodacite Canyon and Peak 2578, AZ | | | |
|
|
Rhyodacite Canyon and Peak 2578, AZ
| | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 12.20 Miles |
2,650 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.20 Miles | 8 Hrs 20 Mns | | 1.96 mph |
| 2,650 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 7 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Rhyodacite Canyon in the Goldfields has been on my hike list for a while, so I talked Tracie, my intrepid hiking partner, into going with me on this hike. I also was wanting to go up at least one of three peaks on the west side of the Canyon: Peak 2290, Peak 2662, and Peak 2578.
We began and ended the hike at the Bulldog Canyon OHV gate on Bush Highway, about 1/4 miles from where the bridge crosses over the Salt River. We hiked east along the Salt River for about 3 miles, and then took a use trail south toward Gateway Canyon. Instead of going up Gateway Canyon to the east, we continued south into Rhyodacite Canyon. It was a nice canyon to hike through -- we mostly stayed in the wash, although we got out of the wash a few times along the way. It was easy going for the most part, with not much vegetation to deal with. I scoped out some potential climbs up to Peaks 2290 and 2662 along the way, and there were some potential routes that looked doable, but I couldn't really tell how steep the climbs would be.
Along the way, we took one side trip off to the west and went to a saddle south of Peak 2662. Once at the saddle, there was a steep, near vertical drop-off to the west. While there, we did find a cool little arch that we went through while checking out the area.
Once we got back in the canyon, we continued until we were just past Peak 2578. We ate lunch and spotted a chute on the south side of Peak 2578 that looked like it might take us to the top. We made our way up to where the chute was, and then went on a class 3 climb up to what turned out to be a false summit. We possibly could have made it from there to the summit, but it looked a bit iffy so we went back down to the base of the chute. Then I decided to go around to the SW corner of the Peak, and on the west side found a route that we took up to the summit. I guess that there was a bit of exposure on the climb, but I never felt like I was in any danger of falling. It was nice to be able to bag one peak on the day!
Peaks in the Goldfields aren't as high as the Supes or even the McDowells, but they are still challenging and fun to climb. There is no way to do a simple walk-up hike to Peak 2578 -- it's either a class 3 or a class 4 climb.
I am hoping to get back out there before too long and see if I can get up to Peak 2290 and/or Peak 2662.
While walking along the Salt River bottom land, we saw where some ATV's and motor cycles had been riding through there. I didn't see any of this when I was out there in mid-December, so the off-road activity is fairly recent.
|
| _____________________
| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
This is a beautiful Canyon and if you haven't been there, I would highly recommend this as go to hike. Lot of water running today 
Changed our plans. Asked her to meet us at the Willow Springs TH at 5 to 5:30 at the latest. The route we wanted turned out not to be 2 miles but 4 miles of -- To quote AZLOT69 triplog --- "This will test your endurance and route finding skills" ---- 
style. Amen !!! No Cel service, we had no actual route to follow, Now no way to contact anyone 
new ETA 7 PM and Iris is waiting 
very understanding. We had to go up thru a couple of saddles to check out the route from a higher view point, last saddle we went up got cliffed out , but looked below and found a ramp that took us back down to the wash. Be prepared for heavy brush and catclaw during your many crossings of the wash. This center 4 miles or so is the path of least resistance !!! You are in the sun most of the day, so plenty of water, rest and anything over 85 degrees I would think twice before attempting. Over all this was a great hike with views of the inner Goldfields seldom seen.
