Mount Nutt Wilderness Area • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Nov 21 2022

DixieFlyer

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

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Nutt Benchmark, AZ

Hiking		Nov 21 2022
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	9.66 Miles	2,039 AEG

Hiking	9.66 Miles	7 Hrs 12 Mns	1.51 mph
	2,039 ft AEG	48 Mns Break

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Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

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

This hike was to the Nutt Benchmark (elevation of 5,216 feet and prominence of 1,776 feet), which is not too far from Kingman.

I started and ended the hike at Sitgreaves Pass.

There was no trail at the parking lot, and it took me a minute or two to figure out that I needed to go up an embankment to start the hike. There was no trail to follow, although there were numerous burro trails and/or social trails to follow along the way.

The route involved going NE for about 4 miles to get around a deep canyon that prevented a more direct route to the summit. Once past the canyon, I went NW up a ridge to get to the summit.

The route finding was not the easiest that I have ever done, and for most of the way there was lots of ankle busting lava rock to deal with. There were hardly any stretches on the hike where I was moving at a normal hiking pace. There were a couple of long stretches on the hike where there was a decent trail to follow, but on other stretches I was going from one burro trail to another. I found the route finding more difficult on the way back, and I got off-course a few times; however, with the help of a GPS I was able to get back on track.

The climb and scramble up to the summit was kinda fun. From a distance it looked like it could be interesting, but I kept the ascent to class 1.

Early on in the hike I heard a few wild burros, and then saw 3 of them on top of a ridgeline to the east. These burros seem more reclusive than the burros around Lake Pleasant.

At the summit I located the benchmark and 2 reference marks. However, the summit register log is either no longer there or someone did a good job of hiding it.

With all of the lava rock to hike through, this hike was definitely type 2 fun. I was cussing the trail by the time that I got to the summit, but the views up there were really, really nice so I got to thinking that the hike wasn't so bad afterall. Then the trail was something of a suckfest on the way back, so by the time that I got to the TH I was telling myself that this hike was a DNR. However, now I am sitting here thinking of what I would do differently if I do the hike again!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Wild Burro

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Reference Mark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Battleship Mountain Charleston Peak Clark Mountain Hayford Peak Mount Nutt Wilderness New York Mountains Potosi Mountain Spirit Mountain

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

1 archive

Nov 06 2022

GrangerGuy

Guides 34
Routes 138
Photos 931
Triplogs 111

68 male

Joined Dec 26 2018
Phoenix, AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

Northwest, AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Nov 06 2022
		GrangerGuy • Triplogs 111

Hiking	5.40 Miles	1,016 AEG

Hiking	5.40 Miles	6 Hrs 9 Mns		1.17 mph
	1,016 ft AEG	1 Hour 32 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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I followed azbackpackr’s 12/10/2017 route (GPS :: Mount Nutt Wilderness Area) toward the Nutt Benchmark 5216’, hoping to get to that summit as well. Although the trail is heavily used by burros, and not much by people, it is clear that someone marked much of it with large cairns and even trimmed a bush or two along the way. The initial climb up out of Sitgreaves Pass is not marked, but there is one good social trail up to the mesa. Then for the most part, the trail is clear and well marked, except when it just totally disappears.

In the end, I did not make it to the summit. I was slowed down by routefinding and I think the continuous looks down into Cottonwood Canyon and up to the unnamed pyramid-shaped peak got to me. The views the whole way are spectacular, though, and I eventually decided I had enough pictures.

There is a great lunch spot and turnaround point at a saddle marked with a giant stone X, as though for a helicopter landing point.

A nice feature of this hike is that this is a wilderness you can get to by paved road. It would be great if someone completed a guide to the summit. I didn't qualify, since I only made it part way.

I heard--but never saw--lots of burros, and my footprints on the way in were overrun by burro prints by the time I came out.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Battleship Mountain Thimble Mountain

Apr 24 2020

scottysnowski

Triplogs 6

49 male

Joined Jul 15 2017
Kingman, AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

Northwest, AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Apr 24 2020
		scottysnowski • Triplogs 6

Hiking	5.00 Miles	800 AEG

Hiking	5.00 Miles	2 Hrs 30 Mns	2.00 mph
	800 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

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From the Trailhead at the tail end of Guthrie Road in Golden Valley, there are several hiking options leading into the Black Mountains. Today we chose the south leading trail. It is a little tricky to follow the first 1/2 mile or so, especially with the vegetation from the wet spring. Once you reach the ridge, the trail becomes much easier to follow. This direction leads to a low saddle in the mountains and a views toward Oatman and Cool Springs on historic route 66. Other times we have chosen the western leading trail. Going this direction is quite a bit tougher and steeper as you are basically climbing the face of the mountains. Once you get a mile or two up into the mountains, many possibilities exist for rock scrambles, drainage exploration, small caves, and higher saddles to climb. Climb high enough and you'll achieve views of the Colorado River. Finally, we have seen people take a more northwestern route toward Cave Springs. Each time we have tried this route, we've been turned away by rattlesnakes, burros, or lost trail as the brush gets thick. People say though that if you persevere, the springs are pretty interesting.

A side note. Our teenage son tried mountain biking these trails today for the first time and was disappointed. The trails are tight, not maintained the best, very rocky, and steep. I would agree that they are much better suited for hiking as opposed to mountain biking.

Wildflowers Observation Substantial
White, orange, yellow, purple, blue, red, and about everything in between, small delicate all the way to large thick. Pretty spring color!

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Dec 10 2017

azbackpackr

Guides 27
Routes 518
Photos 5,861
Triplogs 883

72 female

Joined Jan 21 2006
Eagar AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

Northwest, AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Dec 10 2017
		azbackpackr • Triplogs 883

Hiking	9.38 Miles	2,067 AEG

Hiking	9.38 Miles	8 Hrs 1 Min	1.34 mph
	2,067 ft AEG	1 Hour 2 Mns Break

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HikedUP

(Edited my mistakes): This is quite a hike, to the Nutt benchmark, which turns out is not the named Mount Nutt. However, this benchmark peak that we climbed is higher than Mount Nutt. It isn't much to look at from a distance. A friend of mine had been there before and was leading us. When she pointed out a small knob amongst the spectacular rocky pyramids I couldn't believe that was the high point. But it is.

There is a well-defined burro trail for much of the way if you start at Sitgreaves Pass, which is just up the hill from Oatman. It really helps the hike if you can stay on this trail most of the time. That is, until you get to the higher, rockier areas. In general, though, it would be considered a rocky off-trail hike with some route-finding. This is the kind of hiking I have been wanting to get back to, ever since my foot problems have dramatically improved.

From the top we could see Lake Havasu and Lake Mohave. Many, many mountain ranges can be seen in California, in Arizona and in Nevada. Also, spectacular Cottonwood Canyon was below us for much of the hike.

Another hiker, Scott Peavy, who has been on HAZ in the past (azpeavy) came up, seemingly out of nowhere, from Golden Valley, and accompanied us to the top. I think some of the HAZ people will remember hiking with him.

The hikers' register included some pretty well-known Arizona hiker names from years past: Bob Packard, J.D. Green, Andy Martin, Mark Nichols, John Klein. The register dated back at least 17 or 18 years. Just the kind that is fun to read.

Glad to be back hiking to the tops of mountains.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cottonwood Canyon Sitgreaves Pass

_____________________

There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.

1 archive

Nov 10 2017

azbackpackr

Guides 27
Routes 518
Photos 5,861
Triplogs 883

72 female

Joined Jan 21 2006
Eagar AZ

Thumb Butte - Black Mountains, AZ

Hiking		Nov 10 2017
		azbackpackr • Triplogs 883

Hiking	3.00 Miles	600 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles
	600 ft AEG

no routes

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Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

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Mileage and elevation gain estimated because I stupidly forgot to turn on my GPS, or accidentally turned it off. Rough off-trail hiking. Can be very steep, with loose shale. Great views of Thumb Butte. I believe it can be climbed only with hardware and ropes. (This is the very prominent "finger" you see when driving between Bullhead and Golden Valley on Highway 68.) Saw some burros. Saw plenty of evidence of bighorns, but no sightings. I'm told they are pretty commonly seen in the area.

The Black Mountains range is a lot longer than most of the local ranges, and there are seemingly endless opportunities for exploration. Lots of Jeep roads to access it. I will link to Mount Nutt Wilderness, although we didn't quite reach the wilderness boundary.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mount Nutt Thumb Butte

_____________________

There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.

2 archives

Dec 20 2014

azbackpackr

Guides 27
Routes 518
Photos 5,861
Triplogs 883

72 female

Joined Jan 21 2006
Eagar AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

Northwest, AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness Area

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Dec 20 2014
		azbackpackr • Triplogs 883

Hiking	6.04 Miles	674 AEG

Hiking	6.04 Miles	4 Hrs 24 Mns	1.66 mph
	674 ft AEG	46 Mns Break

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This is an amazing place. A nice hike up Cottonwood Canyon with a fun outdoor group from Bullhead. This was billed as "exploratory." So I hope we go back to climb Mt. Nutt. I was so surprised to see the water and the little waterfalls.

Cottonwood Canyon

Pools to trickle

Cottonwood Spring

Gallon per minute

_____________________

There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.

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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