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| | | Red Wing - Sitgreaves, AZ | | | |
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Red Wing - Sitgreaves, AZ
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| Hiking | 8.51 Miles |
3,275 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.51 Miles | | | |
| 3,275 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I went west of Flagstaff to hike to a couple of former AZ Fire Lookout sites:
1) Red Hill Lookout
2) Wing Mountain
While I was at it I decided to also hike to Sitgreaves Mountain.
So I wound up doing 3 separate, short hikes, all of which are in the same general area.
Wing Mountain
The first stop was Wing Mountain. I had noticed on a satellite view that there was a road/trail that went part way up the mountain, so I decided that I would start off on that route.
It started off as a road but quickly became a trail. It was easy to follow but was pretty steep. The trail eventually petered out and I just headed up the steep north slopes of the mountain. There were some sparse pine trees, but not much other vegetation, so there was really no bushwhacking.
Once on the mountain, I went to check out the benchmark. I also saw one reference mark. The highpoint was a little over 1/4 mile away, and it was a pleasant stroll on an easy-to-follow use trail to get there.
The top of Wing was flattish with lots of pine trees, so views were limited. There was a nice view of Humphreys at the highpoint.
I am skeptical that there was a fire lookout atop Wing; from what I gather there was supposedly a wood structure of some sort there. With all the trees, I think that a tower would be needed to have an effective lookout. Near the highpoint, I did see a large pine tree with two wooden steps nailed to it. Perhaps these steps are the remains of a tree based lookout, but I am just speculating on that.
Sitgreaves Mountain
Next up was Sitgreaves Mountain. This was a VERY steep hike going up a ridgeline on the north side of the mountain. There is a use trail that I was mostly able to follow. There are lots of dense trees along the way, along with some deadfall here and there. With all the trees, views are limited.
The summit is a grassy bald area; once there, I went southeast a few hundred feet to an overlook that had nice views of the San Francisco Peaks.
Red Hill Lookout
The last stop of the day was the Red Hill Lookout. I drove on a forest road as far as I could; further progress was impeded by a closed and locked gate across the road. From there I hiked on the road up to the lookout site.
There were great views along the road and at the lookout site. There is a sign there that says
Red Hill Lookout", but sadly the lookout itself was dismantled in the fall of 2020. A bulldozer had been there and there are no signs of a lookout. I found a reference mark, but the benchmark, if one is still there, was covered up by dirt.
Synopsis
Wing Mountain was my favorite hike of the 3. Red Hill had some nice views though, so I was glad that I did it. Sitgreaves was crazy steep with no views, so it did not offer too much, other than being a really good workout.
Distance and elevation gain for the 3 hikes are below. Stats above are the sum of the 3.
Wing Mountain: 2.60 miles with 1,044 feet of AEG
Sitgreaves Mountain: 3.18 miles with 1,637 feet of AEG
Red Hill Lookout: 2.53 miles with 594 feet of AEG |
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