Kunde Mountain • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jan 20 2024

Mike_W

Guides 104
Routes 256
Photos 16,118
Triplogs 528

53 male

Joined Dec 30 2005
Tucson, AZ

Kunde Mountain

Tucson, AZ

Kunde Mountain

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Jan 20 2024
		Mike_W • Triplogs 528

Hiking	7.37 Miles	1,706 AEG

Hiking	7.37 Miles	4 Hrs	1.84 mph
	1,706 ft AEG

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Decided to try a hike in an area I haven't been to since the Spring and an area that Brian hasn't ever hiked in. Kunde mountain seemed to be a good choice for today. We arrived around 10 am and parked in a lot off Harshaw Rd called the Harshaw road trailhead. This is the start of a connector trail that leads to the Arizona trail which is a few miles away. We saw only 1 vehicle in the parking lot. We started the hike and did an uphill climb for the first 1.3 miles, which was steep at times and rocky at times. There were 2 gates to go through in the first 1.5 miles or so. The trail was pretty well maintained except for a few areas that had catclaw bush near the trail and in some area there were thorny branches that grew into the trail. After 2.05 miles, we could see Kunde mountain to the North and decided to get off the trail and head in that direction. A map at the trailhead showed some kind of dotted brown line which was supposed to be a primitive dirt road. We didn't see anything like this running into the connector trail, but we did run into an old dirt road in the lower part of the open Country walk up to Kunde peak. Once we hit the road we basically followed it all the way to the top and we were surprised that the road went all the way up. I brought a pair of hand shears and did some trimming of thorny branches from trees that were growing right on the road and there were MANY. This is why my elapsed time was so long. This trimming made the hike much easier on the way down.

Near the upper part of the road we saw some pinyon pine, and some interesting red colored rocks. At the summit, we had good views of Red mountain lookout and a lower unmarked peak to the West. We had a long lunch here and admired the views in all directions. The temps were nice and comfortable. Looking North we could see some private property in Redrock canyon, which we later learned was part of Redrock ranch. After a while we decided to head out and decided to take the old mining road all the way to the bottom. After passing the location where we picked up the road on the way up, we kept following the road and ran into a barbed wire fence going right across the road. We had to crawl under this fence to continue on the old road. I did some more trimming in this area for future hikers. Eventually, the road fizzled out and looked more like trail with a few cairns continuing down the slope. Eventually I found myself on top of a small ridge with canyons/washes on both sides of me. It was hard to tell if I was on an old road of not but there were wider clearings in many places so that indicated that this could have been an old road in the past. I kept moving forward and ended up hitting the main trail very close to where we left it hours earlier. I believe our route going down was slightly better than our route going up. Then, we took the main trail back to the parking area.

After finishing, we still had enough daylight to drive around and explore the area more. We drove past North Saddle and Indian Head mountains which both looked they involved a steep climb through rugged terrain. There was private property to the West of those peaks with a barbed wire fence line, but after driving about 1/4 to 1/2 mile South we didn't see any private property signs so we thought this might be a good place to start a hike toward these peaks someday. Probably the next peak we would do in this range is Saddle peak which was a few miles South.

Stats:
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Distance (round trip) = 7.37 miles
AEG = 1,706 feet
Strava moving time = 3 hrs 20 mins
Strava elapsed time = 6 hrs 41 mins

_____________________

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

Oct 29 2018

markthurman53

Guides 187
Routes 989
Photos 12,068
Triplogs 864

72 male

Joined Jun 27 2015
Tucson, Arizona

Candelerio and Kunde Peaks, AZ

Hiking		Oct 29 2018
		markthurman53 • Triplogs 864

Hiking	13.41 Miles	2,802 AEG

Hiking	13.41 Miles	8 Hrs 13 Mns		2.33 mph
	2,802 ft AEG	2 Hrs 27 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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Kunde Mountain

Candelerio Peak

Canelo Hills West - AZT #3

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I was planning to do some hiking in the Superstitions but since the temps were going to be in the upper 80’s, I changed my plans. Also wasn’t sure if I was up to a 19 miler after just getting over a cold/flu/allergies, not sure what it was. What I needed was a more local hike that I could bail out on if I wasn’t up to it. I searched the HAZ data base and came up with a couple options that I haven’t done before (actually came up with a bucket load). Love that option to search HAZ hikes by National forest and regions. I decided on two hikes along the Arizona Trail #3 near Patagonia; Candelerio Peak and Kunde Mountain posted by AZHiker456. These were posted as two separate hikes but I figured since they are both close by I would combine them. I have mentioned before that I am not a peak person but Kunde Mountain caught my eye a couple years back while hiking this portion of the Arizona Trail so why not. Candelerio Peak was thrown in just because it was nearby.

From the AZT #3 at Harshaw road I headed east for 3.7 miles to Red Rock Canyon Road. It has been a while since I was on such a nice trail and with the exception of picture taking and site seeing made good time. At the crossing of Red Rock Canyon Road I headed north for 1.1 miles and turned east toward Candelerio Peak on FR 4602 for 1.7 miles to the peak. Not a real interesting portion of the hike but the going is good. Once at the base of Candelerio Peak I headed up the northwest slope taking advantage of the old road that heads up to the summit. The road is a bit overgrown but easier than bush whacking. Good views all around from the summit, Santa Rita’s to the north in the distance and Red Mountain, Ashburn, Kunde, Indian Head Mountains closer by. Pretty much all of Red Rock Canyon is also visible. There is great cell service on top. Don’t know if they mined anything up on this peak but there are exploratory sites probably assessing the copper that colors the rocks on the top. I headed straight down the southern slope of Candelerio Peak and back to the Arizona Trail. This portion is mostly Bushwhacking but nothing terrible. This route is 1 mile to the AZT versus the 2.8 miles I came in on (45 minutes vs 1 hour).

Kunde Mountain has great views as did Candelerio Peak with better views of Huachuca Mountains and on a clear day as today Mount Lemmon and Rincon Peak. The climb up this peak I thought was tough. I Climbed up the southeast slope where the remnants of an old road going to the peak still barely exists. The road forms a Backward “Z”, catching this road at the upper zig in the road is highly recommended. This road on the lower slopes is pretty much nonexistent but on Google Earth the lower part of the “Z” can be seen and it might be better to catch the lower part of the road and do both the zig and the zag. I say this because bush whacking up the slope, while no real bushes to whack is rocky and covered in grass making it hard to navigate, especially when you’re winded. I headed for the zig in the road but never saw it and continued in an easterly direction where the road supposedly goes. I had to cross two rock slide areas that were what I considered dangerous especially since I was alone. These rock fields were unstable so as you crossed, the rocks below would slide and a few rocks above would move down to take their place. Just as I was thinking I might want to abandon this peak I looked down about 50 feet and there was the road. Not much of a road but it was easy walking once I got on it. This road will continue all the way to the peak. The top of the peak has a bluish grey mineral that I am unfamiliar with. It is hard to believe that at one time someone had a bull dozer up here, not much room to maneuver or turn around. I took a 30 minute break on top before heading down, this time down a gully on the southwest slope. This wasn’t much faster than going up except not as winded but the legs were more tired from fighting gravity. This was one of those few times I felt like a walking pole would have been useful for stability. I spent a lot of time on my butt, usually not voluntarily. Once off of Kunde slope I headed down a ridge and back to the AZT and Harshaw Road.

This was a good hike, lots of AEG, some hiking along excellent trails, a little road walking and some bush whacking. Other than the two hours on Kunde Mountain going two miles I felt pretty good the whole way, guess what ever was ailing me the last two weeks is gone.

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Aug 06 2016

AZHiker456

Guides 28
Routes 199
Photos 7,422
Triplogs 188

female

Joined Nov 07 2015

Kunde Mountain

Tucson, AZ

Kunde Mountain

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Aug 06 2016
		AZHiker456 • Triplogs 188

Hiking	6.26 Miles	1,568 AEG

Hiking	6.26 Miles	4 Hrs 8 Mns	2.00 mph
	1,568 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

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Initially I was hoping to make this a 10-15 mile day and get in at least one other peak I had routed in the area, but due to multiple factors [later than anticipated start, blasting though loads more water than normal, feeling a bit off my game, and a storm that looked like it was headed straight toward the mountains], I decided to call it quits after Kunde.

After spending some quality time on the summit and then visiting the lower prominent point of Kunde, I followed a route toward the Western edge. It looked like straight cliff but the route(s) led me pretty easily downward, definitely a few contours further down than anticipated! Had I not been alone, it would have been fun to see if any of the options down the cliffy/craggy section would have panned out. However, I didn’t want to take any chances, [especially with my equilibrium still not 100%], so I opted for a safer descent down a wide, grassy gulley.

And, although “just” an unnamed peak, I’ll definitely be making a return trip to bag ‘n’ tag UN 5213. With a highpoint that is only 160’ lower than Kunde, this peak dominates the views for half of the adventure and it begs attention. However, with dark clouds, loud thunder, and flashes of lightening not too far off, I opted to save UN 5213 for another day. The pending storm never ended up hitting the area, but as tired as I felt, I’m glad I called it a day after Kunde.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Kunde Mountain

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God save the Prom Queen, cuz [reality check!] AEG's King...!

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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