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| Hiking | 9.70 Miles |
2,060 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.70 Miles | 5 Hrs | | 1.94 mph |
| 2,060 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This hike had a little bit of everything. From where I parked there was some kind of use trail that went South along AZ-82. I noticed a barbed wire fence running parallel to the road but there was no sign about private property, so I felt it was safe to cross under it. I crossed under the fence and did an open Country hike going North/Northeast for roughly 0.55 miles, then I saw a sign for the AZ trail. I turned right and continued along the well-maintained Arizona trail until I hiked a total of 1.87 miles. Then, I made a left going off the AZT onto an unmarked road and stayed on this road for about 400 feet, then turned right and did an open Country walk down a hill to a canyon and then a road shortly after that. I could have stayed on the AZT but my goal was to take a shortcut to get onto another unmarked road going toward Mt Hughes. I was off the road for only about 1,000 feet until I ran into another road which I turned left on and followed around a curve.
Within 500 or 600 feet I saw a gate which was unlocked. I went through the gate and noticed a "private property" sign facing the wrong way. I guess this meant that I was already passing through private property but how?? I came from the AZT and there were no signs indicating private property the entire way. Oh well. There was nobody out there.
After going through the gate, I kept walking up the unmarked road for 0.9 miles until I saw a solar panel on the right attached to what looked like a water pump and on the left side, a few hundred feet up a road I saw what looked like a water tank. I kept going and the road seemed to end after another 0.1 miles. I found some cattle trails on the right side of a wash and followed those trails above and along the wash for a while until it looked easier to get up on the ridgeline to my right.
I climbed up onto the ridgeline and continued going up to the high point, which was not Mt Hughes but a mountain about 1/4 mile South of Mt Hughes which was the high point. This mountain top was pretty flat and I search around a while for a marker at the high point but couldn't find one. There was a barbed wire fence running from this unnamed peak over to Mt Hughes and all the way across the high point. To get to Mt Hughes I simply went Northeast, looking for a clear path, going down to the saddle and up to the summit of Mt Hughes. I kept the fence in sight and didn't get too far away from the fence. Going up to the summit, I found a use trail that went partway up and then curved toward the fence and followed the fence line up. It doesn't really matter what side of the fence you take but I stayed West of the fence line until I reached the top. At the summit, there's a low section of fence that is easy to step over.
At the top I found a registry under a rock pile and 2 US Survey markers. I basically took the same route down but stayed on the ridgeline longer and away from the canyon where it was brushier. On the lower section where I saw the private property sign, I decided to continue South on the unmarked road instead of doing the open Country shortcut back up to the AZT. I expected to see another private property sign before reaching the AZT but I did not. This makes me question whether there is any private property there. Or if there is, nobody seems to care if hikers cross through that section, otherwise there would be a fence and/or private property sign, facing the right way, between the AZT and the unmarked road.
Higher up and near the summit you will see many oak trees, manzanita trees, juniper trees, other pine trees, bear grass, etc. Lower down on the ridgeline I remember seeing a lot of ocotillo, some mesquite trees, yucca, desert spoon, and dry grass all over. I don't remember seeing much cactus at all the entire day. A small number of prickly pear. I suppose the cattle eat a lot of it. Glad they can enjoy it!
Driving directions (see my route): Take I-10 East from Tucson to AZ-83 South. Take AZ-83 South to Sonoita. Then, take AZ-82 West toward Patagonia for 7.9 miles and turn right on Casa Blanca Canyon road. Drive 0.2 miles and look for signs for the AZ Trailhead. Alternatively, you could park at a pullout anywhere near the AZ Trailhead and walk from there, which is what I did to keep the distance under 10 miles.
Stats:
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Distance (round trip) = 9.66 miles
AEG = 2,060 feet
Strava moving time = 4 hrs 33 mins
Strava elapsed time = 6 hrs 20 mins |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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