Perfect Ridge - Spring Mountain Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Mar 02 2023

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,485
Photos 16,072
Triplogs 1,375

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Peak 2283 - Gila Bend Mountains, AZ

Hiking		Mar 02 2023
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,375

Hiking	5.95 Miles	1,388 AEG

Hiking	5.95 Miles	3 Hrs 49 Mns	1.91 mph
	1,388 ft AEG	42 Mns Break

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Perfect Ridge - Spring Mountain Loop

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

Today I decided to take a page out of the @joebartels / @The_Eagle playbook and hike up to Peak 2283. On topo maps this unnamed peak is marked with its 2,283 foot elevation, which gives it a clean prominence of 1,043 feet, just above the magical 1,000 foot threshold. Peak 2283 is in the Gila Bend Mountains and in the Woolsey Peak Wilderness.

I hiked from the south, driving in on Enterprise Road and W. Citrus Valley Road. If dry, I think that an AWD SUV could likely make the drive, although you'd need some clearance in a few places. It was wet today, and I fishtailed in mud in a place or 2 on Enterprise Road -- thankfully I was in a 4WD vehicle. I parked about 0.35 miles before the wilderness boundary. From where I parked a sedan could have driven to the boundary, but I came out there to hike, not to drive around in the desert!

This was about as straightforward a hike as you can get: hike an easy 2 miles on a flat road bed, and then hike up the "perfect ridge" for about a mile to the summit. I imagine that I gained close to 1,200 feet going up the ridge, but it was all class 1 hiking.

There were some nice, unobstructed views at the summit, so I hung out there for a bit while having lunch. Then I retraced my steps to get back to my parking spot.

This was an enjoyable hike. There was nothing tricky and no surprises on the ascent to the summit.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gila Bend Mountains Peak 2283 - Gila Bend Mountains Woolsey Peak Woolsey Peak Wilderness

Wildflowers Observation Light
There were a few poppies and some lupine along the way. I imagine that the flowers will be really nice in this area in another week or 10 days.

_____________________

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

Jan 05 2019

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Perfect Ridge - Spring Mountain Loop

Southwest, AZ

Perfect Ridge - Spring Mountain Loop

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Jan 05 2019
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	15.00 Miles	2,827 AEG

Hiking	15.00 Miles	8 Hrs 39 Mns		2.07 mph
	2,827 ft AEG	1 Hour 24 Mns Break	6 LBS Pack

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The_Eagle

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

Utilized the @Jim_H [ gps route ] to Woolsey figuring it must be doable. First wash of concern high banked on drivers side. Key was staying in the wash. Second wash of concern, the Silver Bulldog could handle. Stock 2WD HC wasn't worth the risk so we happily hoofed the final 1.1 miles beginning at 8am.

Back the train up. The guide sports an intriguing prologue. The last line is hook, line and gold.
The Perfect Ridge didn’t need a summit, it needed to continue into infinity.™
©2018 Metalrunner

I routed a gentle loop for Ankle_Tender_Eagle. Spring Mountain fooled with a long ridge silhouette rounding the corner of 1555. Naturally with The_Eagle no classic rock song goes unnamed and every spring, bell & whistle gets a thorough OCD review. Yet reminded of our 18 mile game plan Moody Spring perched on Spring Mountain was bypassed.

Desert appeals to me. Nothing to sugar coat. Cacti and ground point of view roll off as a minor step up from our nearby valley of the sun. Satellite views leading to the wilderness depict desert tortured by offroad vehicular joyrides. Thankfully within Woolsey WA only appreciated game trails cut across. Occasional pristine areas feel borderline taboo, tread lightly.

Sat 11:31 am
Cholla needles drift between rocks like snow heading up the Perfect Ridge. Like markthurman53, Metalrunner has an admirable eye for geology so I pulled up the guide to read a few paragraphs to settle an escalating debate. Per usual Bruce was correct. It's cool. An hour and twenty minutes later he babbled a phrase that will never float from memory. If it has holes, it's volcanic. Within a days walk of the highway I pressed my luck, oh really, so... =)

Lack of rest may have caught up. One thing for sure, pace to enthusiasm ratio wrote off my proposed loop. Then I got more than bargained rising higher. Special doesn't cut it. Lure somehow delivery.

We cut it short and enjoyed a Moody Spring side scroll. Excited for the entire hike. Pre hike I had high aspirations for the desert. Just okay, notably attributed to overcast blah on this day. The Perfect Ridge transformed from a killer catch phrase to worthy!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Esteve's Pincushion Western Wallflower

Wildflowers Observation Light
small patches of sparse poppies
more scorpionweed yet a far cry from preserves in the valley
consistent dense patches of itty bitty daisies
two to three primrose

_____________________

- joe

Jan 05 2019

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

The Perfect Ridgeline - Peak 2283, AZ

Hiking		Jan 05 2019
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	15.16 Miles	3,027 AEG

Hiking	15.16 Miles	8 Hrs 37 Mns		2.00 mph
	3,027 ft AEG	1 Hour 3 Mns Break	16 LBS Pack

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Perfect Ridge - Spring Mountain Loop

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joebartels

Joe put this one together based on a recent posting from @metalrunner to get us to an area that we had not been before. What was planned to be an 18 mile loop, was now going to be 2 miles longer based on not being able to get my 2x4 Pathfinder up a step coming out of a wash.

The 2 mile road walk rolled off quickly and we were surprised to see a jeep parked by the end of the trail to Moody Spring.

Now, off trail/road, things slowed down a bit with the areas of volcanic ankle busters. Luckily there were areas of game trails. We roughly followed the track Metalrunner took back in December, to get to the Perfect Ridge.

The climb up the Perfect Ridge to Peak 2283, is a 1 mile/1250' climb, up the volcanic rock and cholla, to the payoff knock out view at the top.

[ youtube video ]

While eating up there we discussed our options. The radar showed rain in the area. Not wanting to finish in the dark and rain, we opted for a trip back checking out Moody Spring. Moody Spring source was piped directly out of a rock, to a holding tank, to a yummy green, dead bee filled trough.

Birds and couple of geckos were all the fauna seen on the day.
There was plenty of sign of bunnies and burros.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Moody Spring

Wildflowers Observation Light

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

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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