Peak 3076 - Goldfield Mountains • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jan 20 2024

clayncallaway

Guides 1
Routes 168
Photos 384
Triplogs 161

32 male

Joined Aug 13 2017
Tempe

Trans Goldfield Alternate, AZ

Hiking		Jan 20 2024
		clayncallaway • Triplogs 161

Hiking	11.75 Miles	2,654 AEG

Hiking	11.75 Miles	9 Hrs 13 Mns	1.46 mph
	2,654 ft AEG	1 Hour 10 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Dome Mountain Loop

Panorama Peak - Goldfield Mountains

Peak 3076 - Goldfield Mountains

Trans Goldfield

Partners

none

no partners

Not really sure what to call this one. Settled on "Trans Goldfield Alternate". The original Trans Goldfield hike has been on the radar for a couple years. A few weeks ago, my hiking buddy suggested an alternate route going from N>S or S>N instead of W>E. I scouted Rhyodacite last week and this was the day to test it out. This route hits Dome, Panorama Peak, Peak 3076, and Rhyodacite Canyon.

The path up to Dome was surprisingly faint considering it is the high point. The way up wasn't bad and the eastern facing rock walls lit up in that classic gold color in the morning light. After signing the summit register we hopped down to the tanks and wrapped around some larger walls to start the trip over to Panorama. The way out to Panorama was less difficult than expected.

On the eastern side of Panorama we found a set of "2024" Balloons trapped in some brush. If you have ever wondered where balloons end up when you let them go into the sky, the answer is the Tonto National Forest. I am pretty much a balloon collector at this point. The 2024 balloons finally met their end at the hands of my trekking polls. I packed them up and we continued to Peak 3076.

Up until this point, we used gps routes posted on this site. I used the official route for Dome Mountain Loop and once on top of that I switched to DixieFlyer's alternate route that included Panorama Peak (thank you). With no route to go on, I switched over to a few screengrabs I had taken in Google Earth 3D. Minimally bushwacky, very doable. It took just under 4.5 hours to hit Peak 3076 from Wolverine Gate. The original plan was to backtrack a bit and use a ridge to go down and connect with the original Trans Goldfield route. Instead of doing that, we took a more direct route. It was steeper but manageable.

Things didn't slow down until we connected with the original route. From mile 6.5 - 7 it was snails pace. Lots of catclaw. Very overgrown. In this section there are some very interesting overhangs or caves or whatever you would like to call them. After that little slog, it was back through Rhyodacite (where I was the week before), out and around the bald eagle stuff and back to the car.

These miniature thru hikes are a good challenge. I think the only two left in the Phoenix metro area to knock off are the White Tanks (eh) and the Sierra Estrella ridgeline. Trips like this never go how you think they are going to go. Connecting the peaks on this one ended up being the easiest part.

Cool trip. Lots more to do in the Goldfields.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Balloon

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Feb 06 2020

DixieFlyer

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

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Peak 3076 - Goldfield Mountains

Phoenix, AZ

Peak 3076 - Goldfield Mountains

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 06 2020
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,374

Hiking	6.70 Miles	2,976 AEG

Hiking	6.70 Miles	7 Hrs 3 Mns	1.42 mph
	2,976 ft AEG	2 Hrs 19 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

SecretMtnLover

I was looking at a topographic map for the Goldfields and noticed an elevation mark for "3076", and decided to go see about climbing the peak at this location. I managed to persuade Tracie the Intrepid to accompany me on this journey.

I drove to the Blue Point Bulldog Canyon OHV gate, and from there we went about 1.5 miles to the "trailhead". As an aside, you better have really good vision to be able to open the padlock at the gate. There is no way that I could have read the 4-digit tumblers on the padlock, but fortunately Tracie's vision is better than mine. Even with that, she had to use the flashlight on her camera in order to select the gate code.

This wound up being one of the slowest hikes that I have done. For about a half-mile or so from the TH, we walked either through a wash or a 4-wheeler road; beyond that we rarely walked on any flat ground, and most of the trek was either a steep uphill or downhill.

We made our way to a saddle, and from there we could see Peak 3076. We could have taken a more direct route than we did, but I wanted to explore a little bit. We eventually made our way up to the summit, and we enjoyed the nice unobstructed 360 degree views. I looked down at Rhyodacite Canyon, and we decided to make our descent in that direction because we wanted to go see Secret Arch which is on the west side of Rhyodacite Canyon. Unfortunately we got cliffed out, and decided to make our way back up to Peak 3076 and head back to the TH from there. This added about a mile and 500' of elevation gain to the hike.

On the way back we went to another, unnamed peak, that I my GPS indicated was about the same elevation as Peak 3076.

As we got close to the saddle, we discovered 3 arches near the saddle, and decided to check them out. It is always nice to see arches.

I was glad to hike up to this peak and enjoy the views, but it is not a hike that I will do again and again and again.

The only wildlife that we saw were some hummingbirds that liked the blooming chuparosa that we saw; now I know why chuparosa is called a "hummingbird bush".

From the TH to the saddle, I followed the GPS track that @CannondaleKid posted for his hike to Panorama Peak, which starts and ends at the same "trailhead" as this hike.

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] HAZ - Hike HAZard Intrepid Back Shot Risky Trail Signs and Markings Trash Hauled Out

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Four Peaks Saguaro Lake Stewart Mountain Dam The Flatiron Weavers Needle

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

1 archive

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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