Grass Canyon Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Feb 03 2024

rubywrangler

Photos 268
Triplogs 17

female

Joined Mar 12 2021
Seattle, WA

Peak 4180 & Peak 4220 Organ Pipe Cactus NM, AZ

Hiking		Feb 03 2024
		rubywrangler • Triplogs 17

Hiking	10.00 Miles	3,000 AEG

Hiking	10.00 Miles
	3,000 ft AEG

no routes

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Alamo Canyon - Organ Pipe NM

Grass Canyon Loop

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This is a very fun and scenic mostly trailless loop out of Alamo Canyon campground with side trips to two peaks in the Ajo Range. An excellent description of the route with lots of geology info is posted on Debra Van Winegarden's blog.

Summary: follow the Alamo canyon trail to the corral. Turn left and stroll/hop up the gravel/boulders/solid rock of the north fork. After the canyon makes a hard turn to the east, hike NNW up a side drainage to a small saddle east of Peak 4180. About halfway up the side drainage the terrain becomes mostly solid rock and gets really fun. From the saddle, hike west to a broad plateau south of the summit, then north to the summit on a fun ridge. Retrace your steps to the saddle, descend to Grass Pass, and hike northeast up a steep slope to cross a yellow breccia plateau. Scramble ~20' to the summit ridge of 4220. Descend to Grass canyon by crossing a gap at ~3600' in the ridge that runs north from Grass Pass, or go back to Grass Pass and descend from there. Enjoy ~30 minutes of fun scrambling descent, then a short walk to exit the canyon to the bajada. Turn south and walk a couple miles through open desert and across many washes back to the campground.

It rained buckets a few days earlier, and I found running water at ~3300' in the NNW drainage and then more higher up on peak 4220. The only unpleasant section of the route was from the 3600' gap to Grass Canyon - loose rock and overgrown vegetation. I also made a slight routefinding error trying to make a loop down from Point 4220 and ended up having to do some Spiderman-type shenaningans across a little cliff band instead of traversing below it like I intended.

Just before leaving Grass Canyon, I passed by a big chuparosa bush about 25' long, occupied by a flock? family? charm of hummingbirds. I stopped to watch them, and then a few of them stopped to watch me, and then suddenly they swarmed and flew circles around me! So neat!!

Apparently the bajada is glorious when it blooms, but right now it's grassy and green.

There were two registers on Peak 4180 but one appeared to be burnt and crumbled to the touch. I couldn't open the other one. Both were last signed in 1998, but I found several cairns so the route seems to be used.

No register on peak 4220. Many trash piles and hiding places though. I hadn't seen any obvious signs of migration on the route until I got to the 4220 summit ridge, though I heard noises I couldn't identify after turning east in north fork Alamo canyon and nearly bailed. Sounded like rocks dropping, slowly, one at a time. Eventually I decided whatever it was was far enough away. Hiking solo down here makes me a little jumpy

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Organ Pipe Cactus

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Natural Arch

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ajo Range Montezuma Head Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

5 archives

Feb 23 2017

caquark

Guides 1
Photos 4
Triplogs 1

female

Joined Feb 25 2017
tucson, az

Grass Canyon Loop

Southwest, AZ

Grass Canyon Loop

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Feb 23 2017
		caquark • Triplogs 1

Hiking	7.20 Miles	1,255 AEG

Hiking	7.20 Miles	7 Hrs 15 Mns	0.99 mph
	1,255 ft AEG

no routes

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I would really have to psyche myself up to do this hike again. Don't know why this hike is rated only 2.5 of 5, as I've done a 4.5 of 5 rated hike (Ventana Canyon) that was a cake-walk in comparison. The Grass Canyon Loop was all around one of the hardest day hikes I've done, not because of elevation or distance, but because lack of trail, lack of solid footing for most of the distance, fighting brush and bramble, rock climbing and scrambling up Grass Canyon, and scrambling down sills in North Fork Alamo Canyon. Easier walking happens in the final 1-2 miles of the loop. Definitely do the loop in a clockwise direction. Swing to the west along Alamo Canyon Road before angling northward on your approach to the Grass Canyon entrance (as per the ranger's recommendation) to spend less time scrambling up and down the many washes and to avoid all the cholla.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
We ending up using drifts of Mexican poppies as our "guide" to the entrance of Grass Canyon. There were 4-o'clocks, penstemon, and others (purple, yellow, white daisy like flowers, pink) that I don't know the name. Also some ocotillos were blooming too.

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Jan 22 2006

desertlavender

Photos 109
Triplogs 23

71 female

Joined Nov 29 2004
Tucson, AZ

Grass Canyon Loop

Southwest, AZ

Grass Canyon Loop

Southwest, AZ

Backpack		Jan 22 2006
		desertlavender • Triplogs 23

Backpack	6.00 Miles	1,255 AEG

Backpack	6.00 Miles
	1,255 ft AEG

no routes

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Grass Canyon - January 21-22, 2006

Visitors to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument cannot help but be intrigued by the description of the Grass Canyon Loop in Eric Molvar's "Hiking Arizona's Cactus Country." Molvar describes it as a "moderately strenuous" 6.2-mile-long day hike.

Huh?

The hike begins at the Alamo Canyon primitive camping area and heads north along the base of a wall of red rhyolite. There is no trail, but it's easy enough to make your way across the bajada bristling with saguaros, organ pipe and teddy bear cholla.

About two hours out, you'll pass a box canyon on your right and then make your way around an enormous stone tower. This is the entrance to Grass Canyon, lat. N32° 5.77', lon. W112° 43.49'.

Over lunch we cheerfully contemplated what looked like a gentle 3/4-mile ascent to Grass Valley Saddle. Three hours later, bruised and bleeding, we clawed our way up a rock slide to the only flat spot within miles.

At Grass Canyon Saddle, lat. N32° 5.28', lon. W112° 43.54', there are wonderful views east into a steep-walled canyon, and west across an endless alluvial fan.

14 hours in the tent gave us lots of time to think about the route ahead. Although in theory we were 2/3 of the way around, if we maintained the same snail's pace, we'd never make it to Alamo Canyon by dark. We reluctantly concluded that in the morning we should go back the way we came.

For the return trip we stayed high on the canyon wall. Although loose stone and steep slopes make for tough going, it's far better than dropping into the wash, which is choked with house-sized boulders, hackberry and cat's claw. Aim for the bases of the lowermost stone pillars, and STAY OUT OF THE WASH!

We'll return to Grass Canyon, but only once we've checked out the approach from the Alamo Canyon side.

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Desertlavender

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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