| | |
|
|
Hiking | 5.82 Miles |
1,157 AEG |
| Hiking | 5.82 Miles | 3 Hrs 19 Mns | | 2.00 mph |
1,157 ft AEG | 24 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Having driven by Dromedary Peak so many times, I wanted to see it up close.
After parking just off the highway, I followed a deep wash for a bit before turning south and bushwacking towards the saddle. It was easy hiking over a small hill until reaching the slopes of the peak. I knew the north side of the peak was covered in grass after seeing it from the highway, but it was higher than expected up close, knee-high in many spots. Avoiding the tall grass was not possible - it covered the entire side of the peak with only the occasional rock 'island' in between. The hike to the top was slow going while trying to find the best route, trudging through the grass, and hoping nothing was lurking underneath.
Nice views from the top - the Superstitions to the north and endless desert to the south. I took a short break at the top before some bees took an interest and encouraged me to keep going.
The south side of the peak was the opposite - zero grass, just cactus and the usual Sonoran foliage plus a bunch of baseball-sized rocks. The way down also required making each step deliberate to avoid slipping. After reaching the bottom, I cut through two washes to reach a dirt road, then turned east. I decided to stop and see the windmill that was marked on the topo map, which was next to a large abandoned corral. I would be curious to check out the mining prospects that are marked to the south-east of the windmill at a later date.
After looking around, I continued following the road uphill back towards the car. This section of road was extremely rough, and I wouldn't want to try driving it. The rest of the hike back to the car was enjoyable in the isolation and desert silence. I only saw one person the entire hike near the water tank towards the end of my route - he was pulled off the side of the dirt road and was watching the side of Dromedary Peak with hunting binoculars. Made it back to the car, ate a sandwich, and headed home.
Cool area, and it seemed you could explore far to the south on foot fairly easily by taking the numerous dirt roads. Despite being close to the highway, it felt like a very remote place. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|