DixieFlyer's Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Balakai Mesa 7454, AZ

Hiking		Apr 16 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	4.04 Miles	1,010 AEG

Hiking	4.04 Miles
	1,010 ft AEG

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none

no linked trail guides

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This was a hike to the high point of Balakai Mesa (elevation of 7,454 feet and prominence of 1,062 feet), which is on the Navajo Nation in Apache County. The high point is in the southern part of the mesa, near Balakai Point. Three years ago I hiked to what was then deemed to be the high point of Balakai Mesa, which is on the northern part of the mesa some 13 miles away. However, a few months ago Lidar data deemed the northern high point to be 7 feet lower, so I went back up there to make it to this revised high point on the south end of the mesa.

Balakai (Navajo for "place with reeds on it") Mesa spans Navajo and Apache counties within the Navajo Nation. Per grokipedia, Balakai Mesa holds importance to the Navajo people for the Blessingway Ceremony, which is a ritual focused on blessings for good health, luck, and prosperity.

As for geology, Balakai Mesa is capped with the bidahochi formation. I encountered beach sand while ascending, which gives credibility to the notion that the mesa was once in Lake Bidahochi. Lake Bidahochi, which was the size of Lake Michigan, was fed by the Colorado River, and one theory says that overflow from the lake went across the Kaibab Plateau and cut what we now call the Grand Canyon.

Before heading out here I picked up a Navajo Nation backcountry permit, so I had the red tape taken care of.

I did this hike from the east. I drove in about 8 miles from pavement on a decent dirt road. I hiked most of the way on an old road bed/pack trail that I noticed on route cloud. The trail got me to within about 300 vertical feet of the summit. Once leaving the trail I had to navigate through some cliff bands that took a bit of trial-and-error to do safely. Once on the mesa, I hiked over to the area that is supposed to be the high point. It was flat up there and the summit is covered with p&j, so there weren't any views. I did stop by the east part of the mesa to check out the unobstructed views to the east across the high plains.

I enjoyed this short hike on a nice cool morning!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sheep

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bidahochi Formation

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Balakai Mesa

_____________________

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

4 archives

230681

Apr 12 2026

Dome Mountain 3381 - Goldfield Mtns

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Dome Mountain 3381 - Goldfield Mtns

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Apr 12 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	6.72 Miles	1,605 AEG

Hiking	6.72 Miles	4 Hrs 5 Mns	2.01 mph
	1,605 ft AEG	44 Mns Break

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linked

Dome Mountain Loop

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It has been over 2 years since I have hiked up to Dome Mountain, and I decided to take advantage of a rare pleasant day weatherwise to go up there. There was a nice breeze blowing, and at times it was almost cool out there.

The trail is much easier to follow than it used to be. It was a steep climbers trail up to the summit, and as usual the views are really nice up there. The air seemed more clear than usual, and this was a scenic hike the whole way.

Wildflowers Observation Light
There were some palo verde trees blooming and a few catclaw had some flowers, but that was it.

_____________________

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

230564

Apr 08 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

The Other Mount Russell, CA

Hiking		Apr 08 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	5.19 Miles	1,375 AEG

Hiking	5.19 Miles	2 Hrs 22 Mns	2.49 mph
	1,375 ft AEG	17 Mns Break

no photosets

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none

no linked trail guides

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none

no partners

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

The mention of Mount Russell in California generally brings to mind the 14er that it is near Mount Whitney. However, my hike today took me to the summit of the other Mount Russell (elevation of 2,707 feet and prominence of 1,112 feet), which is in Southern California near the town of Moreno Valley. This Mount Russell is in the Lake Perris State Recreation Area, and it is the high point of the park.

I parked at a pullout a short distance before entering the park. I crossed the street and immediately got on a trail that went into the park. I stayed on the trail for a bit, then got on a dirt road, and then took a trail up to a ridgeline. Once on the ridgeline, the trail went along the ridgeline to the base of Mount Russell. From there the trail went all the way to the summit.

I was surprised at how nicely maintained the trails were. The only downside is that 5 days before my hike the Springs Fire burned the area. I could still smell the smoke and both sides of the trail were significantly burned. The fire even went through the summit of Mount Russell. I had read that this area often has nice wildflowers in the spring, but with the fire there were no wildflowers to be seen.

In spite of the fire, this turned out to be a very nice hike and it exceeded my expectations. I like the Moreno Valley area, and I would like to hike to this peak again sometime. With the low elevation, it is best to do the hike in winter or early spring.

Perris Reservoir

76-100% full

_____________________

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

230485

Apr 07 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Thunder and Telegraph, CA

Hiking		Apr 07 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	12.91 Miles	3,630 AEG

Hiking	12.91 Miles
	3,630 ft AEG

no photosets

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linked

Three Ts Trail 7W04

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This hike went to the summit of 2 peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains:
1) Thunder Mountain (elevation of 8,568 feet and prominence of 360 feet)
2) Telegraph Peak (elevation of 8,986 feet and prominence of 1,183 feet)

Telegraph Peak is the high point of the Cucamonga Wilderness Area.

I started and ended the hike at the Mount Baldy TH. I went on roads to the top of Thunder Mountain, then took the Three T's Trail to a spur trail that went up to Telegraph Peak. There were a few small patches of snow alongside the Three T's Trail on the way up to Telegraph Peak, but there was no snow on the trail itself.

This was a nice hike in a scenic area. There were great views of Mount Baldy along the way and at the summit, and the summit also had a good view of San Gorgonio.

_____________________

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

1 archive

230458

Apr 06 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Keller Peak, CA

Hiking		Apr 06 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	12.64 Miles	2,208 AEG

Hiking	12.64 Miles
	2,208 ft AEG	40 Mns Break

no photosets

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none

no linked trail guides

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no partners

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

This was a hike to the summit of Keller Peak (elevation of 7,882 feet and prominence of 1,050 feet), which is in the San Bernadino Mountains. There is a paved road that goes to the summit, but I hiked up on the Exploration Trail. Actually the road to the peak was gated shut just off the highway, so driving up to the summit was not an option today. However, I had planned on hiking instead of driving, so the road closure didn't bother me.

The trailhead was 300-400 feet past the closed gate, so I had to do a bit of extra walking. The Exploration Trail is really nice -- it is mostly hard packed dirt with very little rock; inclines are at a gentle grade; and there are lots of large boulders hugging the trail.

The trail ends at an upper trailhead after about 4.5 miles, and I walked on the road the rest of the way.

This is a very scenic hike -- there are great views at various places of the San Gabriel Mountains and Mount Baldy to the west, and San Gorgonio to the east.

This area was severely burned in a forest fire in 1970, but it has come back nicely over the last 56 years. There is a fire lookout tower at the summit that was a built in 1926. The lookout was in active service until it was sadly destroyed in a fire in 2024f. Only a shell of the tower remains.

This was a very enjoyable hike and I am glad that I did it.

I stopped near the summit to get online, and RS did not record the track past that; hence, I used stats from Garmin.

_____________________

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

230449

Apr 05 2026

Wonder View Trail to Cahuenga Peak

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Cahuenga and Sunset, CA

Hiking		Apr 05 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	9.82 Miles	2,226 AEG

Hiking	9.82 Miles
	2,226 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Sunset Peak 5796

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This was 2 separate hikes, with each hike going to a P1K peak:
1) Cahuenga Peak (elevation of 1,820 feet and prominence of 1,057 feet)
2) Sunset Peak (elevation of 5,799 feet and prominence of 1,273 feet)

Cahuenga Peak
(2.48 miles with 913 feet of AEG)
Cahuenga Peak is in the Santa Monica Mountains, near Hollywood. In fact, the famed "Hollywood" sign is not far past the summit, but I did not venture there.

This is a short but steep hike. There are some nice views along the hike and at the summit, but being an urban hike in Southern California there are a few negatives to deal with: blaring music, unleashed dogs, dog poop on the trail, graffiti, trash, and vaping. It comes with the territory I guess.

I parked along Lake Hollywood Drive and walked on a road through a residential area until I got to the Wonder View Trailhead, where I began hiking on the signed Burbank Peak Trail. The trail was steep, but thankfully it was a short hike. My first stop was Burbank Peak, which has the Wisdom Tree atop it. The Wisdom Tree is a lone pine tree that survived a fire in 2007. From there I went over to Cahuenga Peak. I took a few pics and then returned the way that I came.

Sunset Peak
(7.34 miles with 1,313 feet of AEG)
Sunset Peak is in the San Gabriel Mountains. I parked at Cow Canyon Saddle, and hiked on the Sunset Ridge Fire Road all the way to the summit. The road has a nice dirt surface with very few rocks, and it has some long, loopy switchbacks that provide a fairly gentle grade throughout. The entire slope of the peak is covered in tree skeletons from (I think) the Bridge Fire in 2024.

I enjoyed this hike -- it has an easy grade and there are great views of the high elevation peaks in the San Gabriels.

Note: The merge option did not work for me in RS, so I could not add the GPS tracks with "save/share". When I get a chance I will add the GPS tracks individually.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
There was a decent wildflower show on the hike

_____________________

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

10 archives

230426

Apr 04 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

San Mateo Peak, CA

Hiking		Apr 04 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	4.80 Miles	1,089 AEG

Hiking	4.80 Miles	2 Hrs 42 Mns	2.17 mph
	1,089 ft AEG	29 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

linked

San Mateo Canyon

Partners

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

This was a hike to the summit of San Mateo Peak (elevation of 3,592 feet and prominence of 943 feet), which is the high point of the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness Area. This is in the Santa Ana Mountains SE of Los Angeles, a little west of Lake Elsinore.

I started the hike at the Morgan TH. I started on the Morgan Trail, and after going a short distance I went on an unnamed trail all the way to the summit. There is lots of lush vegetation in the area, so I was glad to be on some good trails. The trails are well maintained by the Sierra Club.

There were a good many wild flowers along the way, which was nice. There were scenic views at various places along the way of Mount Baldy, San Gorgonio, Mount San Jacinto, Santiago Peak, and Lake Elsinore.

This is another good Southern California hike, and I was glad that I did it.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

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

230412

Apr 02 2026

[ checklist ] California Flannelbush Coulter's Lupine Indian Paintbrush Sand Wash Groundsel

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Mount Ord from 626 TH

Payson, AZ

Mount Ord from 626 TH

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Apr 02 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	12.02 Miles	2,735 AEG

Hiking	12.02 Miles	4 Hrs 55 Mns	2.75 mph
	2,735 ft AEG	33 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

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

I decided to get out of the inferno for a few hours by heading up to Mount Ord.

It was a pleasant cool, crisp, windy day up there -- perfect for hiking.

On the way up I ran into D and W; like HAZ, they rock!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

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

230368

Mar 10 2026

East Cedar Mountain - Tonto NF

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

[ checklist ] East Cedar Mountain Mount Union West Cedar Mountain

East Cedar Mountain - Tonto NF

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 10 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	6.49 Miles	2,883 AEG

Hiking	6.49 Miles
	2,883 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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There were only 2 triplogs on HAZ for this hike, and that was over 10 years ago, so I figured that it was time that someone else went out there...and who better than me, especially since East Cedar was on my target list. Previous trip reports did not inspire much confidence for this one, so I decided to go a different route and avoid all of the catclaw that had been mentioned.

I parked along Bloody Basin Road, a little over 4 miles past FR 24. It was a long, slow ride out there.

My parking spot was NE of the summit, and I followed a ridgeline that took me in the direction that I needed to go. This ridgeline took me to a ridiculously steep slope, that I climbed up to the summit ridgeline. At one point on the ascent, I gained 905 feet of elevation in 0.44 miles. For you homegamers, that is a grade of 39% and is at a rate of 2,050 feet of elevation gain per mile. It was too steep to be comfortable, and was probably worse on the descent.

Once on the ridgeline, the gradient was more gentle, but there was lots of lava rock and boulders underfoot.

On the ridgeline, I went to 3 different high point candidates, and I could not tell which one was the highest. I think that it is best to go to all 3. Actually, there is another summit much further to the south that looks like it might be a high point candidate, but I did not go there.

I returned the way that I came. Thankfully I did not encounter any catclaw on the hike. Bushwhacking wasn't bad, although there was a lot of knee high grass that obscured ankle-busting lava rock that was lurking underneath.

I came upon a couple of one-room ruins on the hike, and saw some rock art on the summit ridgeline.

Due to the ridiculous steepness of the slope that I climbed, I don't really recommend this route. You might be better off coming up from the west and dealing with whatever catclaw that you encounter.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Benchmark Route - finding Labels

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
There were lots of a verbenaceae of some sort, especially up on the summit ridgeline. I believe that it was either goodings verbena or mexican vervain.

_____________________

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

1 archive

229933

Mar 06 2026

[ checklist ] Baylor Peak DoÃ±a Ana Mountains Leasburg Slot Canyon Organ Mountains Organ Needle Organ Peak Robledo Mountain San Andres Peak Summerford Mountain

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Robledo Mountain, NM

Hiking		Mar 06 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	5.88 Miles	2,072 AEG

Hiking	5.88 Miles	6 Hrs 1 Min	1.28 mph
	2,072 ft AEG	1 Hour 25 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

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no partners

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

I have been wanting to hike to Robledo Mountain (elevation of 5,882 feet and prominence of 1,408 feet) for 3-4 years, and I finally was able to do the hike. Robledo Mountain is just northwest of Las Cruces, and it is the high point of the Robledo Mountains Wilderness Area.

From my parking spot, the first thing that I had to do was ford the Rio Grande River, which turned out to be fairly painless. While B or L would likely have just plunged across the river, I poked around a little bit to find a good place to cross. I did better on the return and found a place where the river was about 8 feet wide and 1-2 inches deep.

After crossing the river I had to do some light bushwhacking as I made my way to Leasburg Slot Canyon, which I took for about a mile. This was a cool slot canyon -- at places it was only 5-6 feet wide with walls that were 30+ feet high. I really enjoyed the canyon, and once I got to the end of it I found a chute to climb out of the canyon. The chute was class 2+ at the upper part of it, but I made it out without too much trouble.

Once I was out of the slot canyon, I was only about a mile from the summit. I didn't have any beta beyond this point, but just followed a route that I had drawn up in route cloud. It went pretty well, although there was a bit of scrambling involved. Once I got near the summit, I could have made a class 3 climb, but is was a bit more airy than what I was looking for, especially on a windy day. I spent a bit of time hiking under some cliff bands to find a fairly protected way to get up to the summit.

There were great views at the summit, so I took a well-deserved break up there. I returned the way that I came up. On the descent in the chute getting back into Leasburg Slot, I took my backpack off and lowered it down with a paracord. Then I used the five points of contact technique to get down the chute.

This turned out to be a fun hike that was interesting and challenging. I would like to do this one again sometime!

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Slot Canyon Summit Block

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

_____________________

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

229880

Mar 05 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Apache Peak - Apache Hills, NM

Hiking		Mar 05 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	3.85 Miles	1,063 AEG

Hiking	3.85 Miles
	1,063 ft AEG

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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no partners

This was a hike to Apache Peak (elevation of 5,763 feet and prominence of 1,097 feet), which is in the Apache Hills of SW New Mexico, in Hidalgo County.

I had originally intended to hike to the summit of Big Hatchet, which is a more substantial peak than this one. However, I was a bit tired from a hard hike yesterday, and had another hike to do tomorrow, so I opted for something a bit easier today.

I could have driven to the base of the peak, which would have made the hike less than 2 miles RT. I decided to stretch my legs a bit more than that so I parked short of the peak and did a bit of road walking.

There was nothing tricky about this hike. The peak is visible the whole way which made route finding really easy. There are a couple of obvious ridges heading up to the peak, so it was just a matter of picking one. It was somewhat steep, but not ridiculously so.

As I left the road I saw a half dozen or more deer on the slopes going up to the peak.

This isn't the greatest peak in the world, but it was enjoyable being out there and the hike fit the bill for what I was looking for on this day.

_____________________

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

4 archives

229861

Mar 04 2026

Pine Canyon Trail #383 - Peloncillo

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Peloncillo Benchmark, AZ

Hiking		Mar 04 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	11.27 Miles	2,193 AEG

Hiking	11.27 Miles
	2,193 ft AEG

Linked

linked

Partners

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no partners

This was a hike to the summit of an unnamed peak that contains the Peloncillo Benchmark (elevation of 6,527 feet and prominence of 1,127 feet), which is deep in @RedRoxx44 country in the Peloncillo Mountains. The Peloncillo Benchmark is in extreme SE Arizona; in fact, most of the hike was in New Mexico and I did not cross into AZ until I was about 1/4 mile from the summit.

I parked on FR4310, just off of Geronimo Trail near Geronimo Tank.

I began the hike on the southern terminus of Pine Canyon Trail #383, which goes 5-6 miles to its northern terminus in Skeleton Canyon. Some may recall that Skeleton Canyon is where Geronimo surrendered to the US Army back in 1886. Over the years over 100 bodies have been found in Skeleton Canyon; hence the name.

I hiked about half way to Skeleton Canyon before heading west once I got to Salt Canyon. Pine Canyon Trail was fairly easy to follow for about a mile, but the trail disappeared once I started heading down into Whitmire Canyon. It was a little tedious hiking in the bottom of the canyons. There had been a fire there at some point, as there were lots of burned trees standing.

Once I got to Salt Canyon I figured that I had done all the canyoneering that I cared to do, so I made my way to a ridgeline that I mostly followed to my destination. The going was open for a bit, and I passed by a sign marking the junction of the Salt Canyon Trail and the Dutchman Canyon Trail. There was no visible trail here, so I am afraid that these 2 trails are in the dustbin of history.

Not long past the trail sign I got into some fairly heavy brush, which I had to deal with for about 5 miles of the hike. I have done worse bushwhacking, but 5 miles of this was a bit much.

I eventually made my way to the summit, and enjoyed the views there. The Peloncillo Benchmark was nowhere to be found, but I did see one Peloncillo reference mark.

There were some signs of illegal border crossers on the hike -- most of it looked old but some was recent I believe.

This was an interesting hike in an area that I had not been to before, but I would have liked it better if it had been less brushy.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Reference Mark Smuggling Accoutrements

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Animas Mountains Chiricahua Mountains Peloncillo Mountains Portal Peak

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

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

1 archive

229859

Mar 03 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Dunn Springs Mountain, AZ

Hiking		Mar 03 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	3.66 Miles	1,858 AEG

Hiking	3.66 Miles	42 Mns	43.92 mph
	1,858 ft AEG	37 Mns Break

no photosets

Linked

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no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

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

This was a hike to the summit of Dunn Springs Mountain(elevation of 6,505 feet and prominence of 1,285 feet), which is in the northern Chiricahua Mountains.

I drove in on well-graded Woods Canyon Road and parked just before some private property. I walked for a short distance on a ranch-type road that went along the private property boundary, and then basically went straight up to get to the peak. The route was easily discerned, but the hike was very steep and brushy, and was loose in places. It was really too steep to be enjoyable, especially on a warm sunny day.

There are nice views at the summit, especially of Cochise Head, which isn't too far to the south.

I was glad to have gotten this peak climbed, but I think that once is enough for this one.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

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

229760

Feb 27 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

South Mingus Loop, AZ

Hiking		Feb 27 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	12.12 Miles	2,408 AEG

Hiking	12.12 Miles	2 Hrs 24 Mns	7.90 mph
	2,408 ft AEG	52 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Little Yaeger Trail #533

Kendall Peak

Old Dump Trail #530

Yaeger Cabin Trail #111

Yaeger Canyon Trail #28

Partners

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no partners

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

I did this hike 7 years ago, and I figured that it was time to get back up there. This was an enjoyable hike on a really nice late winter day.

We did a CCW loop with a stop to Kendall Peak and some other places of interest. This hike was mostly on roads and trails, although there was a bit of off-trail hiking.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Summit Register Log Wildlife Guzzler

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Kendall Peak

_____________________

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

229665

Feb 25 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

South Sonoran Crossover Trail - FHP

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 25 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	6.39 Miles	1,398 AEG

Hiking	6.39 Miles	2 Hrs 42 Mns	2.64 mph
	1,398 ft AEG	17 Mns Break

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Promenade Trail - FHP

Sonoran Trail - MMRP

Lower Sonoran Trail - FHP

Mesquite Hollow Trail - FHP

Mesquite Spur - FHP

Partners

none

no partners

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

I did a variation of this loop once again.

Route Scout had no hiccups on my google pixel phone. Map rotation worked fine, although it is a bit herky-jerky at times while slowly pointing to the correct direction. Also, there were no issues with missing map tiles or the missing buttons for map rotation and waypoints.

Map rotation seems to finally be working on my phone. To be fair this was also an issue with gaia and alltrails on this phone, so I can't blame this problem on route scout.

_____________________

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

229630

Feb 24 2026

Little Saddle Mountain Trail #244

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Cross F - Potato Patch, AZ

Hiking		Feb 24 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	10.88 Miles	2,122 AEG

Hiking	10.88 Miles	5 Hrs 52 Mns	2.13 mph
	2,122 ft AEG	45 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Saddle Mountain Trail #91

Saddle Mountain - AZT #22

Partners

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

I decided to do this hike today, which was a repeat of a hike that I did a couple of years ago.

There was nothing remarkable about the hike, but it was a nice wilderness hike. It was cool at the start, but it warmed up more than I like on the way back.

I got to check out the rerouted portion of the trail that @mazatzal mentioned in a recent trip report. The rerouted section was nice -- good tread with no brush whatsoever encroaching on the trail.

I had issues with flatlining on my samsung phone, so I used stats that I recorded with gaia on a google phone. I included these 2 tracks as well as a track that I recorded on garmin.

To be fair, I have also been having some issues with gaia flatlining on the samsung phone. I haven't had flatlining problems on the google phone, but until a couple of days ago map rotation did not work on that phone. Out of the blue the map rotation issues all of a sudden went away on the google phone with gaia; I am not yet sure if map rotation now works on the google phone with RS.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fremont Cottonwood

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mazatzal Wilderness Mount Ord Potato Patch Saddle Mountain 6,535, Mazatzal

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

Lower 244 Creekbed

Pools to trickle

_____________________

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

229607

Feb 23 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

South Sonoran Crossover Trail - FHP

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 23 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	5.96 Miles	1,330 AEG

Hiking	5.96 Miles
	1,330 ft AEG

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Promenade Trail - FHP

Sonoran Trail - MMRP

Lower Sonoran Trail - FHP

Mesquite Hollow Trail - FHP

Mesquite Spur - FHP

Partners

none

no partners

I did a variation of this hike by starting the loop on the Sonoran Trail; then taking the South Sonoran Crossover to the Lower Sonoran Trail; then taking the Sonoran Trail back once I got the Preserve Boundary; then taking the Mesquite Hollow Trail and Mesquite Spur back to the Promenade Trail.

Wildflowers were nice today: the poppies were popping and the brittlebush, fiddlenecks, lupine, and scorpionweed caught my eye.

I saw 5-6 deer on the Sonoran Trail -- judging by their ears they were mule deer, which was surprising to me.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fiddleneck

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mule Deer

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

_____________________

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

229577

Feb 22 2026

Golden Eagle Loop - Fountain Hills

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Golden Eagle Loop - Fountain Hills

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Feb 22 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	10.80 Miles	1,352 AEG

Hiking	10.80 Miles
	1,352 ft AEG

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Thompson Peak Rd - MSP

Dixie Mine Trail - MMRP

Coachwhip Trail - MMRP

Windmill Trail - MSP

Bell Pass Trail - MSP

Prospector Trail - MSP

Partners

none

no partners

I did this loop CCW. I did a variation of the standard loop, which was a bit longer but had less elevation gain.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Flowers continue to be nice this winter. I saw a good bit of owl clover today, which is one of my favorite flowers.

_____________________

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

229549

Feb 20 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Bunyan Peak

Southwest, AZ

Bunyan Peak

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Feb 20 2026
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,534

Hiking	13.23 Miles	1,962 AEG

Hiking	13.23 Miles	8 Hrs 15 Mns	1.79 mph
	1,962 ft AEG	52 Mns Break

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

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

This peak has been on my radar screen for a while, and I decided to take advantage of a relatively cool day to hike up to the summit.

I came in on Poco Dinero Road, and took a lesser road to my parking spot, which was at the wilderness boundary.

I started off across the desert floor, and fortunately stumbled upon a good use trail that I took for a couple of miles. Then I went through a wide wash for 3 miles or so before making my ascent to Bunyan Peak.

I did not intend to ascend the way that I did, but it worked. I basically went straight for some cliff bands and was able to find a weakness in the bands to get up and over them. I did have to do a few short class 3 moves, but there was nothing very sketchy.

There were some nice views at the summit so I enjoyed being up there. Not many people make it up to this peak -- the prior entry to mine in the summit register was over 5 years ago. The log was placed there by MacLilly back in 1998.

I had a couple of GPS tracks that I decided to follow for the descent, but the route that I took down was terrible -- very steep with some really loose terrain. It was steep on loose dirt, with the dirt being covered with loose rocks. It was painstakingly slow but I somehow managed to make back down.

Once I got back down to the wash, I went back that same way that I came. It was a long and tedious hike on the way back though.

I had some flatlining issues on my phone, so the stats above are what I recorded on garmin.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bunyan Peak Woolsey Peak Woolsey Peak Wilderness

_____________________

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

229526

Feb 18 2026

Guides 100
Routes 1,639
Photos 16,756
Triplogs 1,534

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,