Climbing Reports

Travel using both feet and hands, whether scrambling unroped or technical climbing using rope and anchors.

Coyote Mountains, Arizona, January 2017

January 28, 2017 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On January 7 Eric Kassan, Fan, and I climbed the highpoint of the Coyote Mountains rising just east of Kitt Peak west of Tucson. The Coyote Mountain highpoint lies in the Coyote Mountains Wilderness. It is the 48th most prominent peak in Arizona with 2329 feet of prominence and 6529 feet of elevation. The Coyote Mountains are visible from many of the bicycling routes Linda and I ride in Tucson. This was my third attempt of the peak so I was glad to finally stand at the summit.

The Coyote Mountains from Arizona Highway 86

The Coyote Mountains are quite scenic but off trail travel is difficult with many rock cliffs rising above brushy slopes. There is an abandoned trail leading to the summit from the northeast corner of the Wilderness boundary. This trail is very helpful but is overgrown in many places with many species of thorny plants and can be difficult to follow.

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Window Peak, Arizona, November 2016

November 30, 2016 by Paul McClellan 3 Comments

In November I hiked the Ventana Canyon Trail and climbed Window Peak in the Santa Catalina front range. This took me two attempts. On November 9 I hiked the Ventana Canyon Trail beyond its end to a scenic saddle on a ridge at about 6500 feet. I had hoped to climb Window Peak, but I ran out of time and energy to go that far and turned around after climbing 3600 feet. I returned two weeks later and succeeded.

Mount Kimball from the end of the Ventana Canyon Trail

The Ventana Canyon Trail ends at its junction with the Finger Canyon and Esperero Trails. I hiked Mount Kimball from Finger Rock Canyon a year and a half earlier and I savored the view of it rising far above me from this junction.

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Silver Bell Peak, Arizona, November 2016

November 30, 2016 by Paul McClellan 2 Comments

On November 16 I explored west of Marana, Arizona, and hiked and scrambled up Silver Bell Peak, the high point of the Silver Bell Mountains. Silver Bell Peak has only 4261 feet of elevation but is the 81st most prominent peak in Arizona with 1921 feet of prominence. I got good use of my Jeep on the drive in and hiked through mostly open country.

Although Silver Bell Peak is close to Tucson I was not able to find access information for it. However, I was able to map out a driving approach to the peak using topographic software and Google satellite views. I have since posted my driving directions online here. This approach route worked well for me, although the last 2.9 miles in was rocky and rutted in spots. I recommend visitors have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle with good tires.

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Pinnacle Ridge Attempt, Arizona, April 2016

April 8, 2016 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On April 3 several friends and I attempted to climb Pinnacle Ridge in the Santa Teresa Mountains of Arizona. Pinnacle Ridge is rarely visible for those who stick to highway travel across Arizona. But Pinnacle Ridge has 2470 feet of prominence, making it the 40th most prominent peak in Arizona. We encountered much more brush than we had expected which slowed our progress considerably. With member time constraints we eventually had to turn around well short of the summit.

Pinnacle Ridge from the summit of Mount Turnbull

My first view of Pinnacle Ridge was on the previous day from the summit of Mount Turnbull. Pinnacle Ridge is hidden from highway views except for possibly a short section of US 70 west of Safford, AZ. From Mount Turnbull it appears to be a remote, compact, and rocky mountain range to the south.

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