GlassMountains Trip Reports

Aztec Peak, Arizona, April 2016

April 17, 2016 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On April 14 I drove from Tucson north through Globe and into the Sierra Ancha to hike Aztec Peak, the high point of the range. Aztec Peak has 7748 feet of elevation and 2468 feet of prominence, the 41st most prominent peak in Arizona. Arizona has three physiographic regions: the Colorado Plateau in the northeast, the Basin and Range in the south and west, and the Arizona Transition Zone between those two. This peak was the only peak I climbed this winter season that lies within the Transition Zone. The others I climbed lie in the Basin and Range region.

The Sierra Ancha and Aztec Peak from AZ 188 north of Globe

North of Globe I pulled off AZ Hwy 188 to photograph the Sierra Ancha and Aztec Peak. Aztec Peak is the flat summit near the center of the above photo.

[Read more…]

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.

[Read more…]

Bicycling Mount Lemmon, Winter 2016

April 7, 2016 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

We have a view of Mount Lemmon to the north from our winter home in Tucson. Mount Lemmon, the high point of the Santa Catalina Mountains, has an elevation of 9157 feet. It rises about 6300 feet above our home. Linda and I have bicycled up and down the General Hitchcock Highway many times to various destinations on the mountain. This past winter we decided we should see how high up the mountain we could ride. After gradually reaching higher destinations over several rides we finally reached our goals.

The General Hitchcock Highway (aka Catalina Highway) climbs from near its base in Tucson to Summerhaven. Near Summerhaven a side road climbs through Ski Valley and past a gate to the gated and fenced Sky Center.

The General Hitchcock highway is a very popular bicycling route for local and visiting bicyclists. It is a great bicycling resource providing good workouts, fun descents, and excellent views of the Tucson Basin and surrounding mountains to the south.

[Read more…]

Mount Turnbull, Arizona, April 2016

April 5, 2016 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

On April 2 several friends and I climbed Mount Turnbull, the highpoint of the Santa Teresa Mountains of Southeast Arizona. Mount Turnbull has 8282 feet of elevation and 3562 feet of prominence, the 15th most prominent peak in Arizona.

Mount Turnbull from US 70 north of Peridot, Arizona

That morning I met Eric Kassan, Richard Hensley, Kay Komuro, Maymay Au, and Fan in Peridot. Here we purchased San Carlos Apache Tribal Recreation Permits for our visit.

This was the fourth weekend I had joined Eric in his explorations of Arizona prominence peaks. This was an unexpected and fortuitous opportunity this winter season. This day’s adventure included long drives on primitive roads, climbing across and up steep, brushy, and rocky slopes, and climbing exposed rock slabs to reach a very scenic summit.

[Read more…]

« Previous Page