Ajo Range Archives – GlassMountains Trip Reports

On Saturday morning, January 28, I left Tucson and drove west to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. My goal was to climb Diaz Peak. Diaz Peak lies immediately south of Mount Ajo in the Ajo Range. Diaz Peak has 1501 feet of topographic prominence, making it the 153rd most prominent peak in Arizona. It also has a rocky and complex structure. I hoped the GPS track provided by Matthias would guide me as I climbed to the summit.

Diaz Peak from the crest of a ridge, the summit is left of center above a sunlit ramp

I drove the Ajo Mountain Drive past Mount Ajo and parked off the road at Stop #15. It was later in the morning than I had expected and Diaz Peak looked far away across the desert. So I set a tentative turnaround time for myself. It was going to be a close call as to whether I would be able to summit by then.

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On February 23 Linda dropped me off at the Bull Pasture Trail below Mount Ajo in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. From there, I hiked and scrambled up Mount Ajo, the high point of the Ajo Range. The Ajo Range is volcanic with many cliffs and rock outcrops. Hiking high on the route reminded me of Misery Ridge at Smith Rock, Oregon. Mount Ajo is an Arizona peak with at least 2000 feet of prominence. I spotted several other Arizona prominence peaks and Mexican peaks from the summit.

Organ Pipe Cactus and Mount Ajo from the Bull Pasture Trail

I followed the Bull Pasture Trail for the first 1.5 miles. From Bull Pasture I followed a well-worn climbers trail the rest of the way to the summit. The hiking elevations were only 2400 – 4800 feet and the sunny sky was clear. But it was a cooler day than recent ones. There was a breeze on the ridges which helped make the day quite pleasant for hiking.

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Diaz Peak, Arizona, January 2023

Mount Ajo, Arizona, February 2016