Arizona Archives – Page 25 of 32 – GlassMountains Trip Reports

Pinnacle Ridge, Arizona, March 2017

April 17, 2017 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

On Saturday morning, March 25, Eric Kassan, Adam Humphreys, and I met at a dispersed campsite just south of Pinnacle Ridge in the Santa Teresa Mountains. Eric and Adam had arrived late Friday and I only noticed they were parked nearby when I got up in the dark to start my breakfast. After breakfast we drove north to Trail 66 near Sand Tank. The goal was to climb the high point of Pinnacle Ridge.

Pinnacle Ridge from the road leading to Sand Tank/Trail 66

Pinnacle Ridge is the 40th most prominent peak in Arizona, with 2470 feet of prominence and 7550 feet of elevation. Eric and I attempted Pinnacle Ridge last April. The climb statistics are quite modest, but the mixed forest surrounding rock pinnacles reduces visibility and the thick brush on steep slopes obstructs progress. On the previous occasion we ran out of time but this time we started soon after sunrise and had the entire day if necessary to complete the climb. We knew we had a long day ahead of us.

[Read more…]

Mount Devine, Arizona, March 2017

March 14, 2017 by Paul McClellan 2 Comments

On March 8 Michael Berry and I climbed Mount Devine, the high point of the North Comobabi Mountains on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation north of Sells, Arizona. Mount Devine is the 75th most prominent peak in Arizona, with 1983 feet of prominence and 4783 feet of elevation.

The North Comobabi Mountains to the south from where we parked

We drove in on an abandoned dirt road towards the mountains from the north, squeezing between palo verde trees and driving over 2-3 foot bushes. The road disappeared after only 1.4 miles, but we were glad to have covered as much distance as we had as the mountains still seemed far away.

[Read more…]

Dos Cabezas South Peak, Arizona, March 2017

March 7, 2017 by Paul McClellan 9 Comments

On March 4th Eric Kassan, Michael Berry, Matthias Stender, and I climbed Dos Cabezas South Peak, the high point of the Dos Cabezas Mountains. Dos Cabezas South Peak is higher than the adjacent North Peak with 8359 feet of elevation. The South Peak is also the 19th most prominent peak in Arizona with 3249 feet of prominence.

Dos Cabezas Peaks from Arizona Highway 186 SE of Willcox

Dos Cabezas Peaks are quite visible from Arizona Highway 186 southeast of Willcox. The South Peak is the rightmost of the two rock towers in this view and is the higher of the two.

[Read more…]

Black Mountain, Arizona, February 2017

February 28, 2017 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On February 22 I hiked Black Mountain north of Oracle, Arizona. This particular “Black Mountain” is the 85th most prominent peak in Arizona with 1907 feet of clean prominence and 5587 feet of elevation. It also has nearly 20 miles of isolation (distance to any higher peak).

Black Mountain from Willow Springs Road, northwest of Oracle, Arizona

On February 17, Linda and I watched the start of the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, a 24-hour mountain bike race held just south of Black Mountain. We drove in north on the Willow Springs Road, northwest of Oracle, Arizona to reach the event. We were surprised by the size of the temporary tent and RV village and enjoyed the start of the event. Afterwards, we drove further north on Willow Springs Road and explored access to Black Mountain. I planned to return soon.

[Read more…]

« Previous Page