Arizona Archives – Page 27 of 32 – GlassMountains Trip Reports

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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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.

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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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