picacho peak climbing route

The best part, though, was the view south along the ridge. Picacho Peak 1930′ Chocolate Mountains. As the only guide service to offer Picacho del Diablo, we have extensive experience on the peak and many successful summits. Here’s how this one looks if you are driving along the freeway. Sunset Vista Trail takes you on a pleasant and colorful 3.1 miles on the south side of Picacho to the peak. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. Its centerpiece spire is visible from downtown Tucson, a distance of 45 miles (72 km). All-in-all, it was a great day! Hike K17. It’s the bump sticking up in the back on the right side. The route is tucked up under and overhanging cliff on smooth rock and descends about 150 feet, with cables assisting your descent in the trickier sections. In this Friday, July 31, 2015 photo, a lone saguaro looms over the entrance of the Picacho Peak State Park in Picacho, Ariz. From its saddle with Picacho, it is a Class 3 scramble to the top, done by few, and I myself didn’t complete it until 2002. Picacho Peak is a 4959-foot high peak just northwest of Las Cruces. There are 2 more things of note in this group of peaks. The trail switchbacks up the north slopes, then to a cliff wall, before one last zag leads you to a saddle between Picacho Peak and Razorback Ridge (Peak 3161). Picacho – it’s a Spanish word, of course, like so many names here in the American southwest. We had heards that the flowers had been opened. Take the right (W) branch, following it about 2.0 miles to a point 0.4 miles SSE of the peak. Back at my truck before two o’clock – it had been a good day, and I’d get home early enough to celebrate Christmas. 2019-12-24. Looking east to the Granite Hills – Treadway is the higher bump on the right. It wasn’t until more than 20 years later that I went back in to climb Newman’s neighbor, another big peak called “South Newman” by some. It was an uneventful climb, if you don’t count the bees. It’s defined as the vertical distance between a peak and the lowest contour line surrounding that peak and no higher peak. I suppose it could be argued that they aren’t even a part of the larger range, but they almost touch so I thought I’d consider them together. This crescent-shaped ridge, known as Pinnacle Ridge, is a difficult and waterless technical route to Picacho, and it looked deadly. Picacho Benchmark sits a mere 425 feet outside the park to the west of the other peaks. Thankfully, the wind was blowing here. At least make the climb up to the bottom of the rock-face if you are able, as you still get a pretty good vista. Our third and final one of the day was just across the road to the south. There are a number of different routes to the peak via the Dale Bale Trails including an easy diversion from Atalaya Mountain, but this route takes off from the Nature Conservation property on the northside of the peak. This 13,000 acre recreation area is deed restricted, so residents will continue to enjoy this amazing natural amenity at their back door for generations to come.Experience the Southwest and the Chihuahua Desert like never before at the Picacho Peak Recreation Area in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Rock Climbing Total Time: 4:00. Three of the usual suspects had been there before us, but we duly signed in to the register. Climbing the Ladder on Picacho Peak The pointy cap of Picacho: Picacho is one of two high trails remaining open during the current trail closures, ... Out and back on our route mapped below is just four miles (28min climb, 23min descent). Something that looks un-climbable to the masses has been tamed. Martinez Cabin. Location. From its saddle with Picacho, it … The most common route up to the summit of Picacho Peak is Hunter Trail. Make a right turn at Picacho Peak Road and follow the road into the park. Back down the same way to the ol’ Toyota. The north Atalaya ridge to the east, summit at right: Picacho Peak is a familiar landmark to anyone who drives Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson. I was surprised to see that neither of the bumps showed any sign whatsoever of a previous visit? No matter your route, this is a great after work, sunset hike. Picacho Peak via Hunter Trail Overview Picacho Peak via Hunter Trail is a hard 3.4-mile out and back trail with an elevation gain of 1,982 feet. All along the Picacho Mountains runs a man-made feature created in recent years, something called the Central Arizona Project Canal, or CAP for short. After the Brady Pumping Station has done its job, the water runs by gravity for 5.5 miles to reach the Picacho Pumping Station. The climb to the top of Picacho del Diablo, the highest mountain on the Baja California peninsula, wasn’t supposed to be technical. All of that hardware exists today, helping thousands ascend the peak. It sits astride Interstate-10, and its imposing profile makes it look like a technical mountain to climb for most mortals. As is, I’d call it Class 2+ or so. Date of experience: February 2020. Once you make it beyond the halfway saddle, it’s a rollercoaster of a mountain and emotion. If you want a hike mate send me an email adrianglzj@gmail.com. The peak is located in the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, a part of the Peninsular Ranges in the Mexican state of Baja California. Once this step has been surmounted, you climb a short ramp to the left that brings you out at the northern end of the ridge-line at the top of Picacho Peak. It’s the small bump all in sun to the right of and behind the cliff. On the way to Tucson, we wanted to stop and climb the very popular and supposedly impressive looking Picacho Peak. Eventually we reached the exit for Picacho Peak State Park and we followed signs to the Hunter Trail. We enjoyed the hike and the flowers. Picacho Peak State Park. Check this out. This link will show you where to find Peak. hard (1287) Length: 3.2 mi • Est. Select Picacho Location Map Detail: … Perhaps the most popular trail at Picacho Peak, the Hunter Trail gives the shortest route to the top. Picacho Climbing Notes. It … Picacho Peak is composed of basalt and andesite volcanic rocks. Directions From the intersection of I-10 and I-8 (in Casa Grande), take I-10 Southeast for 20.7 miles to exit 219 / Picacho Peak Road. We encountered several more steep sections where fixed … It was an easy walk to the summit of this peak which dominates the entire north end of the range. Picacho Peak is a prominent mountain in central Arizona, about 20 miles southeast of Casa Grande in Pinal County, and about 40 miles north of Tucson. How to Get There. Though appearing to be the remnant of a volcanic neck, it is now believed to be … Nearby, we happened to see this dust devil. Gold Canyon, AZ. I ventured up this steep, rugged path on a pre-dawn on a late March morning. From the top it looks like a boring trail. Picacho Peak is a wonderful climb for someone wanting to push their limits a bit beyond the standard Class 1 trail-to-easy-summit kind o’ thing. city. It was the northernmost thing one could climb in the Picacho Mountains – beyond it, slopes ran down to the desert floor which then stretched many miles north to the towns of Florence and Coolidge. You could drive dirt roads right up to the canal, then cross over it on a bridge built for wildlife. Its purpose is to deliver water for farmers, and it is called the Santa Rosa Canal – it runs for 65 miles, past such places as Eloy, Arizona City and through many more miles of Pinal County to finally end near Maricopa. There are two routes to Picacho Peak. This is one of two trails in Picacho Peak State Park that takes you to the peak and it is a must do in spring due to the abundance of wildflowers. Two weeks before Christmas in 2010, I returned – this time, to climb the biggest one north of Newman Peak. Marana, AZ. This is the easier of the two peak hikes. The most popular route, the Hunter Trail, takes you to the top of the mountain. The first was a small group of bumps at the northeast corner of the Picacho Mountains which had their own name, the Granite Hills. Along the ridge which bears Picacho Peak can also be found another steep one called Peak 3161. Follow a good use trail N from here along the base of cliffs to the deep gully on Picacho's W side. This is a big peak with lots of relief, and that’s what draws a lot of people to climb it – the fact that it’s the range high point doesn’t hurt either. We left the freeway a couple of miles north of Picacho Pass and made our way by seldom-used dirt roads to the east, more-or-less paralleling the path of McClellan Wash. Sure enough, as we headed down Interstate 10 towards Tucson, we started seeing Picacho Peak in front of us. Little can grow natuarally in this arid land where the Colorado River struggles to avoid complete evaporation before entering Mexico and the Sea of Cortez. Go north past a school and straight through a stop sign, still seeing S24 signs but really following Picacho Road. This is the easier of the two peak hikes. Rather, I found a road that took me over to the Central Arizona Project canal (more on that later). It’s also a great place to stop for a hike — one that will test your fear of heights and make you weak in the knees. A mile away stood one more, the southernmost in the entire section of the range that sits on the east side of the freeway. Here’s a view of this one from the west. Picacho Peak, 3,370', (image-left) and the Picacho Mountains are separated by a gap of shallowly buried bedrock. Even so, it was almost 2 more years before I was able to get back in there to visit more of the peaks. Corkscrew Peak — 2.14 MONTGOMERY PEAK — 1.4 Picacho Peak — 5.4 Tucki Mtn. Florence, AZ. Peak 2383 was a quickie, only 43 minutes round-trip. Okay, now back to the climbing. The peak is located in the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, a part of the Peninsular Ranges in the Mexican state of Baja California. Beautiful! We could see the flowers. Follow the signs to the trailhead. I know of 4 people who have died on this peak, but none of them fell – they all died of dehydration in the heat. #1 - Picacho Peak via Hunter Trail. We were in Arizona to enjoy some warm weather and do some hiking. The eastern Picacho Peak trailhead was a bit confusing, but 'hwstock' cleared it up for me. That may be why after hiking it I experienced cramps! Paul had freed up some time and agreed to return with me to finish off the southern end of the range. It was a 6-hour day, and an exhilarating climb, enjoyable in every way. Second Water Trail. Continue straight north past the sign where S24 turns right (waypoint PICS24, 4.3 miles from I-8). Tucson, AZ. It was early December of 2010 when, early one morning, I drove to the north end of the range with friend Paul McMichael Jr. From Phoenix drive south on I-10. Turn right / west on Picacho Peak road and continue for 0.28 miles to the park entrance. Hunter trail to the top of Picacho Peak is the shortest route., but also the steepest. Geologists have no clue what volcano made it. From there, continue 0.2 miles to the Barrett Loop, turn … For our descent, we headed south from the summit along the ridge down to the saddle at 4,000 feet, then dropped down steep terrain to the west into the basin and back to the canal crossing. Climb NW to a saddle at 1200+ feet elevation. Note: there are many routes to climbing Picacho Peak. Almost immediately after the saddle, the route got spicy. However, there are a few more to talk about, a small group of them that lie on the west side of the road, 5 in fact. 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