- IBEX PEAK el 2800 is in the middle part of the range. Use the paved Plomosa Rd out of Bouse. Go to mp 8 and turn east on an easy 4wd road. Stay on the main road going east, keeping left at a fork nearly 2 miles in. In about 4 miles from pavement you come to a rock house ruin at N33 46941, W114 02452. Use the road to the left of the ruins and it ends in less than a mile at the north base of the peak. There is a sheep route at the base of the big west facing cliff near the summit. It's an obvious route and has one minor class 3 spot.When you top out just go left to the reg, but stay far right to avoid cholla. 2 hours, 1200 gain, steep. Mtn bikes would work as far as the ruins but there are some rubbly spots. . The west route starts at a nearby canyon at 46401, 02527. Go up canyon to a saddle at 46149, 02315 el 2100. Go down the other side less than a hundred feet to easier ground then go to the cliff base at 46075, 02150 el 2200. Look up to the left at a Saguaro lined main gully going into a notch. Go up that, passing 46111, 02142, then soon look for a lesser gully on the right. It's before the main gully tops out in the notch. Go up the gully on the right and it soon goes back left then up ledges to the summit area. The reg is at 46098, 01995. Not scary, but take leather gloves and a cholla whacker. 3 or 4 hours, 1400 gain. This is not as steep as the direct north route, but takes longer.
- HAYSTACK PEAK el 2700 is right next to Ibex Peak. Drive the same as for Ibex Peak, but at the rock house ruin take the far left fork. The road heads for plains in the distance, and don't take any right forks. After .6 mile from the ruin, go right across a wash to the end of the road in 3/4 mile at the base of the peak. Hike left around the base for a mile on game trails then go up to a smooth bedrock creekbed at N33 46443, W114 00771 el 1700. Stay in that until it fizzles then go up to 46415, 00919 where a hidden class 3 ledge is just above you. Get on the ledge and go up to the left to get on the ridge above. Follow the ridge up keeping right of center with a few class 3 obstacles. Aim for an arch on the ridge top at 46405, 00957 el 2300+. Step thru the arch and you're home free to the summit dome at 46439, 01254 where a little more class 3 rock awaits. It's easier to walk thru an arch at the summit dome. 4 hours, 1500 gain. Of several ways up, this is the most interesting route. Updated 2020. I went up the south side years before but can't remember driving directions.Go up the main south canyon and get on the ridge at N33 46233, W114 01165 and head up to the summit dome. 1200 gain.
- BLACK MESA el 3639 is the high point. Exit I-10 at the Gold Nugget Rd about 8 miles east of Quartzsite. Take the south side frontage road going east for 2 and a half miles to a dirt road. The frontage road is the old highway and still had pavement in 2013. Go south on the bumpy dirt road. In about 3 miles is a fork. Both go, but right is shorter. Keep going south in and along Apache Wash. At about 5 and a half miles in from the frontage road you leave the wash on the right side. This is the start of the DRIPPING SPRING BM hike. But keep going on the road for over a mile to a nasty spot el 2400. Hike a short way up the road then go left on a trail at N33 35099, W114 02507 el 2600 (Jeeps can make it that far). The trail goes up the south ridge but fades as the ridge goes parabolic for 400 feet to the top of the mesa. But I found it easy to move right into a drainage and up that then right again to gain the plateau. Then it's an easy mile to the BM at 35935, 01313. 3 hours, 1200 gain. No reg in 2013 but a new one was there in 2021. EAST SUMMIT el 3500 - a rocky canyon splits the mesa. I walked on to a point on the rim then down the right side at 35763, 00624 el 3400. I drifted to the right into a drainage then went up the other side in an easy drainage and on to the reg at 35179, 00320. Placed by Bob Packard in 1998, only a few had signed in. One was Emma age 12. I took a sidetrip for a mile to the east on the easy plateau then came back and skirted left under the summit to the SW ridge at 35128, 00489 el 3400 then down it to 34845, 00857 el 3050 where I could see a road below. I angled down to the right then dodged cholla to hit the road where it ends in a saddle el 2600. I stayed on the high ground walking SW and left of center to keep level then went left at 34563, 01471 el 2600 to get into a wash then up the other side on a sliver of bedrock. Rocks had eased up by then and I walked west across a flat to a miner trail at 34402, 02174 el 2300 that took me west thru a saddle and on to a closed road that soon led to the starting road. The whole loop took 7 hours but one hour was for the side trip, so count on 6. Gain is about 2500 but hardly any is steep. Rocky slopes are stable. It's also possible to drive roads in Apache Wash. They are softer but less erosion. Posted 2021.
- For DRIPPING SPRING BM el 3400, use the road to Black Mesa and park at a wash at N33 35938, W114 03240. Hike up this wash, using the left bench, to a main fork. Go up the left fork but it's easier to use the right bench at 35567, 03399. The left fork leads to a ridge at 35306, 03884. Go left up the ridge and it hits a cliff band then go left for 500 feet to a class 3 ramp at 35134, 04154 then up to the top 35132,04286. It's best to aim for a saddle 150 feet left of the summit. 3 hrs, 1100 gain. We came down the south ridge then dropped back to the wash, but had to deal with cholla.
- IBEX BM el 2777 is just north of I-10. The west canyon is one route. Exit at Golden Nugget Rd about 8 miles east of Quartzsite. Go north on easy 4wd, keeping right at forks. At 3/4 mile from the exit, go left at a fork and follow the road around the base of the range. At about 4 and a half miles from the exit, turn right at N33 43027, W114 06701. Go another half mile and park at the mouth. Hike up into fork at 43242, 05631. Go up this bouldery fork to a dam. A waterhole along the way had sheep bones. It's easier to pass the dam on the left. Right after the dam, go left at a main fork and go up to about el 1850 where it opens up. Now go up the right slope to the ridgetop at 43452, 05233 el 2000 which is between the forks. Now it's easy to walk into the head of the right fork then up to the main saddle. Then go right a short way to the BM at 43355, 04849. The knob to the NE is higher. I came down the cholla infested west ridge, which runs along the south side of the canyons I went up. 4 hours, 1600 gain. Nice canyon. No reg in 2013. Don't confuse this with Ibex Peak to the north. NE CANYON ROUTE - this is a good route, maybe not as interesting. Take the paved Plomosa Rd to mp 5.5 and turn SW on a major dirt road. Go a about 1.1 miles to a 4-way then turn left on easy 4wd road #78 and keep going to a secret fork at 44897, 04262. Turn toward the peak for 1.3 miles and park in a wash el 1480. Walk to the NE canyon and go up along the right side to a tiny saddle at 43453, 04428 el 1950. Then follow sheep trails on up canyon to 43263, 04475 el 2350 and make an obvious right turn and on up to the reg. 4 hours, 1300 gain. Posted 2020.
- IBEX BM EAST SUMMIT el 2840+ - a secret road comes in from the east. Take Perry Lane on the west side of Brenda to the end of pavement then go a little more to the road going west. After a mile and a half comes a tricky fork. Go right and on to another fork where the road enters the mountains. Go right again for a short way to the end next to peak 1772. Walk NW into a wash and up that until a half mile from the start then over a saddle at N33 42766, W114 02794 el 1800 and into a main canyon. Go up that a fifth mile to a mess of forks then stay far right in the main arm. Use the left bank at 43063, 03558 el 1800 and keep going up canyon bank to bank on sheep trails. At 43174, 04358 el 2600, cut back to the right on a shelf to get at the NW saddle el 2750. But stop 50 feet short of the saddle and stay low around the right side of the summit block to 43108, 04184 el 2800 then go up to the reg. 5 and a half hours, maybe 1000 noticeable gain. This scenic canyon is one of the best in the range. A guzzler is the only eyesore. I could do it in shorts. The roads are bumpy high clearance and mtn bikeable. PEAK 2800+ is next to the freeway. The east ridge is easy. At the tricky fork, stay left to the end el 1600 near the east ridge. I went up that on a spotty sheep trail to the reg at 40949, 02452. I could see a decent ridge running down to the north so I went down that to a main wash. The banks only work for short spurts until 41260, 02008 el 1750 where the right bank goes for a tenth mile then to the left bank then far right bank at the last mile. 3 hours, 1200 gain. This is better than it looks. Nice bank walking. Posted 2021.
- BLACK BEAUTY PEAK el 2520+ is what I call the one a mile south of Ibex Peak. Take the paved Plomosa Rd to mp 5.5 and turn SW on a major dirt road. Go a about 1.1 miles to a 4-way then turn left on easy 4wd road #78 and go straight into the mountains then stay left at main forks to a 4-way at N33 45534, W114 03251. Take the one dropping into a wash and follow it east a half mile to another fork. I parked there and walked the left fork a short way to a guzzler along a wash. I walked up that wash and came to a short narrows. I used a trail on the right bank to get on bedrock and walk the rim of the narrows then on up canyon to the main saddle at 45453, 01953 el 2050. An invisible guzzler is near there. I wonder how sheep find it? I went on up from the saddle staying low and left of center to a saddle el 2350 which is .13 mile from the summit. Then I had a class 2 knife edge but wide enough to be safe. Chickens can walk lower. The reg is at 45126, 01600. Placed by M&L in 2002, only one other party signed in. I kept walking the main ridge to a saddle at 44987, 01516 el 2450. I dropped down to the west and went straight along a cliff base for 250 feet then I could move left onto the ridge. I walked down the center of the ridge a short way and a tiny crag blocked me. Well I showed him. I dropped down along the right side of the crag and followed a cliff base down to the creekbed. A couple of minor drops in the creekbed were easy to bypass then at the mouth I cut thru a saddle at 44722, 01739 el 1800 and followed a trail up onto the high right bank then turned into a canyon going back toward the start. I followed the main canyon to the saddle 45018, 02569 el 1900 and down the creekbed on the other side, but might have been better off to use the right rim. I shortly hit the road and strolled on back. That took 3 and a half hours with maybe 800 noticeable gain. This is one of the more pleasant hikes in the area. The road going north from the 4-way goes on out, but is rougher. Posted 2020.
- PLOMOSA BENCHMARK el 2273 - take the paved Plomosa Rd to mp 11.9 and turn on a decent high clearance road. Follow it and stay right at tricky forks to a key fork at N33 49749, W114 04787. Turn toward the peak there on road #93A and keep going toward it to get close. Hiking routes are obvious but all can be summed up with just two words - " cholla city". To avoid that, I crossed a gully at 49989, 05624 el 1450 then walked the low ground to 50239, 05807 el 1600 where I went up to the main ridge el 1700. I stayed on center of that for 400 feet to the only major bump and went right of that on sheep trails then on to the reg at 50184, 06160. 2 hours, 700 gain. I didn't get any cholla on my boots. The nearly 3 miles of dirt road is easily mtn bikeable. FOUR PEAKS is to the north but only the second highest peak is safe to climb. Retrace back to the key fork and go north on road #94 and go nearly a mile to a main fork. Go left to a T at 51307, 04842. Turn left there on road #80 and it goes to a guzzler on the west side of the peaks. It's a 30 minute hike to peak 1785 with 400 gain. Those roads may need 4wd. Posted 2020.
- LAMOSA BENCHMARK el 1904 - take the paved Plomosa Rd to mp 16.7 and turn on a decent road for .8 mile to a 4wd road at N33 53608, W114 02690. Follow that to a fork at 53759, 03285 and go right across a wash then stay on the main road to the south canyon. Drop into the wash and go a few feet then up a right fork to the end of the road el 1350. Walk that fork to the end and thru a low saddle and on to the SE canyon at 54574, 04902 el 1400. Go up that to top out on the ridge then on to the reg at 54716, 05183 which dates back to 1964. M&L placed a book decades later but didn't see the earlier one. It's a 90 minute hike with about 700 gain. The 3 miles of dirt roads are mtn bikeable and on the topo. There are no good south or west routes to the summit, but north canyons might work. Posted 2020.
Indian trail cutting thru the range along the I-10
