Grand Gulch Hikers: February 2011

Many panels and grinding holes are scattered across the Kofa Wildlife Refuge in western Arizona.
Shark's Tooth below.

POLARIS MOUNTAIN el 3600 has a trail up to the High Henry Mine el 3000 on the south side. Leave US 95 just north of mp 76 and pick up the little map at the refuge entrance. If maps are gone, stay left at every post until post 63. Then go right to post 65. Stay left for 6/10 mile to the private North Star Mine gate. The first 17 miles is graded from US 95, the last 6 or 7 miles is easy 4wd. A road near the gate goes left. Drive that for a tenth mile to get closest to the trail which is at N33 17790, W113 58548 el 2050 or, if doing the loop, keep driving west another third mile. Go up the trail to a basin below the peak where it gets spotty. Pick it up at 18305, 58718 el 2950 where it goes left less than a tenth mile to tent foundations. Choose your own route to the summit at 18474, 58871. I avoided cholla by going up the obvious gully on easy class 3 rock and on into the east saddle. For a loop back, go down to the tent foundations then keep going on game trails to N33 18240, W113 59109 el 2900 and follow a trail to the ridge and go down to 18166, 59292 el 2650 where you can drop down a ridge to the right. Stay on the ridge to a saddle with a mine el 2450, on the south side of point 2460. Then either go down the steep gully or use a faint trail left of center to stay on the easy ridge down to a hand built road that goes along the base back to the start. 3 hrs, 1100 gain. Add an hour and 700 feet to climb the peak. The hand built road goes to some minor mine stuff. The trail needs pruning. Posted 2018.

For KOFA BUTTE el 3250, drive the same as Polaris but keep going to post 21 then go NE to the end of the road. Hike up the easy wash in a right fork. Go up a right slope at N33 17403, W113 55432. Use the right bench to get at the slope but not more than .16 mile before. Go up and angle left across minor draws to get on the main ridge. Then angle left to 16995, 55328 then level off and keep going to a main draw. Stay off the highest bench. The main draw goes up to the summit area. The reg is at 16561, 55737. 3 1/2 hrs, 1600 gain.
BIG DICK CANYON is a gorgeous area of crags and cliffs SE of Squaw Peak. A loop can be done using the main forks to go over a peak I call Big Dick Mountain el 3800. Take US 95 to King Rd near mp 76 and pick up the little map at the refuge entrance and drive to post 63 shown on the map. If maps are gone, there is a cell tower there and all roads are on the topo. Go left at post 63 for 3 miles and park where the road makes a U. Walk a fifth mile to the main creekbed at N33 18523, W114 00333. Go north up that for .6 air mile to the main fork. Go right. Soon it gets rocky but trails, mostly on the right bank, lead to the main saddle el 3150. Then go left up the ridge and it soon levels off. Now it's an easy stroll on sheep trails toward the pinnacle of Squaw Peak. When huge crags get in the way, drop down to the wash on the right and keep going toward the pinnacle until you're in the basin on the north side of Big Dick Mountain. It's obvious how to walk up into the saddle el 3650 on the east side of the summit then go up. The peak is at 19835, 01784. There's plenty of time to return the same way, but a dramatic class 2 sheep route goes more directly back. Return to the saddle el 3650 then drop down to the south onto a plateau el 3500 then walk SE on that for half a mile to a gully at 19543, 01396 el 3350. Follow that down to the east and soon it looks like it's going over a cliff. But it broadens out there and it's easy to see how to swing wide right on easier slopes. Then the terrain funnels you back to the creekbed at el 3000 and it's easy to go on down to the main west fork of Big Dick Canyon. 5 hours with nearly 2000 gain and mostly not steep. It's about 25 miles of decent dirt roads to get to the canyon. I could have drove a 2wd truck in that day, but it's not worth the risk. Some hikers call this Spaghetti Peak. Posted 2017.
KING VALLEY INDIAN TRAIL - one 13 mile segment of this trail is handy for hikers who are spending a weekend in the area of Polaris Mtn or Kofa Butte. It starts a half mile south of Kofa Deep Well and runs west thru the Hidden Valley Hills. Take US 95 to mp 81.4 and go east on a crude but easy road for 2.5 miles to the end at the refuge boundary. Leave one 4wd there then drive to mp 76 and turn on a graded road and proceed into the refuge. Stay left at forks on the graded road to the trail at N33 12885, W114 00459 el 1250. It's about 17 miles in from US 95 and though graded it has soft spots that might stop 2wds. The trail heads for a feature I call the Shark's Tooth. It takes a lot of waypoints to walk the trail, but just keep heading for the Tooth. I entered those waypoints as I walked and so only had to enter 3 or 4 digits and it didn't slow me down. Here's the order - 13126, 00835 to 13496, 01443 to 13732, 01832 to 14084, 02479 to 14336, 02873 to 14945, 03934 to 15260, 04565 to 15346, 04709 to 15529, 05014 to 15964, 05555 to 16318, 06141 to 16570, 06668 to 17031, 07646. Then comes a choice of two saddles to cross over. The trail seems to go over the highest one at the south base of the Tooth, but I went over a lower one to the south at 17195, 08361 el 1750 using a deer trail. Go down to the other side and walk the flats to the trail again at 17867, 09686 then shortly to your 4wd at 18595, 10969. That took me 5 hours, 7 minutes with hardly any noticeable gain. The first half of the trail runs across the grain, but there's no gully deep enough to require any extra effort. There's a lot of good looking pavement here. The sat image shows the trail near Mohave Tanks at N33 21845, W114 24355. I traced it SE from the tanks for 40 miles to N33 09685, W113 55145. If they were going to the Gila River, that's another 25 miles. There's no water along the way now. Posted 2018.

SIGNAL PEAK el 4800 has a hiker trail most of the way. Leave US 95 at the sign for Palm Canyon near mp 85. Go nearly 3 and a half miles on graded road to post 19. Turn left on a crude road. In about 4 and a half miles the road drops into the wash of Kofa Queen Canyon. Now it's bumpy 4wd for 3 miles to Ten Ewe Canyon where you park. There is no trail for the first third mile, but in 2015 I marked out a good path on the far right bench that's a lot better than stumbling up the rocky creekbed. At a major fork, the trail goes up between the forks at N33 21952, W114 03916. It's easy to follow the trail all the way up except for a draw at 21598, 04566 el 4100 where someone set up errant cairns going up the left slope. Stay in the draw along the left side and the correct trail is soon obvious as it runs along left of the creekbed then eventually enters the creekbed and goes steeply up to the head at 21669, 04738 el 4500. Then the trail goes thru a saddle and on to the summit at 21557, 04967. 4 hours, 2000 gain. As of 2013, the trail could be done wearing shorts. If you come down that steep trail without a good stick, I can guarantee that you will bust your ass. In 2015 the hike took 3 hours because I knew the route exactly.

TEN EWE MOUNTAIN el 4700 is the next major peak east of Signal Peak. Use the same trail as for Signal Peak. Follow it up to a wash on the left at N33 21583, W114 04525 el 4100. Go up the wash on the left side and soon you can see the west face of the peak. Go to a saddle at the base reading 21504, 04410 el 4250. Now go right along the base of the cliff on a shelf. The shelf spirals up all the way around to the north side then you come to some class 3 rock at 21416, 04231 el 4600. Either go up the rock or use a chicken route just below then it's a short walk to the reg at 21436, 04314. 4 or 5 hours, 2000 gain. The south facing portion of the shelf has light brush. If you're doing the peak on the way back from Signal, you can come directly down the main ridge to the west face.
TUNNEL MINE PEAK el 3961 is what I call the peak on the north rim of Tunnel Mine Canyon. The SE canyon is an easy route then trails down the north side make for a loop back. I drove up Kofa Queen Canyon for 1.1 miles past the Signal Peak TH and parked at a side canyon next to a sign el 3050. I went up the main creekbed to a saddle at N33 22116, W114 02645 el 3200. To skirt brush I went up a point on the left bank when I was reading .12 mile from the saddle. From the saddle, I went right on a game trail that kept me on the high ground down to a side canyon of Tunnel Mine Canyon at 22273, 02426 el 3100. I went up that then up the left slope to a trail at 22456, 02204 el 3250 that took me to the rim el 3400. I walked that level but should have dropped right a little for smoother walking along a drainage. Next, I stayed right around a hill then at .77 mile before the peak, I dropped a little to the right to get into the SE canyon. I followed trails along that and to the head of the canyon then moved left up a slope and topped out on the summit ridge about a tenth mile from the reg which is at 23323, 02880. Placed by M&L in 1995, only 6 entries had been made and one was mine in 2009. I have no memory of it whatsoever. I must have came up the south slope. Next, I circled down to the west saddle el 3800 and saw tailings down the canyon to the north. I went down the right side of the canyon on a steep sheep trail to get near the tailings then veered left on the trail running below a cliff to get to a saddle el 3400 on the left rim near an adit. Still on a sheep trail, I followed it thru the saddle then down to a real trail at 23476, 03129 el 3200. An old water pipe is there but I didn't check for a spring. Something is attracting sheep. I followed the trail down along the left slope to a dry cement trough at the bottom with "SHOR" printed on it. The pipe comes straight down to it for a quarter mile. I then walked over to the main wash of Tunnel Mine Canyon passing some ancient cans scattered on a bench at 23306, 03612 el 2750. I then went up the main wash to a ridge at 22276, 02633 el 3050 that leads back to the saddle el 3200 near the start. The ridge has a minor dip but is the best route. That took 4 and a half hours with maybe 500 strenous gain. There is some light brush and it's mostly on the descent route I took. Posted 2020.
OLD SMOKEY MOUNTAIN el 4373 is a craggy peak but there is a route up the east side. Drive the same as Signal Peak but keep going past that TH for a mile and a half to the end of the road. Hike east up the main wash for 3/4 mile to a low divide with the old road on it. Walk the road over a hill to the right then down to a wash with an open road in it that comes in from the north. Go up the wash for a third mile to a main fork reading N33 21092, W114 02058. Go left. I saw several potholes with water in this fork, one had 3 or 4 petroglyphs. Go on up the wash to a low ridge at 20568, 02310. Use a main right fork about 300 feet ahead of the ridge. Go up the easy ridge then at el 3800 it goes parabolic. Aim for a gap in the crags on the summit ridge at 20474, 02790. There is a big crag in the line of travel to the gap. I went on the right side of it and had good footing. Once on the summit ridge, there is a convenient path going to the summit block on the right. Trouble is, the block has a class 3 knife edge about 2 feet wide, but I didn't check the back side. It's easy to negotiate, but it's a 500 foot drop off on the left side and 10 to 40 feet on the right side. I stared at it for 10 minutes to get up enough nerve to go up. The reg was placed in 1982 and needs a new jar. 4 hours, and the only gain you'll notice is the final 700 feet up the mountain. The last 400 feet of that is steep. One hiker signed in 5 years in a row until 2009. I guess that's when he fell off. Using the road from the north would save a mile each way, but it's an easy mile. It's worth the hike even if you skip the summit block because you still get a good view, especially a close up look at the Squaw Peak mega spire. Posted 2015.
SUMMIT PEAK el 4300 is south of Ten Ewe Mountain. Drive the same route as Signal Peak but keep going less than a mile and park near Summit Canyon and get on the far left bank at N33 21875, W114 03109. Start up canyon and soon you hit the main channel and then the left bank works again at 21459, 03141. Go on up canyon to a ridge at 20999, 03634 el 3600. About 500 feet before the ridge you have to go up a left fork to get at the ridge. Use the right slope of the fork. Go up the ridge to a large spire at el 3900. At the base of the spire on the right side is a game trail going up along the base of the cliffs and shortly into an obvious major saddle. Go on across the saddle and keep along the right side on a faint trail to a minor saddle at 20897, 03764 el 4000. Keep going on the trail and down a little to a major saddle at 20871, 03827. Now you're staring at a huge cliff. Go up to the left on a slope and walk at the base of the cliff and soon you'll top out on the summit ridge. Walk just a little more then you hit a gap in the ridge just 100 feet before the summit. Now look south and you'll see a chute angling down to the left. Go down that then walk to the gap. Walk a 2 foot wide ledge that goes around the right side and up to the reg at 20921, 03979 placed by M&L in 1995. Only 7 parties had signed in as of 2021. 4 hours, 1400 gain, take long pants and pruners. And a 30 ft handline for the squeamish. The only exposure is at the gap. Those afraid of heights will have to stop there. I didn't consider anything to be dangerous. There is nothing harder than easy class 3. Some would call it class 2. A plethora of fantastic spires makes this one of the more spectacular hikes on the refuge. I pruned some branches in the main canyon in 2014.
FISHTAIL CANYON has palms. The best way to hike it is to make a loop by going up Palm Canyon then use a sheep route to come around at the 3100 level to Fishtail. Leave US 95 at the sign for Palm Canyon near mp 85 an drive to the TH el 2100 at the end of the graded road. Hike up Palm Canyon for about 3/4 air mile where it's easy to go up the right slope on a hiker trail. Aim for a sheep trail crossing a drainage at N33 21611, W114 05614 el 3100. Follow it under a rock outcrop at 21577, 05687 el 3100 then on around the corner to a saddle at 21511, 06037 el 3100. Go thru and then down bedrock and across a basin el 3000 to the next drainage then go up to the saddle el 3200 at the head. It's well worth it to walk up to the point el 3518 to the south from the saddle. From the saddle, go thru and keep left down a draw on bedrock reading 21304, 05858 el 3150 and you soon come to a minor drop. Go down a crack against the left wall. I left webbing here years ago, but someone has since left cheap ropes. Those eyesores aren't needed ( I hauled one out). Just double over a 20 foot hand line thru the webbing then pull it when you're down. The first 5 feet is tricky then the remaining 20 feet is routine class 3. I've been down it 2 or 3 times with no rope at all. The palms are just below the drop then start weaving thru brush. There is always a passage. Near the bottom is another tricky double drop, maybe 60 feet total. Bypass it in a left notch at 20924,05809 el 2400. Go thru the notch for about 150 feet then drop down an easy gully. A deep water hole just down from the falls had water after 3 months of no rain. Go around the right side of it to get in the creekbed. At the mouth get on the flat right bank and cut thru a notch and walk along the base on sheep trails. The trail will fade in rocks, look for it again at 21365, 06401 el 2000 then it hugs the base until reaching the rough wash coming out of Palm Canyon. The parking area is on the far bank. 4 and a half hours, 1300 gain. Take long pants and pruning shears for the stretch below the palms. I could have gone thru in shorts if I had to. I hauled one of the cheap ropes out. Posted 2018.
PALM CANYON NORTH RIM LOOP - Another good hike goes up Palm Canyon along the rim to another canyon to the north. Go up Palm about 3/4 air mile where it's easy to go up the left slope and get on the rim. Walk west on the rim at about the 3100 level and then around a corner and follow the easy ground to a saddle at 22035, 06102 el 2800. Go on another tenth mile or so to another saddle el 2900 a little higher. Go thru and down to a sheep trail at 22116, 05934 el 2800. Then go 350 feet across a drainage and start down an easy ridge to a sheep route at 22230, 05933 el 2650 that drops directly down to the right to the creekbed. Soon you hit bedrock where several potholes have water for sheep. Walk on a trail on the left side that goes down to the flats where another trail goes back to the start. 4 hrs at leisurely pace. The only noticeable gain is the 1000 up Palm Canyon. The only headache here is cholla on the rim. Posted 2018.
TUNNEL MINE CANYON is best done as a loop using Kofa Queen Canyon for the return. Leave US 95 at the sign for Palm Canyon near mp 85. Go nearly 3 and a half miles on graded road to post 19. Turn left on a crude road. In about 4 and a half miles the road drops into the wash of Kofa Queen Canyon. Go a half mile up the wash and park. Walk to a trail at N33 23224, W114 05801 el 2300 to get on the north bank. Then walk NW on the high ground for about a fifth mile to a trail cutting across a gully to get on the next high ground at 23382, 06004 and walk it down to a crag el 2475. A trail runs along the base of the crag for easy access to high ground at 23743, 06038 that leads to a trail going into Tunnel Mine Canyon. There are more direct routes that could save a fifth mile but involve more cholla and gullies. Go up canyon and get on a bank at 23731, 05356 el 2300 and soon you'll merge with an old road. It goes into wash then emerges at 23401, 04583 el 2500. Stay on it another .8 air mile to a major wash. Go up the wash .85 air mile to the first main fork. Go up the right fork then get on the right bank at 22648, 03427 el 2950 and keep going to the main saddle el 3050. Follow a sheep trail down the other side on the right side of the drainage and it soon splits. Stay on the higher one down to the creekbed just below Cereus Tank. Then soon an old road on the right bank can be used to get to the road in Kofa Queen Canyon. It's a couple miles on that road back to the start. That loop took me 3 and a half hours with hardly any noticeable gain. Mtn bikes would work on the roads. Posted 2018, 2021.

CASTLE DOME el 3700 dominates the southern refuge. Leave US 95 at mp 55 (southbound drivers can shortcut on a graded road just north of mp 57) and drive a graded road to a museum in the refuge. Keep going another 4 and a half miles on easy 4wd to a broad wash and park at a "no vehicle" sign. Your GPS should read N33 05918, W114 10497. Hike up the wash for 500 feet from the sign then take a left fork to get in the main wash (it's at 05985, 10207).Go up that wash and get on the right rim at 05610, 09169. Follow a spotty trail and ducks up thru a steep gully then back left to a notch at 05118, 08550 which is between a spire and the summit dome. Just before the notch tops out, go right up a class 3 chute and follow ducks to the top. 2000 gain, 4 hrs. In 2015 the route was lined with a million cairns. LADDER TANKS are near the TH. Just stay in the wash on the extreme right side of the canyon and it curves into a narrows with the tanks. HANGING TANK is on the other side of the canyon. Use a sheep trail on a bench at 06015, 10227 el 1750. Walk it north for a tenth mile to the mouth of the canyon with the tank. Go up canyon a quarter mile to the water at huge boulders. 100 feet past the boulders is the first of several falls blocking the way. The 4wd road goes on thru Mcpherson Pass and eventually hits 95 near mp 76. It's about 18 miles, a dozen is 4wd and the rest graded. As of 2018, the worst spots on the road are fixed and now it's easy 4wd. That route has less washboard and better scenery. Gates have been installed on the road at the museum and I was told they will be locked starting April 1, 2018. A bypass is in the works.
CLIFTY BENCHMARK el 3273 is the highest peak on the long stretch between Castle Dome and Signal Peak. The summit block has a class 3 route up the south side. It can be hiked from east or west, but west is shorter and more dramatic but needs 4wd. Take US 95 to mp 68.9 and go east on a crude road for a bit over a mile to power lines. Turn north there on BLM road #0043 and stay on the easternmost road. Go about half a mile to a rocky wash. Drive across and up the north bank then turn east right there on faint tracks reading N33 10111, W114 15509. Go a mile or so on desert pavement and park near the bank of Robin Tank canyon el 1400. Mtn bikes could make it in. This is inside the Kofa boundary, but we saw no signs. And since burros are trashing the area, that tells me no one cares anyway. Walk directly to a saddle at 10289, 13720 el 1600 to shortcut a bend in the wash. Go thru and walk the up canyon to some ledges on the left bank at 10283, 13257 that make it easy to skirt boulders. Shortly after that is a narrow gorge at Robin Tank where falls start. A class 2 route goes up the right slope at that spot. Another class 2 route is downstream a few feet at 10221, 13194. It's a wide ramp of dark bedrock. We concluded that the upstream route is the safest, but the ramp didn't bother me. For the upstream route, zigzag up on bedrock and it leads into a gully blocked by a minor fall. That route splits there. Sheep go left and back into the main creekbed and that is the safest and maybe the best route. I chose to go right on class 3 and left cairns. That route tops out at a cliff base where a faint sheep route goes along toward the peak and merges back with the creekbed. The dark ramp route also goes up to that same cliff base. Once back in the creekbed, aim for a saddle at 10378, 12947 el 2400 then go thru on a sheep trail to access the west slopes of the peak. Go up to the SW saddle el 2700 and look up at the gully that goes up along the south side of the final cliff band. That gully reads 10503, 12693 el 2900+. Go up it and it tops out in a saddle on the SE side of the summit block. Then there is only one way to go. A short ledge on the left side of the block is wide enough to be safe and has good holds then the rest is easy. The reg is at 10543, 12660. That took us 5 hours with about 2000 gain. Some light brush caused me to wear pants but Vic Hanson preferred shorts. Any hardcore hiker not bothered by heights can do this. The power line road goes on north to the Black Tank road, but it's hilly. Burros can't get to the water in the canyon. Posted 2017, 2020.
BLACK TANK BENCHMARK el 3103 has a class 3 sheep route up Black Tanks canyon from the west. Take US 95 to mp 70.2 and turn on a crude road. Go straight on that for a mile and a half to the end of the legal road. Mtn bikes would work. Walk the closed road and stay right at forks and the road goes to the main fork of the canyon. Walk up the right fork a short way then climb up the left slope to a minor cave at N33 11190, W114 13948. Class 3 ledges go up from the cave and top out at el 2100 then the canyon is easy to walk up. Stay left at forks and the canyon tops out at el 2750 at the base of the peak. Then it's easy to circle south up to the reg at 11158, 13287. 4 and a half hours, 1600 gain from the flats. On the descent, I had no trouble scooting down the class 3 part on my butt. Posted 2017.
CLIFTY / BLACK TANK BENCHMARKS LOOP - a sheep route connects the two peaks making for one of the better hikes in the refuge. Take US 95 to mp 70.2 and turn on a crude road. Go straight on that for a mile and a half to the end of the legal road. Mtn bikes would work. Walk to an Indian trail at N33 11066, W114 14930. Follow it south for a third mile on easy ground then it goes left around a corner and on to 10537, 14924 where it exits a wash and goes up to pavement. Stroll on up that to the bank of Robin Tank canyon then walk directly to a saddle at 10289, 13720 el 1600 to shortcut a bend in the wash. Go thru and walk the up canyon to some ledges on the left bank at 10283, 13257 that make it easy to skirt boulders. Shortly after that is a narrow gorge at Robin Tank where falls start. A class 2 route goes up the right slope at that spot. Another class 2 route is downstream a few feet at 10221, 13194. It's a wide ramp of dark bedrock. We concluded that the upstream route is the safest, but the ramp didn't bother me. For the upstream route, zigzag up on bedrock and it leads into a gully blocked by a minor fall. That route splits there. Sheep go left and back into the main creekbed and that is the safest and maybe the best route. I chose to go right on class 3 and left cairns. That route tops out at a cliff base where a faint sheep route goes along toward the peak and merges back with the creekbed. The dark ramp route also goes up to that same cliff base. Once back in the creekbed, aim for a saddle at 10378, 12947 el 2400 then go thru on a sheep trail to access the west slopes of the peak. Go up to the SW saddle el 2700 and look up at the gully that goes up along the south side of the final cliff band. That gully reads 10503, 12693 el 2900+. Go up it and it tops out in a saddle on the SE side of the summit block. Then there is only one way to go. A short ledge on the left side of the block is wide enough to be safe and has good holds then the rest is easy. The reg is at 10543, 12660 el 3273. Then retrace to the SW saddle and walk along the west side to the NW saddle el 2720. A sheep trail goes thru it then right of center along a cliff base. It drops a little then goes up into the next major saddle el 2740. Then sheep stay left of center and drop a little. Aim for bedrock at 10902, 13167 el 2700 and go up staying left of center to el 3000 just past a keyhole. Now step up to the ridgetop and the huge cairn on Black Tank BM el 3103 is in view. It's an easy stroll to that then retrace to the last saddle and go down on easy ground to another saddle at 11128, 13471 el 2850. Drop down the other side in a canyon then a big drop gets in the way at el 2200. Some hikers us a steep gully on the south side, but I like a class 3 route on the north side. For that, walk a sheep trail from the fall then drop to a gully at 11181, 13905 el 2050. Soon a minor drop blocks the gully, but go right on wide ledges and follow cairns down at a reasonable angle. I could find that route without cairns. At bottom, stay on the right bank until the left bank looks good. For the last 2/3 mile, a road runs on the higher bank back to the start. 7 hours, about 2500 gain. I did this in shorts. Posted 2020.

SHARK'S TOOTH el 2650 has a route up the NE side. Take US 95 to mp 81.4 and go east on a crude road for 2.5 miles to the end at the refuge boundary. Hike across the flats to the low saddle to the left of the peak. Aim for a game trail at N33 18212, W114 08781 that goes up into the saddle. Go thru the saddle then start angling up a steep slope to get to an easy gully at 17956, 08596. The rest of the route is obvious. 4 hours, 1200 gain. There is nothing on this hike harder than class 2. The reg had half a dozen entries for the previous 20 years. One guy claimed he went up the NW face.
STAGECOACH PEAK el 2680 is a rugged little peak off the graded Palm Canyon Rd. Leave US 95 at the sign for Palm Canyon near mp 85. Go nearly 3 and a half miles on graded road to the refuge entrance. Go another 2.3 miles to a pullout on the right. Hike south across the flats for 3 miles to a minor saddle at N33 19054, W114 08460 and go thru to a draw at 18841, 08505. Follow that up as it curves right to a saddle. Go thru then go up left to the main ridge then right to the peak 18622,08743. 4 hrs,1000 gain. The part of the hike on the flats is across the grain but the washes are shallow.

TUNNEL SPRING is in a cave in the craggy area north of Signal Peak. Take US 95 to mp 92.7 and turn on a good dirt road. Drive to the refuge entrance then keep going another 3 miles to post 22. Turn right on 4wd and go about 5 miles to a closed road reading N33 25472, W114 03219. Hike up the road into the Tunnel Spring Canyon where the road has been obliterated by floods. Go up canyon and there's one useful shortcut where the old road reading 23574, 02391 cuts thru a gooseneck. Keep going to 23393, 02232 and get up on the right bank. A steep side canyon can be seen on the right. The spring is out of view inside the mouth on the right wall. The blind opposite it can be seen. Follow sheep trails into the mouth then climb up on bedrock to a good climbing rope hanging out of the cave as of 2021.The rope is needed to get up a 4 or 5 foot step. An etrier would be handy. Water drips out of the back wall into a trough with many gallons of clear water. The last person out should whip the rope to the right to keep it out of the algae. It takes an hour and a half to walk to the spring on an easy grade. Stay to the right side of the valley about an air mile from the spring to avoid walking up a major left fork. The old road bed can be seen at the fork of the side canyon. ALTERNATE RETURN - the rugged canyon to the east can be used for a loop back. Retrace back from the spring to 23827, 02416 and cut over to the main east fork to a game trail at 23848, 02092. It goes up between forks and left of a crag then into a saddle el 3050 then it's downhill from there to a pothole in a narrows that can be passed on the left. Then comes a deep gorge with falls at Towhee Tank el 2750. A trail runs along the right bank for a fifth mile to 24536, 01848 el 2650 then on out to the flats. A main wash is easy to follow along the base until the road joins in. That whole loop took us 4 and a half hours. Posted 2015, 2021.
TWIN SPIRES CANYON - this is an easy hike that can be made harder and more interesting by going up canyon then over a high peak on the east rim. Take US 95 to mp 92.7 and turn on a good dirt road. Drive to the refuge entrance then keep going another 3 miles to post 22. Turn right on a high clearance road and go about 2.7 miles to a camp area el 1900. Walk south a tenth mile to an Indian trail along a gully. Follow it around the point to a minor canyon with small tanks. Keep going around the next point into Twin Spires Canyon and go up to the spires and stay along the left side. I decided to go up a side draw at N33 25087, W114 04499 el 2100. It bends to the left and gets clogged so I went up a gully on the right bank at 24965, 04404 el 2300. I soon topped out on the rim el 2400 and stayed high on game trails going up canyon. I went thru 24631, 04194 el 2850 then on to the saddle el 3150 that goes over into Oak Creek Canyon, but I couldn't tell if a safe route goes down. Instead, I went north out of the saddle to a sheep route at 24647, 03995 el 3300. It's nearly a class 4 route that goes up to the high peak el 3320+ but it's the easiest route. It has good holds and I was counting on not coming back down it. I went over the summit then on down the main ridge and hit cliffs right away. I veered left to a major gully and entered at a side gully of it reading 24707, 03952 el 3150. It took one class 3 move to get in then it was easy. I moved to the left wall near bottom then I could resume walking the main ridge at 24829, 03922 el 3150. I walked that nearly a fifth mile where a block got in the way. I went down a sheep trail along the base of that then down into a canyon at 25075, 03961 el 2700. Soon I came to a fall then moved to the next gully on the right then on down to the flats. I walked a main wash to the road at 25789, 03995 where a bike stashed would have saved over a mile back to the start. This is a 5 hour hike with about 1500 noticeable gain, but the summit block is not for those bothered by heights. Cars might get to post 22 then mtn bike the rest. Posted 2020.
McPHERSON TANK is an interesting hike. Use the map in the refuge brochure to get on the 4wd road west of the tank. Park at a cable reading N33 07926, W114 09716, less than a mile north of McPherson Pass. Hike up the valley to a bench at 07534, 09538 which is on the north side of a major wash. You can slog up the wash to the dam, but I like the bench. Walk the bench, keeping the wash on your right, until a hill is in the way. A sheep trail can be seen running on the left side of the hill into a low saddle. Take that trail then keep going thru the hills and soon you'll be on a flat bench again where the wash makes a bend to the left. It's a short way to the dam at 06919, 09289 where the tank is. It's easy to keep going up the wash. A few feet past the dam, keep left at a fork. Stay in the main wash and it soon opens up with several peaks to choose from. For "McPherson Peak", get on the high ground at 06660, 09216 el 2250 and follow it up to the skyline ridge el 2700 then go left up the ridge staying left of center to the top el 2900 for a good view. For a higher peak, stay at the 2700 level to get to the reg on"Rifle Peak" at 05928, 09311 el 3030. It takes half an hour to get to the tank, 90 minutes to Mcpherson Peak, 2 hours to Rifle Peak with about 1000 feet of noticeable gain to either peak. The washes here are easy to walk, not clogged with brush. Posted 2018.