Indian Pass Wilderness

I didn't spend much time in this area. Burros have overrun most of it.

• QUARTZ PEAK el 2178 is the high point on Peter Kane Mountain and the highest in the Indian Pass Wilderness. Take highway 74 to mp IMP     and turn at the sign for Black Mountain Rd. Go 2.7 miles on graded road and park at a huge camp area where pavement starts. I prefer a route with the fewest tire tracks. Walk over to the bank of a wash reading N33 06043, W114 51360 el 1150. Walk along the wash and just keep going SE on easy ground to a deep wash. Drop down into it then pop right back out again on a flat at 05650, 50398 el 1300. Use the flat to shortcut a bend in the wash to get to a game trail at 05524, 50115 el 1350. Walk 200 feet on that then it's easy to cross to the left bank. Follow the left bank and a game trail stays up on the left bank all the way under the peak. The easiest way to go up is to follow the canyon up into a saddle at 05375, 49535 el 1850 then go thru into an easy drainage and up that to another saddle el 1950. Then go up the ridge to the reg at 05343, 49378. 3 hours, 1000 gain but you notice half of it. The Black Mtn Rd goes on for 5 more miles to towers but with a lot of big potholes. Not one of the towers is Verizon. That paved part would be a good bike ride for the hardy. Posted 2017.
• MICA BENCHMARK el 1400 is the second highest peak in the Picacho Peak Wilderness as far as I can tell. An easy 4wd road comes in from the south as shown on the topo and it's good for mtn bikes. Take the Ogilby Rd to N32 55840, W114 50868 and turn at the sign for Hyduke Mine Rd #659. Stay on 659 for 4.8 miles to road #913 reading N32 57144, W114 46710. Go 3 and a half miles then go left at N32 59721, W114 45227 and then another fifth mile to the end of the legal road el 900. Of course everyone keeps on driving but it's less than a half mile to the end of the road at a wash. Go up the wash on a trail to another trail at N33 00325, W114  44864 el 950. Follow that  trail up the right fork for a quarter of an air mile then the creekbed turns toward the peak. To avoid crags, go up along the creekbed to the main saddle then go left up to the reg at N33 00428, W114 44396. 90 minutes with about 300 gain that matters. This short hike is mainly an excuse to take an easy mtn bike ride into the middle of nowhere. Posted 2017.
• INDIAN PASS RD can be used to drive between the Indian Pass Wilderness and the Picacho Peak Wilderness and proceed on to Yuma on the west side of the Little Picacho Wilderness. It's about 42 miles of dirt and was all maintained but for 7 miles in the middle, but in 2021 there had been no grading for a while and there is some sand before the pass.  Leave the Ogilby Rd at mp 12.4 at the sign for Indian Pass Rd. Go 9 miles on good road to the pass. An Indian trail crosses on the north side of the pass. The road drops down for half a mile into Gavilan Wash. That's the hardest part. It's trying to wash out but still easy for 4wd. The road goes down the gravel wash for half a dozen miles then enters the state park where it's maintained again but still 4wd. It cost $10 per vehicle in 2017 just to drive thru. It's about 8 miles thru the park then miles of washboard to Yuma. Little Picacho Peak is one hike along here. I read that one party went up a north gully to a cliff band then went west to a class 3 route to get up. I wouldn't take a car anywhere in here. Posted 2017, 2021.
• PICACHO PEAK el 1920+ is class 3 all the way to the main summit ridge, as long as the 2 ladders are in place. Then a false summit has to be passed using ropes for the last little bit. Use the graded Pichacho Road on the east side and turn off into Little Picacho Wash at N32 58702, W114 38196. It's nearly a mile on easy 4wd to the end of the road. Keep going up the wash on foot thru a boulder jam. After that, it opens up and a jeep  road appears on the right. But stay in or along the wash around a right bend then the main hiker trail climbs out at a side wash. The trail goes right up into the SW gully and tops out in a V notch. Climb up to the right and back a little thru a keyhole then it's obvious how to zigzag up to the first ladder, a short wooden one. Right after that is a crack, like a short slot canyon. Some jump across but we climbed down in to get across. Next comes a tall aluminum ladder then it's smooth sailing to the false summit on top. Some go over it, but we're not climbers so we rapped down the left side of it (east) from a boulder. It's 15 feet or so straight down to a shelf then an easy walk on to the real summit. We came back and used Tiblocs to ascend the ropes to get back up. It took us 5 hours total. We were over prepared. Next time we would take two 50 foot ropes ( or a 100 foot rope to double over), a 15 foot sling, ascenders, helmet, knee pads, and the usual harness gear. An ibis hook would help if the ladders start getting iffy. We might go back and just do the class 3 part to the false summit. It's practically on top. The Picacho Rd is the real obstacle here. It's miles and miles of washboard hell. Posted 2017.