Sunday, February 19, 2017

Muggins Mountains, Gila Mountains

Muggins Peak summit block

Muggins Peak

The west side route up Klotho

B-17 piston on Bomber Peak
Fortuna Rd at exit 12 on I-8 has a supermarket, gas and dollar stores. Walmart is at exit 9.
  • KLOTHOS TEMPLE el 1666 is the high point in the Muggins Mtns Wilderness. The standard route goes up the south ridge, staying west of center near the top to avoid crags. A sheep route goes up the west canyon, over into the south canyon then east out of that to meet the standard route near the letter "g"  at el 1470 shown on the topo. Both routes are class 2 and a loop can be done. , making for the best hike around Yuma. Take 4th Street out of Dome Valley. When it turns to dirt, stay on the main road and keep going east a bit over 5 miles on easy 4wd along power lines to Twin Tanks Wash at the base of the peak. Walk down the wash a fifth mile and go left in a fork at N32 45630, W114 16282 el 500. Follow that fork up to a minor fall blocking the main channel. Use an easy ledge to the right of it to get past it. Then there are three channels to choose from. Two main ones and a lesser one in the middle. Take the one in the middle and it will join the left one at the notch el 1000 where you top out. Go thru then down about 40 feet to the creekbed of the south canyon, right at the top of a big fall. Go up the creekbed to a tricky little fall. A class 3 route climbs up to the right just before the fall, but  a class 2  stairway is right beside the fall. Go up that and angle back to the right a little to a bedrock gully at 45483, 15929 el 1150. Go straight up the gully until you bang your nose into a cliff. Then walk left to a stairway thru the cliff. It's obvious but the reading is 45504, 15854 el 1375. Then angle up to the right and hit the standard trail at el 1470. Cairns there were the first ones we saw. Go left on the trail, marked by a million cairns, to the summit at 45672, 15854. Then go back on the trail and keep going south to peak 1238 where the standard route drops off the south side of the ridge. But don't go that way. Instead, drop west down an easy ridge at 45129, 15954 el 950. It goes down into a drainage then follow that down to West Wash. Just before bottoming out, it's easier to cross over the right rim where someone built a large cairn. Then go down West Wash and turn up a right fork at 45117, 16665 el 400. Follow a sheep trail up and over a low saddle then down into Twin Tanks Wash where you go upstream back to the start. This loop clocks in at under 4 hours and under 4 miles with about 1400 gain. The power line road goes on and on, but an OHV trail forks south from it and likely goes down Morgans Wash and out. They ride all the way around the  wilderness. Posted 2107.
  • MUGGINS PEAK el 1424 is a twin crag with a tricky class 3 route. Use 7TH Street in Dome Valley. Drive to the end of pavement. There's  room for RV parking there, but not many. The road goes on another mile and a quarter to a parking area. 2wd trucks and mtn bikes can make it. And some cars. From the parking area, walk the road into Muggins Wash for 7 minutes to a trail on the right bank just before a kiosk. Follow the trail along the wash then it dips into the wash about 1.1 air miles from the parking area. Climb out there on the left bank and go up a drainage at N32 44517, W114 15002. Go on up into the main saddle then walk level over to a bedrock gully at 44632, 15168 el 900. Go up that then move right a little to get into the main gully. Go up until the gully gets vertical then cut over to the right and get on the rim of the next gully reading 44683, 15102 el 1200. Someone put a chicken register there. Go up that gully a short way then go up an obvious bedrock drainage on the right and that gets you into the saddle between the crags. The west crag is considered the summit. Wide ledges zigzag up to the summit block then comes the trickiest part. Go up the center to the top then walk a short knife edge over to the true summit. I was able to scoot back down the summit block on my butt except for one spot where a rock horn was poking up but it was easy to swing around. It took us 3 and a half hours with 1000 gain from the wash. We had a hand line with us but never used it. Any hardcore hiker not afraid of heights can do this, but it would help to have someone sitting on the summit dangling a 60 foot or longer hand line for extra security. Jeeps are allowed to drive up Muggins Wash for nearly a mile beyond the parking area, but walking is faster. Posted 2017.
  • FORTUNA BENCHMARK el 2154 aka BOMBER PEAK is the high point in the public part of the Gila Mtns. A hiker trail goes up the north gully by way of a B-17 crash site.  JESTERS PEAK el 1954 is the next peak west. It has a better trail. Take  I-8 to Foothills Rd at exit 14 then get on the south side frontage road and go east a couple of miles to Ave 15E. Turn south on that for half a mile to a road that is on private land reading N32 39131, W114 22525. That is a direct route to the Bomber Peak TH. We only came out that way because it's not posted at the far side. For Jesters TH, we drove on down Ave 15E to 48th St then turned east on private land and went up a ridge at 38598, 21911 . To avoid private land, go a little more south on Ave 15E to state land and turn east and go up the northermost ridge you can for easier driving. Signs there say permission is required, but the locals don't bother with that to drive across to BLM land. Everybody is using the private land as of 2018. Whichever way you go, it's a couple of miles to the Jesters TH at 38231, 20808 el 720. We hiked both peaks from Jesters TH  because it's a long and winding road over to the other TH. Jesters Peak is a 2 hour hike with 1300 gain. At el 1700 the trail goes parabolic and class 2. For Bomber, we walked from the Jester TH over to a wash at 38383, 20648 el 680 then went up that a short way then over the low left rim to a faint trail at 38582, 20363 el 680. We followed that up a wash then climbed up to the left rim to the Bomber TH at 38570, 20211 el 800. That trail goes directly up into the north gully. Most wreckage is in a right fork at 38160, 19816 el 1650. A hiker trail goes on up the fork to the summit which is at 38063, 19771. We could see down the NW gully so that's how we descended. Two hikers posted this loop route on the internet, but they started at the freeway. They were carrying 40 pound packs, so we figured we could do it with 5 pound packs. The Bomber Peak loop took us 3 hours, 10 minutes with 1700 gain. Access to this area might get harder. The frontage road along I-8 east of Ave 15 is already fenced off. The roads we used are easy 4wd. Mtn bikes would work but it's bumpy. Posted 2017.
  • TELEPHONE PASS TRAIL - this is the "in" place to go hiking around Yuma. It goes to the towers on the north side of I-8.  Take  I-8 to Foothills Rd at exit 14 then get on the north side frontage road and go east to the end where a dirt road angles off to the left to a wash. The trail goes up that wash then on to connect to the steep, paved road that goes up to the towers. On the return, a steep trail that starts near some benches can be used to come down the south rim. This is the dullest hike we did in the area, but would make a suitable moonlight hike. The trail is at N32 39810, W114 21652 and not to be confused with one near there that goes steep up to a cross. A jeep road right next to the freeway might get closer. This is mainly a place to go cruisin' for hot chicks. And if you like your chicks really hot, do it in July or August. Posted 2017.
  • GILA BENCHMARK el 1616 is a prominent peak in the north Gila Mountains. A decent route goes up the NE canyon by way of the mine shown on the topo, which turned out to be fictitious. Take US 95 to mp 38 and turn on a canal road. Go nearly 2 miles then stay right at a main fork. Go another couple of miles along  the RR tracks to a trailer house next to a trestle. Go under the trestle and get on the correct road in a wash at N32 45300, W114 22060. Follow that for a mile and a quarter to the NE canyon at 44516, 22674 el 450. The target saddle can be seen from here. Walk up the canyon for 250 feet then use the left bank. Go up to the correct fork at 44456, 22873 el 600. Follow that up to the saddle at 44404, 23119 el 1100. A tent pad and mine are in the saddle. Now it's easy to walk the ridge up to the reg in an ammo box at 44243, 23284. 2 hours, 1200 gain.  A geoglyph is nearby at 45027, 21851. A road goes to it from  the trestle. An Indian trail goes from the geoglyph to the big canyon to the south then a mine trail goes on for 20 minutes to some deep shafts. Posted 2107. 
  • GILA CITY BENCHMARK el 1080 is the high point of  the Laguna Mountains. An easy sheep route goes up the NE ridge. This is barely inside the YPG, but we saw no signs or fences. Turn off US 95 at N32 47921, W114 22880 and drive or mtn bike half a mile on a crude road. Walk over to a bench at 47834, 23454 el 300 then go up the ridge directly ahead then just keep going up. 90 minutes, 800 gain. Posted 2017.
  • BARRY M GOLDWATER RANGE - the highest peaks in the Gila Mtns are on this range managed by the Marines. A  walk-in permit can be obtained at the base in Yuma. Take Ave 3E south from I-8 for a bit over 2 miles to the main gate and tell them you want a permit. The permit office is next to the gate reading N32 39403, W114 34895. You fill out a waiver and the permit is good thru June and you get a map showing the numbered wooden posts at road junctions. You can go in and out as many times as you want, but can only camp in 14 day chunks. Vehicles must be street legal and remain on the roads shown on the map, but that's a big joke because everyone drives wherever they feel like. Tire tracks are everywhere. Closed roads aren't even signed as such. I saw a section of the boundary that went for miles with no signs or fence indicating you are entering the range. Posted 2018.
  • GILA MTNS WEST SIDE ROAD - take I-8 to Foothills Rd at exit 14 and go south to the end of pavement at post A on the BMGR. One gas station is on Foothills Rd and a Dollar General and Family Dollar. Posted 2018.
  • GOLDEN DREAM PEAK el 2724 is what hikers call the peak that sits 300 feet above the Golden Dream Mine el 2450. A rocky foot trail goes as far as the mine. Enter BMGR at post 1 and follow the map to post B2. Then go east for 2 miles to a closed road dropping left into a wash. Walk the road up the rocky wash or use a smoother trail on the right bank at N32 35475, W114 20689 el 750. The trail drops into the wash after half a mile so then just follow the faint road in the wash to the end of the road where the mine trail starts at 36319, 19637 el 1100. Cabin remains here are alleged to be Deserter's Cabin where a 1940s deserter hid out. The trail goes along a canyon to a major saddle el 2250 at the head then skirts around to the mine at 35654, 18920. It's only a tunnel about 20 feet long. It was a short dream. The trail took 100X more work to build. Go up along the left side of the mine to the reg at 35632, 18991. A USGS sheet in the reg jar says the peak is 2724. The sheet was brought up by helicopter but I don't see why they bothered with such an obscure peak. For the descent, I walked north from the reg for a tenth mile and descended a ridge directly down to the trail at the major saddle. 4 and a half hours with 1700 noticeable gain. Mtn bikes would work on these bumpy roads. Driving out by way of post B is bumpier than post 1. Posted 2018. 
  • DRIPPING SPRINGS ROAD - I rode a cycle a couple miles on that then chickened out at basketball size rocks. Jeeps and OHVs go thru. Posted 2018.
  • DESERTER PEAK el 3012 is what I call the one west of Sheep Mountain. The south canyon to east saddle works. From post A, follow the main road to post A6 then A6A then B9. That route has fewer bumpy little rocks, but may have washboard instead. Go east from B9 for nearly a mile to 3 forks. Left and right soon end, but take the middle fork for over half a mile to the end at Vopoki Tank el 850. Walk a few feet to a smuggler's trail on the right bank reading N32 31405, W114 17808. Go up canyon to a right fork at 31579, 17099 el 1050. Go up the fork on the left bank for a fifth mile to what could be a deserter's camp el 1150. Deserting seems to have been a popular hobby in the area at one time. Go up canyon and it's obvious how to walk the banks and stay out of the bouldery creekbed. One hidden spot at 31456, 16551 el 1600 is where it's best to get on the left bank. Go on up to a left fork at 31628, 16266 el 2050 and follow that up to the main saddle el 2600 and look up at the cliffy summit block. For a chicken route, walk left to a sheep route at 31813, 16300 el 2650 and go on to the center of the south ridge. Then walk right of center under crags to an obvious gully that tops out at 31822, 16354 el 2900 then walk left of center for 100 feet or so to the summit. No reg. The route is class 2 until the summit block where there is some easy class 3, nothing risky. 5 hours and about 2000 noticeable gain, not steep or brushy. Posted 2018.
  • SPOOK CANYON is an easy hike on sandy washes in an area of rock that looks like granite.  From post A, follow the main road for 14 miles to post A8 then turn and go a mile and a half to the end of the sandy road at N32 28813, W114 17073 el 750. Walk up the canyon for half an air mile and it opens up. OHVs are getting in there thru a side canyon, but can't go more than a tenth mile up the wash. Keep going up the wash to a fork at 29655, 16843 el 1050. Go left there and  on up near where Sheep Tank is shown on the topo. I decided to exit on the right bank at 30277, 17184 el 1150 then go to a faint trail at 30233, 17087 el 1150 and circle back skirting the gullies. I never saw Sheep Tank in that area. I went on to 30012, 16879 el 1100 then after 200 more feet I followed the high ground down to the main wash. A scary looking device was embedded in the high ground. Once in the wash, I shortcutted a bend by walking the left bank at 29666, 16801 el 1050 and on up to the rim then back down the rim to the wash of Spook Canyon. That's a 2 or 3 hour hike with hardly any noticeble gain. The first half mile of the hike had a million footprints then it was pure, smooth sand after that. I never saw Spook Tank either. It was a tankless hike.  Posted 2018.
  • SMUGGLERS TRAIL - this crude foot trail cuts across the Gila Mtns east of the Fortuna Mine. A loop can be done. From post A, follow the main road to post A6 then A6A then B9. That route has fewer bumpy little rocks, but may have washboard instead. Go east from B9 for nearly a mile to 3 forks. Left and right soon end, but take the middle fork for over half a mile to the end at Vopoki Tank el 850. Walk a few feet to the trail on the right bank reading N32 31405, W114 17808. Follow it to a main fork in the canyon at 31585, 17118 el 1000. A fifth mile up that fork is what looks like a deserter's camp. Back in the main canyon, follow the trail on the low right bank all the way to the main saddle el 1300+ then go down the other side to the Dripping Spring Rd at 32921, 17195 el 1050. The trail faded before reaching the road, so I moved far right in the wash for the last third mile. Next, walk up the road to the divide el 1400 then cut left on a trail thru a saddle el 1400 and stay on the trail at 32958, 18110 el 1350 to get on an easy ridge to the canyon bottom. Then it's easy walk on down canyon to the flats then half a mile back to the start. Several wrecked trucks on the Dripping Spring Rd are said to be from smugglers. That explains why they weren't retrieved. That loop took me 3 hours, 10 minutes with about 500 noticeable gain, not steep. Posted 2018.
  • GILA MTNS EAST SIDE ROAD - Ave 25E is the east side road. It passes under I-8 between exit 21 and exit 30. Use either exit to get on the old highway running along the north side of the freeway and drive to 25E. Turn south and it's soon a graded road to post C and graded on south for a mile and a quarter to post C1. Wellton has a grocery, gas and Family Dollar. Posted 2018.
  • SHEEP MOUNTAIN el 3156 has a decent sheep route up the north canyon. I doubt if there's anything easier. Take the east side road to post C1 and turn on a crude road. Go about 4 miles on mild sand and park on the low ground. Mtn bikes might work. Walk the high ground to the mouth of the canyon and get on the right bank at N32 32936, W114 13663 el 800. A faint sheep trail goes up canyon amost entirely on the right bank for half an air mile to a right fork in the canyon. It goes along the right bank of that fork and soon steps up a little higher. The reading there is 32478, 13743 el 1450. Shortly it enters the creekbed for a bouldery section then resumes on the right bank. Just when the canyon seems to be going to hell, a clean gully appears on the right at 32180, 14084 el 2200. Sheep go up that to a shelf on the left at 32145, 14119 el 2550. Then it's easy to follow their trail on the shelf to the NE ridge el 2900. It's less than a tenth mile up to the reg at 31984, 14056. 5 hours, 15 minutes with less than 2000 of noticeable gain. The only steep part is the 400 up the gully. There is some easy class 3 but nothing dangerous. Posted 2018.
  • DRIPPING SPRING el 800 is a series of deep natural tanks. The best legal road goes right up the main wash. Take Ave 25E to Gila Ranch Rd and turn west for a mile to a T at Ave 24E. Go right for a mile and a quarter to a wash at N32 38011, W114 14506. The road goes up the bumpy wash for nearly 2 miles then smooths out some on the bank for the remaining 3 miles to the end. Then it's a short walk to the tanks. A possible grinding hole is at 34743, 16552. An Indian trail is visible crossing back and forth across the road but too far gone to walk on. RED TOP MOUNTAIN el 2196 is nearby. Park a half mile or so before reaching the spring then use an Indian trail at 35273, 16304 el 650 to cross over into the next canyon to the NW. Go up that to a tiny saddle on the left bank at 35043, 17342 el 900. Keep going up a wide gully directly ahead and it will top out then keep going up the NE ridge. Crags get in the way at el 1650. Sheep go around the right side of those for over a tenth mile then it's obvious how to go on to the reg at 34692, 17848. I didn't  go on to peak 2744, but it didn't look hard. I made a loop back by walking SW on the high ground then down a canyon to a viewpoint on the left rim at 34323, 18104 el 2050. Then I dropped down to the east and drifted left to get into the canyon below. Soon there is a fall so I stayed right around that and followed a sheep route on the right bank down thru a saddle at 34100, 18005 el 1450 then there were no more obstacles down the canyon to the Dripping Springs Rd. That road goes back to the start. That loop took me 6 hours and I had to deal with dense cholla above el 2050. Just going up to the peak and back the same way would be 4 hours with about 1600 gain. Posted 2018.
  • DRIPPING SPRING INDIAN TRAIL LOOP- hikers without 4wd can hike game trails to the spring and return on an Indian trail along the next wash to the west. Drive the same as above but only as far as the wash, then stay west on the graded road a mile and a quarter to Gila Ranch Estates, which are vacant lots connected by washed out roads. Park along there and walk thru a nearby gap at N32 37766, W114 15660 el 350 and keep going on the easy ground to the right bank of a wash at 36467, 15174 el 450 then shortly to a game trail on the left bank of the wash at 36177, 15294 el 500. Follow that up to the left onto the low rim and walk the rim about a mile until cut off by a little canyon with a jeep road in it. Drop to the road and follow it a few feet downstream back to the main wash then go up that a mile and a third to the spring. Then retrace back down the road a half mile where a missile is visible sticking out of the west bank. The Indian trail runs next to it. Follow the trail to the next side draw where it climbs the rim. The reading there is 35273, 16304 el 650. It goes up about 100 feet over the rim  and to the flats on the other side then is easy to follow back to the start. There are some Indian sleeping circles along the trail, which you shouldn't need to use. That's about  a 4 hour stroll of 9 miles with hardly any steep gain. Nice desert hike but only in perfect weather. Another Indian trail goes into the canyon SE of Fortuna BM, but I didn't go up that canyon to see what they were after. Posted 2018.
  • WELLTON HILLS HIGH POINT is an easy one. I was camped near post C, so I went east along the boundary on a graded/paved road for 4 miles to Ave 29E where post 6 was supposed to be. I turned south there on a sandy road for a mile to a fork. I stayed left for 3 more miles and then started walking at N32 34162, W114 07699 el 550 then on to the SE ridge at 34151, 07978 el 600. It's easy up that to the summit with a tiny repeater at 34365, 08230. 95 minutes with 600 noticeable gain. Posted 2018.
  • COPPER MOUNTAIN HIGH POINT el 2888 - I went in on Ave 36E from exit 37 on I-8. I went south on 36E to the end of pavement then kept going south for 2 miles on easy 4wd to Baker Tanks where a lot of campers hang out. I followed the BMGR map on another 13 miles to post F7B then kept going SW nearly 2 miles to some mines. I started walking a trail on the left bank at N32 29908, W113 59014 el 1200. It leads shortly to a dam (pruners would be handy there) then it was easy to walk the left bank for a fifth mile where the canyon turns bouldery. The peakbagger.com route goes thru that mess, but I could look up and see an easier slope. I left the creekbed at 29866, 59311 el 1500 and walked the smoothest ground thru 29850, 59453 el 1800 then it was obvious how to go on to the SE ridge at 29752, 59629 el 2300 where I merged back with the peakbagger route. The route goes on up toward the right side of the summit block to 29857, 59724 el 2650 where an obvious shelf cuts left to the reg at 29880, 59825.  3 hours, 15 minutes with 1700 gain. Betty Tank at 30049, 58652 el 1150 is a one of a kind cavern with a lot of water. All roads were easy 4wd. Posted 2018.
  • Golden Dream trail

    Deserter Peak

    Dripping Spring

    Red Top Mtn and the Indian trail
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