Ragged Top - Ironwood Forest National Monument

The Ragged Top is the crown jewel of the Ironwood Forest National Monument. The peak is a mass of Tertiary rhyolite. The hike up the north gully to the summit is about 4 miles round trip. I made a couple of wrong turns. The elevation gain from the desert floor is about 1,767 feet, and mostly bushwhacking through cat claw shrubs. It was nasty but worth it.

The Ragged Top from Silverbell Road.

The North Gully

My route up the north gully.

Battleship Mountain - Superstition Mountains

The hike up Battleship Mountain was 12.3 miles round trip. There is no maintained trail to the summit, and there are sheer cliffs that surround the mesa. Bouldering and non-technical rock climbing is required to reach the top. This was a challenging hike that I had been wanting to do for a long time, and it wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated, but exposed heights don't bother me. There was no real danger of falling off the sheer cliffs.

 

 

Bighorn Peak - Bighorn Mountains Wilderness

Bighorn Peak is a spectacular desert landmark west of Tonopah, Arizona, and can be easily spotted from 30 miles away when traveling Interstate 10; the peak is located about 4 miles north of the Interstate. Bighorn Peak is the highest mountain in the Bighorn Mountains with an elevation of 3,480 feet, and a prominence of 1,400 feet. This wilderness does not have any roads or trails, but the summit can be attained by following a class 3 route from the south. According to the summit register only 6 parties have visited the summit this year, and the last time was in May. The mountains are surrounded by desert plains.

This was the hardest hike that I have done in Arizona, mostly because of all the Teddy Bear Cholla, but also the steepness, and class 3 rock climbing. The mountain was intimidating as I hiked 2.3 miles across the desert plains toward the southern ridge. It was a thrilling accomplishment to stand on the summit after a hard 4 hour ascent. I even forgot I had OCD.

Bighorn Peak

Looking back at my route.

Bighorn Peak

Bighorn Peak

Bighorn Peak

Looking back at my route.

The summit.

Me on the summit.

Looking west from the summit.

Looking east from the summit.

Looking down at my route.

Looking east from the summit.

Looking south from the summit.

Looking east from the summit.

Looking west from the summit.

The summit block that I climbed.

Looking down at my route.

Bighorn Peak

Bighorn Peak

Bighorn Peak

Bighorn Peak and mining ruins.

My route from the canal.