Mount Ballard and Fissure Peak, Mule Mountains, Arizona

On November 10 I hiked Mount Ballard and Fissure Peak in the Mule Mountains above Bisbee, Arizona. Fissure Peak, with an elevation about 7375 feet, is considered a few feet higher than Mount Ballard. So peakbaggers credit Fissure Peak with approximately 2675 feet of prominence. This makes Fissure Peak one of the 73 Arizona peaks with at least 2000 feet of prominence, and thereby a target of people who care about such things.

That morning I left the Ramsay Vista Campground high in the Carr Canyon above Sierra Vista, and drove by Bisbee north to Mule Pass. Here I found the trail leading west and upwards towards Mount Ballard. Mount Ballard and Fissure Peak to its right were soon visible from the trail. The trail crossed a fence a few times and the brush increased as I climbed.

Cholla were abundant along the route and kept my attention as I weaved along the foot tracks near the summit. The trail became less distinct from other tracks near the summit of Mount Ballard, but I found what appeared to be the summit marked by a metal sign and guarded by a large cholla.

Fissure Peak was visible a short distance to the north from the Mount Ballard Summit. From here the route became more challenging, requiring a descent to a saddle and an ascent up the facing ridge. The descent started in a forest of cholla, so I descended around it to the right (east) a short distance. From there I followed a rock outcropping and descended down to the saddle, then up to the summit keeping as close as I could to the ridgeline. Sometimes I squeezed around a cholla to avoid picking up cholla segments but a sotol speared me from behind.

The summit of Fissure Peak was much more obvious and had better views than the summit of Mount Ballard. I took many photos to document my summit and to use later to identify future mountain ranges to explore.

I had a nice view of the Huachuca Mountains to the west. The high point in the photo above is Miller Peak. Carr Peak is the high point right of Miller Peak. I visited both the previous day. I descended the same route to Mule Pass, including climbing over Mount Ballard to avoid any thick brush.

This off-trail Arizona mountain hike introduced me to some of the brush and cacti I will be experiencing in the future. I will start carrying gloves and wearing long sleeves. Still, I expect to get speared frequently as I explore the mountains of Arizona.