Huachuca Mountains Archives – GlassMountains Trip Reports

Bob Thompson and Montezuma Peaks, Arizona, November 2020

December 14, 2020 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Monday, November 30, I joined five other members of the Southern Arizona Hiking Club for a climb of Bob Thompson and Montezuma Peaks. These peaks lie in the Huachuca Mountains south of Sierra Vista, Arizona. It was my first club climb since Linda and I returned to Arizona for the winter.

The Southern Arizona Hiking Club has established “Covid Rules” for club hikes which precludes carpooling. So the six of us each drove up Ash Canyon and parked beside the primitive road.

[Read more…]

Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, March 2018

April 7, 2018 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Saturday, March 31, I led a hike of three peaks in the Huachuca Mountains for the Southern Arizona Hiking Club. The Huachuca Mountains are prominent range lying immediately west of Sierra Vista, Arizona. Our goals were to summit Huachuca, Lyle, and Peterson Peaks.

The southern Huachuca Mountains from Huachuca Peak summit

June Meyer, Bill and Jane Hiscox, and Jeff Brucker rendezvoused with me early in the morning and loaded into my Jeep. We drove south through Sonoita and past Parker Canyon Lake to follow forest roads to the trailhead. On the drive towards Parker Canyon Lake we spotted pronghorn, deer, and turkeys. With that start to the day I wondered if we might encounter a jaguar later on the hike.

Carr Peak and Miller Peak, Huachuca Mountains, Arizona

November 11, 2015 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

On November 9 I hiked Carr Peak and Miller Peak in the Huachuca Mountains above Sierra Vista, Arizona. Miller Peak at 9466 feet is the highest peak in the Huachuca Mountains and the third highest peak in Southern Arizona. Miller Peak is also an “ultra prominence” peak with 5006 feet of prominence. Carr Peak is the second highest peak in the Huachuca Mountains. Both peaks are accessible from the Carr Peak Trailhead at the Ramsay Vista Campground at the end of Carr Canyon Road.

Carr Peak from the Carr Canyon Road just below Ramsay Vista Campground

The previous late afternoon I drove from Tucson through Sierra Vista and up the Carr Canyon Road to Ramsay Vista Campground. Although I met several cars coming down the road I found the campground empty. After circling the canyon I selected site #1 for the evening. Here I set up my tent and cooked dinner by headlamp, noticing a visitor’s eyes shining in my headlamp light. I did not approach the animal, but I suspect it was a ringtail.

Before retiring to the tent I spent time scanning the starry sky. I enjoyed viewing the Milky Way and identifying constellations, and viewed the Pleiades and the Andromeda Galaxy with my binoculars. The evening was breezy as expected from the forecast.

[Read more…]