Vulture Peak is a well-known landmark located about 6 miles south of Wickenburg, roughly 55 miles northwest of Phoenix. The peak has a very distinct shape, a fin of rocks sticking out above the brushy mountainside, and is visible from many miles all around. I was joined on this hike by my girlfriend Beth, making this our first peak hiked together. We left my home in Chandler around 10 a.m. and made our way to Wickenburg via Interstate-10 and Loop-303, then onto US-60, nearly 70 miles total. We took US-60 west out of Wickenburg and turned left (south) onto Vulture Mine Road. 6.5 miles later, we turned onto the trailhead access road and parked. The weather was quite warm for early January: almost 80 degrees. Nice!

From the parking lot there is a trail and a 4wd road that lead in toward the peak. We opted to hike the road and 1.6 miles later, came upon the higher trailhead accessible only by 4-wheel drive. Actually, the road is pretty good except for one steep and rutted bit at the start, and some driving in a sandy wash bottom. Past the second trailhead the trail starts up the west side of the peak and becomes somewhat steep in places. But it is a fine trail and easy to follow. About 0.5 miles later and about 700 feet of gain, we reached the main saddle at which point the maintained trail ends. Beth and I rested here and had a snack.

The summit is another 240 feet up above the saddle. The first 100 vertical feet is along a use-trail that is pretty easy to follow, but steep and with sections of loose pebbly crud. The remaining 140 vertical feet is up a rocky gully that looked intimidating from below but was actually quite safe all the way up. The handholds were plentiful and there were plenty of little ledges to stand and assess the route. Only one section might have been tricky, with a 10-20 foot fall possible. In any case, we made it up this gully in short time and were at the top! We found the benchmark and both witness marks, then trudged over to a conical cairn for some photos. The weather was fantastic! We could make out Wickenburg below to our north, the White Tank Range to our east, the Bradshaws to the north, and the Harquahala and Harcuvar Ranges to the west. The slightly brownish haze from Phoenix obscured some bits to the east.

After descending to the saddle for another break, we hiked out via the trail back to my truck, and took the "back" way home: south along Vulture Mine Road about 15 miles, then south again along Wickenburg Road and 355th Avenue to Interstate-10, roughly 40 miles total, then on home. We reckoned our total hiking round trip to be 5 miles with about 1,200 feet of gain, with minor sections of up and down at the start. Took us 3.5 hours at a leisurely pace. A great hike!