Date: August 22, 2025 • Elevation: 4,694 feet • Prominence: 582 feet • Distance: 5.5 miles • Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes • Gain: 1,174 feet (gross) • Conditions: Cloudy, very warm, sultry

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ • USGS BM Datasheet • Mine information

I was in Tempe to break in the new school year, my 63rd semester at ASU. It was a hot and very humid day, temperatures at 110° with thunderheads way off to the east. My classes went well, being the first day. I even wore pants.

I did not want to make the return drive the same day, so I planned to camp at the Oak Flat campground above Superior, then hike a couple peaks on the San Carlos Nation, then head back to Bisbee via Safford. That was the plan.

A haboob rolled into the metro area that evening, followed by rain. But it was still quite hot, above 100° despite the rain. I got online and found a cheap hotel in Globe, one that I've stayed in before. At least I would stay dry and not suffer in the very warm weather.

The drive from ASU to Globe was an adventure. I hit cells of very heavy rain, as well as one giant lightning bolt after another, some streaking across the sky with many tendrils. It was fun to watch, but not while driving. I got into Globe about 9:30 p.m..

I was up at 4 a.m. this morning. When I walked outside, it was still in the 90s. The rains had moved on, but there were clouds above, holding in the ambient heat. I was out the door at 4:40 a.m.. I had about thirty miles to the Point of Pines Road on the San Carlos Nation.

I turned onto Point of Pines Road, still in the dark, seeing a "Road Closed" sign leaning up against another sign. This did not bode well. I drove in another mile and saw a second such sign. At this point I pulled to the side and got on my device.

Apparently there was a fire up on the Natanes Plateau, and it is either almost out, or mostly almost out. It's never very clear when looking online the status of a fire, especially when it's somewhere remote like the Rez. In any case, I wasn't going in any farther.

I turned around and decided to head back to Globe. I had a peak in mind, Buckeye Mountain, which lies north of the east end of Globe. I had no maps but I had been to the Round Mountain Park a few months ago to scout it. The sun started to rise just about when I was re-entering Globe.

I followed South Street north about a half mile to the parking lot, surprised to see about a half dozen other vehicles already here. I rolled in and parked and got my stuff together. It was a shade before 6 a.m. when I started the hike.

Conditions were warm, humid, still and generally unpleasant, air temperature about 80°. There was no breeze at all. The ambient warmth just hung there. Within minutes, I was sweating through my shirt.

Round Mountain Park is about a 200-acre plot of land with a handful of trails, a couple forming a loop up to Round Mountain about a mile away. The peak has a nice symmetric round profile and a flag on its summit can be seen even from the trailhead.

Buckeye Mountain lies about a mile and a half north and is not visible from the trailhead. It lies outside the park boundaries, but satellite images show old tracks lead most of the way to its top. The land is private but fallow. There is a sliver of BLM land that runs up the spine of the hills north of the park.

The trails are in excellent shape and a pleasure to hike. I followed the East Trail down into a draw then up to the opposite ridge. It wanders through some rocky segments, then angles north toward Round Mountain. Just below its top, a side trail branched to the right. I followed it, then sat on a pile of gravel. I'd been hiking about 20 minutes so far.

At this point, I'd be leaving the park. I wanted some satellite images copied onto my device so I'd know what to do at various junctions. Buckeye Mountain could be seen to the north, a ridge-shaped peak. I probably could figure it out without images, but I figured it wise to have something to refer to, just in case. The sun came out for a minute or two, so I snapped a couple photos. Otherwise, the clouds blocked out the rising sun.

The roads were just as they appeared on the images. They were rocky but not terrible. Only a small "private road" sign mentioned these being private. There were no "no trespassing" signs, fences, gates or other suggestions to keep out. I suspect, as in Bisbee, these are mine-owned lands with a de-facto policy of allowing the occasional hiker as long as they behave.

I walked the roads north, gaining elevation, then dropping about 110 feet to a junction of tracks at a large metal water tank. Beyond it, I followed one more track up to a saddle. When the track bent left (west), I started up the rocky slopes aiming north.

The slopes laid back well, not too steep, the rocks generally staying in place. Grass was light and minimal, as were the plants. I could see my feet the entire time. There were no rock bands or other barriers. It was slow-going but easy, the ground sloping consistently all the way up to the summit rocks.

At the top, there were a number of very old mine diggings. The summit is marked by a wood lath propped up by rocks. I found a register in some rocks. Andy Martin set it here in 2017; I was just the second person to sign it. I found a scratched-up benchmark. It did not have a name stamped on it. I learned later it was monumented in 1899, one of the oldest in the state. In fact, it was monumented when Arizona was still a territory. I think this is the first pre-1900 benchmark I've encountered.

The sun stayed hidden behind the clouds which helped keep the temperature down, although it was still warm. But more importantly, I had a breeze, which helped a lot. I gulped down one bottle of water at once, and snapped a few images, but did not stay long, maybe 5 minutes. It had taken me about 50 minutes to get here.

Going down, I repeated the same route out. Back at Round Mountain, I huffed and puffed up 80 feet of slope to tag its top. They have a nice stone seating area and a compass in a central dais. I got a fine view of Buckeye Mountain from this vantage.

The walk down the trail back to my car went fast. I was back at about 7:40 a.m.. I was ripe from all the sweating but feeling good. The clouds helped mute the sun and keep the temperatures sane. When I started the car, it read 85° outside.

I drove back to Bisbee from here, following state route AZ-77 into Winkelman where I got gas, then more on AZ-77 to the San Manuel Road, then followed the Redington-Cascabel-San Pedro Road into Benson, where I stopped for groceries. An hour later, I was home, glad to be back, glad to have got a peak in, glad my first day on campus went well, and hopeful for a successful school year coming up. The heat and humidity, I am tired of already and can't wait for it to clear out.