The Mountains of Arizona
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Hogtrail Peak • Pipestem Mountain • Juan Miller Hill Today was the second day of a two-day swing through Greenlee County, tagging peaks along the way. I had left home early yesterday, hiked Big Lue Mountain in which I took a bad spill, then hiked three more short peaks in and around Alpine. Today I would be driving the Coronado Trail — US-191 — southbound, whereas on last year's trip, I drove it northbound. I wanted to camp lower down off the Mogollon Rim due to heavy winds, cloudy weather and cool temperatures. I descended off the Rim and pulled into the Strayhorse campground about 5 p.m. yesterday. The campground is small, a few spots on the west side of the highway, and a couple more on the east side. I pulled into a spot on the west side. Another car was parked near a gate from which a track leads deeper into the forest, this being a trailhead for a couple trails that start from here. I just sat in the front and relaxed. A dog appeared, a golden retriever (or similar). It was just sniffing around the area. I assumed it belonged to the people from the other car. I got out and the dog came to me. It was a very friendly dog. I'd pet it, and he'd be happy, then he'd wander off again. This went on for an hour and I began to wonder if it really belonged to those other people. I never saw anyone, and there was no camping equipment set up in their area, just the car. I assumed they were just there to hike the trails. If so, and if this was their dog, why would they leave it here to wander on its own? I found a better spot on the east side of the highway that had a wooden lean-to shelter, which would be perfect for me. I would set my cot up in this structure, and be protected from the winds, which were consistently in the 10-20 mile-per-hour range, sometimes gusting to 30 or so. The dog generally stayed with me. He looked healthy and fed. He wasn't acting desperate at all, like he knew the area. I gave him some food I had, plus some water, which he ate and drank. He was a little dirty, suggesting he'd been out in the open for a few days. That night, I slept reasonably well in my cot in the wind with my sore leg. The dog would wander, then usually sit and curl up about ten feet from me. About every ten minutes, he'd bark at something. I got used to his barking and was able to sleep well. At dawn the next morning (today), I got things packed and walked over to the other car. There was no one there. I did not want to leave the dog behind but I had no choice, and I was still unsure if it belonged to those other people, wherever they may be. There is a Forest Service work station about a mile south, so I drove to it, and talked to a couple guys there. I mentioned the dog and my concerns that it may have been abandoned. Just then, the dog appeared! He had run the mile, presumably following my car, to the work station. The guys said they would call in to their dispatch people to see what they could do. I had no signal at the moment, but when I did, I called the county animal control people. I hope the dog is taken care of properly. He was a friendly dog. I think someone dumped him, or maybe he ran off from a camper. I was relieved that at least for the time being, he would be looked after by the forest service guys. I enjoyed having a free dog for the night. He probably scared off a few bears during the night for me. I hope his story ends well. So now I had a day open to tag peaks. I had three on the agenda, all nearby the highway and ones I had skipped last year. It was a cool day so far, in the mid 50s, and not as breezy as it had been overnight. First on the agenda was Peak 7450, or Hogtrail Peak as named on Peakbagger.
Date: May 13, 2025
• Elevation: 7,450 feet
• Prominence: 367 feet
• Distance: 0.6 mile
• Time: 75 minutes
• Gain: 367 feet
• Conditions: Sunny and cool
Arizona
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Main
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PB
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LoJ
About another 15 miles of driving put me close to this forested peak, a bump rising south of the much-larger Mount Rose. I parked in a small clearing opposite the sign for Trail 32, got properly attired and started walking in moments.
The trees get thick almost immediately, mainly junipers and firs. I found a trail, probably a game path, that led up the initial slope. I had to duck and dodge all sorts of low branches. Fortunately, the undergrowth was light.
Now on gentler slope, i weaved through the trees, there being virtually no open segments with views farther than 20 feet. I ribboned a few turns just to be sure.
Soon, I could see daylight within the trees above me, so I knew I was close. After one short steep push, I was on the highpoint ridge. An old fence runs through here.
I came to a loose pile of rocks but saw higher ground a little ahead of me. So I walked to that pile, only to see yet another higher pile of rocks and trees a few more yards west. I ascended this rocky hill, and saw possibly higher ground still ahead.
Once at this last highest point, the ground dropped in all directions so I knew I had hiked as far west along the summit ridge as possible. Some rock piles here might have been the highpoint. I found no registers.
On the hike out, I reascended the bigger rock pile and looked harder for a register, with no luck. There were too many trees to sight between the possible highpoints, so I tagged them all.
I bypassed the first two rock piles as they were clearly lower, and descended out, following my ribbons back to my car. This hike went fast, just 0.6 mile in a little over an hour. It wasn't difficult, but it was not possible to move fast in these trees. There were no views except in a few random spots. I was happy to get this little peak done and happy to be moving on to my next objective.
Elevation: 7,281 feet
• Prominence: 596 feet
• Distance: 1.2 miles
• Time: 90 minutes
• Gain: 595 feet
• Conditions: Sunny, slightly warmer
PB
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LoJ
Another five or six miles brought me close to Pipestem Mountain, which really stands out among all the low ridges in this part of the range. It rises a couple hundred feet above everything else and has a distinct trapezoidal-shaped summit with two summit humps.
I parked at a bend in US-191 due west of the mountain, a little over a half-mile away. All approaches looked steep and forested but coming in fromt the west, there appeared to be a nice low ridge that should get me at least half way up.
I started walking, entering into the trees. I weaved through the openings and suddenly, everything opened up. For the next few hundred yards, I was hiking over open rock and low scrub, which was enjoyable. It was better than being within the trees and having no long-distance views. The rocks were sometimes loose and heaped awkwardly, but that is nothing new. I made good time.
The grade started to steepen slightly and I was back in the trees, but I still had lanes and could see long distances. I encountered a fence here, and followed it uphill, shimmying under it to get back onto the ridge.
About 200 feet below the top, the terrain suddenly became rockier, a mix of small cliffs and rock jumbles. I was able to walk up and through the rocks, there being some lanes and ledges to follow. To my surprise, I never needed to properly scramble. I was able to ascend these rocks using just the feet and poles, with hands needed only to puch aside brush or to balance myself.
The ridge leads to the southern of the two summits, whereas the highpoint is on the north summit. When the grade lessened, I knew I was very close, so I busted straight up through the trees to the top of the south summit. It was a traditional rounded grassy summit with some rocks and a lot of trees.
I descended about thirty feet to a saddle, and then poked my way up through the rocks to the north summit. The rocks are more abundant here, forming fins, with about four different rocky protrusions being the possible highest point. Two had substantial cairns on them but neither were the actual highpoint.
In this section, I needed the hands a little more to ease up and down through the rocks. It was easy scrambling with no exposure, but messy with some big steps in spots. I kept walking north until I had exhausted all possibilities. I believe the highest point is on the northernmost rock, which juts a few inches higher than the next-highest rock. I tagged them all. I found no registers.
Views were excellent as there were no trees to block them out. The day was cool but not cold, temperatures about 70° with just a smattering of clouds, and a light breeze. I spent a minute or two looking around, identifying what peaks I could. Many, I had no idea of their names.
For the descent, I followed my ascent route down since it worked well for the uphill. I made much better time going downhill and easing down the rocky slopes. On the flatter terrain, I had to remind myself not to twist an ankle or trip, my sore leg doing fine but still a little sensitive. It was affecting my balance slightly, I discovered.
I was back to my car after about 90 minutes. This hike had been much more fun and interesting than I was expecting. The open terrain and the rocky slopes made for a fun and engaging ascent. I had been expecting more closed-in forested conditions. This peak gets my vote as one of the more funner peaks along the US-191 to climb.
Elevation: 6,645 feet
• Prominence: 455 feet
• Distance: 1.8 miles
• Time: 90 minutes
• Gain: 485 feet
• Conditions: Still sunny and pleasant
PB
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LoJ
Back on the highway, I proceeded south a few more miles (I don't keept track) until I saw the signs for FR-475, the Juan Miller campgrounds, and an ingress point to the Blue River. My next peak was right here, about a mile east of the highway.
This peak is a long ridge-shaped hill with some weak cliffs along its top rim. It rises north of the Juan Miller Creek and Juan Miller Road, near the Upper and Lower Juan Miller campgrounds, not far from Juan Miller corral, and a five-minute drive from the Upper and Lower Juan Miller Springs. It has no official name and not even a spot elevation. I think Juan Miller Hill seems like a natural name for it. I don't know who Juan Miller is or was and a web-search brings up nothing. I surmise he was a local rancher from the days of yore.
I pulled into a road a little north of FR-475, which leads to a gravel pit area. The hill rises up behind the gravel mounds. Today there was no activity going on, and just a single abandoned utility vehicle parked near one such mound.
I drove in past the mounds and stopped where the road is fenced and gated near an enclosure, its function uncertain to me. I parked underneath a tree for its shade. I was less than a mile from the top so this would be a good place to start. It was about 11 a.m. now, still nice outside, warming into the mid-70s but with no clouds and a very gentle breeze.
I started hiking into the trees, angling right and continuing upward. The trees were spaced out to where I could usually see 50 or a 100 feet ahead, but sometimes I had to find ways through them. Grass was low and about ankle high. I was about at the upper limit of elevation of where I would expect to see a snake, but I kept an eye open for them.
The slope is gentle at first, then steepens slightly, then levels off again. I had to climb up through one band of cliffs, about 10 feet worth, then as I was closing in on the top, had to step over an old fence.
Past one more batch of trees, I could see the summit ahead. This is a very indistinct summit, almost flat with just the gentlest of "roundedness" to hint where the highpoint may be. I walked to where I thought the highest point was, and also past it and all around the area.
The top is open and grassy with great views, so it wasn't a bad thing to be walking up here. I honed in on a clump of rocks that seemed to be highest. Someone had erected an old tree limb up here, which suggests they probably thought this was the highest point too. I would agree.
The hike down went well, me following generally the same route. I could see the structures in that enclosure, so I hiked to it and found my car easily. I had been gone also about 90 minutes.
I relaxed at the car, essentially done with the batch of peaks on my agenda, but in no hurry to get moving. I changed clothes and sat in my camp chair, sticking around about another half hour. I had climbed three easy peaks today and seven for the two days, a pretty good showing given my leg was still sore. It was fine on this hike, but if I sat for five minutes, it would tighten up.
I proceeded southbound on US-191 toward Morenci. The highway is curviest and steepest for the few miles north of Morenci, as it descends from the mountains into the big mine complex. I've driven the US-191 (Coronado Trail) about a half dozen times over the years but almost always south to north. I think this is only the second time from north to south, and it is quite a fascinating change to go from high forests, mountains and cliffs into the massive mine. I decided to enjoy the experience and play tourist, stopping off at one overlook to look down into the mine operations.
After my mine detour, I proceeded down into Morenci the town, then Clifton, but did not stop. I kept on driving, stopping about an hour later in Safford, where I had a lunch. It was much warmer now, into the low 90s. It was extremely windy down here, kicking up dust. After two hours of sitting, my leg had tightened and walking on it at first was a real chore. I had a lunch at the local Subway.
I drove home from here, going south on US-191 to Interstate-10 into Willcox, and from there to Bisbee. The wind was blowing fierce, into the 50 mile-per-hour range, and north, so I was driving against the wind almost the whole way. Big dust clouds from the Willcox Playa and the areas around Kansas Settlement kicked up, at times reducing visibility to a few dozen yards.
I was home at 4:30, a good two-day get-away that I needed, with seven new peaks to my credit. My leg, happy to say, felt much better even after just a couple days.
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