The Mountains of Arizona
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Peak 5830 • Peak 5953 "Hughes Ridge Highpoint" These two peaks rise next to one another in the Coronado National Forest south of Sonoita, within the Canelo Hills. A road comes in from the north out of town and becomes a forest road once past the boundary. This road appeared to be a good road to where I might be able to drive somewhat close to the peaks. I had not explored this road up until today. I was on the road early, but not at dawn since it's cool enough now not to have to be hiking at dawn. I was in Sonoita about 8 a.m. and then headed south, briefly on AZ-83, then continuing south on Papago Springs Road. A couple miles later, I passed the forest boundary, the road now hardpack, designated FR-158. I was on FR-158 just a half mile, easing right at a Y-junction onto FR-636 (not signed here, but obvious). This second road was a wild card. If it was nasty immediately, I would be looking at a three-mile hike each way to the peaks, which I was willing to do. Any distance I could drive in would be a bonus. Turns out the road wasn't half bad. The first half mile was decent, and I saw a few campers back in here. The next mile was a little rougher but still passable. I met a couple out walking and we had a brief chat. I ended up driving in 1.5 miles on this road, staying on FR-636 at a subsequent Y-junction, parking on a raised flat platform as by now the road was much rougher and I was driving along at just 5 miles per hour.
Date: December 1, 2025
• Elevation: 5,830 feet ✳
• Prominence: 415 feet ✳
• Distance: 8.8 miles (entire hike)
• Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
• Gain: 570 feet ascent, 530 feet descent
• Conditions: Cool and sunny
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Lidar
It was sunny and pleasant now, cold but not uncomfortablke, in the 40s. I wore shorts for the road walk and stuffed leggings into my pack for the off trail. I was walking a little before 9 a.m..
The road was fine for walking, but a couple spots would have been show-stoppers for the Subaru had I continued. A larger beefier vehicle should be fine but ideally, a smaller Polaris-type rig is preferred. Erosion, ruts and rocks were the main issue, not necessarily all at the same time.
About ten minutes into the walk I came to a split, with FR-636 going right, FR-4610 going straight and then left. I was now on an elevated ridge with a good view of Peak 5830. I heard an engine and an older man in a Polaris came rumbling out. We just waved but he did not stop.
In about twenty minutes I had covered another couple of miles, placing myself at the road's end near Park Tank. Peak 5830 rose ahead of me, looking northwest.
I left the road, pushed through light brush and into an arroyo, then up onto a grassy slope. I followed this slope all the way up. The grass was dense and about knee high, and very pretty. Trees and brush were spaced well apart.
Toward the top it becomes slightly rockier, and just below the top, I had to squeeze between two strands of barbed wire to get past a fence. And that was it, I was on top of Peak 5830. It had taken me a little under an hour to get here.
I rested on a rock and enjoyed the views. A register was within a cairn. I dug it out and signed in. It was one of Mark Nicholls from the 1990s (a white envelope). Both sides were filled up; the total number of signers was about fifteen, not bad for a 35-year old register.
I spent about ten minutes up top, also checking my messages and any emails. Going down, I could see the next peak, Peak 5953, across the way about a mile distant.
I dropped down the slope and angled more toward that peak. At the drainage that separates the two peak ridges, I had to find a spot to ease down about fifteen feet of arroyo walls, then find a way up the opposite side. Now I was ...
Elevation: 5,953 feet
• Prominence: 695 feet
• Gain: 715 feet ascent, 695 feet descent
• Conditions: Sunny, high clouds, chilly and pleasant
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USGS BM Datasheet
... officially beginning the ascent of Peak 5953. Studying it from across the way, there were two ridges coming off it. The left one (from my vantage) looked better, but I figured I would be forced on to one or the other by whatever route I followed out of the arroyo.
Ascending the slopes from the arroyo, I had to do battle with more trees here, wandering left and right through the branches, and for a while, having no big view of the lay of the land. I was going going uphill and hoping for the best.
I soon exited from the heavier trees and saw I was on a slope that would take me up to the left ridge, the one I preferred anyway. This ridge comes off the summit to the southeast. It was grassy for now, the trees still dense enough to force me to find avenues through them. Fortunately, the undergrowth was mainly grass and spotty cactus, and easy to travel through. The rocks, of course, wanted to slide or roll every single step.
About twenty minutes of grunting later, I was now on this ridge, which was open and grassy and allowed me a fine view of the peak, about a half mile from where I stood. The slopes looked fine, but the tree cover was very thick.
I descended slightly to a saddle, then started up the final slope. As expected, I found myself in a thicket of tree branches. I sometimes found lanes if I went far to one side or the other. Otherwise, I leaned down, hunkered the shoulders and pushed through.
This wasn't difficult but it was slow going and scratchy. But it was short, and I was soon on the flattish summit and quickly to the top rocks. A fence runs across the top here. Most of the likeliest highest rocks were on my side of the fence. One candidate rock was on the other side, so I just reached over and tagged it.
I sat near one such rock and found the register bottle, but its top was missing and there was no paper or pencil. I had a pencil and a scrap of paper, so I started a new register, using an empty plastic Chobani bottle, which may not last if it's another ten years before the next visitor.
Views up here were not as good, blocked by the nearby trees. But it was a pleasant day so I was in no hurry. I took another ten minutes and enjoyed the quiet
This peak is the highest point of a large massif in which a point on its north end is named Mount Hughes. This peak has just about 120 feet of prominence and I was not interested to battle more tree branches for another mile to tag it. It is named for Sam C. Hughes, a landowner and an important figure in Tucson's history in the late 1800s and very early 1900s.
I descended down the same way, but not bound by following the exact same route. I followed any openings I could, and was soon back to Park Tank and the road. Some water tanks up on a nearby hill served as a good visual bearing to aim for.
Back on the road, I just walked it out, arriving back to my car a little after noon. It had been a good hike with no navigational challenges, generally easy terrain and fine views. Like other peaks in the Canelo Hills, the slopes are friendly and uncomplicated.
I drove back into Sonoita but did not stop. I did stop in Sierra Vista for some items at the Target, then on home to Bisbee.
My mother passed away early the next morning. She was 84 and had been in very poor shape for the last couple of years. Her death was not a surprise but naturally, it hit me hard when I learned of it from my brother.
In her later years, she got into hiking herself, joining a group in Henderson, Nevada. They hiked trails all over the Las Vegas region. I even hiked two peaks with her, Black Mountain in the McCullough Range, and Bird Spring Highpoint. She was 74 when we hiked Bird Spring. I was proud of her, and now in retrospect, grateful to have had these experiences with her, and having her as my mother. She was a good and honorable woman.
My mother and me, 2014 |
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