Date: February 8, 2026 • Elevation: 6,177 feet ✳ • Prominence: 928 feet • Distance: 3.1 miles • Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes • Gain: 1,200 feet • Conditions: Sunny and clear

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ

North West Dome lies in the Mustang Mountains, part of the same massif that hosts Mount Bruce, the much more "domey" peak of the two. However, North West Dome is slightly higher, and thus gets all the prominence glory. The name presumably is because this peak is the northwesternmost peak in the Mustang Mountains. Mark Nicholls told me that he and Bob Martin named it when assembling some lists for the Southern Arizona Hiking Club about 40 years ago, and the name stuck.

I wanted a short hike close to home (close being anything within 60 miles). I was up early and on the road, timing my arrival as the sun was rising. I found the dirt access road off of Elgin Road, and went in northeast about a mile, parking near a gate. The land here is a mix of State Trust, BLM (some as part of the Las Cienegas Conservation Area) and private. I'd be on mostly BLM and State Trust the entire way.

I was walking at 7:30 a.m., still in shade but the sun backlighting the peaks. I went north through the gate, then followed a track east toward the mountain. A use-trail gets high on the mountain, heading to Mount Bruce. I figured I'd get as high on the trail as possible, then bail and head toward North West Dome.

Up ahead on the road were about twenty cows — a couple bulls, mostly mama cows and a few smaller ones. I angled right into the low grass and figured I'd just circle around them and get back on the road. But the damn things started walking toward me. Not aggressively, but all it takes is one to have a cow spaz for things to go south.

I ended up taking cover, so to speak, down in an arroyo. I hiked down about ten feet. They assembled at the lip. One, the leader, looked right in at me. They weren't acting skittish, but I did not want to take chances. So I dropped all the way into the arroyo and up the opposite side. I guess I'm not following the road or trail any more.

Actually, this turned out to be a small blessing. I was now up against the lowest slopes, and one in particular looked very friendly. It had a nice long consistent grade and no obvious cliffs in the way. Way up top were some cliffs, and I would figure them out when I got to them. Brush appeared to be the main challenge.

I started up the slope and just took it slowly. The brush did get heavy in places. The worst of the rock were low tiers about four feet high, one after another forming sloping heaps. These weren't a problem at all. Sometimes the rocks were loose, but that's always the case on a peak in Arizona.

The slope steepened as I approached the upper rocks. I was still in shade for now and unable to see any detail. However, up near the base of the cliffs I found a game path that cut across, so I followed it. I angled right and suddenly found a steep grassy slope that bypassed these cliffs. There was another band of cliffs to my right, this grassy slope going up between them.

I marched uphill past these two cliffs and there was the top, another cliffy rock heap on the upper skyline. The grassy slope was very steep here but not treacherous. Closer to the summit rocks, I had more embedded rocks to step on. I walked up one rocky ramp and I was on top, on the summit's south tip. Surprisingly, it had taken me just an hour and twenty minutes to get here.

The summit ridge is rocky with jumbled cliffs on both sides. There is a weather sensor apparatus on the south end, propped up against a large rock. I tagged this rock and a few others to ensure I had been at the highest point.

The weather was lovely. It was cold but not uncomfortable, with sunny skies and a soft breeze. I spent a few minutes wandering the top, taking a rest and having a drink, and looking for a register. I had excellent views of the peaks around me. In particular, I studied Mustang Peak, the next big mountain to the south, looking for a way up that might not be visible from below.

I could not locate a register. I checked the rocks that were supporting the apparatus and found a baggie, but when I pulled it out, it was a small stash of hand tools, obviously here to tighten things on the weather thing. I put them back and reassembled the rocks.

I enjoyed this summit very much. I now needed to get down. I eased down the grassy slope between the two lower cliffs, then angled left (southish) and decided to follow a different ridge down, this one parallel to the one I had taken up. This worked well. I found game paths and even a couple ribbons, suggesting people have come this way.

The downhill hike went without any issues. I just had to watch the rolling rocks and find ways through the brush and cactus, which I didn't always do. I got a batch of glochids on by leg and my right elbow when brushing up against a prickly-pear.

The hike out took about an hour. Once off the ridge, I just needed to angle back to my car. I had to cross a couple of arroyos along the way. They get steep and brushy here, drops of about ten feet. I soon came upon the fence line and an old track, which I followed back to my car. It was a little past 10 a.m..

So now I've completed all the ranked summits in the Mustang Mountains except for Mustang Peak and Mount Bruce. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about Mustang Peak yet. Mount Bruce looks like fun but I've been putting it off. That's one I'd like to do with others. I have no timeline on that one.