This peak lies south of Pistol Hill in the unincorporated community of Vail, about 25 miles east of Tucson. It's a ridge of a peak, part of a small complex of hills in and around the Colossal Cave Mountain Park.
The land here is a checkerboard of private and State Trust land. The summit lies on private land, but the road in and some of the hiking approach is on State Trust land. I was not sure how "private" the land is, so I figured I would show up and find out.
I was on my way to Tempe from Bisbee, and this little peak would break up the drive, looking like it shouldn't take more than an hour. There's not much to recommend it, and I probably wouldn't have bothered with it otherwise.
The weather in the past couple of days has been very moist, with thunderstorms throughout the state, and a haboob that rolled into Phoenix last night that made the national news. Today started cooler than normal, but still very warm ... and now very humid.
I left Bisbee at 7:15 a.m. and was at the Wentworth Road exit off Interstate-10 about 75 minutes later. It was toasty, in the mid-80s, with sun and a few scattered clouds. But the humidity was strong, the kind of conditions that give you a sheen of sweat just sitting still.
I followed Wentworth Road north through town, then right onto Colossal Cave Road, and staying right at a Y-split, still on Colossal Cave Road. Pistol Peak rose to the north (my left) and Peak 3863 to the south. Some nice-looking homes lie on its lower slopes.
I found a road a little over a mile past the Y-split, what the map calls Blue Lava Trail. It had a green street sign and looked open to the public. There was a hand-made "no trespassing" sign hung nearby, but I decided that was a local trying to bluff people from driving the road. There were no specific "private road, no trespassing" signs anywhere.
I drove in under a mile, curling east of the hill, and parking in a clearing a little southeast of the hill. There were no homes here, just hilly desert and some draws. I got my boots on and started hiking at about 9 a.m..
This would be a short hike. The terrain is steep limestone tiers with exposed karst and lots of rubble in between. Brush was heavy but open with lanes, and almost no heavy grass. I was hyper-aware of snakes. The slope often laid back, and only a few spots required me to "high step" up some sloping rock faces.
I was at the summit very quickly, about 20 minutes later. There was a cairn on top, and slightly-higher rocks nearby. Views were very good. I saw Pistol Peak and the Colossal Cave peaks, Rincon Peak in back, Tanque Verde and Mica Mountain, and farther to the northwest, the Santa Catalina Mountains. To the south were the Santa Rita Mountains. I was pleased that the views were better than expected.
I did not stay long. I hustled back down, and was back to my car in another 15 minutes, a round trip of just 35 minutes. It was very warm and sultry, and I did not delay. I started the car and drove out, stopping at a Walgreens in town to change and relax.
I was in Tempe in another couple of hours. This peak worked perfectly for this morning. Like I said, it's nothing to get excited about, but for me and my schedule, it was a perfect way to waste an hour and sweat off a couple pounds. When it cools, I intend to explore the peaks in the Colossal Cave Mountain Park.
