Date: October 19, 2025 • Elevation: 5,209 feet • Prominence: 401 feet ✳ • Distance: 2.3 miles • Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes • Gain: 500 feet • Conditions: Sunny and clear

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ • Lidar

This rocky and brush-covered peak lies at the extreme northeast tip of the Swisshelm Mountains. Rucker Road passes by it to the north, about ten miles east of highway US-191. The peak lies back about a mile from the road.

I was up early this morning and had driven to the Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge, where I hiked Peak 5271. I was off that peak before 9 a.m. and the day was turning out to be a beautiful fall afternoon, with sunny skies, low humidity and temperatures in the 60s.

From the Leslie Refuge, I continued east and north on Leslie Canyon Road about another dozen miles to where it connects into Rucker Road. I then followed Rucker Road north and west about another five miles until I was northeast of Peak 5209. I parked in a clearing near the junction of Rucker Road and Kuykendall Cutoff. The roads were all in fine shape. It was about 9:30 when I rolled in.

Peak 5209 looked a little rougher than I was expecting. It has cliff bands and heavy brush, and no one way looked like the best way. Since I was approaching from the north, I would probably just tackle the peak on its north slopes and hope for the best.

I locked the car and started walking, heading south into open desert with low, spaced-out brush. Soon, I was in a mesquite bosque, and forced to weave and zig and zag to find ways through the branches. I came to a fence line and found a spot where the wires were loose, so that I could squeeze between a pair.

This then led to a grassy meadow and then into Whitewater Creek, which for now was dry. The mountain begins on the other side of the creek. To here I had covered a little under a mile in about twenty minutes.

I walked in the creekbed looking for any opening. I found one. It wasn't the best but it was better than what I was seeing. I grunted up the slope and soon, the trees lining the creekbed gave way to more open desert and hillside scrub. About forty feet up, I found a path! This path angled right toward a saddle. It was probably a game path but it looked too "pathy" to be animal-made. I suspect hunters may have knocked it in.

Next, I had a very steep, brushy, rocky, branchy and grassy slope to ascend. It did not look like fun, but there did appear to be some viable routes. Directly above was a rock outcrop and cliff, and to the right, another cliff, but between them, it looked like the slope went up between them. The brush looked gruesome.

I marched uphill, following any lanes, no matter how marginal, as I found them. I got in below the first cliff and angled right, generally angling upward too. I was on the lower margin of the cliff and found myself scampering up and over rocks. It was easier to scale the rocks than try to drop below and circumvent them. The climbing was just Class 2, but very brushy.

This worked, and I was able to squeeze through a narrow ramp where the cliffs want to converge. I was now on a tiny nubbin, where I could see "the top" about 150 feet higher. It did not look worse than what I had just come up.

I angled left and got onto the main ridge, then hiked uphill, once again amid heaps of rocks and brush. Again, I would scramble short segments where a walk-around was not an option, or I was too disinterested to find one. One move maybe was Class 2+. It wasn't hard, just messy with all the organic stuff grabbing and poking at me.

Now I was on the top ridge. I still had about 20 more vertical feet to gain but this was trivial, and I was soon at the highest point. The top was brushy and rocky, with good views if I walked around for a clear vantage. I got some fine images with good lighting and no haze to muck things up.

The summit features two 4x4 wood laths driven into the ground about four feet apart, each standing about 3 feet off the ground. They looked ancient. I have no idea what purpose they served. There was a moment in history when a local rancher (I assume) felt it was a very good idea to go to the top of this hill and set these laths in place. I am sure he had a very good reason at that time. But we will never know.

I could not find a register, and this is another rarely-visited peak. This is a part of the state no one comes to, even the most ardent peakbaggers give the area a miss. I like it back here. It is very pretty, and definitely feels like the year 1850 if I ignore the roads and the occasional car engine noise. I am sure Cochise and Geronimo and their comrades scaled this peak once or twice to spy on their enemies.

For the hike down, I followed my ascent route but followed any opening as I found them. It wasn't difficult going down, but I had to be careful not to slide on the loose rocks. I was soon back to that path, then into the creekbed and off the mountain entirely. The walk back to my car went quickly.

I was beat after this short but energetic hike. I was happy it was successful, as it wasn't a given beforehand I would make the top. It wasn't difficult, but the brush and rocks made this a challenging hike. I would not advise to do this in warm weather due to the likelihood of scaring up a rattler.

I changed into driving clothes and drove west back to the highway, then south to Elfrida for a coke and snacks, then on home, arriving about noon. It had been a good morning and I was happy to be successful on both peaks I had attempted. This peak was a milestone: my 1,300th ranked summit worldwide using the 100-meter cutoff (328 feet).