Date: October 6, 2025 • Elevation: 7,299 feet ✳ • Prominence: 576 feet ✳ • Distance: 7.3 miles • Time: 4 hours • Gain: 1,560 feet • Conditions: Sunny and beautiful

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ • USGS BM Datasheet • Lidar

This peak lies barely outside of the Chiricahua National Monument boundaries, rising to the east of the main canyons and hoodoos of the Monument. It was the site of an old airway beacon, from the days when pilots navigated by sight about a century ago. This particular site was designated "Phoenix El Paso Awy Bcn T 5". Peakbagger calls it "Phoenix Benchmark".

Older topographic maps show a track that leads up to the top, coming in from the east via Hands Pass. This seemed to be a default option, since following a path would be preferable to unnecessary bushwhacking. However, satellite images show no evidence of a path and it's likely the path began to decay nearly a century ago, when the beacons were starting to become obsolete. The big Horseshoe Two Fire of 2011 came through here and destroyed any remnants of a path, as well as burning what structures remained up top.

It looked like I could follow paths from within the Monument that would get to within a half mile of the peak and about 400 feet of gain, suggesting gentle gradients. Plus, I would get a tour of the hoodoos of the Monument as well. So I decided to come back and take another look. I've been to the Chiricahua National Monument twice: in 2003 with my wife, and in 2011 with Scott P. and Matthias, when we bailed on Cochise Head and it started to snow. I was technically within the boundaries last year when I climbed South Timber Peak but I was not within the canyons with the hoodoos.

I was up before dawn and on the road, traffic being light on US-191, and once on highways AZ-181 and AZ-186, it was just me. About an hour later I was entering into the monument, driving right into the rising sun. I drove to the end of the road at Massai Point and parked. One other vehicle was here already. I changed into my hiking clothes and got my pack together, and started walking at 6:50 a.m.. It was a sunny and pleasant morning, cold but warming quickly into the 60s.

I followed the Riggs Trail downhill. It trends north, then makes a hard left turn and heads south, and meets the Mushroom Trail within Rhyolite Canyon after 0.9 mile, said a sign. I went left and continued downward to a lowpoint, losing almost 500 feet in elevation from the start. Other than some people up top at the viewpoints, I did not see anyone once within the canyons. The hoodoos were numerous and tall and in all sorts of odd shapes, some inexplicably staying upright with the narrowest of bases.

Once past the lowpoint, the trail gained elevation heading east, then made a hard right, now trending back west before curling into adjoining Hunt Canyon. The trails were fantastic, wide and well-maintained, with no rubbly rocks. In places where it got steep, the rocks had been formed into steps. In time, I was at the point where the trail reaches its farthest-south turn, before angling north toward Inspiration Point. This was about 2 miles from the start, and had taken me about an hour. I stopped for a break on a convenient sitting log.

From here to the top would be cross-country, and I had some concern about the brush and the terrain. From where I sat, it looked equally brushy everywhere. I picked a line and started up. It was heavy brush and branches for the first fifty feet, but then things opened a little to where I could see better and there were lanes.

I aimed for the ridge above me, and angled right to the little hill to which this ridge lead to. I tied some surveyor ribbon to branches so I would come down the same way. Getting lost here would be difficult since all downhill routes lead to the trail, but I did not want to be hiking into steep cliffy terrain with hoodoos.

On the ridge, I angled toward the hilltop. The big trees were sparser (mostly oaks of various type) but the ground cover was thicker, with manzanita patches. I had lanes most of the time. When I didn't, I just plowed through the crud. By now, the summit was visible, a gentle point along the ridge to the east.

I reached this hilltop then angled east toward the main peak. I had to drop about 80 feet to a lowpoint, then gain about 150 feet to the top, which was easy. I reached the ridge south of the highpoint, where I could see a skeletal structure up top. In a few more minutes, I was there.

As mentioned, this was an old beacon site. This was one with a tower and a light atop it. Under the tower (or nearby) was a small hut with the electronics. This hut is what I saw. The fire from 2011 melted away anything meltable, leaving behind just the framework and lots of electronic stuff in heaps. The place was a mess.

I wanted to locate the benchmark but couldn't find it. It is possible it was under some of the electronic pieces, and I did not want to be lifting them up as they may be too heavy or hiding a snake within. The summit itself was very brushy with small trees and hard to move about. I spent a few minutes going from one end to the other. If I couldn't find the benchmark, then a reference mark would do, but I couldn't find them either. The datasheet offers no details, last being "observed" remotely many years ago.

I found some metal footings and what appeared to be the tower downslope to the west, in some very heavy brush. It may have fallen over that way, but I only got so far before the brush stopped me. I walked back to the hut and took a break on the concrete stoop near its front door. I spent nearly a half hour up here. Views were very good and the weather was fantastic. I was in no great hurry.

For the hike down, I followed the same route as best I could, then followed my ribbons out back to the trail. I decided to make a mile-long detour to Inspiration Point, where one can get an elevated view of Rhyolite Canyon, the main canyon with the hoodoos. On my 2003 visit here, we did not get to this point.

I then hiked back to the main trail and followed it out to my car, but not trying to go very fast. I thoroughly enjoyed the hoodoos and spires and took many images. Only when I was back on the Riggs Trail did I see people coming down. I was back to my car a little before 11 a.m., a four-hour hike. I was very pleased with the hike and the views. In this case, the peak was a bonus relative to the hoodoos, but I also enjoy the old airway beacon history aspect as well.

I changed into less cumbersome clothes and drove out, stopping for snacks along the way. I was home by 1 p.m..