W7A/YU-095 Fortuna Benchmark

This peak just outside Yuma is probably climbed somewhat frequently due to the B-17 wreckage near the summit. Despite this, I had trouble finding information on the best route to take. In the end I was able to figure out that the wreckage is on the north side of the peak, and thought I could pick out some use trails in the satellite view.

The center-left peak is my destination.

I parked on the dirt section of South Frontage Road, east of the intersection with Avenue 15 but before it crossed the concrete wash. With the right car you could drive a mile or two farther in, and I passed a truck at the bottom of the trail which had done just that. From my spot I followed the road parallel to the freeway for a distance before it turned south. 

Looking back out the canyon.

The road winds its way through the desert to the base of the north-facing canyon. This section is flat. Once you find the trail, it initially follows a ridge before entering the canyon. It seemed like the trail stayed on the right side of the canyon, but I lost it a bunch of times. Luckily its easy to just go up, assuming you're in the right canyon. 

A piece of the plane.

About three quarters of the way up you'll find the first pieces of debris. There is more as you climb, and some of the rocks have been painted to memorialize the crew members, all of whom died in the crash. 

Two of the crosses.

I was a bit concerned going up since I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get onto the ridge from the canyon without rock climbing. It turns out there are enough use paths to follow around the cliffs that I needn't have worried. I approached the summit on a ridge from the northwest. It was cool and shady in the canyon, and sunny and windy on the ridge. A pretty pleasant day for the desert. 

Summit pole, with Jester's Peak behind.

On the summit I signed the register then used the pole to hold up the other end of my wire antenna. It was a nice setup. I had good cell service and had no trouble spotting or getting contacts. The people who had driven the truck in caught up to me on the top where they stopped for lunch.

If I knew more about planes I could probably tell you what part this was.

I took the same route back down, which was slightly tricky. There are so many use trails you need to be careful if you want to go the same way. Heading down was much faster than up, and I was soon back on the desert floor. Like the previous day, I stopped to pick up lunch on the way back to the hotel. 

Trailhead: As far along South Frontage Road as you're willing to drive.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Follow the road to the base of the mountain, then find the use trail that goes up the canyon past the B-17 wreckage.

Red Tape: Please don't take pieces of the plane.

 

Summit view looking north.

W7A/YU-123 Jester's Peak

This peak does not actually have a name, but the trail that goes to the summit is called Jester's Trail, so I think Jester's Peak is better than "Peak 1954". I was surprised to find it had never been activated before, since it is not remote and has a trail. There must not be any SOTA activators in Yuma. This summit is a bit hard to see from the Yuma area because it is in front of and a little lower than the ridge. It just blends in.

From the parking area.

Since I had a small sedan, I parked in the big dirt area on the east side of Avenue 15 East, across from East 48th Street. The dirt was well packed and I didn't have any trouble getting in or out. From here I followed a jeep road that headed east towards a low ridge. There are a lot of OHV trails in this area, and I saw plenty of cars and other walkers while I was in the low area.

Start of Jester's Trail.

At the end of the road is an informational board with a map and some posters about the local flora and fauna. The start of the trail was obvious and easy to follow. It climbs along a ridge, mostly on one side, but occasionally crosses to the other. It was warm in the sun and a bit cool in the shade. That's desert hiking.  

Through some ocotillo.

The trail was easy to follow until a steep area just below the summit. Here it seemed like there had been some small sides that wiped the trail away. It was class 2 steep, and required a little care, but nothing bad. The trail ends at a flagpole on a peak that is a little lower than the summit. I took a use trail over to the high point. Note there is a military range south of the summit, so don't wander too far in that direction.

Looking over at the city.

 On top I had good cell service, and band conditions seemed good too. I had no trouble making contacts with the KH1 whip. It was a pleasant temperature too, warm with a breeze to keep it from getting too hot. Once I was done playing radio I packed up and retraced my steps down. The steep area below the summit took some care to get through, but at the bottom I enjoyed the run.

Canyon separating this peak from Fortuna Benchmark.

I had to watch out for some unleashed dogs near the bottom. The human assured me they were friendly, but I seen enough dogs to know when it is friendly or not. This dog was not. Back at the car I headed back into town to get some lunch. Overall a fun summit and one I would recommend if you're in the area.

Fortuna Benchmark behind me.

Trailhead: Large dirt area at the intersection of 15th Avenue and 48th Street.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Drive or walk along the jeep road to the trailhead, then follow the trail to the summit.

Red Tape: Be aware of the military range south of the summit.

W7A/MS-048 Mt Suappoa

 Mt Suappoa is easy to pick out from a lot of places in Phoenix. The forest of towers on top really makes it stand out. In fact, I could see it from the airport train despite having never been to Phoenix before. It is also an easy summit to reach, since there is a road that goes to the Gila Lookout just below the summit.

The views from the lookout were nice.

I drove up to the lookout and parked. From there I walked back down the road towards the summit. At the first driveway I stepped off the road and headed up the hill to the fence. Once I was confident I was in the activation zone, I stopped and got out the KH1. I was tired after doing a big loop over the other two peaks in the park, so I did a quick activation. Thankfully there were still chasers listening, and I got my contacts quickly.

Saguaro along the road.

Having got my QSOs, I headed back to the car for the long drive to Yuma. 

 

Trailhead: Gila Lookout parking.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Walk back along the road, then cross country into the AZ.

Red Tape: Don't go climbing over fences.

W7A/MS-065 Goat Hill

 This was the second summit I did on my loop in South Mountain Park. After coming down from Salt Benchmark I continued up the National Trail which slowly climbs up the ridge. By this point I realized I had underestimated how much water I needed, so I was feeling slow and thirsty. But the scenery kept improving as I climbed so I kept going. 

Looking towards the summit.

This trail seemed busier than the Alta Trail across the valley. Maybe its easier? Either way I was making good time going up, and soon had the knobby summit in view. I was slightly concerned with how I would get to the top, but as I got closer I could see some well defined switchbacks leading to the high point. These don't appear on any map I looked at, but afterwards I could see they were clearly visible in the satellite view.

Mt Suappoa in the distance.

Like Salt Benchmark, the summit area is small. It would take some skill to string out a wire on this summit. After doing HF, I was getting ready to call on 2m when I realized my HT antenna had fallen out of my bag somewhere. Disappointed, I had to call it quits. From the summit it was a short and quick run back to the car. I headed down the Ranger trail, and after crossing the road, turned left to go back to the parking lot.

Looking back up at the summit, which is the knob on the right.

I was glad I had filled up my nalgene, and I promptly drank a good fraction of it. Since it was still early enough I decided I had enough time to drive up to Mt Suappoa for a quick activation before heading out of town. 

Trailhead: Alta Trailhead, as named by Google maps

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Head parallel to the road, then go up the hill on the Ranger Trail. Follow the National Trail to the summit use path.

Red Tape: None. 

W7A/MS-060 Salt Benchmark

 This is one of three peaks in Phoenix's South Mountain Park. I had mapped out a loop over this peak and Goat Hill to get my Sunday run in, so headed to the park after my flight landed. I parked at the Alta Trailhead, at the corner of Stephen Mather Drive and Telegraph Pass Road. My plan was to go up to Salt Benchmark, then along the ridge and down across the valley and back up to Goat Hill before dropping back down to the lot. By my calculations, it would be about 14 miles.

Heading towards Salt Benchmark.

I set off down the Bajada Trail, then turned right onto the Alta Trail. The Alta Trail climbs up to the ridge with plenty of switchbacks. It was my first time in the desert with saguaro cacti, so I was slowed down taking pictures of them. They're pretty neat. On the ridge I turned left, staying on the Alta Trail. The trail along the ridge goes over or around some minor peaks, and I saw a coyote on the shady side of the hill. 

Cliffy area just below the summit.

When I reached a point north of the summit, I turned and stepped off the trail and headed straight up the ridge. This was quite steep, but nothing too bad. Just below the summit are some small cliffs, but I was easily able to find a way through them to the top. The summit area is small, so don't plan on stringing out a long wire. My KH1 whip did very nicely instead. I had cell service on the summit.

Cholla on the ridge.

Once I was done playing radio I took the same route back down to the trail. It looked like there might be a use path along the ridge to the slightly lower summit, but since I knew what the north ridge one was like I took it. Didn't want to get stuck on top of a cliff. Back on the trail I continued along the Alta Trail and took it down to the small parking lot where I turned left onto the Maricopa Trail/National Trail. This took me across the valley to the base of Goat Hill.

 

Trailhead: Alta Trailhead, as named by Google maps

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Bajada Trail to Alta Trail, then cross country to the summit.

Red Tape: None.