W7A/YU-148 Telegraph Ridge

It was the day of the Arizona 10pt summit-to-summit event. There were no 10 point summits near me, so I decided to just do a nearby Arizona peak. The best option appeared to be this peak, Telegraph Ridge. There are a lot of towers on top and a very nice access road.

The peak is visible from the trailhead.

The trailhead is at the end of the frontage road on the north side of the interstate. Google has a marker there. There is a large dirt lot with lots of parking. It was pretty warm already, but I was confident I had enough water to make it up and back safely.

Desert scene.

There are a number of trail and roads at the base, so be careful to take the one you want. I didn't, and had to bushwhack a little bit over to the proper trail. At the base of the climb there is a gate to keep the cars out, and the road turns to pavement. It is quite steep.

Looking back down the switchbacks.

By the time I got to the top I looked like I had just been in a rainstorm I was sweating so much. The ridge is quite narrow, but I found a spot between some towers that I could set up my antenna. I started on 40, hoping to get in on the summit-to-summit action. I quickly got a large pileup, including about half a dozen s2s contacts.

Top of the ridge, looking south.

The higher bands weren't as fruitful, but I still made some contacts. By this point I had drank most of my water, and decided to pack up and head back. I finished the water as I neared the car, then drank a bunch more from the bottle I had left there. Back at the hotel I turned up the air conditioning and cooled off.

I'm not sure what these plants are, but they were fun to look at.

Trailhead: Telegraph Pass Trailhead. End of the frontage road on the north side of the interstate.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the vehicle access road to the summit.
Red Tape: None.