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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Summit view looking north. |
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