Big Horn Peak is a p1k in the Big Horn Mountains about 50 miles west of Phoenix. I linked it up with 5 additional unnamed peaks, making for a relatively chill exploratory day. My plan was to do the loop clockwise and end at Big Horn Peak, watching the sunset from the peak.
Peaks climbed
| Peak | Elevation | Topographic Prominence | Summit Coordinates (lat/lon) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Decaying Peak" | 2,467 ft | 385 ft | 33.62977, -113.18406 |
| "Better Peak" | 2,609 ft | 579 ft | 33.63469, -113.17200 |
| "Fake River Peak" | 2,968 ft | 723 ft | 33.64138, -113.15495 |
| "Mining Road Butte" | 2,628 ft | 416 ft | 33.63727, -113.14024 |
| "Smaller Horn Peak" | 3,025 ft | 386 ft | 33.61714, -113.14265 |
| Big Horn Peak | 3,480 ft | 1,440 ft | 33.61010, -113.14913 |
Total Stats
15 miles
5,100 ft gain/loss
I started out around 8:30am, parking right next to a footbridge which crossed an aqueduct. I crossed it and continued northwest for about 0.8 miles to a nondescript spot where a very old 4wd road branched off to the right. The road was hardly even visible as I followed it for a couple miles NNE to the base of Decaying Peak.
views from the 4wd road
The southeast side of Decaying Peak was a mass of badly decaying and friable granite which crumbled and fell apart as I ascended. The terrain was no more than steep class 2 though.
view from Decaying Peak
The northeast side of Decaying Peak was just as nasty, but the terrain drastically improved the second I crossed through the lowpoint between Decaying Peak and Better Peak.
The next several peaks were very straightforward. The navigation and terrain were easy.
views from Better Peak
just before Fake River Peak
heading towards Mining Road Butte
view from Mining Road Butte
I reached Smaller Horn Peak around 2pm and studied the shadowy northeast face of Big Horn Peak. It looked steep and imposing from this angle, and there were no reports online of others ascending it from this side.
views from Smaller Horn Peak
I headed west and then south along the connecting ridge from Smaller Horn to Big Horn, bypassing any cliffs on their eastern (left) sides and keeping it at class 3 and below. I made an ascending traverse across the northeast face, aiming for a break in the northeast ridge. Upon reaching it, it became very obvious that continuing up the northeast ridge was a no-go, with overhanging cliffs of bad rock. I turned around but continued ascending to the southwest now, aiming for an arbitrary point on the east ridge and hoping that a break in terrain would eventually become visible. This resulted in me having to scramble a 30 ft section of bad low 5th class rock before finally hitting the east ridge.
great green views
northeast face of Big Horn Peak
A brilliant burst of sunlight washed over me as I crested the east ridge, which I continued west along for a few hundred feet on fun terrain. The last 50 ft to the summit involved some additional fun class 3.
It was still relatively early so I enjoyed a nice nap on the summit, finding a nice spot in the sun and out of the wind. There was a register with an extensive amount of names in it, and several other signs that this peak was frequented relatively often.
I began descending just after sunset, downclimbing a class 2-3 rib to the south which eventually broadened into a wide ridge that continued south and then turned west. The amount of cholla increased dramatically, and I got spiked a few times in both ankles and had to take off my shoes at least once to pick out the thorns. Upon hitting the desert floor, I headed in a general southwest direction, aiming directly towards the jagged profile of Courthouse Rock in the far distance, eventually reaching the canal which I followed for a short distance west before locating and crossing the footbridge I had crossed earlier that morning.
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