Hike North Peloncillo High Point Peloncillo Mountains Wilderness Area, AZ

Nov 14, 2019 — North Peloncillo Mountains High Point lies on the border of Arizona and New Mexico. It's just a bit off the Interstate and worked well as an add-on as I was driving into New Mexico. The drive out to the trailhead was actually a graded dirt road, and I only had to be careful for the last mile or so through a couple of washes and a long sandy section, where low clearance vehicles might struggle. The trailhead (unofficial) is just outside the gate for private property.

I followed a fenceline north for a while, noting a break in the cliff base of the peak to the northwest that would serve as my drainge to start the ascent. The fenceline eventually boxed me in, so I hopped a fence or two in order to get over to my drainage. A bit more desert walking led to the mouth of the drainage, which was framed by beautiful rock pinnacles on either side. I entered its mouth and ascended a steep and dirty slope to a weakness on the left side. A short Class 3 section took me to the south ridge of North Peloncillo High Point, which I followed north. I wrapped around the right side of a major rock outcropping, and then encountered another short Class 3 section. At the top of this short set of moves, I could see the peak ahead. The sloped ridge continued north and entered a small maze of massive bouders and cacti. Surprisingly, I took the same route through this maze on the way down as I did on the way up, so maybe it's less confusing than it appears? A final short Class 2+ move leads to higher ground, and a short jaunt to the beautiful summit came into view.

On the way down, some cows had entered the drainage and a bull wouldn't get out of my way. Generally weary of any wildlife, I kept my distance. I later stumbled on a herd of 20+ javelinas. Omg these things are incredibly fast, cute, and derpy. Look them up.