Hike Nutty Peak (Peak 3680) Mount Nutt Wilderness BLM, AZ

Dec 07, 2024 — Nutty Peak (aka Peak 3680) has been gnawing at Matt and me since our previous visit to the volcanic buttes in the eastern Mount Nutt Wilderness. On that trip, we reached a series of impressive summits and gawked at Nutty Peak from its closest neighbor, concluding that there couldn’t possibly be a route up. Apparently, the peak remained on both of our minds despite our dismissal, so we decided to give it a go. We named it Nutty Peak for the incredibly cool route we discovered to its summit and to stay true to the Mount Nutt Wilderness naming theme. Interestingly, this was the first of two coincidentally-labeled Peak 3680s we would climb today — the second one (Pecan Peak) also turned out to be incredibly cool.

There's an official trailhead at a corner of the Mount Nutt Wilderness, which we reached from the east via a well-graded road. Head south of Egar Road and continue west on Shinarump Road. The roads to the north are either nonexistent or in very poor condition. Nutty Peak loomed above us as we hiked. A massive vertical summit block marks the high point on the east side of the monolith, and it looked impossible to overcome. Even reaching the block's base seemed like a daunting task. A massive notch just west of the summit block served as a critical landmark. We decided to wrap around to the south side of Nutty Peak to reach a series of chutes, as all other aspects were sheer faces.

On the south side of the peak, we encountered the most prominent chute, which is clearly visible on a topo map. However, we remembered from our previous trip when viewing from above that it didn’t seem viable, so we walked by it in search of other options. There’s a chance it offers a low Class 5 option to ascend the chute and reach the massive notch, but we weren’t certain. If anyone succeeds in using this as an alternative route, please let me know! Instead, we chose a less prominent chute to the west. Matt ascended directly into the chute using a steep Class 4 slab on dubious rock, while I found a safer-feeling Class 4 chimney formed by a flap of rock to gain enter the chute.

We ascended a few hundred feet through this chute, mostly navigating steep, dirty terrain with a few short Class 3 obstacles. The chute narrowed and ended at a series of small notches formed by various pinnacles. Most led to airy overlooks but no viable route. The key feature was a chimney that kept us feeling snug as we climbed 20 feet off the deck. When the chimney became sketchy, we scrambled out to the left onto a surprisingly solid Class 3/4 slab with significant exposure. We traversed above the chimney on a ledge and found ourselves at the base of a wide slab, with Nutty Peak visible ahead.

We reached an overlook at the notch, followed by an easy scramble down into it. Across the notch loomed the dreaded summit block. Matt tested a potential ascent via a horribly exposed low Class 5 direct route. He was about to go for it, as he often does, but I played the voice of reason and suggested we look for an alternative, possibly wrapping around to the left. He agreed begrudingly. Dropping north to get below the notch required some stemming.

We wrapped around the summit block on its left and came across the remains of a bighorn sheep in a grotto. We’re always amazed by these animals and their incredible climbing ability. Emerging on the northern side of the summit block, we spotted what appeared to be easier terrain than Matt’s earlier attempt. First came a fun Class 3 headwall, followed by a low Class 5 move higher up. Although the exposure felt severe, the fall zone was likely only a few feet. Even so, the move tested our resolve momentarily. Past this crux, we found ourselves on an exposed ramp/ledge, a truly unique feature. This brought us to the ridge crest, and Nutty Peak was only a short walk away. This summit was absolutely amazing and worth repeating. Despite its proximity to the residences of Golden Valley, it feels remote and is likely not often climbed.