Hike Union Pass and Sugarloaf Peak Loop Black Mountains BLM, AZ

Jan 19, 2021 — Matt and I were far from bored of exploring the Mount Nutt Wilderness Area after a couple of days, so we set out to hike the peaks surrounding Union Pass. We were pretty sure parking for a few hours at the turn-off at the actual Union Pass would be illegal, so we instead parked at the end of a road called Old Kingman Highway, a very old paved road accessible by any car. We started for Union Benchmark first with the hope we could make some sort of loop out of the peaks in the area. Ultimately we really enjoyed our route. 

We set out along the road and crossed over AZ-68. I'm not sure it's legal to do so, but we couldn't contrive another way. We found ourselves on the opposite side of traffic crossing a fence and ascending the northern slope of Union Benchmark with highway sounds behindu us. It was one of those "what a silly hobby this is" moments. The route we took ascended on mostly just a steep slope with the occasional easy Class 2 and eventually we reached the north ridge of Union Benchmark. About a hundred feet from the summit you have an option of keeping to the right of the ridge crest, which results in a Class 3 summit block move. However, you could cross over the ridge crest and ascend on Class 2 to the summit instead. After taking in the views of Mount Nutt to the southeast and the peaks surrounding Secret Pass, we dropped back along the north ridge of Union Benchmark in search of a route to its saddle with a neighboring unnamed peak. We later called this unnamed peak Pyroclastic Peak based on how the rock was formed (Matt's a geologist, so I just assume he knows what he's talking about). Some interesting route-finding (Class 2) brought us around the colorful rock and along an animal trail to the base of the imposing summit. We were sure initially there would be no way up, but we wrapped around to the peak's east/southeast side and found a difficult Class 4 move (maybe low Class 5, but it's a short move without any exposure) up a crack, thereby gaining the summit.

There were lots of options on the somewhat brushy slopes for getting back to AZ-68 from Pyroclastic Peak. Aside from an avoidable Class 3 move to get down from the ridgeline, we encountered no difficulties all the way to the road. We crossed the road again and located a hole in the fence on the opposite side. We ascended the lumpy terrain and eventually dropped into a drainage to the west when it felt appropriate. Sugarloaf Peak's impenetrable-looking cliffs got us really excited, but we first wanted to attempt a route up Peak 4340. This minor peak is really just a rock outcropping extending away from Sugarloaf Peak, but it looked quite cool and seemed to potentially offer some nice scrambling. We ascended Peak 4340's steep eastern slope, encountering a brushy gully and some Class 2 talus/scree. We made it to the ridge crest and realized there was a terrifying knife-edge separating us from Peak 4340. We descended 50 feet to the south, hugging the cliff wall, and re-ascended to the base of the peak. A miraculously solid and quite fun Class 4 move brought us to the summit. We did note a potenitally taller peak to the north between Peak 4340 and Sugarloaf Peak, but we couldn't find a viable option up that one. Additionally, Peak 4340 is what's marked on maps as the higher point, so we were content to move on.

Next and last was Sugarloaf Peak, the one we were most excited about. We stared at it from the summit of Peak 4340 and had high hopes (spoiler: it was great) for what was to come. There was some drizzle and we had no idea what to expect on Sugarloaf Peak nor its class rating, except having the knowledge that there was in fact a route on the peak's west face (thanks, Anji Cerney!), so we committed to it with some minor trepidation. I'm notoriously breaking my DSLRs due to rain or water, so I was prepared to sacrifice my camera to give the peak a go. Anyway, in order to reach the west face of Sugarloaf Peak, we traversed along the right of the ridge crest leading from Peak 4340. I recommend staying as high as you can, but avoid any scrambling here. The rock is loose and treacherous. We were able to keep it to Class 2 by sticking just below the cliffs and above the scree slopes, and found ourselves at the southern end of Sugarloaf Peak. Some side-hilling on a prominent burro trail wrapped us around to Sugarloaf Peak's west face.

We headed up some Class 2 terrain and located a gully that would make an ascent of this peak possible. A big cactus served as an obstacle for getting to the gully's entrance, but the gully itself was mostly pleasant. After a couple hundred feet of elevation gain, we emerged from the gully and were greeted by delightful views from the cliffs. A crack in a big boulder served as a Class 3 gateway to a short Class 3 section on solid rock. This higher ground brought us up a lightly sloping grassy gully, which we followed to its head. Here we passed a prominent juniper bush and ascended a Class 3 slabby section with hollow-feeling rock. At the top of this section was a grotto of sorts, and another Class 3 move on the right with some minor exposure brought us to a grassy bench. 30 feet along the bench led to yet another Class 3 section up somewhat loose rock beneath an overhanging rock, and a final Class 3+ pull move led to Class 2 and the summit. There were a bunch of bottles filled with dead bugs. We had no space to pack them out, and the mystery of the bottles baffled us for a while. We returned the way we came and descended the prominent drainage leading back to the cars just as the downpour began.