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| Twin peaks perimeter hike, AZ | |
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| | Twin peaks perimeter hike, AZ | | | |
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Twin peaks perimeter hike, AZ
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| Hiking | 6.88 Miles |
168 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.88 Miles | 2 Hrs 38 Mns | | 2.61 mph |
| 168 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I went out today to explore the area around Twin Peaks West to see if it was even possible. This entire area is known as the Cal-Portland Rillito Cement Quarry which is private property. This quarry supplies the raw materials for the Cal-Portland cement company located about 5 miles to the North along I-10. There was a tall fence around this section of the property with "no trespassing" signs along it. Beyond the fence were 40+ feet tall incredibly steep scree slopes which were so steep that they probably cannot be safely climbed by even the most experienced climbers.
From where I parked, I stepped over a low barbed wire fence to get onto AZ state trust land (see below for permit info). I walked Northeast toward the mining property and saw a 6-8 foot fence with barbed wire at the top. There were signs on this fence every 100 feet saying "No Trespassing - APC Rillito Quarry", etc. I was already here so I decided to make the best of it and explore the area. I followed the fence line North and within the first half mile I saw 2 huge cows hanging out under a tree. The male bull with horns ran away from me before I could even get a close up photo. I'm so glad these cows DID NOT know how powerful they were!
In this desert area, I saw some larger saguaros, creosote, barrel cactus and more. After hiking about 0.8 miles the fence turned going East continued for about 600 feet, then turned going North for 600 feet, and then turned going West for 600 feet, then turned again going North. There was basically a square cutout and I'm not sure why, but I just kept following the fence that way. After following the square, and then continuing North again following the fence line, I saw another fence line continuing West. This fence didn't have any private property signs along it so I felt safe crossing it. To the North appeared to be some powerlines and I believe part of the CAP water system labeled as "aqueduct" on the Topo map.
Next, I continued Northeast following the fence line around the quarry. I found some large ironwood trees in this area which were nice to see. In this area were a few barrel cactuses with fruit. I sampled one of the pieces of fruit and it was ripe and as good as any other I've tried.
After hiking a total of 2.6 miles I found myself hiking along side a private road leading into the quarry. The road appeared to go Northeast all the way to Twin Peaks road, which was over 1 mile away from where I was. All that was here was a regular barbed wire fence along both sides of the road. It was a Sunday and I didn't see anyone around so I decided to cut across the private road to shave off an additional 2.25 miles from my hike. I cut across the road and went under another a concrete structure used for a pipeline, then crossed under another barbed wire fence about 100 feet East of the road and then headed South and East. I don't recommend that anyone do this but I decided it was worth crossing this section since it was a Sunday and nobody was around and I had no huge desire to hike an additional 2.25 miles extra along a road. At this point I was on the East side of the private property. From here I continued to loop around the quarry. I didn't see any employees and I didn't hear any noise but that doesn't mean that the quarry was completely empty. I would guess this property has cameras to monitor any unwanted activity.
I continued moving South and found some horse trails. I followed the horse trails South and then saw an area of thick teddy bear cholla that I needed to go around. Luckily, I found a way around without having to go too far out of the way. There was a 2nd area of teddy bear cholla where I had to weave through. I found some wide sandy washes which were pretty clear which helped guide me. I kept going and the barbed wire fence turned into a taller fence, then back to a barbed wire fence. If anyone really wanted to get in, it wouldn't be a problem, but I wasn't willing to take the risk. Up ahead, the sign on the barbed wire fence read "DANGER - Active mine, KEEP OUT". Inside the fence, I saw a small building and a few silos next to it. It appeared that nobody was there, but that's just a guess. There was no way to know for sure.
I continued walking South until I saw a few homes and a road. I may have had to step over 1 more barbed wire fence to get onto the dirt road. I believe I was on the upper end of Van Ark road. I took Van Ark road South to Massingale, then followed Massingale for 1.4 miles West to Desert Pass Rd, then North to my starting point. There were many private homes and lots along these roads and many barking dogs, but all of the dogs were fenced in.
I noticed that in 2019, Cal-Portland, invited members of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society for a tour. They seem to be pretty friendly with the local community, and that definitely can be great for business. Here's some more info about the tour:
https://www.tgms.org/news-archive/2019/ ... ay-11-2019
Maybe I will try to contact Cal-Portland to see if they would be open to a group of hikers coming on site with the goal of possibly summiting Twin Peaks West and/or East.
Stats:
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Distance (round trip): 6.88 miles
AEG: 168 feet
Strava moving time: 2 hrs 38 mins
Strava elapsed time: 2 hrs 55 mins
Driving directions:
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High clearance recommended. It should be possible in a regular vehicle as long as the roads are dry. Watch out for sandy areas which can be tricky in a low clearance vehicle.
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From Tucson take I-10 West toward Phoenix.
Take exit 242 toward Avra Valley Rd, continue for 0.3 mi.
Merge onto I-10 Frontage Rd., continue for 233 ft.
Turn left onto W Avra Valley Rd, continue for 5.2 mi.
Turn left onto N Sandario Rd, continue for 1.5 mi.
At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on N Sandario Rd, continue for 2.0 mi.
Turn left onto W Magee Rd, continue for 0.6 mi.
Park North of the road.
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The area to the North is AZ state trust land. You should have a permit to walk on this land. A permit is $15 for 1 year. See this link for more info...
https://azland.my.salesforce-sites.com/ ... nalpermit/ |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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