Page Type:
|
Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
35.07500°N / 113.897°W |
County:
|
Mohave |
Activities:
|
Hiking, Scrambling |
Season:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
|
Elevation:
|
8417 ft / 2566 m |
|
Overview
The Hualapai Mountains dominate the skyline south of Kingman, Arizona, and are the highest mountains in northwest Arizona. The summit of the range, Hualapai Peak, is a well-known hiker's destination and the highest point in Mohave County, as well as one of the most prominent mountains in Arizona. The peak and range are easily visible from all directions, and are especially impressive viewed from the west as there is nearly 6,000 feet of vertical difference between the summit and the desert plains below. The range is noted for its liberal sprinkling of huge granite rocks and outcroppings; the summit itself is a slab-fest of these giant pillars. A good trail and road network makes for an easy half-day hike to the base of the summit, while a moderate scramble and bushwhack, plus some minorly exposed climbing at the very top, gives the summit-bagger a good reward for his or her effort. The peak is climbed all year, but spring and fall are best. Summer can be hot, even at near 8,000 feet, and thunderstorms kick up regularly in July and August. Winter snow is rare and never accumulates to any depth, although it can get very cold on top in such conditions.
The summit appears around a bend on the Aspen Loop Trail
The slabby summit, and bushwhacking, too.Getting There
Kingman is located on Interstate-40 and is northwest Arizona's biggest city. In Kingman, follow the signs south to Hualapai Mountain State Park (any of the three main exits in town: Beale (old Rte-66), Stockton Hill or Andy Devine, will converge south of town at Hualapai Mountain Road. It's very well signed). It's about 10 miles along paved road to the ranger station and camping complex. The trailhead (follow the signs) is up past a few campsites to a small parking area. Walk past a gate in the road about 200 feet and catch the Aspen Peak trail on the left at a large sign. It is very obvious and easy to follow. Ask at the ranger station if you need further help.
Spotty snow sometimes sits on the peak. Photo by Dean MolenRed Tape
I don't recall paying any money when I hiked the peak in 2000 and in 2003, but you may want to check at the ranger station for the latest information. You may have to fill in a self-issued daily pass.
When To Climb
This peak can be climbed virtually all year. Best times are early summer and late summer-fall. The middle of summer can be quite warm and be in the middle of the thunderstorm season. Winter can have snows that may close the access road.
Camping
The immediate area is fully developed for camping. Not sure of the fee structure but I'd imagine it's probably the usual going rate. Contact the Hualapai Mountains County (Mohave) Park Ranger Station. Google "Hualapai Mountain Park" since the URL seems to change often (see updates below).
The southern Hualapai Range. Photo by Dennis PoulinNew Map
A new map published by the Mohave County Parks system show the route to the summit very nicely: Hualapai Mountains Park Trail Map Thanks to HGRAPID for pointing this out to me.
External Links
2 Trip Reports
ericnoel - Apr 21, 2007 11:16 am - Voted 10/10
TopozoneExcellent page Scott. You might wish to tweak the lat/lon as the coords are a bit off so the topozone link doesn't point to the peak.
surgent - Apr 23, 2007 2:50 pm - Hasn't voted
Thanks!They were way off. I'll check my other earlier pages to be sure the topozone coords are still accurate.
MoapaPk - May 10, 2008 11:46 pm - Voted 10/10
Get the map!...but take it with a grain of salt. At the fee booth, they will give you a map that shows a good trail to about 180' (vertical) below the top of Hualapai. You can take a horse up that far! It may be a shabby road, but it's a great trail. There was a large cairn (as of May 10/2008) marking the very obvious, not-too-brushy use trail to the top. Unfortunately, the route, as drawn in on the map, is not accurate near the top of the mountain. The last switchbacks are on the E to NE side of the peak, not the SE side as indicated, and the last scramble up the use trail is on the E and NE side of the rocky summit, not on the S side as implied by the map. HERE is a better map of the top. I'm not sure of the proper way to mount the last block -- I took the shortest, most direct approach, and after testing the hold on the granite crack, just muscled up with one hand on a faint nubbin of rock above. This route didn't seem too exposed, but did require that one have decent finger strength. To get down, I just jumped across to the lower rock. Here is the current (May 10/2008) web site for the Hualapai Mountain Park
surgent - May 20, 2008 2:15 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Get the map!It's pretty much make your own way up once you leave the trail. Depending on the season you may end up going up different ways to avoid brush, etc. Generally, as you found out, at the very top you pretty much have to figure out the last rock slab for yourself. Most usually attack it directly via the 5-foot 'step' and the weak ledge about half-way up. Others have carefully scooted to the left with more exposure where it is apparently easier to gain the rock and the top. Some even climb the 4th/5th class routes via the S.
surgent - Apr 12, 2011 5:48 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Yet another...I made the edit just now. Thanks for alerting me.
Matt Horbal - Aug 23, 2014 8:11 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Yet another...The map seems to have moved again. I found it here http://www.mcparks.com/wp-content/themes/mcparks/images/hmp_trails_map_large.pdf
hgrapid - Jun 10, 2018 10:00 am - Hasn't voted
Updated map linkhttp://www.mcparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/170525-HMP-Trail-map-web.pdf