Peak 4416

Peak 4416 first caught our attention, a few weeks ago, when we hiked to Wash Benchmark.  The pyramid-like summit looked intriguing and so we began making plans for hiking to this pointy peak.  After spending some time researching our route, we decided to follow Spanish Wash to the base of the peak and then catch a narrow ridge that Peakbagger, Otto DeGroff, had used to make his final ascent of 4416.  This ended up being a more challenging hike than we expected, but the rewards and sense of accomplishment,  once we reached the summit, more than made up for any doubts we experienced along the route.

Our hike began as we exited the culvert that spans underneath I-15 near Coral Canyon
(If you use this as your access point, make sure to bring a flashlight as this is a long dark tunnel)

 Nathan and Kent are figuring out the best way to reach Peak 4416 . . . it's farther away than it looks!

We followed Spanish Wash for about two-miles . . . Peak 4416 is visible off to the left

Walking through the deep sand wasn't fun . . . but there were so many cool rocks . . . like this rose!  

We hiked up, over and around bands of slickrock 

We are now making our way out of the wash and working towards the ridge . . .
This cross-bedded sandstone impressed us with it's unique striations that were caused by either water or wind

Nathan noticed this millipede crawling up from the grass

It was fun traversing across the "dinosaur like skin" sandstone . . . Peak 4416 straight ahead!

When we reached this ridgeline, Peak 4416 looked doable, albeit more formidable than we were expecting . . .
As usual, Kent had his doubts (What's new, right?)

Finally . . . heading up the last section . . . it wasn't too bad, after all!

It took us 2 1/2 hours to reach the top 

This is the second hike Nathan has done with us . . .
He brought along his drone and was planning on using it to shoot a video for our blog . . .
But the winds were too gusty to safely maneuver it

Although it was cloudy, the temperatures were very comfortable . . .
That is until we took our lunch break and our bodies began to cool down . . .
Then it was time to put on the down jackets to protect from the cool winds!

The views were amazing . . .
This picture provides you with a good idea of some of the obstacles we faced as we were going up the ridge

The ridgeline appeared longer on the way back . . .
The "dinosaur like skin" that was pictured earlier can be seen ahead of us on the ridgeline . . .
This is where we came up and where we will make our descent

We were surprised to find this old rusty can as we descend off the ridgeline

Redstem filaree was in bloom

Down off the ridge . . . soon we'll drop back into the canyon where Spanish Wash begins 

We came across this interesting design in the sandstone

There were several patches of moss in the shaded areas of the wash

Just some of the many interesting geologic formations that can be seen along Spanish Wash 

This was the last of the slickrock

Now it's time to drop back into the main channel of Spanish Wash and make our back to the Interstate

This hike ended up being just a little over 7.5 miles in length (with 1,500 ft of ascent) and took us about five hours to complete.  Be prepared for lots of sand . . . especially over the first (and last) two-miles of the hike.  It certainly gets annoying, but the effort is rewarded with a great hike along a challenging ridge to the summit of Peak 4416.  For a topo map and GPS tracks you can click on Otto DeGroff's name in the introduction and it will direct you to his Peakbagger.com post for the ridge section of our route.

Leeds Benchmark

We were looking for a short morning hike, close to home, so that we could spend the afternoon pruning trees in our orchard.  Tom had done this hike four years ago and said it was a good one if you didn't mind going around rocks, getting stuck by cactus, or being poked by manzanita . . . all of which were true.  Even with his ominous forecast we decided to take the challenge and go for the Leeds Benchmark.  We found it to be a quite enjoyable hike that provided great views on a beautiful February morning!

Kent leads the way using the GPS coordinates that we borrowed from our friend Tom

There was definitely more snow on the north facing slopes than we were expecting

There were a lot of cacti . . . both exposed and snow-covered 

Heading for the next bump
(Once on the ridgeline there are a lot of ups and downs as you make your way for the highpoint)

Pine Valley Mountains look pretty showcased against the sunny blue skies!

We had nice views of Kolob Canyons 

After signing the summit register, on the high point of the Cottonwood Wilderness area,
we learned that the benchmark was located on the next peak to our south

Leeds Benchmark was placed here in 1954
Thankfully, it was positioned on the ridge where the sun was able to keep it free of snow

The benchmark is located in the rocks directly in front of Kent . . .
We had a little trouble finding this one and had to text Tom to get directions

Time to head back
Kent's not going over the edge . . . just working towards the rim where there was less snow

The snow and moist sand made it pretty easy to follow our tracks back along the rim

We came across this small frozen waterfall on our final descent

When we got home, and looked at our pictures, we realized we didn't have one showing where the benchmark was located . . .  So, Allison took a drive to Leeds the following day to get this shot . . .
Thus the cloudy skies!

As the "crow flies" this hike is only about two miles round-trip, however, with all the diversions around rocks, cactus, and manzanita it turned out to be about three miles and had 700 ft of total elevation gain.  If you're interested in knowing specifics about this hike you can click here for a link to Tom's Peakbagger.com posting . . . it will give you a topo map and GPS tracks.  Make sure to do this hike in the cooler months, otherwise it could be brutal and not very enjoyable.

Wash Benchmark

As compared to the last couple of January's, we are off to a slow start as far as hiking goes.  It's been an exceptionally wet winter (for which we are extremely thankful!), and that has made roads muddy and hiking difficult anywhere above 5,000 ft.  It has also put us behind in pruning our orchard which requires most of January to complete.

Okay enough of the excuses!  Saturday was forecasted with a high of around 50° and clear blue skies . . . time to put everything aside and get out there!  Our choice was Wash Benchmark, in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.  We thought we'd use this hike to check out other possible winter excursions for the upcoming months, and to see what kind of shape we were in after a month of a sedentary lifestyle!

Kent is entering a hidden portal that will transport him from a world of civilization,
to a magical land of red rocks and sand! 
(Actually, we're using a culvert to get under I-15)

Out of the culvert and into Spanish Wash . . . our hike has begun!

Immediately the beauty of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve comes into view . . . 
and the magic begins!

The wash was dry with the exception of a few frozen pools 

There were lots of moqui marbles 

After about two miles of hiking, we exited Spanish Wash,
 and ventured our way into a small slot canyon . . . 

The sandstone walls were covered with moss and foliage

The slot led to this draw . . . if you look hard you can see Kent making his way through the brush

We spotted this small window in a sandstone wall as we continued our ascent

Time to head up another side arm and reach a ridge that we will use for our final traverse

It was steep . . . but only for a couple hundred yards

Once on top, we could see where we are headed . . . to the rounded peak on the left

Kent is surveying Peak #4416 (the red pointy one) for a future hike

Wash Benchmark was placed here in 1954

The snow capped Pine Valley Mountains make a nice contrast with the red sandstone

 Looking north toward the Red Cliffs Recreation Area and Kolob Canyons of Zion
(Spanish Wash is the drainage in the bottom of the picture)

This rocky top was calling Kent's name . . . so we headed over to check it out 

This is our first hike of 2023!

Kent turned 65 two weeks ago!

After spending some time on "rocky top", we continued to follow this ridge west until 
we reached a southerly canyon that we used to descend

We begin our descent into the canyon

The slickrock was really pretty and easy to walk on

Once down, we worked our way back to Spanish Wash by using the Bracken's Loop trail

One of twelve rings fastened into the sandstone . . . remnants from the pioneers to tie up their horses

This stack of sandstone points to Wash Benchmark

Continuing along Bracken's Loop, we came upon this 1918 survey marker

Time to transport back to civilization and leave the magical land of red rocks and sand . . .
It's been a great day and a fun hike!

Altogether, our circular route ended up being a little over eight miles . . . not too bad for a couple who hasn't hiked for thirty days!  If you're interested in this hike, you might want to check out Otto DeGroff's post for Wash BM by clicking here. . . it will give you a topo map and GPS tracks.  While we didn't follow his route (we came up the other side), we did use his ascent slot canyon for our descent and this was a good choice!