Peak 2580 ft., (786 meters), Yuma County, Arizona

Located in the Barry M. Goldwater Marine Corps Test Range

In the southern part of the Gila Mountains
Looking east at Peak 2580 ft. The red line is our climbing route. This is a short, but steep climb up to a significant peak in the southern part of the long Gila Mountains.
This map, a part of the Cipriano Pass topo, shows our hiking route to the summit of Peak 2580 ft. which is the major peak north of the pass. The map has the UTM grid using NAD27, Zone 11. A GPS waypoint file for the route is available: Peak2580.gpx It seemed best to approach the peak from the west side using the Camino del Diablo road. A permit is needed to enter this area as explained below.

Notes on Permits for the Barry M. Goldwater Range and Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge: This peak is on the Barry M. Goldwater Range, West Side. Public entry for hiking and camping is allowed with a permit from the Cabeza Prieta Wildlife Refuge office in Ajo which regulates public entry. The permit will also allow you to drive across the Barry M. Goldwater Range to reach the Refuge. For information write or call the Refuge staff at: 1611 North Second Ave., Ajo, AZ. 85321. Phone: (520) 387-6483. Four-wheel drive vehicles are required. More information on permits is at my site: Cabeza Permits Note: Before driving in call the BMGR office in Yuma at: 800-979-0657.

Driving Directions: Take exit #14 on Interstate 8 which is Foothills Blvd. on the far eastern side of Yuma. Drive south to the end of the pavement which is Post "A" and the Range boundary. Be sure to have a full tank of gas and adequate water and supplies since there are no facilities in this large area. Note the following mileages starting from Post A at the boundary:

At 4.1 miles reach Post A2 and go left.
At 7.5 miles go left at a junction at Post A5.
At 9.6 miles go right at Post A6. This road is the old Camino del Diablo.
At 10.9 miles pass Post A7.
At 18.5 pass Post A9.
At 23.9 miles reach Post A10 and go left at a junction. This will take you toward Cipriano Pass.
Follow this road northeast for about 1.7 miles and look for a faint road heading north on your left. If you reach Post A10A you have gone too far. This road should take you up toward the mouth of the canyon close to Point R1 shown on the map.

Hiking Directions: From point R1 head nrotheast up into the canyon. At point R3 you will start climbing steeper slopes. Near R4 and R5 stay to the left side to avoid a narrow rocky area that looks like a difficult dry waterfall in the cayon. You should stay on braod slopes and go by a large house-size boulder keeping it on your left. The going is steep up to the ridge. It is an easy class 3 scramble on solid boulders to the summit. There is some radio gear on the summit. In the register it says it was placed by the Border Patrol, but we thought it could be a clandestine repeater for illegal drug runners. This climb is short with a gain of about 1500 feet. 1/15 RLC