Mount Bangs

Mount Bangs is a seemingly, unassuming peak located in the Virgin Mountains of Arizona.  It is, however, the highest peak in Mojave County, AZ and also the highpoint for the Paiute Wilderness Area.  To us it is the “pointy” peak, hovering over the Virgin River Gorge, that we see each time we drive south on I-15 to St. George.  We have wanted to hike it, but know how hard (43 miles of dirt roads) it is to get to this corner of Arizona.

So, when Tom called saying he needed some exercise and wanted to help Kent cross off a “to-do” peak on his list, we didn’t hesitate.  What made this even more special was that Tom had already hiked Mount Bangs last year and was willing to give us a "lift" in his side by side – what a friend!  The peak provided us with a fun boulder scramble towards the top and unobstructed 360° views on a perfect day!

Out in the middle of nowhere we spotted this funny road sign . . .
Sad, but true . . . tourists from all over the world get lost by following their GPS! 

We began our hike at the Cougar Spring Trailhead . . .
We then followed an old mining road for a 1½ miles to the saddle

At the top of the saddle lies Littlefield Reservoir . . .
We had hoped to find water, but due to the drought it was dry
(Looking northeast towards the Pine Valley Mountains above St. George)

After a break at the reservoir, we turned north and began our final push for Mount Bangs
There is very little shade along the trail . . . we would recommend this hike for the cooler months!

The entire valley was covered with thick Manzanita bushes . . . many were taller than us!
Thankfully, we had a trail to follow and didn't have to bushwhack through this stuff

We stopped to give the dogs a drink . . . silly Ezy lost his dog-pack in the thick brush,
so we made due with a Ziploc bag water bowl . . . we're just glad he wasn't carrying the keys!

Once we reached the ridgeline we had nice views of the Virgin River Valley . . .
In this picture, we are looking down on Beaver Dam, AZ

That's not the top . . . it's still a 15 minute scramble up those boulders in front of us

Kent & Allison work their way to the summit, while Tom waited with the dogs . . .
Once we returned, Tom summitted, while we watched "The Crew"

We found the benchmark (8012') right away . . . we're not sure why it denotes Hancock Peak
Possibly a mix up by the surveyors??  The next canyon over is called Hancock and has
a spring by the same name

Kent is standing near Reference Marker #1

We had nice views all the way around . . . this is looking southwest toward Virgin Peak
Virgin Peak (in the distance) is the highest peak in the Virgin Mountain Range

Reference Marker #2 . . . had a unique shape, it looked almost square

We enjoyed a lunch break here after we descended from the summit . . . 
You can't see the actual summit from this vantage point . . . but it's close!

Ahhh . . . back to the easy part of the trail!
(Heading back towards Littlefield Reservoir)

Cushion Phlox were in bloom 

Somehow we missed this interesting granite cliff on the way up . . .  
The striations caught our eye on the way down

Back into Manzanita Valley

Beautiful Indian Paintbrush were in bloom

On the way out, we took a short side trip up to Black Rock Lookout . . . 
This allowed Tom to bag another peak and add to his collection of Arizona lookouts . . .
It also gave us one last chance to enjoy a final view of Mount Bangs!

As Tom would say, "The crux of this hike is just getting to the trailhead."  If you'd like a topo map and GPS tracks for this hike, you can click here to get Tom's Peakbagger post.  Round trip mileage was approximately 5.8 miles with a 1700 ft elevation gain.

Kimball Benchmark

Kimball Benchmark is located on an impressive looking mesa in the GSENM.  It has cliff walls that look impenetrable to anyone who would try to ascend – probably why the benchmark was placed there by helicopter in 1954.  So, when Tom invited us to come along with him and “the crew” a couple of weeks ago, we decided to stay home and finish a garden project – we should have gone!

Tom made it to the top with his dogs and said he had found a route on the north side that wasn’t too bad.  The real “kicker” was the pictures he sent us of the unique capstone that held the benchmark and reference markers on the east end of the mesa.  After seeing these, we knew it wouldn’t be long until we did some route finding, for ourselves, and experience the solitude and beautiful views from atop this fun mesa.

Back in February when Allison took this picture of the moon she did not realize
 one thing would lead to another!
(Our route went up the left hand side of the mesa and then wrapped around the backside)

We worked our way up these colorful hills in order to gain the ridge line . . .
Then began our ascent on the north side of the mesa

Right away Allison spotted this rock . . .
What do you think?  Is this a dinosaur track? Or just a rock with a peculiar pattern?

Here we are approaching the third cliff band . . .
All had weaknesses that you could walk through . . . part of the hike's appeal is the route finding!

The cliff walls had some interesting geologic features
(Looks like the rocks have termite tubes/tunnels)

Kent is working his way up through another rock layer . . .
Never got much harder than this on the ascent

Not only did we have great views, but fun things to look at along the way

Kimball Benchmark is atop this formation at the east end of the mesa
Isn't that capstone unique?

Red on white . . . it's very unusual . . . where did this come from?

Kent is searching for a copper nail & washer . . . the benchmark is bottom center
(One of the reference markers is cemented into the flat slab behind Kent)

Tom could not find the benchmark when he first arrived . . .
Using the reference markers, he had to remove loose rock and brush away sand to find it . . 
When we arrived, it was nearly covered up, yet again, after only two weeks

Wire left by the surveyors

One of the two copper nail & washer reference markers

Evidence of wind
After 67 years, the wire has cut quite the gouge in the sandstone

Off to the north are No Mans Mesa, Deer Range Point & Mollies Nipple

It was quite windy up on Kimball Benchmark, which is also the Highpoint (6,537 ft)

More fun rocks on to see on the way down

Getting close to where we will descend off the mesa
What's with that strange white rock?

These Moenkopi hills weren't too bad to walk on (they'd be a mess if it were wet) . . . 
It was like walking on a popcorn . . . at times we would sink in & other times we'd slip
 

If you'd like a topo map and GPS tracks for this hike, you can click here for a link to Tom's post on Peakbagger.com.  The only difference between his route and ours was that we started one more wash over to the northwest, so we could avoid some of the loose scree under the first two cliff bands.

No Mans Mesa

There is only one way up No Mans Mesa - that being the Jepson Goat Trail. The trail was established by Lewis Jepson in 1927 so that he could graze approximately 800 Angora goats on top of this mesa.  The historic gate, as well as, fencing he used to keep the goats on the mesa, are still at the top of the trail.

Wanting to see the Jepson trail, all of us (Tom, Kent & Allison) were very interested in using it to climb this impressive mesa fortress.  Kent & Allison primarily wanted to see what was on top, but Tom wanted to use the trail to reach the highpoint located three and a half miles away on the southern tip of No Mans Mesa.  The views from the top were outstanding and Tom, albeit very tired, made his highpoint – what a great outing!

No Mans Mesa is huge!
It rises 800 vertical feet from the sandy floor . . . is 3.5 miles long . . . 1.5 miles wide . . .
And only has a single access point which is located on its northern end

This picture of our route is taken from Michael R. Kelsey's book
Hiking and Exploring the Paria River
(We highly recommend ordering this book from Kelsey Publishing!)

After a fun ride we arrived at our starting point . . .
By the way, it was 26 ° this morning at the campsite!

If goats could make it up, surely so can we!

This rock was chiseled away to form a step for the goats

Some of the cliff walls were covered with lichen

Near the top . . . an interesting view off to our east

We passed through the Jepson gate that was built in 1927 . . . 94 yrs ago! 

Gate hardware is still intact

Looking back through the gate opening at Park Wash in the valley floor below

 Jepson must have really wanted to keep those goats locked up!

Deer Range Point can be seen through this bent over fence post

The top of No Mans Mesa is landscaped with pines, manzanita, juniper, lots of sand & cacti!

After hiking with Tom for a mile across the top, it became pretty monotonous, and we decided to return to the trailhead and wait for him.  Tom continued on "Alone Again, Naturally" (a little musical humor) to slog another 2.5 miles to the southern highpoint.

In retrospect, if we were to do this hike again, we would walk a mile along the western rim, then cut across the mesa, and return to the trailhead by hiking a mile on the eastern side.  By doing this route you would get a good experience of the mesa top landscape and enjoy views of both the west and east sides.  This would make for a nice five-mile round-trip hike (includes the Jepson trail).

Off to our north is Deer Range Canyon . . .
 We might have to come back and explore this area . . . it looks very interesting

It's time to head back down
(Did you notice how the weather has changed?)

Barely visible behind those snow squalls is Bryce Canyon

We took our time with all the loose rock . . .
Can you picture 800 goats coming up this trail?

Tom and Kent help Ezy down a tricky spot
(By clicking on the picture, it will enlarge and you will more "easily" see him)

Lola waits her turn with Allison

It's late afternoon as we are just about back to the UTV

Do you see a trail through the rocks?
It's the only way up & down the mesa!

Another great day!  Time to head back and pack up camp!

Tom ended up hiking nine miles (r/t) and successfully reached the highpoint on the southern tip of the mesa.  If you would like a GPS track and topo map of his hike, please click here for his post from Peakbaggers.com.

If you're interested in doing this hike, but don't have an ATV, here are a couple of links to folks who have come in from the north using Lick Wash off the Skutumpah Road:

• No Man's Mesa in Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument
• Lick Wash to No Man Mesa:  Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument