The Mountains of New Mexico
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Escondido Mountain • Fox Mountain Escondido and Fox Mountains lie about fifteen miles from one another in northern Catron County, north of Reserve and south of Quemado. In other words, miles from everywhere. In July of last year, on my way to Albuquerque, I drove US-60 east from Springerville (Arizona) into New Mexico. The land hereabouts is mostly low mesas, canyons and rolling hills of forest and high-desert scrub. The bigger peaks are well to the south. When I was at or near Quemado, I saw the silhouette of Escondido Mountain to the south. I had no idea what peak it was, but later, after studying it online, found that it has easy access and climbing logistics. Escondido Mountain then went on my "some day definitely" list. For this pre-Memorial Day weekend, I was in eastern Arizona doing a bunch of peak hikes in the Alpine and Escudilla Mountain area. I had driven in from Bisbee two days ago, then spent Saturday and Sunday knocking out a dozen ranked summits, all of them short hikes. The plan was then to drive US-180 into New Mexico and take the scenic route south via Luna, Alma and Glenwood, then catch other routes back into Arizona and on home. Actually, I just tired out of the peaks in the Escudilla Mountain area, and left one undone because it was getting late in the day and these brushy and steep mounds were not inspiring me. It was about this time I realized I am not that far from Escondido Mountain. I have to go by Reserve anyway, and it's about 50 miles north, so suddenly, I added it onto my "right now" list. It was 4:30 p.m. yesterday and I skipped the last peak I had on my agenda, and drove back into Alpine where I got some drinks and also looked up some maps on my phone. I saw also that Fox Mountain was nearby and had a lookout, and ergo, a road to its top. How good this road was, that would remain to be seen. Two trip reports on Peakbagger said it was not in good shape (2020) and passable with high clearance (2023). So I really did not know, but I added it on my list too. If things worked out well, I might get two P1K peaks in one day. So yesterday, I drove from Alpine into New Mexico, then into Reserve where I got gas. I considered staying a night at a local hotel. Being a Sunday night, I figured rates would be low, but they wanted $120 for a room. I said no thanks, and went on my way. I noted they were completely empty otherwise. Anyway, the drive out of Reserve was scenic, following state route NM-12 about fifteen miles to the community of Apache Creek, then north on NM-32, signed for Quemado. This highway was very scenic. About ten miles in, it gains steeply up through Apache Canyon with sheer cliff walls on either side, the highway blasted into one of the sides. The highway gains more elevation, topping out at over 8,000 feet at Jewett Gap in the Gallo Mountains. Fox Mountain was ostensibly visible, being one of the peaks in the Gallo Range, but I did not know which bump was the peak. The road descends then comes to some fascinating rocky formations called the Castle Peaks. These hills have cliff bands that completely encircle its highest ridges, the cliffs about 60 feet tall and sheer. In the late-afternoon setting sun, the cliffs shone a pale orangish-pink and at first, I thought it was an actual building with glass sides. It looked like a cathedral lit up. It was beautiful. The road to the Quemado Lakes starts near here and heads east. I bypassed the actual lake area (a dammed reservoir) and camped at one of the El Caso units. I rolled in about 7:00 p.m., with about an hour of light to have a dinner and explore the area. The campground sits in a valley hemmed in by hills to both sides. There weren't many people here and it was very calm and quiet that night with a mostly full-moon. One bird made a ch-ch-ch sound all night. I slept on my cot in the open. It got cold, into the 30s, but it was dry and pleasant.
Date: May 20, 2024
• Elevation: 9,854 feet
• Prominence: 1,809 feet
• Distance: 9 miles
• Time: 4 hours
• Gain: 1,850 feet
• Conditions: Cold at first, some high clouds, very windy up high
New Mexico
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PB
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LoJ
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USGS BM Datasheet
I was up early the next morning, and after letting the sun rise some more, I got my stuff packed and left the campground. I followed the road a little east about a mile, then north onto a good road called Baca Road on the maps. I knew to drive in about a mile and take the third road on the left, which I did.
This road is marked as Gila Forest Road 4018-J, and according to the map, goes all the way up to the high saddle west of the summit. I hoped to get a little distance in with my car, but the road was bumpy and rocky from the start. I got in about a quarter mile, then parked in a clearing with a fire ring, just before the road drops into a canyon, called Cañon del Lolo on the map.
It was still very early, not yet 6 a.m. going by Arizona time. I was looking at about 4 miles of road walking to get to the saddle, then off trail to the top. It was cold, in the low 40s, but clear and calm, highs expected to be in the 60s-low 70s. Escondido Mountain was escondido (Spanish for hidden) the whole time. It was heavy forest of ponderosa and other trees, which blocked long distance views.
The walk went well and I made good time. The road was about the same for another half mile, then got rocky and steep briefly before leveling off near FR-4186-M, about three-quarters of a mile in. I could have gently coaxed the Subaru to here had I been motivated.
The next couple of miles is all pretty much the same, the road gaining gently uphill through the forest. The road's condition did worsen in spots with exposed rocks, ruts, divots, water crossings and mud pits. A stock Jeep with good high clearance would probably manage it in dry conditions. I got my first view of Escondido Mountain at about the three-mile mark.
The road eventually comes to a turnaround, being essentially the end of the drivable road, still about a half mile short of, and 400 feet lower than, the saddle. I had covered just under 4 miles and gained about 600 feet, all this in about an hour.
A very rough rocky track continues from here and gains steeply to the saddle. This track was a chore to walk on due to the loose rocks and steep grade. I often walked alongside the road on the clumpy grass. It was steep no matter what. A giant tree lies across the road a few hundred yards up, and another tree spanned the road a little farther.
Finally, I was at the saddle, and feeling bushed after the effort. I still had about a half mile and 600 more feet to gain to the top. The wind was much more intense up here too, and some high clouds had moved in. I walked to the saddle clearing, then veered right toward the peak, going up about a hundred feet before taking a break on some good sitting rocks amid the trees.
The ridge portion was rocky but consistent all the way up, and I never once needed hands to scramble. The route was mostly open with light underbrush, alternating between grassy slopes and rocky jumbles. In about another twenty minutes, I had arrived on top of Escondido Mountain. I was happy and a bit relieved to be here.
The summit is on the far end of the short ridge, and is marked by a pile of rocks, an old surveyor's height-of-light still standing shored up by a cairn. The benchmark "Pinon" was in a nearby rock. I found the register and signed in. There were no signatures for 2024 before mine, but that doesnt mean I was necessarily the first this year. A lot of familiar names were in the log, which went back thirty years. Trees blocked the views and the heavy wind never mitigated. (Later, when I got home, I saw that "Desert Rat" (John H.), a climber I had climbed with many times back during 2007-2010, had posted an entry on Peakbagger and ListofJohn. He was here two days before me.)
I descended the same way, and once back to the high saddle, gave thought about climbing "West Escondido" Mountain, a ranked summit on the opposite side of the saddle, but I wasn't that interested in it, the wind was bothersome, I got what I came for, and I wanted to conserve my energy. So I just walked out the long road, arriving back to my car a couple hours later. My car's clock said 9:30 a.m., meaning about a 4-hour round trip hike covering about 9 miles.
I was elated to be successful on this peak. The whole hike and all the logistics had been easy, uncomplicated and without any issues. I am glad I suddenly remembered this peak late yesterday.
I exited out the same roads, and did not have to drive far to situate myself near Fox Mountain's access road.
Elevation: 9,383 feet
• Prominence: 1,183 feet
• Distance: 4.4 miles
• Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
• Gain: 893 feet (gross)
• Conditions: Sunny, some wind
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LoJ
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USGS BM Datasheet
The road to Fox Mountain Lookout is marked, a little over two miles south of Jewett Gap. Now I would discover what kind of road this would be. I hoped to get in most of the way, and I was willing to walk the rest. The road at first was good, then it passed through a tiny parcel of private land, then back on forest land.
The road narrowed a little and then for the next two or three miles, hugged the hillside as it went up Lawson Canyon. It was a narrow shelf road with no shoulders or places to pass. The tread was mostly decent, but a couple spots had exposed rocks. Anything less than good high clearance would have scraped over these rocks or high centered. At one spot, a tree was partially leaning over the road, not yet fully fallen.
It wasn't a bad road overall, but not one for passenger vehicles either. I just drove it slowly and carefully. In about fifteen minutes, I came to a point where the road makes a sharp left bend, and parked here, there being another road to the right where I could stash my car. The top was just a half mile north of me, but I couldn't see it in the heavy forest, and I wasn't interested in a steep bushwhack. Walking the rest of the road was fine by me.
The road gains steeply, reaches an apex, then drops about 120 feet toward Elderberry Spring. It then regains that lost elevation, reaches another apex, then makes a long northward sweep before bending east toward the summit. At points along this last segment, the top could be seen through the trees.
The final half mile gains steeply up the summit hill, cork-screwing around the hill and ending at the lookout. Could I have driven this? Yeah, probably. It was no different in quality as what I had just come up. It was steeper, though. There is a gate about 0.4 mile below the top. Today, it was open. Any decently-powered vehicle with high clearance should be fine on this road. Four-wheel drive is not necessary, but clearance is. Passenger vehicles may struggle with rocks, tread and the steepness.
The top hosts a lookout tower. There was a truck parked there and two people in the lookout. I waved hi and they waved back. I walked over to a hump of rock and dirt where the benchmark was posted, and snapped a couple images, plus that of the lookout. The highest point, to me, was around back of the tower. However, the whole summit has been worked so any natural highpoint has been lost to history.
The lookout man came out and said hi, and invited me up. I walked up the stairs and chatted with them. The other lookout was a woman, he was training her. They were both friendly. He pointed out all the peaks in every direction by name, calling Escondido Mountain "Piñon Peak", which makes sense given the benchmark there. I asked him about bears. He said he's been at this post 20 years and has never once seen a bear or a mountain lion. He pointed at Mangas Mountain, and said they have a lot of bears there. I said I was there a year ago and met the lookout there and he had reported a mama and cub bear. The lookout man here then laughed, saying that's his good friend I met. I spent about ten minutes with them. They were both extremely kind and friendly.
I hiked down the same way, the road mileage covering 4.4 miles round trip, the whole hike taking just under two hours, including chat times. Just as I was back to my car, the lookout man came rumbling down in his truck.
The drive down the road wasn't bad. I put the Soob in lower gear and just eased down the road, with gravity assisting. My main concern was encountering someone coming up. There'd be nowhere to pass. I was down in about fifteen minutes. It was about 1 p.m. now (Arizona time).
I drove the highways back into Reserve and stopped in at their tiny grocery. Catron County is the largest county in area in New Mexico, but only has about 3,500 people. The entire county is forested mountainous terrain, with canyons, mesalands and relatively little flat rangeland. Reserve is the county seat, with under 300 people. There's no national chain stores anywhere; everything is a local one-off store. This is very much off the beaten path. Nobody accidently comes through Reserve. I enjoy it, though, for the three minutes it takes to pass through.
I continued southbound on US-180, making another stop for drinks and to stretch my legs in Glenwood. I had a plan to camp again tonight and climb at least one more peak, so I stocked up on food for the evening. However, when I got to my intended camping area (The Black Jack campground in Arizona), I decided I was happy with my three-day haul of peaks. It was very windy and warm and not really conducive to camping out again.
I drove down state route AZ-78 into Three Way (south of Clifton), then on AZ-75 into Duncan. Here, the wind was powerful, blowing easily 40-50 miles per hour and kicking up dust clouds. This put me onto US-70, which I followed into Lordsburg, where I got gas. The wind was just as intense here, too.
On Interstate-10 heading west, I just needed to go about 15miles to the Road Forks exit onto NM-80. The highway passes through the Lordsburg Playa, a dry lake, and the heavy wind was propelling a lot of dust and lake-bed particulate into the air. Mobile signs warned of potential zero-visibility conditions. Fortunately, that did not happen (I don't take these warnings lightly. I've been caught in zero-visibility dust and it is truly zero-visibility. You can't see the front of your car when it gets that thick).
Once on NM-80, the wind wasn't so bad. I followed this all the way south into Arizona (now called AZ-80) into Douglas, where I picked up some Mexican pastries, then on home to Bisbee. It had been a very fun and rewarding three-day, fourteen-peak trip for me. Today's two peaks totaled about 13.4 miles of hiking. Yesterday's came to about 12.4 miles. Overall, I put in nearly 30 miles of hiking over the weekend. I was glad to be home, to shower, and to sleep in my bed.
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