The Mountains of Arizona
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Kelsey Benchmark • Peak 5203 • Peak 5260 Kelsey Benchmark Hill rises in the hilly hinterlands north of Benson, one of many hills and bluffs that form the eastern bulwark of the San Pedro River valley. For reference, it lies north of the Johnny Lyon Hills, northwest of Mae West Peak and south of Bassett Peak. It is almost all entirely State Trust land, a contiguous swath of land that extends to the east to the Winchester Mountains and almost to Willcox. Being State Trust land and with few private inholdings (as in ranch outfits), there is very little development back here, just a lot of fallow high desert rangeland. Energy companies have taken up residence. There is a power substation (named Ashford) and numerous powerlines cross the region, some of them substantial. Later, when higher up, I would see a large solar energy plant nearby, as well as some wind turbines on the hills below the Winchester Mountains. There is some ranching, likely land leased to the few ranches out this way. On the upside, it means access would likely not be barred. Kelsey Benchmark itself is a simple triangle-shaped summit topping a ridge forming soift west-facing cliffs, with longer slopes to the east. The rock appears to be limestone and various conglomerates. The striation patterns on the hills are a dead giveaway. An unnamed ranked peak lies at the south end of the ridge, and would be my bonus peak for the day. An unranked peak lies north of this second peak and I would climb it as well.
Date: December 23, 2024
• Elevation: 5,333 feet ✳
• Prominence: 615 feet
• Distance: 3 miles
• Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
• Gain: 610 feet
• Conditions: Sunny, clear and very pleasant
Arizona
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Main
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PB
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LoJ
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USGS BM Datasheet
I left Bisbee at 6:45 a.m. as the sun was rising. I drove into Benson and stopped for snacks, then followed roads out of town to Pomerene Road (avoiding the interstate altogether).
I followed this road north and west into the community of Pomerene. At a right turn at a stop sign, I went north, now on Cascabel Road. This is the same road that morphs into Redington Road and San Pedro River Road, eventually connecting to state route AZ-77 near Mammoth.
Cascabel Road is paved but narrow and twisty. Traffic was light and I only saw a couple people coming the other way. I went north a total of 18.5 miles from the interstate, turning right onto Three Links Road. For reference, pavement on Cascabel Road ends just north of this junction.
Now on Three Links Road, I motored eastbound. It is a wide gravel road, a little sandy in spots, but with a good tread. I moved along at about 30 miles per hour, gaining elevation. The hills I wanted were ahead of me just a handful of miles.
I got in behind a big water tanker truck going 10 miles per hour. I had no choice but to hang back. He was in the center of the road and the road would narrow at times. Finally, he turned off toward the Ashford power plant.
I was concerned (as I always am) what kind of roads I would encounter. Maps show tracks getting very close to the summit of Kelsey Benchmark Hill. I assumed the worst, and had identified a starting point that I would walk. From here, it would be about a 4-mile one-way hike.
But I also wanted to explore another road farther to the east. I stayed on Three Links a total of 10 miles, turning left (north) onto an unnamed road. This road is shown on the map but as an undeveloped road.
Surprisingly, it was an excellent road. Just one sand patch early on, but overall, a graded and flat road with almost no ruts or rocks. I stayed on it for 3 miles, then turned left (west) onto a lesser track, this being the one that gets close to the summit.
To my surprise again, this road was pretty good too. It was rougher with more rocks, but definitely drivable. I went in just under two miles, passing one stock tank and parking just short of a second one higher on the hillsides.
This was great, because I was just a mile and a half from the top. It was about 8:30 when I finally killed the engine. The day was sunny and clear. It was cool for the moment, but only in the low 50s, with expected highs in Benson in the 70s, so about the same here, maybe a couple degrees less.
For the hike, I followed a branch of the road that aimed for the ridge below the peak. I had to drop 50 feet to a low point within an arroyo. This track was rougher and probably too much for my Soob, but a beefier truck or Jeep would be fine on it.
I walked this road until I was abeam of the peak itself, having gained about 250 feet in about a mile. I left the road and started uphill through the open terrain. It was grassy, with creosote, mesquite, catclaw, prickly-pear cactus and ocotillo, but all spread out for now.
The uphill steepens near some rocky rounded cliff bands, none more than a few feet high, but messy with a lot of loose unconsolidated rock on top of it, as well as thicker vegetation. The ocotillo often grew together so closely its stalks formed a nearly-impenetrable mesh. I had to find end-runs around these tangles.
But this was short, and it did not take long to gain the summit, about an hour after starting. The top is rocky, the Kelsey Benchmark embedded in a rock flush to the ground, about a foot lower than the highest rocks.
I found a register in a cairn and signed in. The log went back to 1992 and was almost entirely filled with Southern Arizona Hiking Club groups, about one or two teams a year.
The views were tremendous. It had been cloudy as I drove in but the clouds had moved aside. The sun was still low to the east so the surrounding mountains all had nice shadow and lighting effects. Way to the north was Bassett Peak in the Galiuros. These hills are ostensibly part of the Galiuro Mountains, at best the southern-most foothills thereof.
Going clockwise, I could see the Winchester Mountains and Reiley Peak, then the Steele Hills, then Mae West and the Little Dragoons, then the Johnny Lyon Hills. Looking west I could see the Rincon Mountains and the Little Rincons, all above the San Pedro River Valley and its numerous side canyons, ridges and twists and turns.
I particularly liked the view to the northwest, the big "opening" of the San Pedro River Valley. It gave off a sense of vastness, of an openness on a very large scale. I snapped an image but it does not covery well in a photograph.
It was here that I could see the solar plant and the wind turbines off to the east. The road I had followed in from Three Links Road looks like it goes to this plant, and it may explain why the road was in better condition than I was expecting.
I stayed up here about ten minutes enjoying the view. Going down, I generally followed the same route but somehow got myself into a catclaw thicket I had missed going up. I was in shorts and I got a lot of new leg scratches. Back on the road, I made quick time back to my car, arriving back at about 10:15 a.m..
The hike had gone very well with no challenges other than avoiding being stabbed or poked. I took a break in the car before setting out on Phase II of today's adventures.
Elevation: 5207 feet ✳ & 5260 feet ✳
• Prominence: 223 feet & 320 feet ✳
• Distance: 2.5 miles
• Time: 90 minutes
• Gain: 715 feet
• Conditions: Lovely
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LoJ
I left my car where it was and started up the ridge directly ahead of me, above the smaller water tank structure. The brush was spread out here and with almost no catclaw.
I gained the toe of a ridge, then followed that up to Peak 5203 (as it is marked on the map). The gradient was gentle the whole way and the brush never closed in. As I ascended this peak, I could see Peak 5260 rising to the south. It made more sense to gain this peak directly rather than sidehill. Plus, I wanted the extra credit.
The top wasn't exciting but I got some good views of Kelsey Benchmark Hill and of Peak 5260. I never really stopped. I just continued southbound on the ridge toward Peak 5260.
The ocotillo got thick up here but I was usually able to keep to the spine, only dropping down to avoid heavy brush. To the west, the terrain dropped steeply with cliffs, and to the east, the grade was steep but not as cliffy.
I walked the ridge to a nubbin, then down the slope, losing about 230 feet, to place myself at the saddle between the two peaks. A fence runs through here. I was east of it, and I chose not to cross it unless absolutely necessary.
Next, I started up the slopes toward Peak 5260. The slopes here were very steep and the rocks had formed rounded cliffs and heaps in places. Footing was usually good, but I had to be careful. The brush closed in too.
About halfway up, I stepped on a large boulder, about two feet in diameter. It rolled out suddenly from under me, too fast for me to react. I fell backwards into some brush, and the boulder and another one about the same size both rolled down. One of them bashed my right shin as I was tumbling. Fortunately, it did not do any damage. No broken bones, no bruises. It hit me hard but obviously it could have been worse. I knew I was fortunate to not be injured more severely. Note to self: watch them damn rocks!
There wasn't much farther to go and I was soon on top of Peak 5260, all this about 45 minutes after leaving the car. The summit has a large cairn, and a big patch of prickly-pear to the side. I could not locate a register. The SAHC likely never comes here, and Lists of John showed just two previous visitors, Mark Nicholls and Bob Martin back in the 1990s.
The day was so nice I felt no urgency to keep moving, so I sat for a spell on the summit rocks and had a snack, plus looking around. I snapped a few more images as well, and enjoyed the ten minutes I spent up here.
For the descent, I did not want to reascend Peak 5203, so I headed east, dropping down the long and gentle ridge going that way. When I'd lost about 250 feet, I angled off the ridge and down into the arroyos and desert below the hills. I did an end run around the adjacent ridge (the one going up to Peak 5203), and came upon a track that would lead directly back to my car.
However, some cattle had taken up a position up ahead, sitting on the road itself. I exited and did a wide arc around them to get back to my car. One stood up and watched me. I know some people have no fear of cattle, but they are big massive animals with no brains, and I don't want to find out how they are up close.
I was back to my car just shy of noon. I'd been hiking for a little over three hours, covering about 5.5 miles. I felt tired, but good. I changed into more comfortable driving clothes and headed out. I had a map for Mount Keith, near Johnny Lyon Hills Highpoint, but decided against it. I can always come back for that peak.
The drive out went well. I have been on this road now four times, and I like the scenery and feeling of remoteness back here. I will definitely be back. I am happy things went well, and that the roads worked out so well allowing me to get so close to the peaks in my car. I am also grateful I didn't bust my leg when that rock landed on it.
I picked up a sandwich in Benson then headed back to Bisbee. Normally, the highway (AZ-80) is not that crowded and there are usually places to pass the slowpokes. But today, I got in behind a long string of vehicles, all going about 40 miles per hour. I could see a boxy truck of some sort way off ahead, the first in this line, slowing us all down. I counted, and I was the 15th car in line. There were another ten or so behind me.
In Tombstone, a few people turned off, and a few more on the roads south of Tombstone. Only then could I pass some people and go at a more normal rate. I don't usually speed on these roads (usually, 70 miles per hour feels right, the speed limits are 55 and 65), but now and then, someone pokes along at 40 or 50 for some reason. It was a little frustrating, but nothing too bad. I had a good day in the wilderness.
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