
Starting along the decent section of dirt road heading into Cottonwood Canyon.


A pool within Cottonwood Canyon.

A dirt road leads to the right to avoid some of the water at the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon. You can see Mount Nutt in the distant center here.

Not long after entering Cottonwood Canyon, look for a turn off on the left to start up a side canyon toward Battleship Mountain.

Heading up the side canyon to the south of Battleship Mountain.

Class 3 dryfall.

Looking down the Class 3 dryfall. Really fun scramble.

After the dryfall, continuing up the drainage steeply to the east of Battleship Mountain.

Looking back down the drainage on the way up to Battleship Mountain.



At the saddle just ease of Battleship Mountain looking west toward the peak (somewhere in the center). There's a single Class 3 move you could pull along the ridgeline, or just veer left here and traverse while ascending on Class 2.

Class 2 slopes after the optional Class 3 move on the way up to Battleship Mountain.

Almost at the Battleship Mountain summit, looking back along the Class 2 route, my route to come visible. Peak 4975 on the right, Mount Nutt center back.

Battleship Mountain summit looking north toward desert wildflowers! You can also see the outskirts of Bullhead City on the left.

Battleship Mountain summit looking west. My car is parked just right of the brown butte on the far right.

Heading down from Battleship Mountain and starting the traverse along the ridgeline. The first obstacle (Peak 4100) is ahead - keep to the left of the ridge. I ascended from the opposite side to get to the peak.

Looking back toward Battleship Mountain.

Past Peak 4100 along the ridge, looking toward the long way to go to Mount Nutt (center right). To avoid a cliff band here, I kept left and found a nice ramp to lower ground.

Mount Nutt on the right, continuing along the ridgeline.

Looking back toward Peak 4100, Battleship Mountain sticking out a bit on the right. There is a way down from those cliffs on the right in this photo.

Continuing along the ridge, keeping to the left of the buttes along the way.

I rounded a corner and saw a particularly nice view of Mount Nutt (right), a pinnacle-filled canyon on the left, and the notch I'd attempt to head up to in the center in order to reach Mount Nutt's summit.

Along the slopes, hopefully able to make it up to that notch on the left. I could see a couple weaknesses in Mount Nutt's face ahead, but decided to just give the notch a go.

Looking back the way I came (left slopes) on the way up to the notch.

Another obstacle blocking direct access to the notch (seen on the top left). I went around this feature to the right. Fortunately I didn't attempt to go over it because the other side had cliffs.

Approaching the notch.

Looking back from the notch, the obstacle I just avoided in the center. Battleship Mountain is blocked by a butte (that first obstacle I avoided), and the pinnacle-filled canyon I skirted above is on the right.

The pinnacle that served as a marker for the notch.

Headed around the north face of Mount Nutt. I passed this cool hoodoo in the center. The slope leads up to a Class 2 gully in the center of this photo.

At the top of the Class 2 gully, looking north.

A false peak on the way to Mount Nutt, east toward Nutt Benchmark. The gully I came out of is on the left.

A false peak on the way to Mount Nutt, looking toward Mount Nutt to the south. Battleship Mountain is blocked from view on the right.

Mount Nutt summit, looking west toward the pinnacle of the notch I went past earlier. You can also see Bullhead City and Laughlin in the distance.

On the way to Nutt Benchmark.

A view north toward Peak 5106.

Really interesting and easy terrain up to the summit of Nutt Benchmark.


Looking back along the slope on the way to Nutt Benchmark. Mount Nutt visible on the left.

Close-up of what I thought was a pretty cool landscape.

Close-up looking north at the weird Mount Nutt Wilderness pinnacles.

Heading south along the ridge from Mount Nutt toward Peak 4975 (the left black high point in this photo).

Close-up of Cottonwood Canyon to the southwest. This is an alternate route back.

Peak 4975 ahead.

I skirted around the left side of the cliffs surrounding Peak 4975.

Looking back toward Mount Nutt (left) and Nutt Benchmark (right) on the way up to Peak 4975.


Summit of Peak 4975, after a short Class 2+ scramble on the east side, avoiding the cliff bands. Interesting volcanic rock on the summit.

Headed down on the northwest side of Peak 4975, following burrow trails along the slopes, avoiding cliff bands..

Close-up of Battleship Mountain on the center right. This view really made me realize that this was a pretty long route.

The slopes mellow out into open desert along the ridge before dropping into my chosen drainage.

Heading into the drainage, Battleship Mountain visible center right.

Stopped by an impassable dryfall. There was luckily a bypass on the left.

Back in the drainage, taking an animal trail on the north side to avoid the brush.

About to enter a section of really pretty narrows.


Totally unexpected narrows, with flowing water!




After the narrows open back up, the drainage continues for a while before eventually leading back to Cottonwood Canyon.

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