Castaneda Peak and Castaneda Hills in Castaneda Hills BLM, AZ

Hike Castaneda Peak and Castaneda Hills Castaneda Hills BLM, AZ

Class 3 5.2 miles 2400 gain 3-5 hrs Loop Dec 17, 2024
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Castaneda Peak and Castaneda Hills GPX Track

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Located deep in the middle of nowhere and just west of the Aubrey Peak Wilderness, Castaneda Peak is an intimidating volcanic tower that Adam and I have wanted to explore together for years. Although it provided a fun scramble, it turned out to be far less dangerous than we had anticipated. We combined it with a few surrounding peaks to create a clockwise loop.

We accessed the area via Alamo Road, reaching this point (34.60633, -113.81518) before heading southwest on Planet Ranch Road. From there, we took a southern-running road here (34.48789, -113.91097), which became increasingly sandy and unsuitable for passenger vehicles. I originally wanted to park along this road around here (34.44047, -113.90531) to spend more time hiking and avoid a long drive, but Adam insisted on pushing our cars closer so that we wrap around to the south side of the peaks. I think the time spent hiking would have been comparable to the extra driving, so I’d recommend starting from the east and just hiking the additional miles. However, if you prefer to get closer and park where we did, continue south to this turnoff (34.37094, -113.91266) and follow the road north. This stretch has a few challenging spots that really tested our Crossover SUVs.

We started hiking north, gaining the east ridge of Castaneda Peak. We followed a series of ribs and shallow chutes on relatively solid rock to reach the summit, with nothing exceeding Class 3. Given how much time it took to get out here and since the surrounding peaks looked somewhat interesting, we agreed to continue north to Peak 2651. From here its summit block looked troublesome. We descended Castaneda Peak’s north ridge on reasonable terrain and then started up our second peak using its loose Class 2 southern slope. The base of the summit block was a vertical wall, so we wrapped around to the northeast side. Here, we found a Class 3 chute that provided a weakness to the ridge crest. A short, wannabe knife-edge traverse got us to the summit.

Next, we headed toward Peak 2510, an enjoyable Class 2+ scramble that wound through interesting rock. We descended via the east ridge, as the south face presented substantial cliffs. Peak 2625 completed our loop, but it was just a straightforward hike up a forgettable slope. From there, we descended west and returned to our cars.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Castaneda Peak
2739 ft
799 rise
2
Peak 2651
2651 ft
591 rise
3
Peak 2510
2510 ft
370 rise
4
Peak 2625
2625 ft
505 rise

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Castaneda Peak ahead.
Castaneda Peak ahead.
Base of Castaneda Peak.
Base of Castaneda Peak.
View back at some fun Class 2+.
View back at some fun Class 2+.
Class 3.
Class 3.
Nearing the top of the scramble.
Nearing the top of the scramble.
Castaneda Peak ahead.
Castaneda Peak ahead.
Summit view toward Peak 2651.
Summit view toward Peak 2651.
View back toward the route up Castaneda Peak.
View back toward the route up Castaneda Peak.
Ascending Peak 2651.
Ascending Peak 2651.
We reached the east side of the summit block, then wrapped around its north side.
We reached the east side of the summit block, then wrapped around its north side.
A Class 3 weakness to gain the summit.
A Class 3 weakness to gain the summit.
Ridge crest to Peak 2651.
Ridge crest to Peak 2651.
Peak 2651 summit, view toward Castaneda Peak (right) and Peak 2510 (left).
Peak 2651 summit, view toward Castaneda Peak (right) and Peak 2510 (left).
On our way up Peak 2510, view back toward the first two.
On our way up Peak 2510, view back toward the first two.
Fun route-finding, max of low Class 3.
Fun route-finding, max of low Class 3.
Short ridgeline scramble to Peak 2510.
Short ridgeline scramble to Peak 2510.
Onward to our last peak, Peak 2625.
Onward to our last peak, Peak 2625.
Unmemorable ridge walk to Peak 2625.
Unmemorable ridge walk to Peak 2625.
View back toward the other three from the summit of Peak 2625. Castaneda Peak seen left. Crossman Peak seen in the distance.
View back toward the other three from the summit of Peak 2625. Castaneda Peak seen left. Crossman Peak seen in the distance.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!