Central Whipple Mountains from Copper Basin in Whipple Mountains BLM, CA

Hike Central Whipple Mountains from Copper Basin Whipple Mountains BLM, CA

Class 3 8.2 miles 2900 gain 5-7 hrs Loop Feb 17, 2021
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Central Whipple Mountains from Copper Basin GPX Track

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This route hits a few of the very rarely visited peaks in the heart of the Whipple Mountains, likely best accessed via Copper Basin. You might be able to get to this remote area via Whipple Wash from the north to avoid the long drive, but I haven't checked out the cliffs from that direction. We knew we could make it to the most prominent peak of the group, Peak 3012, by using a combination of routes from Bob Burd and Adam Walker, and getting there would facilitate playing around on the higher terrain to access a couple of other peaks.

Whiley and I made our way along the sandy (4WD likely required) and mid-clearance-required Bowmans Wash Road, the public access road into Copper Basin. Note that if you're passing over Parker Dam, it closes at certain hours, so make sure to check before driving out late at night or super early in the morning. From our parking spot (just a small pull-off), we headed toward the sheer cliffs of Peak 3012. Bob Burd reported going up a scary direct route that we had no intention of trying, instead following the base of the cliffs. This required a lot of side-hilling on Class 2, with the occasional catclaw to keep us on our toes. The views were nice as we progressed beneath the cliffs, but this took longer than expected. There were a couple of sections of big boulders to navigate around, a few mellow ups and downs, and the occasional cliff that needed working around (max Class 2+). We vowed to attempt a descent later on using Adam's approach, which used the canyon below, but more on that later. Ultimately though, both routes were fine, and neither particularly more efficient than the other.

The cliff base route led up to higher ground, where the rocky terrain gave way to a grassy tundra-like landscape that shaped a bowl-like formation separating Peak 1312 and Peak 2922. We would return for Peak 2922 at the end of our loop. First, we started up to Peak 1312, navigating a bit of easy brush and finding ourselves on the mellow slope leading to the summit. The views toward Copper Mountain were delightful, and the cliffs of the peaks to the south had us longing to make more time to check them out.

We headed northwest along the ridgeline from Peak 1312, Peak 2892 the next on our agenda. We had no idea what to expect for this route, since the peak was so far away and the craggy nature of the eastern Whipples could mean we'd get cliffed out at any point. We were most concerned about the first mile, where the black cliffs seemed a bit ominous. However, aside from a lightly exposed Class 2 ridge and a couple of rock outcrops we had to avoid on the right, we encountered no serious obstacles. Toward the end of the ridge, we learned we actually weren't even close to Peak 1312, despite already spending a bit of time enjoying the traverse. We could see it farther away, requiring a few hundred feet of dropping down on a mellow and grassy slope before we could start ascending to the summit. Whiley and I agreed that this section was reminscent of Colorado ridgelines, but maybe we're just excited for summer. Regardless, this was a unique and beautiful area with some gorgeous desert views. We really didn't feel like we were in the Mojave Desert, and enjoyed the intensifying wind as we strolled through the "tundra".

The ascent toward Peak 2892 meant leaving the grassy slopes and scrambling on fun Class 2/2+ black boulders and volcanic obstacles until we made it to the east ridge of the peak. This also introduced some incredible views down into Whipple Wash, as well as expansive views back toward the way we came. It was really a delightful area. There was a short Class 3 down climb along the ridge, a few hundred feet before the summit. A small cliff blocked us from staying on the ridge crest, and this down climb was accessed with some minor route-finding on the right. The last leg of the ascent to Peak 2892 was Class 2 and fun.

We backtracked down to the "tundra" area, but didn't re-ascend to the ridge, instead working our way east toward Peak 2922 in order to avoid unnecessary elevation gain. The terrain here is pleasant and sweeping, and we soon found ourselves at the base of Peak 2922. We encountered some Class 2 and sections of relatively steep slope, and quickly found our way to its summit. More Class 2 led down to the initial bowl-like formation we entered earlier before going up to Peak 3012. Here was where we decided to head down the main drainage rather than backtrack along the base of the cliffs like we had on our ascent.

The canyon was fairly slow-moving, lots of Class 2 boulders and occasional brushy obstacles preventing a quick descent. We also encountered a dryfall that we initially thought would force us to turn back, but a Class 3 smaller dryfall led us safely down. A couple more Class 2/3 dryfalls and some boulder obstacles continued down the canyon, but it was pretty and a nice alternative to our ascent. A final dryfall obstacle appeared after the canyon widened into a wash, and we avoided it on the left. Soon after, we decided to hoof it through the foothills to make it back to our car since the wash was about to start pushing us the wrong direction. The foothills required a couple hundred feet of elevation gain, but we were able to keep the ups-and-downs to a minimum by choosing a good route and sticking to higher ground.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Peak 3012
3012 ft
1052 rise
2
Peak 2892
2892 ft
392 rise
3
Peak 2922
2922 ft
462 rise

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Peak 3012, seen from our parking spot.
Peak 3012, seen from our parking spot.
Approaching the sheer cliffs of Peak 3012. We would wrap around to the right of the peak.
Approaching the sheer cliffs of Peak 3012. We would wrap around to the right of the peak.
Looking back at our progress, Copper Mountain visible on the right.
Looking back at our progress, Copper Mountain visible on the right.
Wrapping around the right side cliff base of Peak 3012.
Wrapping around the right side cliff base of Peak 3012.
Looking back at our progress along the slope. There were a couple of Class 2/2+ spot. Otherwise straightforward and certainly not the worst side-hilling I've done.
Looking back at our progress along the slope. There were a couple of Class 2/2+ spot. Otherwise straightforward and certainly not the worst side-hilling I've done.
Continuing along the base of the cliffs.
Continuing along the base of the cliffs.
View back. You can see the canyon we'd be descending from on the left.
View back. You can see the canyon we'd be descending from on the left.
Approaching the end of the base of the cliffs. We headed up toward the grassy bowl-like formation ahead.
Approaching the end of the base of the cliffs. We headed up toward the grassy bowl-like formation ahead.
We wrapped around the cliff base and headed up to the summit of Peak 3012, ahead.
We wrapped around the cliff base and headed up to the summit of Peak 3012, ahead.
View toward Peak 2922, which we'd do later.
View toward Peak 2922, which we'd do later.
Peak 3012 ahead.
Peak 3012 ahead.
Summit of Peak 3012, view toward Copper Mountain and Copper Basin, Copper Basin Reservoir visible on the top left.
Summit of Peak 3012, view toward Copper Mountain and Copper Basin, Copper Basin Reservoir visible on the top left.
Peak 3012, view toward the other obscure Whipple peaks to the south.
Peak 3012, view toward the other obscure Whipple peaks to the south.
View along the ridgeline to come. Peak 2892 visible left of center, our next peak.
View along the ridgeline to come. Peak 2892 visible left of center, our next peak.
Class 2 ridgeline.
Class 2 ridgeline.
Looking back toward Peak 3012 (right) and the canyon we'd descend later (left).
Looking back toward Peak 3012 (right) and the canyon we'd descend later (left).
Class 2 minor exposure on the ridgeline.
Class 2 minor exposure on the ridgeline.
Avoiding some rock outcrops on the left (Class 2).
Avoiding some rock outcrops on the left (Class 2).
View back toward Peak 3012 (right).
View back toward Peak 3012 (right).
Peak 2892 visible center. We'd have to drop down into the "tundra"-like landscape before ascending. You can see Cupcake Mountain on the right in the distance.
Peak 2892 visible center. We'd have to drop down into the "tundra"-like landscape before ascending. You can see Cupcake Mountain on the right in the distance.
Close-up toward Peak 2892.
Close-up toward Peak 2892.
Starting up Peak 2892's east ridge.
Starting up Peak 2892's east ridge.
View back toward the ridgeline we just came from.
View back toward the ridgeline we just came from.
Class 2 toward Peak 2892.
Class 2 toward Peak 2892.
A Class 3 section along the way to Peak 2892. Whipple wash visible below on the left.
A Class 3 section along the way to Peak 2892. Whipple wash visible below on the left.
Summit of Peak 2892, view toward Whipple Mountains High Point.
Summit of Peak 2892, view toward Whipple Mountains High Point.
Image 26 from gallery
Peak 2892 summit, view back along the ridgeline. Peak 3012 visible on the right. Peak 2922 (our next one) visible on the left.
Peak 2892 summit, view back along the ridgeline. Peak 3012 visible on the right. Peak 2922 (our next one) visible on the left.
Looking back toward Peak 2892 as we head over to Peak 2922.
Looking back toward Peak 2892 as we head over to Peak 2922.
Peak 2922 ahead.
Peak 2922 ahead.
Class 2 up to Peak 2922. We approached it from the right side ridge in this photo, avoiding the cliffs.
Class 2 up to Peak 2922. We approached it from the right side ridge in this photo, avoiding the cliffs.
On our way up to Peak 2922, view toward the ridgeline we did earlier leading away from Peak 3012.
On our way up to Peak 2922, view toward the ridgeline we did earlier leading away from Peak 3012.
Image 32 from gallery
Peak 2922 summit, view toward Copper Mountain in the distance, Copper Basin Reservoir visible on the left.
Peak 2922 summit, view toward Copper Mountain in the distance, Copper Basin Reservoir visible on the left.
Peak 3012. Our ascent route followed the base of the cliffs in the center. Our descent route will go down the canyon in the center of this photo.
Peak 3012. Our ascent route followed the base of the cliffs in the center. Our descent route will go down the canyon in the center of this photo.
Starting down the canyon.
Starting down the canyon.
Within the canyon. Some brush, a bunch of Class 2 obstacles. You can see the ascent route we took earlier at the base of the cliffs above.
Within the canyon. Some brush, a bunch of Class 2 obstacles. You can see the ascent route we took earlier at the base of the cliffs above.
A Class 3 dryfall. Whiley is within the watercourse, the Class 3 move is just below me as I take the photo.
A Class 3 dryfall. Whiley is within the watercourse, the Class 3 move is just below me as I take the photo.
A few more dryfall obstacles as the canyon widens into a wash.
A few more dryfall obstacles as the canyon widens into a wash.
Just before we left the wash, a view back up the canyon. Peak 3012 visible top left.
Just before we left the wash, a view back up the canyon. Peak 3012 visible top left.
Copper Mountain, seen as we navigate the foothills back to the car.
Copper Mountain, seen as we navigate the foothills back to the car.
View back toward Peak 3012 (left) and Peak 2922 (right).
View back toward Peak 3012 (left) and Peak 2922 (right).

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