Trip report
Feb 17, 2021 — The eastern Whipple Mountains are full of interesting craggy volcanic peaks, and I've been looking forward to checking out the peaks surrounding the Copper Basin. However, the drive out is long and pretty slow, so it takes a bit of excitement to want to get out there. Whiley was more than psyched, so we made our way along the sandy (4WD likely required) and mid-clearance-required Bowmans Wash Road. 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. Copper Mountain is a big peak that is better known for its phallic pinnacle, named "Monument Peak" on the mountain's east side. The pinnacle is insane-looking, but of course it's been climbed. We wouldn't be attempting it, instead aiming for the high point of this massive volcanic chunk. Copper Mountain also seems to be known as "Monument Peak High Point", likely piggybacking off the more visually-riveting pinnacle's naming convention.
It's quite remote out here, so we decided taking both vehicles was a good idea. From our parking spot at the mouth of a wash, we noted Copper Mountain's nutty-looking west face, featuring what seemed like just a sheer cliff. However, a prominent gully hidden by the cliff layers would serve as a really pleasant ascent route. We began navigating the rocky foothills and a short-lived old mining road as we made our way to the bottom of the gully, remaking at how fortuitous such a long section of gully could be kept Class 2. 500+ feet of light scrambling brought us to the top of the gully, where we were presented with a cholla cactus forest, plus views toward Parker, AZ. We felt we had two options. One, stay low beneath a 20-foot cliff band and work our way pretty much directly to the summit; or two, head north and follow the ridgeline for views and to avoid the majority of the cholla. We chose option two, and I recommend doing this as well. Doing this requires a Class 2+ move to get over a weakness in the aforementioned 20-foot cliff band, but past this there wasn't any more scrambling. We did have to dodge a few cholla, but the views to the north over the sheer drops were worth the slight unpleasantness. A bit of hiknig brought us to the summit of Copper Mountain, where we took in the views of the rest of the Whipples to the west, and Copper Basin Reservoir and Colorado River to the east and north.