Hike Pinnacle Ridge Coronado National Forest, AZ

Pinnacle Ridge is a jagged set of granitic spires within the Santa Teresa Mountains, far from civilization. It seems to attract mostly prominence-focused peakbaggers, but it’s definitely an excellent route and summit for the desert explorer who isn’t fussy about peak stats. Kevin and I met up to tackle Pinnacle Ridge together. This was a long-awaited summit on my list, though one Kevin hadn’t heard of. Still, he was eager to bag a good peak, as always.

We drove in on the graded Klondyke Road and headed north here (32.81664, -110.18181) on lesser Forest Road 677. We parked along the road just before it drops a few hundred feet over some lumpy nonsense. Burly vehicles could certainly make it to the trailhead 0.8 mile ahead, but I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of bottoming out in my crossover SUV way out here. We hiked the road as the sun came up, my only motivation for waking early being to beat the heat. Kevin keeps managing to get my ass up early.

We reached the Coronado National Forest boundary, a trail marked by an old sign. There was no real trail in or around this area, just a chaotic web of cattle trails going every direction. We dropped into Cottonwood Canyon and followed it north. The rare running water had transformed the area into a little bovine resort.

We kept an eye out for the ideal time to leave Cottonwood Canyon and ascend toward Pinnacle Ridge. Rather than staying low and taking the standard route via Limestone Canyon, we opted to climb the slopes toward the ridge itself. We figured we’d descend the standard route later, but for now, we wanted higher ground and better views.

Our ridge ascent was pleasant, with steady elevation gain and Pinnacle Ridge in our view for its majority. There were only a couple short brushy sections we probably could’ve avoided, but otherwise, we were quite happy with our choice of approach. We reached a saddle at 6000′, the same spot most hikers arrive at when coming up through Limestone Canyon.

A final steep push brought us to a lump labeled on maps as unranked Peak 6420. While we could’ve wrapped around it, Kevin was being extra mean to me today (mostly by making me wake up early), so he’d get some extra vertical gain. It turned out to be a nice vantage point to see the route to come.

A short drop led us into a wide, mostly flat section of sandy terrain. We pushed through a bit of light bushwhacking, but it was minimal compared to what the vegetation must’ve been like before the 2021 Pinnacle Fire that swept through these slopes. We continued north across rolling terrain dotted with fun little rock formations, aiming for a saddle east of Pinnacle Ridge along the crest. The landscape here was gorgeous, almost like a rock pinnacle garden.

The slope steepened gradually as we aimed for the ridgeline above, the approach all about strategic zig-zagging through dirt and brush. The fire had knocked out lots of vegetation, but left behind a sandy, loose slope. We pulled a few Class 2 moves to overcome some large boulders, but the ascending traverse wasn’t too bad. Soon enough, we found ourselves on the ridge.

We scoped out the best line up Pinnacle Ridge. At first, the route stayed south of the granitic outcroppings, well below the crest. As we gained elevation, dense manzanita began to appear, but we always found a way around it. A few Class 2/2+ rock slabs broke up the dirt slog.

Eventually, we reached a viewpoint overlooking a wide chute and the summit block, an obvious landmark to aim for. The chute was steep, loose, and definitely not the most relaxed stretch of the day. Massive granitic spires flanked the chute as we approached the top. Above the chute, we veered right toward the summit block. Two points seem to be possible high points, but the more pointy-looking one up on the right takes the prize. The easiest scramble route is on its north side, so we hugged the summit block and wrapped around on the left.

Now on the north side, we started the scramble. It began with a Class 3 slab, followed by a short Class 3 chimney that earlier reports had flagged as particularly sketchy. We brought webbing just in case, but never felt the need for it. The chimney just requires some stemming or squeezing to get through. Some rate it Class 4, but neither Kevin nor I felt it warranted the higher grade. A short Class 2+ section brought us to the summit past here.

For the descent, we opted for a change of scenery and took an alternate route down Limestone Canyon. The upper section was slow-going, choked with brush and massive boulders. It was tedious, but fun in its own way. That said, I’d recommend avoiding Limestone Canyon above 5800′. If you choose to ascend via the wash instead of our ridgeline, leave the canyon around that elevation to gain our track at the 600′ saddle.

Lower down, the canyon mellowed out, though cow damage was extensive. We passed an old dam along the way before eventually rejoining Cottonwood Canyon and following it back to the car.