Hike of the Month

HIKE OF THE MONTH Table Top Mountain, Once Singed by Volcanic Fire, Now Sits amidst Pristine Desert

We look in vain for the old silver mine that brought pioneer miners John and Lucien Walker to the vicinity of 4,373-foot Table Top Mountain and stamped the Pima name for silver, vekol, on the area. Still, we do not go away empty-handed.

Table Top Mountain is the highest ground for miles around and our reward is the view. Eastward, Casa Grande appears as sunlight reflecting from rooftops 20 miles away. But that's not what we're looking for. We turn our backs on civilization and face west.

Nearly pristine Sonoran Desert, protected within the 34,400 acres of Table Top Wilderness, appears much as it must have when the Walkers struck it rich in the 1880s. Open desert rolls outward to the Sand Tank Mountains, west of Vekol Valley where wind has carved hoodoo shapes that soak up the purples of morning. South of the Wilderness, the Tohono O'odham have preserved their land much as it always was.

The trail to Table Top Mountain is easy to follow and rises gently for the first mile and a half, but then it turns upward and becomes a hiking challenge. Lava boulders form an obstacle course near the top, and the going is still slower there. Ocotillo, creosote bush, and tuft grass cling to the tilted, mesalike summit that gives Table Top Mountain its name.

A good dirt road from the Vekol Exit on Interstate 8 leads to the remarkably clean trailhead whose amenities include a privy and metal picnic table. There's also a vehicle turnaround. The Bureau of Land Management advises visitors to use high-clearance four-wheeldrive vehicles, but we drove a sedan to within a mile and a half of the trailhead, before being stopped by deep ruts. A

WHEN YOU GO

For the most direct route from Phoenix to the Table Top Wilderness, turn off Interstate 10 at Maricopa Road onto State Route 347 to Pete's Corner, then take Interstate 8 and continue west about seven miles to the Vekol Exit, and follow the BLM trail signs. From Tucson, take I-10 to Casa Grande, then I-8 to the Vekol Exit.

There's no water, so bring all you'll need, at least two quarts per person, and in warmer times, a gallon; stout hiking boots and a walking stick are helpful for climbing to the summit. Check your car's spare tire before you leave home, pay attention to the weather, and drive a high-clearance vehicle. For more information and current conditions, contact the Phoenix District Office, BLM, 2015 W. Deer Valley Road, Phoenix, AZ 85027; (602) 780-8090.

A standard two-wheel-drive truck would have no difficulty going all the way.

Not so long ago, the whole Wilderness Area was singed by volcanic fire. Lava boulders lay in heaps. The Wilderness is public land, managed by the BLM, but plants have staked claims and now take what they can.

On our May hike, ocotillo rooted in crumble-rock lifted spindly arms tipped with red (LEFT) The trail to Table Top Mountain, in the flat desert west of Casa Grande, is deceptively easy at first, then the fun begins.

(RIGHT) A trio of young saguaros frames a sweeping view to the south from the trail.

blossoms. White-wing doves dipped into the plentiful saguaro flowers. Hearty ironwood and porcupinelike cholla shared space with useful prickly pear. Birdsong carried far because there was almost no other noise.

"This is a dawn and dusk place," Vicky Hay, a teacher at Arizona State University-West, had remarked as we set out on the gradual trail toward the mountain, across land forged from fire. "The morning here is beyond belief."

We check the visitors log. Five days have passed since the last sign-in. The ideal time to hike the trail is November through April, when it's cooler. Even then, you're apt to see few other hikers.