Hike of the Month

HIKE OF THE MONTH Get a High Lonesome Experience on the Galiuros' Peak Trail

What I wanted was a mountain mass without the mountain masses. I sought a peak free of people. "Bassett," a friend advised. It was worthy counsel. The trail to Bassett Peak, a superlative 7,663-foot summit in the high wilds of the Galiuro Mountains, is one of the least trodden, most satisfying hiking routes in all of southeastern Arizona. The trail's pleasing scarcity of human traffic apparently is the result of the relative isolation of the Galiuro range, which is approachable only by way of unpaved and sometimes rough roads. But for those willing to invest the time and attentiveness to follow a series of back roads northwest from the town of Willcox to the Ash Creek trailhead, the 5.4-mile (one-way) hike to Bassett Peak promises a sense of solitude not found on Arizona's more accessible trails. In two recent trips up the trail, I've encountered a grand total of one other hiker. That single "human sighting" was on a jaunt with a friend in July. On the other hike, a solo foray on a brilliant January day, I had the mountain to myself. Winter sun filtered down through branches of leafless streamside trees as I ambled up the gently graded first two miles of the trail along Ash Creek. Though the trailhead is at an altitude of just under 5,000 feet, the shade of canyon walls and the abundant runoff water support lush groves of oaks and riparian trees — enhanced in summer with the green trim of tall ferns and spongy moss. Just as the trail was about to part ways with Ash Creek and begin the business of climbing steeply and steadily toward a high, open ridge, I passed a sight that amazes most Bassett hikers. There, in the canyon bottom not far from Upper Ash Spring—and perhaps owing to that nourishing water source stands a clump of grandiose aspen trees, flourishing at an altitude of barely 6,000 feet. Rarely are aspens seen at such a low elevation in the mountains of southern Arizona. The hiker who recommended the trail to me makes an annual trek up Bassett in the fall just for the pleasure of seeing these "high-desert aspens"

burst into in their golden autumn prime. I persisted up the switchbacks, breaking a January sweat but winning the reward of an ever-expanding view of the Ash Creek drainage and the soaring rock formations that fashion the stony reaches of the Galiuros. I topped out on that high ridge, which is four miles from the trailhead, and savored a juicy orange before tackling the final 1.4 rugged uphill miles to Bassett's summit. The last three-quarters of a mile of the route, dusted white here and there with the remnants of a week-old snowfall, reminded me again of how few people pass this way. As it snaked through pine woods up the west side of the peak, the trail was partially overgrown with brush in spots. And the final few hundred yards to the summit involved departing from the main trail, which extends south of the peak, and following a wellbeaten path through brush to the high point. The 360-degree view was a marvel of foreground evergreens, purplish mid-distance rock towers, and tawny high deserts as far as the eye could see. But nary, I might add, a human being to behold.

WHEN YOU GO

To reach the Bassett Peak trailhead, take Interstate 10 to Willcox and exit at Fort Grant Road. Follow Fort Grant 20.5 miles to Forest Service Road 651. Go west and northwest 14 miles on FR 651. Turn left onto FR 660 and drive 2.2 miles to the end of the road and the trailhead. Low-clearance vehicles might have to stop short of the rough final passages of the road. Unimproved campsites are available in groves of trees along FR 660. Be aware that Bassett Peak can receive substantial snowfalls during major winter storms, and the unpaved approach roads can become muddy and slippery after periods of rain. For more information, contact the Coronado National Forest's Safford Ranger District, P.O. Box 709, Safford, AZ 85548-0709; (520) 428-4150.