Hike of the Month

HIKE OF THE MONTH Some Eerie Twinges May Precede a Trek to the Eagle's Beak

The great hole in the mountain above me, looming like the open mouth of a mythic creature, grew ever larger as I guided my vehicle over the twisting up-and-down road studded with rough lava rocks. My goal was a strange littleknown geologic feature near the top of a rugged volcanic peak, part of the Harquahala Mountain range, which overlooks the small community of Aguila 85 miles northwest of Phoenix. Called Pico del Aguila Ventana, it is a real oddity. Its size about 50 feet wide and 30 feet high makes it a rarity hereabouts. But it is the shape of this natural ventana, or "window," that really sets it apart.

The rounded rock formation above the opening looks for all the world like the curving beak of a giant predatory bird, so much so that early Spanish-speaking settlers called it Pico del Aguila, or "eagle's beak." It's also called Eagle's Beak Arch. On this visit, during the late Fall, the sun beating down on the dark red burnt-looking rocks made them hot to the touch. The window was about a thousand feet above me, and to save time I decided to take the shortest route, a straight shot up the steepest, rockiest pitch. I'm not a rock-climber seeking a challenge. It's just that the terrain leading to the window doesn't offer much of a choice. There's no path; just a very steep climb with a lot of loose rocks, catclaw, and cactuses. Weaving your way through the thorny brush and lava rocks can be a hands-and-knees experience at times. But there are no big cliffs to climb, just a couple of 20or 30-foot-high ledges that must be crossed. A reasonably fit person should be able to reach the window inside of an hour.

Not so on the opposite, or northern, side of the mountain. There a sheer cliff several thousand feet above the desert floor blocks access to all but the most skilled climbers.

Approaching the back, or southern side, of Pico del Aguila, you have the best view of the great beak. I always get an eerie twinge the closer I get, so great is the resemblance to a giant bird's head. Once inside the window and out of the sun, I sit down in the cool shade and savor a panoramic view of the sweeping McMullen Valley.

WHEN YOU GO

Pico del Aguila is four miles south of Aguila on the upper saddle between Eagle Eye Mountain and Eagle Eye Peak. Take paved Eagle Eye Road south (you can see the eagle beak formation from the road) and drive through a pass to an electrical power transmission line. Cross the dip in the road under the line and immediately turn left onto a dirt road and then turn left again within the first 50 feet. Follow this road for 1.5 miles as it twists and turns to the north. The road crosses and recrosses a dry wash. After the third crossing, take the left fork and climb up the two-track road to the pass underneath the window. You climb to the window from here. There are several dirt tracks leading from the transmission line toward the window, but they are badly eroded. Stay on the one described.Contact the Bureau of Land Management's Lower Gila Resource Area office, (602) 780-8090, for information on access to the Harquahalas and the State Land Department for access to the Eagle's Beak Arch. You must obtain a permit to venture onto state trust land. An Outdoor Recreation Use Permit costs $15 per person per year. Group and family rates vary. Call (602) 542-2506 for an application.