Distance

0.3 mi to summit

0.8 mi total

Elevation

1,574 ft start

1,816 ft max

Vertical

219 ft gain

Time

14 min to summit

37 min total

Peak #6 in Jes' Birthday Peakbagging Bonanza! Well - this was something of a consolation prize peak. After the beating that Galahad (my trusty Jeep Grand Cherokee) had taken on all of the dirt roads, rough dirt roads, and cow-pasture-doubletrack-through-a-lava-field-THANKS-FOR-NOTHING-GOOGLE the day before, we started up the road to Mt. Bangs and then said... "nevermind." Considering he needs to go into the shop to have everything checked out underneath, putting him through many more miles of very rocky HCV/4x4 road just seemed like a questionable proposition. Thus, we just went back into Scenic, AZ, and hatched a new plan thanks to the Peakery app. Regarding Mt. Bangs, we already have a plan to come back with a different vehicle that might make the whole experience a LOT more fun! And also, it was quite warm out this morning, and as the trail for Mt. Bangs is south-facing... it would have been a whole lot hotter. No thanks...! So, we wanted to find a mostly-drive-up peak with a mild walk, and one that wouldn't tax poor Galahad and his sore ankle, and the Peakery App delivered. This was a fun little scramble, although the rock is very sharp and very loose. It was slippery going up, and handholds would break because the rock was fragile (but sharp!), and coming down was also not the most fun thing in the world. But, we got a nice little bit of exercise before heading back into town and that was good. And the dirt road to the peak was in great shape, a little bit of slickrock but it was super smooth and low. No rock-crawling to speak of. So - birthday weekend mission accomplished, 6 peaks for my birthday that adds up to 6! :D

Route name

Virgin Hill 0.8 mi route

out-and-back
Obstacles

road/access issues, bushwhacking, rockfall/loose rock

Key gear

GPS device, gloves