Walking through Tushars tundra and seeing mountain goats from afar on the highest mountain range in southern Utah.

The volcanic high Tushars looking west.
From left to right:  Mount Baldy, Mount Belknap, Gold Mountain, Signal Peak.

Hike Summary
0 - 0.7 miles:  Bullion Pasture Trailhead to first high point at 11,200'
0.7 - 2.0 miles:  to highest point on hike at 11,500' (this is just to saddle;  option is to summit 11,673' peak)
2.0 - 3.5 miles:  highest point to Copper Belt Peak summit at 11,383'

Overview
There's something about this little-known mountain range that keeps us going back.  Actually, lot of things. It's a striking high volcanic range where you walk on tundra above tree line to look over southern Utah and through aspens and meadows with wildflower-lined creeks in the summer.  It's only a couple of hours drive from St. George.  Often times we see more mountain goats than people on the trails.

So far we've hiked four of the Tushar summits, all of them over 11,000 feet.  The hike to Delano Peak, the highest peak in southern Utah, is a defined and short path if approaching from the west.  Hikes to Mount Holly and Shelly Baldy require a bit of cross-country navigation.  

​​This hike starts and stays high, with fantastic views as you cross grassy ridges and a talus-riddled saddle to drop onto an old mining road that leads to the easily-climbed ridge to Copper Belt Peak.  There's a good chance you will see mountain goats, and we did on this trip.  The trail is not marked and is faint in some places, so having GPS tracks and a map is helpful.

This peak gets its name from the significant copper ore deposits in this area, and in fact, Copper Belt Mine lies to its northeast.  Other mines in the area are Bully Boy, Cascade, and Shamrock.

Our Hike (topo map and our tracks at end of this post)
We stayed in our favorite campground, Mahogany Cove, on Hwy 153 about 13 miles east of downtown Beaver, Utah, sleeping in the bed of our truck.  It's ~ 6 miles from there to the turnoff for FR 123, a graded gravel road that goes past Big John's Flat and the trailhead to Delano Peak, and to Bullion Pasture trailhead in about 10 miles from turn-off.

At this elevation, aspens had already dropped their leaves and it was chilly, but beautifully sunny.  The trail begins east from the parking lot, where you see the mountain range you will be traversing through.  It goes to the right of the dark copper-colored peak furthest to the left.  To the right of that, a higher, broader light tan peak (Peak 11,673') is the highest on this trail.  Copper Belt Peak is behind this summit.

​The trail starts out very defined for the first 0.6 miles, where you encounter your first "bump" on the ridge after walking through a wide grassy saddle.  It traverses the right (south) side of this bump, where you see the next dark bump.   Unless you want to climb it, the trail goes around it to the left, 1.0 mile into the hike.  

For another 0.6 miles, hike along a relatively flat path through grass and volcanic rock to drop down onto another grassy saddle with a close-up view of the climb to come.  We met two hunters from St. George here, and we had a nice chat with them.  One is also a wildlife photographer:  mike_wildphoto64 on Instagram.

From this saddle, it's a 250' climb to the saddle between the round dark brown peak on the left and Peak 11,673' on the right. The climb to this peak is just 100 feet above the saddle.  The talus slope here is steep, so the trail climbs high towards Peak 11,673' summit to avoid too much traversing through the talus.

Once past Peak 11,673', the old road to the base of Copper Belt Peak comes into view;  follow it to the base of Copper Belt and then hike up its southern ridge to the summit at 11,383'!!

For the Geo-curious:  Walking through Volcanic Terrain
The map below shows our tracks (blue) through a geologic map of the Tushar Mountains on Google Earth.  Each of the different types of rock are recorded as map units, with their corresponding color and abbreviation.  On geologic maps, yellow always denotes the youngest map unit - the Quaternary Period which is 2.5 million years ago (Ma) to present time.

The oldest is the prevolcanic sedimentary rocks - 170 million years old - from the Jurassic Period (Ja) unit in blue on the right side.  Even after the explosive volcanic eruptions that formed the Tushar Mountains 22 Ma, this old Jurassic unit is still revealed at the surface.

​Our tracks begin at the Bullion Pasture Trailhead (lower left) in rhyolite (Tmbl), an extrusive rock that's high in silica and the chemical equivalent of granite (an intrusive rock).  It originated from the inside of the Mount Belknap Caldera.   Quickly, the trail crosses over the wall of the Belknap Caldera (line formed by red "T's")

After briefly crossing a Quaternary landslide (Ql), we headed into the Bullion Canyon Volcanic rocks (Tbm and Tbd), where we would spend most of the time for the rest of the hike, higher on the ridge.  

This hike is significant for trekking through Mount Belknap caldera (collapsed volcano following magma chamber emptying) rocks as well as Bullion Canyon volcanic rocks to the southeast, two different volcanic terrains.

So much more to explore in the unique Tushars:  more peaks to climb and trails to hike.  We're grateful we are able to experience these beautiful places.

Geologic map of the Tushars with our hike tracks on Google Earth.

Truck shot:  on our way to Bullion Pasture Trailhead on FR 123, AKA Paiute ATV Trail #01.

The trail begins at the left of this sign.  Trailhead reached via FR 123 coming from the south.

Starting from the trailhead in the morning - heading to the peaks on the left with the dark "copper" colors.
​Copper Belt Peak is behind the pointy peak on the left.

A good night's sleep in our truck bed last night and we are ready to go!
Just past the trailhead.

Looking back at the trail we have just ascended (far right).  I'm on the first "bump" on the ridge.

Trail goes across saddle to the left and around to the left of this next bump on the ridge (11,450').

Not too many hikes do I have to wear my puff jacket:  pretty chilly this morning at 11,000 feet!
Heading to the saddle between the two peaks above my head to the right.

Looking at Peak 11,673', the highest peak on the hike, to the right of the copper-colored peak.  Trail goes up through the pass between these two high points.

Approaching the lighter-colored mini-ridge where the trail descends through its low point into a lower saddle where it then ascends the flank of Peak 11,673' to the right, then traverses through the saddle on the left of the darker peak.

We ran into two fully-outfitted hunters.  The man on the left is a wildlife photographer.

Trail goes up to the saddle separating the two high points above.  You have the option of summiting the point on the right, which is Peak 11, 673', the highest on this hike.  The trail is just to the left of this summit.

Getting closer to Peak 11,673' on the right. You can see a faint trail on the left side of it.

Looking back at hunters (left) and our trail.  Mount Baldy on the right.

Ascending toward saddle with Peak 11,673', the highest point on this hike, on Fred's right.  We didn't ascend this peak, but instead walked around its left side.

Mt. Belknap, the second-highest Tushar peak (left), and Gold Mountain in center.
Added to our peak-bagging list!

Past the highest point on the hike, you walk toward the old (probably mining) road to the right of Fred. Copper Belt Peak is just on Fred's left with small dark dome on top.

Seeing mountain goats lying down on rock outcrop in the distance (lower center).

Looking back at old road along ridge, Mount Belknap on the right.

Copper Belt Peak ahead.  Planning our ascent:  we left road near saddle of ridge to the peak' right.

Heading toward saddle on ridge just under Copper Belt (left).

It's an easy scramble to the top of Copper Belt Peak.

Looking west at the volcanic Mount Baldy and Mount Belknap from near Copper Belt's summit.

From Copper Peak's summit:  Looking east at Mt. Baldy (left) and Mt. Belknap (right). 

Another Tushar peak conquered!

Copper Belt Peak register.

Post-hike celebration with fresh cantaloupe at the trailhead.  We use the foam pads in the truck cab to sleep on.  

Caltopo map of our GPS tracks from Bullion Pasture trailhead (lower left) heading northeast to Copper Belt Peak.
Elevation profile shows the one-way approach to the peak.
​North points up.

Hike to the top of a collapsed stratovolcano in Arizona's alpine tundra for a view of the Grand Canyon (on a clear day).

On top of Arizona:  a spectacular look toward the east at the Inner Basin sculpted by San Francisco Mountain avalanche that occurred as a result of caldera collapse, and the San Francisco Volcanic Field in the distance.

Sue and Fred on top of Humphreys Peak among rocks that are the remains of a huge stratovolcano caused by Great Basin stretching that brought mantle rock higher to the surface.

​The remnants of a much higher stratovolcano, Humphreys Peak stands higher than any other summit in Arizona, with an additional advantage of having the second-highest prominence.  Prominence is a measure of the difference in elevation between the summit and the lowest point along the ridge that connects the mountain to a higher mountain (from surgent.net).

Both Fred and I hiked this this summit 30 years ago, separately.  The aspect I remember most, aside from the false summit, was the view of the Grand Canyon to the north.  This time it was a bit too hazy to see the Grand Canyon, but I could see the Painted Desert in the distance.

As with other summits, Humphreys has a couple of "false summits".  In fact, on our way down, a guy hiking up was grumbling about the false summit he was on and that the trail was a bit hard to follow occasionally.  But we knew what to expect this time:  the first summit you see is not Humphreys; it's hiding behind it.

The altitude is the most limiting factor of this hike, especially if you are coming from a lower elevation.

Our Hike
​Trailhead to forest switchbacks (0 - 1.0 mile, 9,266' - 9,940')
Forest switchbacks to saddle on Humphreys' south ridge (1.0 - 3.8 miles, 11,780')
Ridge to Point 12, 297 (3.8 - 4.2 miles, 12,297')
Point 12,297' to summit (4.2 - 4.8 miles, 12,633')

The Arizona Gondola of the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort is visible across the valley to the south as the trail progresses up to Humphreys' south ridge and a spectacular view to the east.  Here, and the rest of the way to the summit, you see different views of the massive avalanche topography that occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago when the eastern flank of San Fransisco Mountain collapsed, leaving six peaks lining the ridge above it.

Agassiz Peak is one of them, a large peak to the right (south), and from what I read of other trip posts, illegal to climb unless there's snow to cover a federally-listed threatened plant, the San Francisco Peaks groundsel.  It grows only in the alpine tundra of the San Francisco Peaks at 11,000 - 12,400' elevation.  It thrives in the volcanic rock talus on Humphreys and Agassiz Peaks.   We did see one sign - "Hiking off trail prohibited - $500 fine" at the ridge. 

At the saddle on the ridge, the Weatherford Trail heads southeast towards Agassiz, Fremont and Doyle Peaks that line this huge avalanche chute, which is referred to as the "Inner Basin."  It looks so tempting to go back and summit these mountains, but for Agassiz it would have to be with snow cover.

Now it's just a matter of hiking through a steep volcanic talus slope, arriving at a "false summit" before you actually get to Humphreys, another 0.5 miles, straddling the ridge with the inner basin to the east and cinder cones of the San Francisco Volcanic Field to the west.

We got to spend more summit time than usual because of the great weather:  sunny, pleasant and no winds!  A jubilant group arrived with one South Carolina couple that had Humphreys on their peak list.

We made a hasty retreat down the trail in anticipation of our celebratory beer.  We walked around a vibrant Flagstaff downtown, after leaving our car at the hotel.  Afterward, we met our Uber driver in front of an impressive climbing gym.  

For the Geo-Curious:  San Francisco Volcanic Field
​Humphreys Peak sits in the middle of Northern Arizona's San Francisco Volcanic Field, which covers about 1,800 square miles.  Around 600 volcanoes were produced in this field starting 6 million years ago.  Many of the mountains between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon represent this field.  These eruptions "migrated" west to east, meaning the eastern eruptions were the youngest.  What better place, besides a helicopter or plane, to see a lot of these volcanoes than the summit of Humphreys?

Volcanism is usually associated with tectonic plate boundaries, like with Mount St. Helens or Mount Rainier or Kilauea in Hawaii.  This volcanic field occurs on the border of the Colorado Plateau and the actively stretching (extensional) Great Basin and Range Province.  Stretching causes a thinning of the Earth's crust, which in turn brings warm mantle rock closer to the surface.  The resultant depressurization and increased heat of this rock was the impetus for the San Francisco Volcanic Field and its many volcanoes.

Volcanic rock color gives a clue as to what type it is.  The more silica it contains, the lighter and thicker (more viscosity) it is.  Basalt is black and has the lowest amount of silica, with larger amounts of iron and magnesium, and is the most prominent rock making up the San Francisco Volcanic Field's volcanoes.  Andesite, a dark grey rock, has an intermediate silica amount, and is the prominent rock of Humphreys and Aggasiz Peaks.  Light grey rhyolite is the most silica-rich rock and therefore is more viscous.

Picture Canyon and the Northern Sinagua Petroglyphs
Long before Flagstaff's vibrant downtown, the Sinagua (sin = without, agua = water) people inhabited northern Arizona between 500 - 1450 AD.  They were hunters and gatherers with some agricultural practices.

We stopped by Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve in Flagstaff to find the Northern Sinagua petroglyphs, one of which is a waterbird.  We found this cluster of petroglyphs on basalt boulders along the Tom Moody Trail, next to Rio de Flag, a permanent stream, where perhaps the Sinagua saw cranes or herons.  

The "zig-zag" petroglyph may represent lightning, water, or mountains.

Check out photos of these petroglyphs at the end of this post.

A 1.5-mile section of the Arizona Trail treks through this preserve.

More to Explore
​As usual, with each hike we do, we find more to do, more places to explore.  We're in our early 60's, gratefully healthy, and trying to get as many summits and expeditions in as possible before we can't.  We've lost a little speed, joints hurt a little more from our earlier hiking days, but we still take advantage of our good health and keep challenging ourselves.  Life is short - get out there (put the phone away) for mind, body and spirit!  

From the Snowbowl trailhead, hike up this ski slope and then enter the forest.  Humphreys summit is in the shadow.

Switchbacks through a beautiful forest to saddle on ridge.

Reach Humphreys' south ridge at 3.8 miles and 11,780'.  Looking toward the east at the "Inner Basin" created by a massive avalanche.  Humphreys Peak trail traverses along ridgeline upper left.  The green peaks lower center may be Aubineau and Rees on the northern-most rim of the Inner Basin.

Intersection at saddle.  A glimpse of the top of Arizona Snowbowl's gondola just above the bottom sign.  No hiking off-trail probably due to protection for the threatened San Francisco Peaks groundsel.

On the ridge headed up to Point 12,297', the second "bump" from the left.

Heading north up the ridge from the saddle.  Trail markers are made of old branch signs.  Also a warning sign to stay on the trail.

Looking back at Agassiz Peak on the left and Arizona Snowbowl Ski Area in valley to the right.

Approaching Humphreys' summit.

Humphreys' summit!!

Someone made two rock lounge chairs on the summit.

Heading back:  Agassiz Peak on the left.

Looking west toward Kendrick Peak (my best guess after looking at maps of the San Francisco Volcanic Field map).

Map of San Francisco Volcanic Field from Aperiodic Wanderings
Humphreys Peak is the largest in the center with its horseshoe-shaped Inner Basin on the east side sculpted by a giant avalanche from a caldera collapse.

Off the saddle and into the forest on the way back down.

Our GPX tracks on Google Earth.

Caltopo map of our tracks (in pink) going through switchbacks and along ridge to Humphreys summit. 
​This map includes all six of the peaks surrounding the "Inner Basin."
Profile of Humphrey ascent from 9,266' to 12,629' in 4.8 miles.

Interactive ​Caltopo map of the San Francisco Peaks and Flagstaff Area with our GPS tracks.

Northern Sinagua petroglyphs.  Note the waterbird (first photo) in lower center, partially shaded.

Sources
Atlas Obscura.  Picture Canyon.

Wade, B.  (from Arizona Snowbowl website).  San Francisco Peaks Geology.

Cook, T., Abbott, L.  2017.  Travels in Geology:  Cones and Craters in Flagstaff, Arizona.  From website Earth.

USGS.  San Francisco Volcanic Field.

The University of Arizona:  Arizona Geological Survey.  San Francisco Peaks Inner Basin.