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Mountain Field Guide
Author's posts
Apr 22 2024
Mummy Mountain (Arizona)
Mummy Mountain Rising from the center of Paradise Valley, between Phoenix and Scottsdale, Mummy Mountain is one of the most distinctive urban mountains in central Arizona. Its rugged ridgeline reaches 2,255 feet (687 meters) and towers above neighborhoods, resorts, and the broad expanse of the Salt River Valley. Although considerably lower than many of Arizona’s …
Apr 22 2024
Kangchenjunga: The World’s Third-Highest Mountain
Kangchenjunga Rising to 8,586 meters (28,169 feet) on the border between Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, Kangchenjunga is the third-highest mountain on Earth, surpassed only by Mount Everest and K2. Yet height alone barely captures the importance of this enormous Himalayan massif. Kangchenjunga is a mountain of immense physical scale, with sprawling glaciers, …
Apr 22 2024
Piestewa Peak
Piestewa Peak Rising abruptly above central Phoenix, Piestewa Peak is one of the most recognizable summits in Arizona’s Valley of the Sun. The rugged desert mountain reaches about 2,606 feet above sea level and forms a dramatic centerpiece of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, where steep slopes, rocky ridges, saguaros, and sweeping urban views create one …
Apr 21 2024
Meridian Butte
Meridian Butte Rising above the high-desert country of northeastern Arizona, Meridian Butte is a prominent landform in the Monument Valley region of the Navajo Nation. Its isolated position, steep sides, and broad desert surroundings give it the commanding presence typical of the mesas and buttes that make this part of the Colorado Plateau one of …
Apr 21 2024
Hunts Mesa
Hunts Mesa Rising above the southeastern side of Monument Valley, Hunts Mesa offers one of the most extraordinary high-desert panoramas in the American Southwest. From its broad sandstone rim, the famous buttes, mesas, and towers of Monument Valley spread across the horizon, often glowing deep orange and red at sunrise and sunset. Hunts Mesa lies …
Apr 14 2024
Mount Hopkins
Mount Hopkins Rising above the desert grasslands of southern Arizona, Mount Hopkins is one of the defining summits of the Santa Rita Mountains and one of the most unusual peaks in the state. The mountain combines classic southeastern Arizona “Sky Island” scenery with something hikers rarely encounter on a major summit: a world-class astronomical research …
Apr 12 2024
Baboquivari Peak
Baboquivari Peak Rising abruptly above the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, Baboquivari Peak is one of the most distinctive mountains in the American Southwest. Its steep-sided summit reaches 7,734 feet (2,357 meters) in the Baboquivari Mountains southwest of Tucson, while more than 4,000 feet of topographic prominence gives the peak a commanding presence far beyond …
Apr 12 2024
Mundo Perdido (Arizona)
Mundo Perdido Rising along the rugged spine of southern Arizona’s Baboquivari Mountains, Mundo Perdido is a remote 7,111-foot summit whose Spanish name translates to “Lost World.” The name feels fitting. Steep ridges, rocky notches, brush-filled gullies, and the vast desert country surrounding the mountain give Mundo Perdido a distinctly isolated character. The peak stands north-northeast …
Apr 12 2024
Kitt Peak
Kitt Peak Rising above the Sonoran Desert southwest of Tucson, Kitt Peak is one of Arizona’s most distinctive mountains—not because of towering cliffs or an isolated alpine summit, but because its skyline is crowned by one of the world’s great collections of astronomical observatories. The 6,880-foot peak stands in the Quinlan Mountains on the lands …
Apr 10 2024
Mount Hilgard
Mount Hilgard Mount Hilgard is a rugged 13,000-foot summit in California’s central Sierra Nevada, rising above the remote lake basins and granite wilderness of the Mono Divide. Located in Fresno County within the John Muir Wilderness, the mountain sits only a short distance southwest of the higher Mount Gabb, its nearest higher neighbor. Modern LiDAR …
