Baboquivari Peak

Baboquivari Peak 7734′

Arizona Alpine 

Rock Climbing 

Total Time: 11:45

Distance: 10.1 miles

Elevation Gain: 4,730′

Crux: 5.6

Trailhead: Baboquivari Camp- water, trash

Companions: Alex Wallace

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Baboquivari Peak is the crown jewel of Southern Arizona. Not counting the smattering of small domes and spires across Arizona, Baboquivari is one of the only big, truly technical summits in Arizona, and holds some of the only Grade IV climbs in the state outside of the Grand Canyon. It was summits like Babo that got me into rock climbing and it had been on my tick list for years. I had always assumed I would ascend the peak via the Forbes Route, which is between one and three pitches depending on the approach and only rated 5.3. But emboldened by a number of climbing successes over the past season, I decided to try the ultra classic Southeast Arete, 6 exposed and exciting pitches with a crux of 5.6. With a rare day free in early May for both myself and Alex, it seemed like this would be one of the last chances to attempt the route before monsoon season began and it became too hot to do the route safely (or at least comfortably). We met in North Phoenix at 4AM to maximize daylight, and drove through darkness south, stopping for coffee and breakfast in Casa Grande before cutting into the Tohono O’odham (TOD) Nation. The more reliable western approach to Baboquivari Peak comes in from TOD land, and the nation graciously allows access to the trailhead with a fairly well maintained campground including flush toilets and shaded sites. The campground was empty when we arrived at about 7:45AM, although there were a number of border patrol agents along the 10 mile dirt road on the drive in.

After a trip to the bathroom and distribution of gear, we started out. Just as we were leaving, 3-4 border patrol trucks pulled into the lot but didn’t seem to mind our presence and gave a little wave as we searched for the trail, just to the southeast of the campground leading to a large water tank. A junction was reached about a quarter mile from the start, with a sign indicating a right turn to the peak.

Hooking right, the trail slowly began to gain elevation as it rounded into a canyon southwest of Baboquivari before aggressively switchbacking up the grassy slopes. I tried to set a pretty good pace, with over 3000′ of elevation gain just on the approach to the base of the climb. The trail was well maintained and easy to follow, and the first 1000′ were beneath us in about 45 minutes. When we were just under 5000′ in elevation, a border patrol helicopter started flying near overhead back and forth, heading out of sight near the base of the summit, then flying back towards the trailhead. It was a little distracting, but we enjoyed the cool morning temperatures as we climbed higher and higher, the SE arete of Baboquivari coming into view as we climbed.

We took a short break at around 5500′, with only another 1000′ to reach the base of the Lion’s Ledge where the real fun would begin. We were only a few hundred feet below the junction of the Great Ramp (which leads to the final pitch of the Forbes Route) and the Lion’s Ledge when the helicopter returned, this time buzzing us very closely. We were so focused on the copter that we didn’t notice a Border agent coming down the now overgrown trail towards us, scaring the shit out of me. I asked if they were running drills or something, and he replied “there’s a group down there,” and continued past. It was unclear if he meant group of agents or border crossers, but he said we were fine to continue and we hiked along the increasingly brushy trail to the junction of the Great Ramp and Lion’s Ledge. Just before the ledge, the helicopter hovered about 20′ above us for maybe 5 minutes before giving a wave and taking off.

That would be the last we saw or heard from Border Patrol for the day. A large tree near some large boulders unofficially marked the junction between the Great Ramp and Lion’s Ledge, and we dropped our packs and consolidated gear and water. We took a rope bag and one pack with the gear, leaving the second pack and some cached water at the base of the Great Ramp where we’d be descending.

It was a little before 11 AM by the time we started cutting across the horribly brushy Lion’s Ledge, named for a mountain lion encountered by the first ascent party in the late 1800s. The ledge wraps all the way around the summit cliffs, and the lion and climbers ran in the opposite directions only to find each other on the same ledge on the opposite side of the mountain! The ledge had no lions today, but a lot of down and dead wood and plenty of holly and brush that wanted to snag every part of us. We used some thin gain trails trying to stick close to the rock face initially, but these would dead end or drop steeply downslope.

There was a short downclimb 3/4 of the way across the ledge to the corner, and a more defined use trail appeared just before this, which we were able to follow to the large detached rock at the base of the SE arete marking the end of the approach. Some steep class 3 on the west side of the detached rock brought us to a high notch, and a short brushy 10′ traverse left put us at the base of the first pitch.

Alex and I agreed to swing lead and I asked him if he wanted evens or odds. I’m pretty sure he knew that pitch 2 was the crux pitch when he replied “odds,” but I made no argument when I handed him what I had of the gear and tied in. I belayed him as he started up the first pitch rated 5.4, starting up a solid and well protected groove to a pseudo bulge and up to a tree. He continued past this along some easy class 3 to a short class 4 chimney and deep and exposed notch at the base of the second pitch.

He belayed me up as I cleaned the pitch, made slightly more challenging by the overloaded back having both our hiking boots, the rope bag, some snacks, and one liter of water each (we each had a second liter clipped to our harnesses). My helmet kept hitting the top of the pack every time I looked up, and I began to think it might be better that I was climbing the crux packless… Pitch 2 was intimidating, not due to the climbing but the extreme exposure to the left. There was now about 300′ straight drop down to the Lion’s Ledge, with a very narrow notch to switch gear and the pack.

Although on anchor, I stuck a C3 in a crack down low as an anti-catastrophe piece before starting up the pitch. The holds were solid with an excellent stance to place my first real piece, with a crack that took a cam and a nut very nicely. I felt more relaxed with the two pieces in, and it was easy climbing the remaining 10ish feet to a large dead tree and the official top of the second pitch. I paused here to consult the beta, as the pitch was so short, I felt like we should try and link it with the third pitch.

Alex took out the C3 to reduce drag and I headed directly up a class 4 gully with a large and shady tree, climbing straight through it up a bit more class 4 to the top of the third pitch. I almost continued up the fourth pitch before I realized it was the famous 5.6 lieback, and I set an anchor off a small tree and brought up Alex. The problem with linking the two pitches was that Alex was out of sight at the crux, and it was hard to feel him climbing with all the drag. I apparently let a bit of slack build up thinking he was working on freeing the nut, but thankfully the wind wasn’t too strong that communication was still possible, and I kept him tight the rest of the two linked pitches. Alex and I again traded pro and the pack and he started up the lieback pitch, also rated 5.6 but far less exposed than the 5.6 crux pitch. I was able to literally lie back myself on some nearby rock below the pitch while i belayed Alex up. After he used a cam down low, he sewed up the lieback, a little bit awkward to start, but very fun once you got going.

The fourth pitch is traditionally split into two pitches, with the first being the 40′ lieback and 80′ of class 3 and a belay at a small ledge, followed by a short 25′ traverse pitch to the left. Most parties combine these two pitches, and we had almost exactly 120′ of rope out when Alex reached the small belay ledge. The traverse left was not obvious with the bolts out of sight around the corner, but I assured him from below that what he was describing matched the beta, and he cut left swinging wide to find the two bolt anchor, which he backed up with a cam. Starting up behind him, the lieback moves were made a bit more challenging by the heavy pack, throwing my center of gravity off the rock, but I cleared them and scrambled up to the ledge at the traverse. I immediately saw why he had doubts about swinging wide, but he popped into view as I cleared the corner at his small belay stance. Pitch 5 was probably my favorite of the day, another lieback but very easy, with a long crack to the right that took endless pro.

This seemed like a good opportunity to practice placing gear, and I placed plenty of pro as I climbed up to a nice pine tree halfway up the pitch. I hitched the tree for protection and continued another 40′ to some class 3 terrain and a wonderful belay stance below a large pinyon pine offering the first shade since the Lion’s Ledge. I felt a little guilty bringing Alex up, having some of the best belay spots on the climb.

Once he reached the pine tree, we untied from the rope and coiled it around our shoulders from some brief class 3 scrambling to a deep notch and base of the final 6th pitch. This was really the only place on the entire route that we had to move the belay, and fought through a bit of brush keeping to the left to downclimb a prominent notch on the ridgeline.

The final pitch was rated 5.4 but a little run out at the top. Alex started out placing one cam down low before reaching a leaning boulder halfway up. The boulder looked loose and like a cam placed between it and the cliff would probably just pull the whole rock down, so Alex ran out the last 10′ to the top of the pitch and brought me up.

It was another ~200′ of scrambling to the summit, and we changed out of our rock shoes and into hiking boots, coiling the rope around Alex’s shoulders. We were pretty exhausted by the final push and the last 200′ seemed to drag on, the summit so close yet just out of reach.

It took about another 15 minutes of steep rock and a small amount of bushwacking got us to the wide open summit at 3:45PM, taking about 4 hours from the base of the arete. The summit cairn was covered in shells, jewelry, and various other offerings people left I’itoi, a creator God of the TOD people said to live in a cave on Baboquivari Peak. I left an emergency solar blanket and Alex left a carabiner as our offerings, and we enjoyed the open views, with Kitt and Coyote Peaks to the north, Mount Lemmon and Tucson to the northeast, Mount Wrightson to the northwest and Mexico to the south. It was hard to rush this one, and we enjoyed a flask of bourbon I packed while signing into the summit register and enjoying some food for the first time since the Lion’s Ledge.

I insisted we start moving by 4:15, with Baboquivari being notorious for creating epics from people getting lost on the descent. The instructions on MP were very helpful in finding the descent trail down the Forbes Route aiming to the north just right of the observatory. This dropped through some rock slabs before hooking left with a good sized cliff above to the left (the summit also to our left).

This continued on down to a chockstone which some people feel is the crux of the Forbes Route. We downclimbed it on the right (facing downhill) and we passed the packs and ropes down. The intuitive thing at this point is to continue down the gully, which is where many get lost. In reality, you hug the rock face to the right, cutting on a faint use trail to the top of the famous Ladder Pitch of the Forbes-Montoya Route.

With a short downclimb we reached the two bolt anchor with chains and Alex set up the rappel and headed down. Although I’m sure I’d feel differently leading it, this pitch seemed very easy with small ledges the entire length and a handful of bolts for protection.

I joined Alex at the base of the pitch after my rappel and we put away the rope for good, with only the Great Ramp between us and solid trail. Hugging the wall to the left initially cliffed us out, but a short backtrack swinging wide put us back on route. The ramp really wasn’t bad, mostly class 2-3 with some harder class 3 near the bottom. The occasional iron bar stuck out of the rubble from the long gone ladder system once used to access the summit long ago.

We reached our packs at about 5:30PM, and my goal was to reach the car by sunset. We wasted little time organizing and jammed what we could into our packs before starting down. The afternoon light was fantastic on the SE Arete, and you could spot the notch at the base of pitch 6 high up along the ridgeline as we descended.

We took only one break on the descent after a short but annoying uphill section that traversed beneath a rock face, then cruised the remaining 2000+’ down back to the car. We neared the TH just as the daylight was fading, the campground now full with weekend campers, most looking like they probably wouldn’t be making a run at Babo the following day.

Driving out, I stopped for one final picture of Baboquivari Peak before we reached the highway and hooked north back towards Phoenix. With a short stop for gas and dinner in Casa Grande (In’N’Out of course) and dropping Alex off, I didn’t make it home until 11PM and passed out after a long, long day in the mountains.