Laughlin, NV, and Hualapai Peak, AZ

An update from way back in April. After a long, cold winter, we were anxious to get a jump-start on summer, so we headed for the desert over Spring Break weekend. Although we are not in to gambling, which Laughlin is known for, we were still drawn to the place because for its favorable position in the heart of the Mojave and cheap lodging. Here are highlights of the vacation with trips to nearby Oatman, AZ, Grapevine Pass, and a solo ascent of the Hualapai Mountains, AZ.

Is it alive? Yes, it was, and it's not uncommon to find burros taking a nap, stealing food, or causing other mischief along Oatman's Main Street. I even had a burro get upset after we ran out of carrots and try to open our car door with his teeth, chipping the paint in the process. They sure are cute little buggers though.

Grapevine Canyon near Laughlin ranks up there with the Gold Butte area as one of the highest concentrations of petroglyphs I've seen. Even if there were no rock art to gawk at, the canyon is a fantastic hike with a nice spring and tons of wildlife.

A perfectly camouflaged chuckwalla at the Grapevine Canyon petroglyphs.

As usual, I got away for half a day to climb a mountain. Hualapai Peak is the highest and most interesting mountain I could find near Laughlin. At 8,417 feet, Hualapai may not sound too impressive, but like many desert peaks in the Mohave, the key is to look at the peak's prominence, or how high it is relative to the surrounding lowlands. If you consider that Hualapai Peak is nearly 6,000 feet higher than the surrounding desert, it really is a pretty tall mountain. Skipping the drive to the trailhead in Hualapai Mountain State Park, I chose to start my climb at the mouth of Sawmill Canyon down at 4,325 feet.

The approach run to the official trailhead involves 6 miles of pavement plus another mile of seldom-traveled trail. Elevation gain over this initial approach is about 2,500 feet.

Entering Hualapai Mountain Park at about mile 6.

Albert's or "tassel-eared" squirrel in Hualapai Mountain Park.

Looking for ore at the long-abandoned Silver Bell Mine near the head of Sawmill Canyon.

Stone steps along the trail to Hualapai Peak.

Rough, but runnable terrain skirting around Aspen Peak.

The final approach to Hualapai Peak requires some fun scrambling through broken granite.

View northward from the top. Hayden Peak has the radio towers and is just 27 feet shorter than Hualapai Peak.

View southward along the range crest of the Hualapai Mountains.

It took just under 4 hours to reach the summit from the mouth of Sawmill Canyon. I was back to my car in under 7 hours. Total distance and elevation gain was 22.35 miles and over 4,000 feet.