Trip Date: March 14, 2019

2019 ARIZONA SPRING VACATION

The Flatiron & Ironview Peak Day Climb

Siphon Draw
Siphon Notch
The Flatiron
Siphon Pass
Ironview Peak aka Iron View Peak (5024′)
(Note: erroneously called “Superstition Peak” or “No Name Peak” in some references)

Trip Report Summary

Region: Arizona

Sub-Region: Central Arizona

Sub-Sub-Region: Superstition Mountains

Areas: Lost Dutchman State Park & Superstition Wilderness

Starting & Ending Point: Siphon Draw Trailhead at Lost Dutchman State Park (Elev. 2100 feet)

Way Points: Crosscut Trail junction & Superstition Wilderness boundary & Siphon Draw basin & Siphon Draw Notch & The Flatiron & Siphon Pass (trail hike & rock scramble via Siphon Draw Trail)

Summit: Ironview Peak (rock scramble via Southwest Slope)

Approximate Stats: 5.5 miles traveled; 3100 feet gained & lost; 6.5 hours elapsed.

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Full Trip Report

As part of our Phoenix vacation, Eileen and I journeyed out to the Superstition Wilderness Area, which lies about 50 miles east of the city. We drove to Lost Dutchman State Park and parked at the Siphon Draw Trailhead.  The western rampart of the Superstition Mountains towers above the desert floor here in a dramatic fashion.  Jon, a local airline pilot whom we met at the trailhead, joined us for a hike and scramble up to The Flatiron.

The Siphon Draw Trail winds up a gently sloped outwash channel for about 2 miles, then abruptly enters a remarkably deep basin of solid rock.

The high cliffs on each side of Siphon Draw reveal numerous layers of volcanic rock (mostly rhyolite) that formed 25 million years ago and were later pushed up as a resurgent dome.

At the top of the rock basin, we crossed over a small notch and began ascending through a steep and narrow part of the draw. Easy trail was interspersed with patches of scree and talus, along with several Class 2-3 cliff bands.

Eventually, we came to a final cliff that required about 12 feet of moderately exposed Class 3 scrambling. This is generally considered to be the crux of the ascent.

Just above the 12-foot cliff, we intersected a good trail that led us up to the point of The Flatiron (2.5 hours + 2650 feet from TH). This is not a classic geologic “flatiron” of the type seen in the Colorado Front Range, but it does have a flatiron-shaped top surface and an impressive cliff on the southern side.

From The Flatiron, we couldn’t help but notice two attractive, hoodoo-adorned knobs closely to our northeast. The higher knob is marked with an elevation of 5024 feet on maps and is locally called “Ironview Peak.”

Eileen, Jon, and I hiked back across the top of Siphon Draw, then continued hiking up to Siphon Pass and scrambling up through picturesque hoodoos toward Ironview Peak.

The summit (3.4 hours + 3050 feet from TH) provided a fine vantage for the Superstition Mountains—including 5057-foot Superstition Peak—and all of the surrounding ranges. Several times, Jon made mention of the unusually favorable visibility.

We descended by generally following our up-route except for staying more closely to the invert of the canyon, where the scramble path was better defined. By late afternoon, we were back at the trailhead (2.5 hours from summit) to end a delightful outing.

Route Maps & Profile

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Photo Gallery

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