Mohawk Peak, 1,975' (Hawk Benchmark), Mohawk Mountains

Essence: The Mohawk Mountains are in the southwestern reaches of Arizona midway between Gila Bend and Yuma. While the tallest mountain in the range is toward the south end, Mohawk Peak is the singular free-standing horn seen north of Interstate 8. Approach the peak from the west by way of a slim, boulder-filled canyon. Pitch up a steep and narrow, exposed catwalk to the summit sphere. Hike in the mountainous Sonoran through the Crystalline Basement geologic formation. The north block of the Mohawks is administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
Travel: At Mohawk Pass on I-8, take Exit 54, Avenue 52 E, Mohawk Valley. The exit ramp swings right to a stop sign. Measure from here. Turn left toward Mohawk Valley. In 0.3 mile turn right and merge onto Historic US 80 West. At 1.4 miles, turn right on a dirt road and park in a large lot at 1.5 miles.
Distance and Elevation Gain: 4.5 miles; 1,500 feet of climbing
Total Time: 4:30 to 5:30
Difficulty: Off-trail; navigation moderately challenging; Class 3 with serious exposure; hike on a cool day and carry all the water you will need.
Maps: Mohawk; Growler, AZ 7.5' USGS Quads
Date Hiked: February 22, 2020
Quote: Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. Henry Ford

The final pitch up Mohawk Peak will test the nerve of most climbers. The Mohawk Mountains are divided into three linear blocks. The bulk of the chain is south of Interstate 8. (Thomas Holt Ward, photo)

Mohawk Peak from the Mohawk Rest Area on Interstate-8.

Route: Walk north on the bajada linking 4WD tracks while flanking Peak 1,284' on the west. Pitch north-northwest within a thin canyon. Climb out of the defile bearing northeast and gain the exposed northwest ridge of Mohawk Peak. Return as you came. The peak is seldom visited and there is little sign of previous travel. Note: this map uses ten foot intervals.

Heavy rain fell the night before our hike and persisted into morning hours. The photos tell the story of a mountain transitioning from cloud shrouded to sun drenched.

From the parking area (covered in broken glass and spent shells), elevation 570 feet, walk north on a dirt track. String old roads together or walk easily and freely across small broken rock. Go over the low rise, shown, and flank Peak 1,284' (image-right in the clouds).

We wove through a sparse population of Sonoran plants: creosote bush, ocotillo, teddybear cholla, and a few saguaro. Blooming in early spring were yellow brittlebush contrasting with glistening black rock, scorpionweed, desert lavender, Arizona lupine, desert tobacco, trailing windmill, desert globemallow, and the beguiling desert five-spot.

The image below shows the entire route. Two canyons meet on the desert floor. The ascent canyon is  image-center. It splits halfway up. Take the right branch and then do a rising traverse to the ridgeline. Stay on or near the northwest ridge to the summit.

Cross the main draw at 1.3 miles and continue on the west bench. (THW, photo)

You will come to a massive, red route-marker boulder sitting at the junction of two canyons. The ascent canyon is to its left.

 

The two geologists in our group were baffled by the boulder. Was it a xenolith formed by magma gathering up big, foreign rocks? Or a conglomerate consisting of gneiss and granite? We knew we were in the Crystalline Basement because we were climbing through granite, gneiss, and schist. Look closely at the rocks and you will see coarsely laminated quartz, feldspar, hornblende, and biotite. (THW, photo)

Annual rainfall in the Lower Colorado River Valley subdivision of the Sonoran Desert averages three inches a year. To scale a desert couloir below an arête ridge after a deluge seemed auspicious and even mythical. (THW, photo)

The canyon is pretty friendly, not too brushy, a Class 2+ scramble on weathered boulders. It is steep enough you can only see a few feet in front of you but nothing stands in the way of the next possibility. As a friend said, "This is the funnest kind of climbing. You feel like you are coming into heaven." 

This mega conglomerate boulder is composed of gathered stones of grey gneiss with granitic texture.

 

The defile gets trickier with elevation, steep and loose. The next navigation marker is the wedge, image-center.
(THW, photo)

The canyon splits at the wedge at 1,450 feet. Walk under the outcrop and enter the right-hand declivity. (THW, photo)

At 1,600 feet, turn east out of the canyon and onto an open slope. The image below shows us re-entering the canyon at this location on our descent. (THW, photo)

The slippery slope goes on for about 150 vertical feet. Footing is poor on hardscrabble so just take the path of least resistance. We passed a General Land Office survey marker placed in 1934 on a galvanized steel pipe just below the ridge.

Gain the northwest ridge at a minor saddle in just over 2.0 miles, 1,770 feet. (THW, photo)

 

The summit is 0.2 mile afar and will take 15 to 20 minutes. Begin by flanking the first knob on the south. This image was shot on the return.

 

Then, either stay on top of the crunchy ridge or go around obstacles on the right. In this image I am downclimbing into the saddle at the base of the catwalk. (THW, photo)

 

Our party consisted of a group of friends from Colorado. John Bregar, known for his navigational prowess and steady head, had climbed Mohawk Peak previously so he was our appointed guide. Here he is powering up the catwalk.
(THW, photo)

 

On John's previous visit he'd been technical climbing in the region with a partner who chose to sit this one out. From gathered stories, opting out is a common choice. The catwalk is steep, narrow, exposed, and much of the rock is friable. The whole story is visible from the base to help you decide whether to proceed. (THW, photo)

 

Go straight up the center of the three to five-foot-wide spine. This image shows climbers descending. You will need good handholds in the boulders; test everything. (THW, photo)

The biggest challenge for me was getting around the house boulder near the crest. This obstacle stops some people. I was grateful to have John spotting me going up and down. The crest is a couple more exposed moves away. Two in our group experimented with the north side of the boulder. They dropped their packs and did a ledge crawl under the monster. Their route was more difficult. (THW, photo)

The mountain lifts up and culminates with immense and concentrated power on the summit sphere. Packing all eight of us on the crest would have been like crowding everyone on a conglomerate billiard ball.

The Hawk Benchmark was missing from the mother rock. We found the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Reference Mark. It is severely weathered but you can make out, "HAWK, 1920, No. 2, 1934." There wasn't a peak register.

 

We lingered, waiting out the clearing. It was beautiful and exciting when it happened, if only briefly and partially. This image looks south to Peak 1,284'. We could hear the whistle of freight trains rumbling along the I-8 corridor, a startling reminder of the narrow schism between everyday life and raw and wild reality. (THW, photo)