La Paz County High Point Trip Report

Harquahala Mountain (5,681 ft)

Date: August 9, 2002
Author: Michael Schwartz

Approach: From Phoenix, go west about 80 miles on I-10 to the Salome Road exit #81. Go 9.6 miles northwest on the Buckeye-Salome Road to the well-signed Eagle Eye Road. Take Eagle Eye Road north 8.4 miles to the dirt Harquahala Scenic Byway on the left.

Alternate approach: From US 60 to the north, take Eagle Eye Road south 18.5 miles from Aguila. Contrary to road maps, the road is paved in its entirety.

Once on the scenic byway, the BLM has a staging area about 1/2 mile in, with information and a register. The first five miles of the road are 2WD passable, but after that the road gets rough and steep, especially higher up. Like Roy Schweiker, it took me an hour to get to the summit, 10.5 miles from Eagle Eye Road. The BLM estimate of 45 minutes seemed more realistic for the Pikes Peak racing types than normal drivers.