Chaves County High Point Trip Report

One Tree Peak (7,089 ft)

Date: November 1, 2002
Author: James Wedekind

Many thanks to the previous trip reports that greatly helped in the navigation to Sunflower Canyon and eventually One Tree Peak. The roads I took to reach Sunflower Canyon (start of hike) were slightly different than previously noted:

I came from the north down NM24. From the Weed/Sacramento junction on NM24 I continued south on NM24 for 11.5 miles until a dirt road labeled Dog Canyon Road (easily passable for a rented Chevy Cavalier). Reset odometer. Turn left on Dog Canyon Road and follow the road through private property, past ample camping sites, until reaching a triangle junction after 7.8 miles. Turn right onto Chimney Lane and continue mostly south until 9.3 mile point. Here there will be a large open pullout area on the right, a fence on the left and a post that used to display the Sunflower Canyon sign, but now is simply a post. About 200 feet north of the post there is a gate in the fence, which is where I began my hike.

Note: It's best to do this hike during a non-hunting season. When I visited One-Tree Peak, visibility was approximately 200 yards and it was a weekend during deer season. Needless to say, I yodeled and made plenty of human noise while hiking. I believe that many of the hunting parties encountered thought I was a little on the wacky side, but at least they kept their guns pointed at the ground.