WEEK DAY TRAIL - Harquahala Peak/Smithsonian Solar Observatory
Details
From 1920-25 the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory on Harquahala mountain measured solar activity from Harquahala Peak, at 5,681 feet the tallest mountain in southwest AZ. There is evidence of mining along the road and at the top remains of the observatory are still in place. If time permits we will also check out mining remains near the trailhead.
We will meet at the Tractor Supply Co parking lot on the north side of Route 60 in Wickenburg at 9:15 AM, Thursday, 11/13/25. Before arriving at the meet up location make sure to top off gas tanks at one of the gas stations, Circle K or Maverick, on Rt 60 in Wickenburg. After a short drivers meeting we will depart for the trail at around 9:30 AM. From there we will travel southwest on Rt 60 to Aguila then south on Eagle Eye Rd to the trailhead at the Harquahala Mountain staging area.
The BLM maintains the trail and considers it rugged, very steep in places and requiring a 4x4 vehicle. Past runs on this trail have been accompanied by sightings of Big Horn sheep, a Rosy Boa snake sporting sky island variation of it's species coloration (likely already in its den for the season), and stones harboring micro crystals.
Bring along your usual tools, recovery gear, supplies, water & rations and lunch. The plan is to lunch at the top by the observatory depending on temperature & wind conditions.
The PEV4x4 club uses the following for communication: GMRS channel 16 (462.575 MHz) with a DCS privacy code of 16, and HAM radio simplex frequency 147.520.
For additional general information refer to the Group's Handbook:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iuxOWpe93iPkEVpH1ZX_z30ATkhRB8oyHY1kU4dsQdQ/edit?usp=sharing