| About Coronado National Forest |
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| Silver Peak Trail |
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Elevation Gain:
3,015 Feet
USGS Map:
Portal
Usage:
Moderate
Trail Number:
280
Ending Elevation:
7,975 Feet
Difficulty:
Most Difficult
Beginning Elevation:
4,960 Feet
Length:
4.6 Miles
Reservation:
No
Season:
Spring - Summer
From Tucson, Take I-10 east for 139 m, to US 80 (you will cross the New Mexico border). Turn right (south) and drive 28 miles. Turn right (west) on the road to Portal. Continue for 7 miles. From Portal drive west on Forest Road #42 for 1 mile to Cave Creek Visitor Information Center and trailhead.
Location Information
The Silver Peak Trail offers excellent views as soon as you pass the trailhead sign. This desert pathway is located in magnificent Cave creek Canyon and provides one of the best opportunities for getting a broad view of the canyon that has been called the Yosemite of the Southwest. This trail is located just a short distance upcanyon from the Cave Creek Visitor Information Center.It's a 3,000 foot climb to the summit of Silver Peak at 7,975 feet. The climb is anything but easy, but the panorama is unforgettable. From the higher reaches of the trail, you can see much of the eastern slopes of the Chiricahuas including the canyons that Cave Creek, the South Fork of Cave Creek, and East Turkey Creek have cut into the mountain range. To the east, the extensive grasslands of the San Simon Valley stretch to the Peloncillos and into New Mexico. At the summit you will see the remains of the Silver Peak Lookout which burned down in October 1992 as the result of a thunder and snow storm.
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