Hiking Hualapai Mountain

Oatman to Kingman, AZ | Hiking Hualapai Mountain | January 2026

After our days spent around Oatman, we drove Route 66 East through town and through the Sitgreaves Pass. The road was incredibly scenic — again giving Grand Canyon vibes — with lots of tight turns and narrow roads. We eventually made it to the other side, then drove through Kingman to our next destination: some BLM land on the East side of town, along the road heading up to Hualapai Mountain Park. We found a nice dispersed spot right off the road, with a good view of the mountain range — which was currently partially obscured by clouds, and we could tell that the top had some snow pack. After we got settled in, Curtis set out for a hike to a nearby, insignificant summit.

My time alone at the van was quiet, but after Curtis returned, things got a bit more exciting. Some local guy had apparently been driving around on a flat tire for a while and decided to pull into our campsite and park right next to the van. Our doors were closed and window covers up, so he likely didn’t know we were there, but he called in for the assistance of some friends. They arrived, along with two dogs, and for the next few minutes we listened to the sound of them swearing at each other and their dogs, and struggling to find a jack to change the tire. When Curtis heard one of them start to call for more help, he jumped out and offered a hand, not wanting more yelling cursing men to descend upon our once quiet campsite. They were able to find a solution, and finally all the guys left and we were on our own once again. Honestly if Curtis wasn’t there, I definitely would have either stayed hidden in the van or just left (though I struggle to find a reason why I’d ever be here without him).

The next day was the day that Curtis planned to hike to the summit of Hualapai Mountain. There were still clouds obscuring the peak, but we didn’t want to stay around this area any longer than we had to. We drove up to the mountain park, paid the $12 day fee, then drove to the trailhead. If the conditions were different, maybe not so cloudy, and without the potential of snow or ice on the trail, I would have been more interested in hiking here, but I thought Curtis’ chances of making it to the peak were better without me, so I stayed behind and let him have this one.

Curtis: Hualapai is a big peak, fitting into lots of lists: highest point in Mojave County, highest BLM land in Arizona, range high points. And of course, it was prominent. In fact the most prominent peak of the Winter!

On any other peak, the weather would have turned me around. The possibility of snow and ice, climbing in a cloud, and scrambling would have been too much. But fortunately for me there is an established trail almost all the way to the top, and I had good beta from our Tucson friends on the best way to get to the very top. I had to give it a chance.

We drove through the park to the end of the road and trailhead where I started on the Potato Patch Trail going in a clockwise direction. There was the occasional patch of snow or ice, but never enough to put on crampons (which I had actually remembered to bring). The biggest obstacle ended up being deadfall from a recent fire.

When I started out, the clouds were still distant, and I was hopeful that I would be fast enough to get up before they engulfed the high peaks. But as soon as I rounded a corner and got my first glimpse of where Hualapai should be, I knew that option was out. The clouds were here, and they were here to stay.

At the end of the Potato Patch Loop, I followed a fire road which degraded slowly into the old access road for the now gone firetower at the top of Hualapai. The road was steep but steady and easy to follow. If I had to navigate without it, I would have been easily lost in the trees, so I was thankful. Near the top, the road abruptly ended at the base of the summit boulders. I was solidly in the clouds here and had no views. Supposedly there’s a rock climbers path up through the rocks, but Mitch and Alex had given me pictures to show a much safer route to the top.

I’m certain the peak has amazing views, but today it was cold wet and completely covered in clouds, but fortunately no ice. After signing the summit register and texting Jess to let her know I was alive, I descended the way I came back to the Potato Patch loop. I continued to follow that trail in a clockwise direction passing through a well established Scout Camp with an almost absurd number of signs giving evacuation instructions in the case of fires.

I briefly considered climbing one of the nearby minor peaks, just in case they would have a view, but couldn’t be bothered and instead descended quickly back to Jess and the van.