Foshay Pass route

Overview

Alternate route to Fountain Peak from Foshay Pass.  The vast majority of this route is class 2. The biggest difficulty is all the cactus, cholla, yucca, etc. you will encounter along the way. Often while you are negotiating steep terrain covered with loose rock or sand. However, this route is not as cactus-infested as the route up Edgar Peak from the Mitchell Caverns visitor center.

The most "technically difficult" bit you can't avoid is the final scramble up to the summit. There are a few moves I'd say are easy class 3. Others would say they're only high class 2. Either way, I'm a poor scrambler and I made it up with no trouble.

Getting There

The starting/ending point is at Foshay Pass, on a dirt road that passes through the Providence Mountains.

The road going over Foshay pass parallels a major powerline and a gas pipeline. So it is maintained. It's easier to reach the pass from Essex Road to the east, than from the west.

There isn't a lot of space at Foshay Pass itself. Enough to park without blocking the road. But I wouldn't recommend camping there. Nearby primitive camp sites can be found a few miles down the road to the east. Or to the west near Vulcan Mine. 

Route Description

From Foshay Pass, start hiking up the ridge as per the GPX. 

That GPS track was recorded during my descent. And is smoother than my ascent route. There is one bobble just above Foshay Pass. I was hiking by headlamp for the last 20 minutes. So I was watching my step more than the GPS and got a little off course for just a few minutes.

Though I've provided a GPS track, I'd recommend this route only for people experienced in route-finding (and bushwhacking!). The ridge is relatively easy at times, but sometimes the crest is rocky and you'll almost certainly want to bypass stretches of it as I did. I made my choices about which way to go, but you might get up there and decide there's a better way to go in places. Use your own judgment!

Essential Gear

Trekking poles are recommended.