Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

Hiking

February 26 - Ward Canyon In The Peloncillos 

Meet: Portal and Foothills Roads (Trash Corner) at 9:00 am

Carol Simon  (520) 558-2433  casimon1947@icloud.com

Elaine Moisan (520) 558-5204 emoisan2011@hotmail.com

Elly Van Gelderen (520) 558-3715 or  ellyvangelderen@asu.edu 

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Hike report Ward Canyon, Feb. 19, 2026:

   

It was a cool, windy day in mid-February and surprisingly 12 hikers showed up for a hike in Ward Canyon.  During the winter the hiking group has a number of low elevation hike locations, many in the Peloncillo Mountains.  Ward Canyon is a few miles north of I 10 and is mostly within a BLM Wilderness area.  A bumpy ranch road leads to an old corral, and we hike up a dry wash that the road crosses. 

 

 

The bottom of Ward Canyon is like so many local drainages:  a mixture of sandy stretches and rounded cobbles.  Spring plants were starting to grow after the rains in January.  Western Wallflowers (Erysimum capitatum) were already blooming but poppies and lupines were still just rosettes.  We have hope for the abundant prickly pear cactus to bloom this spring as the pads looked thick with water.  

After about a mile the canyon narrows and we entered a section on bedrock with huge boulders and a little flowing water.  

 

Most of the group explored a short side drainage that dead-ended in a narrow bedrock hole – a classic box canyon.  Trapped like rats we had to go back the way we came.  On the way back to the vehicles in the afternoon, we all looked down into this same spot and got a different perspective of this very interesting geologic feature.

  

Past this side drainage the bedrock narrows more and hikers had to scramble up a couple short, difficult spots. Fortunately the rock is welded tuff and it gives excellent traction.

The remains of what appears to be the foundation of an old house were visited by some; others were deterred by the thick brush.  The house was probably built there because of a nearby spring.  We speculated that the Canyon was named after the people who built and lived at this now deserted location.  Finally the Canyon opened up and we hiked on gravel another ½ mile to our lunch spot at a well and water tank.

 

The BLM had to make compromises to get many Wilderness Areas established.  In this case, an existing road with a water development was “cherry stemmed” within the boundary.  A long narrow area on both sides of the development was left out of the wilderness, allowing the rancher access while land on all sides was protected from further development.  After lunch we walked this jeep road back to our vehicles.  The road, high above the Canyon bottom, allowed us more of a wide, scenic view of the area (as well as a faster, easier hike back).  

  

Next week we have selected another low elevation hike.  This one will be in Horseshoe Canyon, a few miles south of Portal in the Chiricahua Mountains.  We will hike up a side canyon to a large dam, now filled to the top with rock and gravel from decades of erosion.  Meet at the Rodeo Post Office at 9 AM on Feb 26.  Most of the route is canyon bottom gravel or cobble.  Bring lunch, water, hat and clothing appropriate for February.  We hope the route will keep us out of the strongest wind gusts but one never knows for sure.

Report by Al, photos from Carol & Elaine