Access is via PRIVATE land and may be CLOSED!MORE INFO >>>
The access for Mendoza Canyon is via the good graces of the owner of the King Anvil Ranch you pass through to get to the canyon.
Update from Jeff Mayhew: 3-20-10
Mendoza Canyon access will still be open through King's Anvil Ranch from September 1 through March 1, as usual. The ranch owner, John King, is considering allowing foot access again at the original parking area, (see Approach Map,) from Sept. 1 through Dec. 1. After that he may re-post the No Trespassing sign, but may still allow foot access through the alternate parking area at the north end of the canyon's mouth, (see map.) Legally set traps are throughout the area so the suggestion is to leave the dogs at home. Regardless of this information, please obey all posted signs in the area. Access is still hanging by a thread!
After talking to Game and Fish, State Land Dept., and BLM it is clear that Mr. King has every right to block access at any time... and he is ready to at the drop of a hat. Fortunately, there are only about 15 of us that even go out there, so we mainly have to worry about the random rabble-rousers, (now there's a good name for a climb!)
Thanks for all the support and feel free to contact me. Jeff Mayhew (user JMayhew on this site)
Update from Jeff Mayhew 10-18-10
As of 10/2010 the access along the dirt road leading from the "original parking" at the small corral (see approach map) is still signed "No Trespassing." Please respect that!
The "alternate parking" shown on the map still allows foot access along an old, faint road. This eventually connects to the main dirt road before the pond, but Mr. King had said last spring that access was permitted at that point, as long as people respected the private property. Be sure to remember that fork--it can be tricky to see when you're hiking out tired... and possibly in the dark!
There is still an old, hand written note in the sign-in box stating access to Mendoza is closed. This was in there before Mr. King gave "us" permission to access via this alternate roadway.
Update from Charles Vernon (12.6.10): We ran into John King's daughter herding cows yesterday, on the way into the canyon. She was very nice, and we talked to her for a little while. She believes that the missing traps that led to loss of access last year were a result of hikers (climbers? hunters?) whose dogs got caught in the traps, leading to the dog owners taking or destroying the traps to free their dogs.
Regardless of what exactly happened, she made it clear that dogs are not welcome. It sounds as though just heading out there with dogs, without more, could be enough to cause them to rethink access. So please, do not bring dogs to Mendoza!
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
Upper Mendoza, the Potato and the Bullet. Jeff May...
Description
The Bullet is the right of two large domes on the upper left skyline of Mendoza, with the left-hand dome being the Potato. From lowest point to summit it is about 900', yielding what may be the longest climbs in Mendoza. The rock on the north face is high-quality and seemed consistently better than the lower, more popular domes. There are at least 3 established routes, ranging from 5.9 to 5.11. Collectively, these routes have probably seen less than a dozen ascents. The Bullet offers much more shade than the more popular climbs lower in the canyon and hence can be comfortably climbed much earlier in the fall. Conversely, it might be a bit chilly in Dec.-Feb. which are often thought of as prime Mendoza season.
Getting There
The approach is not as bad as you think. Approach as for Table Dome, but where the drainage forks just before that cliff, take the left branch. Very nice hiking (surprisingly little nasty vegetation) leads to a large slabby open area; here take a smaller drainage, marked by a cairn that leads up to the base of the Bullet (note that another route, also marked by cairns, continues up the main drainage to the White Walls). This last bit is pretty brushy in places but hardly heinous. Thanks to Jeff Mayhew, the entire route is well-marked with cairns.
Took us about 2 and a half hours at a moderate pace. I thought it was easier and shorter than the approaches to Table Mt. and Leviathan Dome.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Bullet :
Lock and Load 5.11- Trad, 8 pitches, 900 feet, Grade IV
Lock and Load is a great adventure route that climbs the longest aspect of the Bullet. The first 5 or 6 pitches are excellent; the last few pitches are not as good, but worth doing to attain an awesome summit that few visit. This route is 3 stars on a "Southern Arizona Backcountry" scale, rather than a "Sierra Nevada" scale.Jeff Mayhew and Chuck Lipinski first tried the route in 1986, completing the first 3 pitches but using aid on the intricate 3rd pitch. Jeff came back with Jason Wor...[more]Browse More Classics in AZ
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