W7A/PE-088 – Safford Peak

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After making some coffee, Kel and I left our accommodations in Iron Horse and headed out to Saguaro National Park West to hike Safford Peak. This is also qualifies for POTA US-0060. We started at a popular trailhead at the end of North Scenic Drive, slathered on some sunscreen and got on our way. The trail is well defined and starts gaining elevation quickly, weaving through the beautiful landscape of the Sonoran Desert. The trail eventually becomes a class 2 scramble to reach the summit. At the top is a register and plenty of options to plant a mast. Using a KH1 transceiver with the internal whip on 17M resulted in plenty of QSOs. I added a loading coil and picked up a few more on 40M. Tried 2M FM but didn’t have any takers. The hike down was the reverse of the accent, however, looking at a map post hike shows there could be an opportunity for a small loop through Sanctuary Cove? Overall, beautiful area, nice hike, great day to be out in the mountains. I’d do this one again.

https://sotl.as/summits/W7A/PE-088

Total distance: 3.73 mi
Total climbing: 1600 ft
Download file: Safford.gpx

Date:06/02/2026 |  Summit:W7A/PE-088 (Safford Peak)

TimeCallsignBandModeDistance (km)Notes
18:02NI0CK18MHzCWS599 R599
18:04WF4I18MHzCWS44N R33N
18:04WB6POT18MHzCWS57N R55N
18:05W0MNA18MHzCWS599 R599
18:07KX0R18MHzCW981S2S W0C/SR-054 S55N R51N
18:07W0ERI18MHzCWS599 R599
18:09KT0A18MHzCW1432S2S W0D/BB-037 S52N R53N
18:10KN6OMN18MHzCWS52N R55N
18:10WW7D18MHzCWS55N R47N
18:12K6EL18MHzCW1190S2S W6/NC-423 S52N R53N
18:12AK5SD18MHzCWS57N R51N
18:13K6YK18MHzCWS599 R55N
18:14W0ODS18MHzCWS55N R56N
18:15WU7H18MHzCWS55N R54N
18:15N4TU18MHzCWS55N R42N
18:16W1UL18MHzCWS32N R22N
18:28N1CLC7MHzCWS599 R57N
18:31KN6EZE7MHzCWS33N R33N
18:33KR7RK7MHzCWS55N R52N
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