Twelve hikers assembled at Dome Mountain Trailhead to hike to the summit of Hat Top Hill and the Blue Ridge crest in the Goldfield Mountains. The day was sunny and warm. The group proceeded north on Forest Road (FR) 10. We soon reached the intersection with FR 1356. The group followed FR 1356 north and then northeast.

We passed the remains of the old stone house and well. Soon after, we came over a small rise and spotted our objective.

Hat Top Hill is Tertiary rhyolite and is very prominent. We walked to the base of Hat Top where a stock tank is located. The group stayed on FR 1356 as it passed to the south of Hat Top.

We arrived at the intersection of Packsaddle Road and turned left for just a short distance. At this point we left the road and worked our way up a ravine to a small saddle east of Hat Top.

The hikers turned left and climbed southwest up to the peak.

The view from on top was spectacular! The group decided to take a break and have lunch. After we were rested we climbed down on the north side and stopped for pictures at the Palo Verde Arch.

Going southwest on FR 1356 we passed the old stone house and turned south on a trail.

After a short hike we turned right and hiked up to Blue Ridge.

About halfway along the crest we stopped for a rest and observed a bull snake crossing the trail.

Later we passed a rock formation that looked like a jack-o’-lantern.

We headed back down into the valley to the lot where our vehicles were parked. Bill’s GPS indicated that we had hiked 9.1 miles.

Photos by Bill Zimmermann.