On Christmas Eve I hiked to the summit of Sala Benchmark, a peak in the Southern Dragoon Mountains of Arizona. Sala Benchmark has 1264 feet of topographic prominence and rises to the east above Cochise Stronghold.

Several of people had visited it before me and had published helpful trip reports. This was to be a short hike, mostly on an unmaintained trail. I expected few surprises.

I took a relaxed approach to the hike, stopping on the drive in for several photographs of the southern Dragoons. The roads were in good shape and I found a good parking spot at Middlemarch Pass.

I started west up a steep open slope to reach the southeast ridge above me. After climbing northwest on this ridge through grass and over loose rocks I soon found the unmaintained trail. It was much easier following this trail higher.

At a subsidiary point I finally saw the Sala Benchmark highpoint ahead. Here I also found an attractive yucca plant and paused for several minutes to photograph it from several angles, hoping to identify it later.

From there I continued higher on the trail through a short forested area and then on to the summit.

The summit was marked by a pile of rocks a few feet from the SALA BENCHMARK. I found two summit registries in glass jars. The paper in the older jar was brittle and fused together. I did not attempt to pull the pages apart. The newer registry was in very good shape and I enjoyed reading the entries in it before adding my own.

I had an early lunch, then took photos of the many familiar mountain ranges around me. I identified several peaks in the Dragoons I had not yet visited. The weather was ideal.

I followed the summit ridge through forest to the north to be sure I had tagged all candidate high points. The views to the north were better from there.

I returned to the summit, then packed up and descended the trail back down the ridge. Once above Middlemarch Pass I left the trail on the ridge and descended the steep slope to my Jeep.

On the drive out I paused to identify the starting point for a nearby peak I plan to visit this winter. I also detoured through Sonoita on my way home to find the trailhead of another peak to visit in the Whetstone Mountains. It had been a relaxed, solitary, and rewarding day of hiking in the Dragoons.