The road continues with a final few gradual switchbacks before cresting the ridge ….. The ridgeline is right above the tree line leaving little protection from the wind. My guess is that the wind blows pretty much non stop as the few trees that are around have that permanent lean.
Final turn-
We stop at the saddle right below the peak and walk out a short distance to a open knoll with full 360 deg views.
View starting south and panning north ….
Pics or it didn’t happen-
We remount and continue up the road to the lookout cutoff…
We contemplate making the run to the top, but with hazy conditions and the lookout still manned, we decide to forego the summit for another trip. I visited this lookout a couple of years back on a crystal clear day and the views are amazing! …. Pinyon is one of those “have to do at least once per year” rides.
Pics from my previous visit ….
That day I was stop just before the saddle ….
We are still about 20 miles out from our reconnection to Hwy 21, so we push on. The Pinyon Peak Loop Road runs along the ridgeline for approx. 7-8 miles before dropping into the Beaver Creek drainage.
Shelf road-
Kidney Lake-
To be continued ….