Twin Sisters Via Arrastra (Again)
April 16, 2024
I've been obsessed with Twin Sisters ever since moving to Silver City. I never thought I'd hike to the top. I certainly never thought I'd do it three times! But with a hardy crew from Gila Hikers — Debra, Janett, Ken, Alan and Dennis — the miles passed quickly, and we made it easily to the summit.
![prescribed burn in the distance](https://www.desertlavender.com/new-mexico/gila-wilderness/twin-sisters/P1002285.webp)
A prescribed burn near Fort Bayard was visible from the top of the ridge.
It's tough to get a good photo of the ridge. The gleaming white tuff wants to turn everything else black! But here's a pano, with Alan at the far right of the photo.
![Alan on the far end of the ridge with the city below](https://www.desertlavender.com/new-mexico/gila-wilderness/twin-sisters/P1002292.webp)
Alan on the far side of the cleavage, with a great view of Silver City from above.
![Debra on the ridge](https://www.desertlavender.com/new-mexico/gila-wilderness/twin-sisters/P1002293.webp)
Debra was concerned about the difficulty of the hike, but she did great, and looks like she's glad she came!
![distant view of Mount Graham in snow](https://www.desertlavender.com/new-mexico/gila-wilderness/twin-sisters/P1002295.jpg)
Far in the distance we could see Mount Graham, still covered in snow, with the striking silhouette of Steeple Rock in the foreground.
![](https://www.desertlavender.com/new-mexico/gila-wilderness/twin-sisters/P1002302.webp)
We clocked this hike at 9.6 miles, with a 1500' elevation gain. Sadly, although it's my preferred route, I won't be hiking this trail again. In just two years since the last time we hiked it, ATVs have torn the living $h1t out of what was a mellow old forest road that was mostly covered in tall grass. This is happening all over the Gila, and it needs to stop.