Four Peaks (Browns Peak) Trail

Page 2

Click on photograph to enlarge

Thanks to Carol Marshall for some of the photographs.

    On Sunday, October 22, 2006 a group of us hikers hiked one of the trails at Four Peaks.  Since none of us had ever hiked the area, we decided to chose the trail at the trailhead.  Not only was the hike a challenge, just getting to the trailhead was more so of a challenge.  After driving from the Dreamy Draw parking area, we proceeded to where the Four Peaks  road (FR 143) turned off the Beeline Hwy (SR 87) about 10 miles north of Shea Blvd.  We then left the pavement and drove to the trailhead on a mountainous one lane, rough dirt road for a total of 18 miles.  We also knew we would have to return on the same road.  During the trip up we did see many trucks and one car, broken down in the center of the roadway.  After clearing the car we continued up to the trailhead.  See map on page 1 for more information.  Another issue on this road can be motion sickness.

The hikers	The Regional Park information
The Trailhead	Off we go!
Picture View 1	Another view "1"

.    We arrived at the trailhead at about 9:15 in the morning.  Where we had tentatively planned to hike the Lone Pine loop trail, we opted for the Brown's Peak trail  As we started up the trail the elevation hit us.  The first few steps were difficult and we were breathing hard but that all changed very quickly and we knew we were all right.  While we hiked we could see that the scenery was breathtaking.  To make it even better, the weather was beautiful.

    After the first 20 minutes or so of hiking, we took our first break.  Not only could we see a wonderful view of Roosevelt lake, we could make out some of the areas of our other hikes, such as the Flat Iron, Camelback and Squawpeak.  It was also obvious that the fire a few years ago had taken it's toll but nature was recovering wonderfully. 

View up from "2"	Looking west from "2"
View from "3"	The trail from "3"
The terrain at "4"	Brown's Peak at the saddle

    When we arrived at the saddle below Brown's Peak we took a longer break.  During the break some of us continued up the trail towards the summit of Brown's Peak.  No one went all the way because of time and not wanting to climb up the steep section of trail which is almost vertical climbing.  We also went up the lower hill to the west of the saddle.

After lunch, we started down the trail that we had come up back toward the trailhead.  About 1/4 of a mile down the trail I saw something glint along side the trail.  When I picked it up, it was a large amethyst crystal.  This made the hike even more worth it in my opinion.  About the same time Carol spotted a desert tarantula spider which made it obvious that we shared the wilderness with other creatures.  We continued down the trail and arrived at the trailhead at about 1:45 in the afternoon and returned to Phoenix over the same route that we came up.

Here we are!	Ira and Andy
If you look close, you can see the Flat Iron	Amethyst Trail (Watch for Crystals)
We were not alone!	Amethyst crystal found along the trail

    This hike is one of the better hikes scenery wise that we have made and although only moderate in difficulty , could become very difficult just by ascending to the summit of Brown's Peak.  It does take time with the travel but is well worth every minute of it.

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Larry Wayt (gnhikn@cox.net)