Weather: 73ยบ, sunny; became mostly cloudy in the afternoon
About this Hike: Since learning of the Mt. Peeley Trailhead late last year I've been intrigued by this hike. It has been on my mind all winter, and today was the perfect day to pull the trigger on it.
Beeline Highway (AZ-87) can be a parking lot on weekends as folks escape the heat of the Valley. It must not be high season yet, as this March weekend it was not busy at all. At the turnoff for Mt. Ord, instead of going right, I turned left. This paved road is listed as FR-626, FR-627, and Sycamore Canyon Road. Whatever you prefer to call it, FR-201 intersects about a mile later and then the pavement disappears.
FR-201 is narrow and steep in places with some blind corners. It's mostly hard-packed dirt. Thankfully I didn't have too many meet ups with oncoming vehicles. There are wider portions and pull offs, but there are a lot of narrow, shelf portions as well. The road offers good sightlines so you can watch for evidence of oncoming traffic, clouds of dust, etc. About 10 miles of this fun, and I was at the Mt. Peeley Trailhead.
I followed the Mazatzal Divide trail until reaching the spur to the Mt. Peeley summit. There is a large cairn marking the spur trail, but beyond that it can be hard to follow. Hiking GPS is a must. I used a pre-mapped route from All Trails App. There are other cairns marking the path to the summit, but it appears many people have done this a few different ways. There isn't always a clearly blazed trail in front of you, and I ended up off trail quite a few times. I was always able to recalibrate, and after about 30 minutes I reached the summit.
Peeley summit has some wonderful views. You clearly see the defined edge of the Mogollon Rim to the north. Superstition and Weavers Needle poke up to the southeast out of the smog cloud of the Phoenix Valley. Of course Four Peaks is ever visible, and there was even snow on its northern flanks. Horseshoe Reservoir is visible to the west along with the 'golf ball' weather station on Humboldt Peak. You'll likely have cell reception thanks to the clear sightlines of towers atop Mt. Ord directly to the east.
There's an ammo box with a logbook at the Peeley summit. I meant to bring a pen and forgot; thankfully pencils were provided in the ammo box. I was able to sign the logbook and have lunch at the Peeley summit. While large vegetation is sparse, there is crumbly Sedona-esque red rock all around. I noted very soft, loose soil on the hike up, so erosion is a real possibility in this ecosystem. There is also a surveying stamp to look for; it dates back to 1924.
The trip down from Peeley summit was easier than going up. I don't know if I just had a better visual of the trail or what, but I didn't get off trail quite as much as I did on the ascent. I rejoined Mazatzal Divide / AZ Trail for about 2.5 more miles. The forest in this area is still relatively healthy and it's interesting to note the transitions from ponderosa pine and other cold-weather evergreens to juniper and pinyon pine and then back again. Mazatzal Peak is always looking over you in the distance, and there's views of lush forest below deep in Deer Creek Canyon. I met two friendly ladies who were backpacking their way along the Arizona Trail, having started at the Mexico border. Otherwise I didn't see a lot of people or wildlife on this beautiful and well-maintained trail.
Even though I did this as an out-and-back, the light was quite different on the return trip. There were still patches of snow in places, and I noted a trickling creek that I completely blew past on the ascent. Sometimes the return hike feels like a completely different place...
There's a lot to explore in the Mazatzal Wilderness. I've only just begun experiencing this part of our beautiful state.
