Monday, December 23, 2024

O'Leary Peak

Weather:  55ยบ, sun

About this Hike:  I've wanted to check out O'Leary Peak near Flagstaff for a while now. Seems like every time I start planning it, something ends up railroading my plans. 

Today was a completely spur-of-the-moment trip. My truck needed dealer service, so I decided to take it to the Toyota dealer in Flagstaff. I learned this morning that I could rent a Toyota from the dealer while my truck was in for service (I remember a time when service loaners were complimentary!). I took my truck in early, rented a Corolla, and then drove up to O'Leary Peak Trailhead. 

In late December I would expect Flagstaff and its higher elevations to be buried in snow. But this year it is in the 50s and sunny. Even the San Francisco Peaks had but small patches of snow on them. While not good for Arizona's water supply and fire risk, I opted to take advantage of the unseasonable temps. 

O'Leary Peak Trailhead is right before the Sunset Crater National Monument. The trail to the peak is a road that rangers use to access the fire lookout at the summit. It's a decent road composed of colorful volcanic cinders. It only gets rutted and steep at the very end. That said, don't plan on driving it. Far as I know, the gate stays closed and is only opened when a ranger passes through enroute to the tower. 

I've read this is a boring hike due to it following a road. I would have to beg to differ. The hike starts out with amazing views of an old lava flow. If you don't feel like paying for Sunset Crater entrance, this is a great way to enjoy some similar scenery for free. The ancient lava is contrasted by ponderosa pine and aspens. About two miles up lookout for an old mine shaft. I wish I would've taken some time to poke my head in, but those old shafts always make me nervous. They seem like ready-made mountain lion dens.

Ascending the road, the views into the geological features that make up Sunset Crater become more apparent. Ancient volcanic mountains with crater-like depressions in the middle become ever more visible. The San Francisco Peaks are visible to the southwest, while Grand Canyon may be visible to the northwest. 

There is a large fire lookout at the summit along with some nice rocks for seating areas. The shutters were rolled down on the tower, but the staircase was open. I opted not to climb it. I have extreme fear of heights, and as neat of an experience as going up those towers is, the see-thru metal grate stairs freak me out. 

I signed the log book and enjoyed the views from the summit for a bit to get rested up. I had conquered five miles and 2K feet of elevation gain to summit O'Leary is just over an hour. I was paying by the hour on that rental car and so time was of the essence. 

The trip down took about the same amount of time. I found it a lot less punishing on my feet than the typical rough, rocky trail descent can be. Chalk it up to that relatively smooth cinder/gravel road. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this hike and was so happy to finally check this one off the list. 

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