Browns Peak/Four Peaks Additions and Corrections

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Steven Cross

Steven Cross - Nov 6, 2003 1:18 am - Hasn't voted

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Yes I was wrong about saying it is 102, but it also is not the 101, its the 202. But thanks for pointing that out.

Jeff12633

Jeff12633 - Nov 4, 2003 9:34 pm - Hasn't voted

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It is actually about a 20 mile drive from Highway 88 to the trailhead, almost entirely on a very rough dirt road. While ordinary passenger cars freuently make the drive, it's a bone-jarring 1-2 hour ride best made in a high clearance vehicle.

Jeff12633

Jeff12633 - Nov 4, 2003 9:37 pm - Hasn't voted

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The highwat to take from the East Valley area is the 101, not the 102. Country Club Drive turns into 87, the Beeline Expressway. Four Peaks Road is now well marked, and leaves the highway on the right just before 87 climbs a hill through a granite boulder field.

Steven Cross

Steven Cross - Nov 6, 2003 1:18 am - Hasn't voted

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Yes I was wrong about saying it is 102, but it also is not the 101, its the 202. But thanks for pointing that out.

Jeff12633

Jeff12633 - Dec 28, 2004 6:03 pm - Hasn't voted

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It's not recommended that you plan to hike Four Peaks in Summer unless you can afford significant time waiting for good weather. From early July to mid- or late September (Monsoon season) there can be severe thunderstorms locked over the peaks every day, and showers and downpours that will turn the long dirt/rock road into slick-as-ice mud. There are periods during monsoon season that are dry and would be safe to hike, but if the dewpoint is anywhere above 45-50 degrees, don't risk a trip to Four Peaks!

marauders - Jun 4, 2005 10:52 pm - Hasn't voted

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I've been dying to get out in the mountains for the last two months, and I finally had a day off. I went out to Four Peaks early this morning (June 4, 2005) and the access roads were closed for "extreme fire danger." I talked with the Forest Service and they said that due to excess vegetation from the heavy rains this year, the entire wilderness area could easily be closed until Thanksgiving. Just make sure and check with the Forest Service before you make the trek out there! Best of luck.

Jeff12633

Jeff12633 - Dec 30, 2006 7:11 am - Hasn't voted

Conditions

Four Peaks is often inaccessible in Winter, but also sometimes in Summer because of fires or fire risk. For weather, accessibility, and trail conditions, it's probably best to call the Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin Ranger District at (928) 467-3200. Or check out the Tonto National Forest web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/home.shtml.

asadalam - Mar 9, 2015 2:58 pm - Hasn't voted

Road Conditions

There is more than enough information on this post, as well as others online, about the trail itself and directions on how to get there. I will be concentrating on the road you need to take to get to the trailhead. The road is pure hell. Once you turn off from 87 the road seems to be okay for about 1/2 mile to a mile, this give you the impression that huh, maybe it's not so bad. Wrong! After the initial stretch it gets progressively worse. When people say that you need a high clearance vehicle, what they really should say is that unless you have an ATV or a truck with 3-6 inch lift with off-road suspension, most like you will be going 5-10 miles an hour tops. This is due to the fact that you have to keep on dodging the big rocks protruding from the road, sometimes 12 inch or higher off the surface. You will also need to keep on switching the side of the road you are driving because of constant maneuvering between rocks, dips and humps in the road, and other obstacles. We took our minivan, the vehicle with higher clearance of the two we have, and we ended up scratching the side of the van (it can be buffed out but still), scraped the bottom of the front bumper pretty badly, the bumper came off it’s clips in a couple of different places, and scrapped the bottom of the van a couple of time. Also keep an eye out for wildlife if you are really early in the morning, like we did, we were in the area by 5:45 a.m and it was still dark, we almost ran over two bucks. All said, the hike is very enjoyable and is well worth the travel , make sure to come early in the day.

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