Our original plans to hike in the Sedona area had to be postponed because we could not reserve a camp space anywhere in the region and didn't want to chance having to find one available in the dark (Sedona gets crowded when the weather warms - we should have known better). So, last minute, we looked a bit to the east and saw Mormon Mountain and Mormon Lake on the maps - both seemingly attractive points of interest, and chock full of available camping. Mormon Lake has the distinction of being one of very few natural lakes in Arizona (it might be the only true lake of any size, I am not sure). All bodies of water in Arizona are the results of dams, or they are so tiny so as not to be considered real lakes in the usual sense. Then again, being Arizona and being in a prolonged drought, we weren't sure if we'd arrive to find Mormon Lake or its alter-ego, Mormon Mudflats. We'd have to be surprised, I guess. We, of course, were eyeballing Mormon Mountain as a nice dayhike. The peak is just to the northwest of the lake and rises a good 1,200 feet above the surrounding terrain. Surprisingly, precious little information about this peak and its trails exist anywhere on the web or in print. All we had to go on was a vague description from the Forest Service's website and our topographical maps from 1974 that show the roads but not any trails.

We left Chandler Saturady the 6th and made the nice drive into the high country just south of Flagstaff. Summer is knocking on the door in Phoenix - high 90s but as yet, no 100s (that'll change too soon, I'm sure). But in the high country, temperatures were in the 60s and 70s, it was crystal clear and stupendously refreshing. Some high clouds and some puffy types hung in the air, from a weak front that moved through the day before. Our goal was the Dairy Springs Campground. From Interstate-17 we took the Munds Park exit (#322) and went east along Coconino National Forest Road 240 about 10-12 miles to paved FR-90, which skirts Mormon Lake on its west. The mileages on the signs might be a bit off, but the junctions were well signed and the roads in good shape. It's heavily forested here and we didn't have any views along the drive except for a couple of nice meadows. Once on FR-90, we drove north about a mile to the Dairy Springs Campground road on our left, and went in to find out site. The campground holds about 20 spaces spread out among tall pines and open undergrowth; some cabins and some group camping areas are also in the area. Mormon Lake is about a 1/2-mile walk to the east - when it's filled to its brim. The drought has reduced its size, but recent rains helped out somewhat and we found it to be wetter than expected. It was about 4 p.m. when we showed up, and we spent the rest of the day relaxing around camp, building a big fire, and doing some easy exploratory hikes. I took some time to find the trailhead, which is easy to find (when driving into the campground, go left at a fork for the trailhead, right to the campground. It's all very well signed). From our campspot the trailhead was about 300 feet distant; you can leave your car at the campspace and walk to the trailhead easy enough.

The next morning we got our stuff in order and showed up at the trailhead, the only people there. I signed into the register - only about a dozen parties had been here since last fall, averaging out to about a group every 2-3 weeks. I'm sure this is partly due to the lack of information about the region in general and this hike in particular. Interestingly, a lot of the people who had signed out after their hikes lamented the lack of views from the top. A lot of the entries were not complimentary. So in we went, not expecting great views, presumably. We followed a very well-maintained trail - the Mormon Mountain Trail - into the woods, where it quickly started a steady ascent up a prominent southeasterly ridge. Early on it crosses the Arizona Trail. For those so inclined, Flagstaff is a mere 28 miles of hiking that-a-way along the Arizona Trail. We stayed straight. The views were minimal but in places we could see the hulk of the forested mountain, and looking the other way we had some broken views of Mormon Lake and environs. Not too bad. We weren't in super-dense forest - the undergrowth is light and we passed through some small meadows and bare slopes. The gradient up was steady, but never too steep. It pretty much makes one long sweep up the ridge along Mormon Mountain's south flanks. After about 2 miles we'd gained about 1,000 feet at which point the slope moderated. The next mile we gained about 300 feet, with some long flat bits. Finally, the trail surmounts a small rise and drops into a large meadow. A sign pointing the other way mentioned Dairy Springs as being 3 miles distant. Although the trail was not shown on the map, the roads are and I GPS'd our position, which matched up well with the map - but even so we made a minor error of navigation. The trail lets out on to a scant road in the meadow, and I assumed we had to go right, which we did, but after about a quarter-mile of following the road, it was descending too much and putting us way too south of where we needed to be. So we backtracked to the meadow, then barreled north through some open slopes where we caught the 'real' forest road. The signage in the meadow does not suggest which way to proceed - in fact, I wonder if many of those who lamented the lack of views got just this far and called it quits? For the record, from where the trail 'ends' in the meadow, follow the road left, then left again where you'll see its junction with the main forest road.

So now we were on the main road. A work truck rumbled by, and we hiked northeasterly toward some radio towers. Not too long afterwards the road drops about 30 feet near 'Mormon Mountain Tank' as shown on the map. To the left of the road are two buildings, one green and the other brown, set further back. We followed some simple access roads behind these buildings and walked up the easy slope to top out on the summit - a very unobvious point marked on the map with a tiny 8,500-foot contour. In fact, the 'summit' region of Mormon Mountain is pretty big and features a number of small hills and rises, some up to 8,480+ feet. A spot elevation of 8,456 feet is shown on the map near where the two buildings sit - and this is sometimes reported as the mountain's elevation. Another spot elevation of 8,449 feet, taken where the road eventually ends, is cited as the peak's elevation at the trailhead. Nothing mentions the 8,500-foot hilltop, and without a map, the true summit is absolutely unobvious and unremarkable - at first glance.

When we got to the top, I still had my doubts, so I broke open the map and GPS and laid it all out on the ground. I let the GPS settle and very carefully matched up the readings with the map. Everything matched up, but I double checked just to be sure. The top is wooded, and a triangular sign marked M-32 sits near the top. Meanwhile, Beth walked a few feet further to an opening in the trees and told me to 'come here, check out the view'. The view is a nearly unobstructed view of the entire San Francisco Peaks - including Humphreys Peak, Arizona's highest point. The range stood grandly to our northwest, about 35 miles away. Between us and the peak was an endless scape of thick forest. To the left of Humphreys stood Kendrick Peak, Sitgreaves Peak and farther on, Bill Williams Mountain. We stayed here a bit and had our snack and drink breaks. What a wonderful surprise! We were not expecting any views (per the comments in the register back at the trailhead), but we had one of the best we've ever seen! Amazing. We signed in the register at the top, placed there in summer 2005. Only three parties had signed in before - and I knew all three!

Our hike back went quick and we were back to our car by about 3:30 p.m., a total round trip of about 7 miles and a gross elevation gain of 1,400 feet. I looked up Mormon Mountain's prominence and saw that it comes in way back at #314 (tied with five other peaks), with just over 1,100 feet of prominence. In terms of pleasurableness (a word?) and views, it's a hidden jewel. I still am surprised at the overall lack of information about this peak. I suspect the following: No trail is shown on any maps ... the hike isn't mentioned in any guide books ... the signage at the top could be better ... the true summit is not obvious without a good topo map ... the towers make for an 'unsexy' top. Mix that all up and no wonder no one goes there and those who do, complain about the lack of views. By the way - the top can be accessed by Forest Roads for those pinched for time.