I was on the second day of a quick run to bag a few local prominence peaks nearby Phoenix. Yesterday I had hiked up Pine Mountain, then made my way toward Payson via Camp Verde. I stayed at the Houston Mesa campground in Payson. I awoke and started today with a nice fire to ward off the chill, and by 8 a.m. the sun was high enough to warm up the temperatures to a comfortable level. I got rolling, and made a stop in town for grub, and another along AZ-87 (the Beeline Highway) for some photographs. It wasn't far to the Mount Ord area, maybe 30 miles. I arrived at the pass separating Gila and Maricopa Counties, and turned onto the Mount Ord Road. The towers of the summit were visible not too far away.

Mount Ord is one of three highly prominent peaks in the Mazatzal Range. Both Mazatzal Peak and Browns Peak have a good 500-800 feet on Ord, but Ord's profile is still quite impressive, given its dramatic rise over its immediate terrain. I've seen Mount Ord countless times, driving up or down the Beeline. I've even been on the road before, although in rainy weather when hiking and driving were not advised. I've always wanted to make a hike of the peak, but it wasn't on my short to-do list. I figured it was close enough I could get it any time without too much difficulty. This weekend turned out to be a good time, as the weather was just incredible.

I didn't want to drive all the way up so I drove in maybe 3 miles (a guess) and up along some ridges, looking for a wooded, secluded place to park my truck. I came upon a junction with Tonto Forest Road 1688, near a stock tank. This road was pretty scant, but I backed into it about 50 feet and it offered me a good, reasonably well-hidden place to park the truck. Not that car thieves are everywhere up here, but the road is traveled a lot and I prefer to park away from the road if possible. Across the road from me was a couple, camping with their teenage son. They greeted me in broken English, and we had a short chat - as best we could. I couldn't place where they came from, but I would guess Turkey or somewhere like that. I asked if they'd hiked to the summit and the father answered "Yes, the summit." I was curious if Road 1688 offered a way to the top. So I asked again, this time rephrasing my question by asking how long it took for them to hike to the towers. His reply: "Yes, yes, the towers." He obviously wasn't picking up on the nuances of my questions but I did get an answer nevertheless - avoid Road 1688. I played it safe and chose to hike the remainder of Mount Ord Road.

I started hiking about 9:30 a.m., in wonderful conditions - clear, bone dry, cool and a slight breeze. The scenery was already amazing, with views of the northern Mazatzal Mountains including Mazatzal itself, and the steep-sloped Mount Peeley across the highway. I hiked up the road, heading generally east, not knowing how far I had to hike, as the road was not shown on the topographic map. I gained a few hundred feet, then lost them all as the road dipped. About a mile from my truck the road met up with another road, this one coming up from much lower, near Ord Mine. Here, the roads merged and the single route now swung south. The road contoured in and out with the lay of the land, and it was pitched gently enough so that I could make good time. I took my first break at a sharp bend near a cattle grate. I GPS'd my position, and figured to this point I had covered about twoi miles and 1,000 feet of gain in maybe an hour and a half. Just around the bend stood the summit, so I was actually pretty close.

The last mile went fast - I came upon a gate a half-mile short of the top (there is a wide area for parking here, too). The final portion was steeper than the rest, but easy, and I was at the top by 11:20 a.m. Ord's summit is crowned by a huge, 100-foot tall active lookout tower. Climbing it is prohibited. There is also a residence there for the lookout, I presume. The rest of the summit is taken up by a series of other towers and buildings. There was a worker there, sitting in his truck. I found the summit underneath the lookout tower, and took a stroll around all the buildings before returning to the residence to sit on a stone wall to enjoy a snack and a call to my wife. I stayed on top for maybe 30 minutes, took a few photos, and marveled at the visibility. I could see peaks over 100 miles away, making out some unique peaks near Gila Bend, out west toward Wickenburg, and east as far as the San Carlos Reservation. Nearer, of course, were the mighty Mazatzal Range peaks, and the Mogollon Rim cliffs to my north.

The hike down went very quickly, taking me slightly more than an hour to get back to my truck, including a long chat with a hiker training for the Grand Canyon. The Turkish family were long gone by this time, and I spent some time relaxing before changing back into drier clothes and driving back home. In all, a very enjoyable hike, and much more pleasurable than I had thought. The top is a mature forest of pine, juniper and some oak, and there were some sections lit in the bright colors of fall. The road itself is pretty solid, and I think I will be back in the future.