Date: October 22, 2025 • Elevation: 5,797 feet ✳ • Prominence: 667 feet ✳ • Distance: 2.5 miles • Time: 2 hours • Gain: 1,120 feet • Conditions: Sunny, breezy with puffy clouds

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ • Lidar

This peak rises above the community of Yarnell to the east. The top is flat wih cliffs facing to the south. Steep slopes with rock outcrops comes down to the west, facing Yarnell. From below it looks steep but not impossible.

Today had been exciting in ways I prefer them not to be. I had camped off of Dugas Road way east of here, and climbed Reeves Benchmark earlier this morning. A storm developed over me and chased me off the peak, complete with rain and lightning. This forced me to alter my plans, as the storms seemed to be sticking around up by Prescott and points to the east.

I considered my options and decided to leave the area entirely. Forecasts for Yarnell showed clouds but no storms. So I drove into Prescott, which is always an adventure, and made my way through town on AZ-89. I drove the scenic winding highway south out of town, then the flatter ranch country into Yarnell, arriving about 11 a.m..

The weather here was much better. It was cloudy, but these were puffy white clouds that moved through quickly, no big thunderheads. It was pleasant, about 70°. I parked alongside the main highway in town, a little south of Happy Way. I was already dressed from my last hike, so I was on the move in moments.

I crossed the road and walked up Happy Way. Pavement ends, and a dirt continuation leads steeply uphill, aiming for the cell tower above. I made good time up this road, coming to where it bends sharply back toward the tower.

I left the road here. The slopes are steep no matter which direction I approached the peak, so I went with what was closest, a southwesterly ridge with large rock outcrops and cliffs lining it. The terrain was steep, rocky and moderately brushy, but nothing extreme.

In time I had gained about 350 feet, now just below this ridge. Getting onto the ridge itself was not necessary. I'd need to stay slightly below it to skirt below these rock outcrops. Up close, some formed cliffs about 40 feet high.

This segment went as expected. It was brushy, the rocks wanted to roll, but it went, and I even found paths in places. The big rocks weren't a problem, but I had to cross some scree and talus slopes, and these rocks could be troublesome as they were loose.

I was now below the final slope to the top plateau. The brush was heavier here, up to my chest, but I found some lanes and was able to grunt up this last segment to put myself "on top" of the peak. Now to go find the actual top.

The grade was very gentle, and I gained about another 40 feet past a small cliff. This put me on the western lobe of the summit. I walked to its highest rocks and for a moment, felt this was it. It looked higher than points to the east. But I felt I should cover all bets and I continued walking east toward the apparent higher ground that way.

The walking was easy, being on flat ground. Brush was light and there were a lot of lovely wildflowers out today. The clouds were scooting through quickly, aided by a steady breeze which I also felt, too.

I found a cairn in a rock outcrop, quite by luck because this was not at the highest point. In it was a register. I was the first to sign in since about 2016, but it was full of signatures including some locals who come up here regularly (at least up through 2016). One even wrote "where is the top?".

To the east were some rocks that looked like the highest in this area, so I went to them and stepped on any high ones. I sidled up to the cliff edges and looked down about a hundred feet of sheer rock. There were no registers, cairns or benchmarks to be found. Looking back west, I couldn't be sure which point was highest, but I had been to both so I was covered. It had taken me about an hour to get here.

Going down, I kept to my ascent route with few variations, except that I angled a little more west and hit the access road a little higher up. This was partly because I found a path to follow that went that way. Once on the road, I walked it out to my car.

It was now about 1 p.m., and I had been gone about two hours. This peak was a workout as I gained nearly a thousand feet to tag its top. After this morning's excitement, I was pleased to get a second peak in and not be scared for my life while doing it.

I piled into the car and drove down the Yarnell Grade into Congress. I had one more peak I wanted to look at. Would I climb it? Click here to find out.

Later, I checked the 1-meter Lidar data. The maps do not give a spot elevation for this summit. Lidar says it's 5,797 feet, and that the eastern lobe is higher. I estimate about a 2.5-mile round trip hike from where I had parked.