The Mountains of Arizona
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Dutton Hill • Turkey Butte • Sheep Hill I was planning to spend the Memorial Day weekend in and around Flagstaff, my first time back in the area since last June. Living in Bisbee now, it's a 350-mile drive to Flagstaff. That eats up half a day just getting there. I left Bisbee at dawn and had mostly-open highways into Tucson. Traffic wasn't bad at all, considering it was a Friday. I stopped for gas in Eloy, then braced myself for the Phoenix leg. Surprisingly, this went well too. Traffic moved along and I was able to get onto northbound Interstate-17 without too much drama. Traffic did seem a little heavier than one would think, but no doubt many were people looking to get a head-start on the drive out of the city. I arrived in Flagstaff about 11 a.m., exiting at Lake Mary Road and stopping in at the Circle K there for drinks and snacks. It was sunny and very pleasant up here, temperature about 70°. The agenda for today were some peaks southwest of Flagstaff, down by Woody Mountain and toward the cliffs that overlook the Sycamore Canyon and Sedona. Since I was getting a late start, some easy peaks would do nicely for today.
Date: May 23, 2025
• Elevation: 7,658 feet
• Prominence: 378 feet
• Distance: 1.2 miles
• Time: 75 minutes
• Gain: 438 feet
• Conditions: Sunny, warm with a breeze
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I got onto Business-40 heading west, then onto Woody Mountain Road heading south. This leads to the Arboretum, now called Coconino Forest Road 231. I took this road to Woody Mountain back in 2017 and on one other sortie to Dutton Hill a couple years ago, in which I bailed when it started to rain.
The road is gravel and hardpack, and a little rough (washboards) due to the relatively-heavy traffic it sees. It curled around Woody Mountain and into a big meadow near the Rogers Lakebed, where Dutton Hill could be seen in the distance, a low volcanic ridge of a peak.
A few minutes later, I was at the peak's east base, where the road passes by. I eased onto FR-231D, a lesser track that heads northwest, paralleling the peak. This road was uneven and dusty, and I only went in not even a quarter mile, mainly so that I wasn't parked along the main road. I parked in a clearing and got properly attired, starting my hike at a few minutes before noon.
I walked through the trees and grass to the base of the hills, then up the steepish hillsides to top out on the ridge, where some interesting rock formations rise up amid the grass and trees. I angled right, now northwest, and stuck to the spine of the ridge, dodging the rocks, tree- and brush-thickets, and sticking to open lanes.
The hike was easy and fast. I ascended a slope to a rocky nubbin, then another slope to a broader waypoint, this one open with a meadow and a fence to cross. Past it, I went up another slope to the top.
The summit was bare and grassy, ringed by trees so that views were somewhat limited. It had taken me just 30 minutes to get here. I found a simple summit cairn and signed into the register. It was one of Lilley and Macleod's, placed here in 2008. Enough people have been here so that I had to sign on the last page of the booklet.
The benchmark is nearby on a rock flush to the ground. It is stamped "Metz Mtn" for some reason. Even the datasheet mentions the hill being locally known as Dutton Hill, so why they used this name is unclear. A websearch did not reveal anything useful. A flowering cactus was growing right by the benchmark.
I spent a couple minutes here having a drink, but without long-distance views, saw no reason to linger, so I started down. I repeated the same route out and was back to my car in a little over an hour. I was happy to get my first peak done. That always sets my mind at ease, to get the first one out of the way.
Elevation: 7,374 feet
• Prominence: 324 feet
• Distance: 0.5 mile
• Time: 15 minutes
• Gain: 204 feet
• Conditions: Lovely
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USGS BM Datasheet
Back on the main FR-231, I proceeded south a few miles, passing through forest and open meadow. Traffic was lighter this far in and the road was a little better as a result. A few miles later, I came to a Y-split, the main road (FR-231) going straight, and FR-538 going right.
My goal was Turkey Butte Lookout, and according to the forest maps, both road get there, but FR-538 seemed a little more direct. It looked like a good road so I followed it.
This turned out to be an excellent road. It was narrow, but smooth and well-maintained. A little over 7 miles later, I started seeing signs for side roads to the Sycamore Breaks, so I knew I was close. At one junction, the sign pointed left for the lookout tower, this being FR-538D.
I followed this road as it curled east then south, going clockwise around Turkey Butte itself, which for now was completely hidden by thick forest. One short uphill segment was steep and rocky, but that was it for "bad" roads. I drove a little more to a branch road going right (north), this being the road to the top. It was gated, so I parked off to the side.
For the hike, I didn't even carry a pack. I just took a pole, my camera and phone and a water, and walked the road to the top, a 10-minute walk. The lookout is active and the lookout person's car was nearby. A sign said the "hermit" was in. I walked to the lookout itself.
The top is rocky and has obviously been altered, so I tagged any high rocks and looked around. The view to the south was open, but it was a hazy day, so I didn't see much as a result. I found the benchmark dated 1936 and stamped "Turkey Butt", underneath the tower. The lookout person never said hi so I did not want to disturb that person. I returned to my car, the round trip hike taking just 15 minutes.
For the drive out, I repeated the same roads, a 26-mile drive overall to get back into Flagstaff. It was close to 3 p.m. now and traffic was picking up. I stopped at the Woodlands Village shopping center and had lunch at a Cafe Rio.
Elevation: 7,360 feet
• Prominence: 421 feet
• Distance: 1.9 miles
• Time: 1 hour
• Gain: 487 feet
• Conditions: Sun, a breeze
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USGS BM Datasheet
It was now 4 p.m. and I needed to make a plan for tonight. I drove east on Interstate-40 to the Butler exit, getting onto northbound US-89 on the east side of Flagstaff. I stopped at a Safeway for groceries. It was still sunny and pleasant.
A miserable-looking peak rises immediately behind the stores and houses in the area. It is Sheep Hill, which has been mined for its cinder and has lost much of its mass as a result. I have ignored it on every trip to Flagstaff, having no interest to climb it.
However, today and right now, it would eat up an hour. I drove to the Townsend-Winona Road and parked in a pullout, a little under a mile north of the hill.
I followed trails, old roads and open terrain through the mix of trees, low brush and grass until I was closing in on Sheep Hill. I came to a fenced area, where some mine equipment is stored.
I walked east until the fencing stopped, then did a big end-run around the area, trying to steer clear of anything mine related. The slope steepened, and I moved upward slowly, sliding back often with the loose rubble.
Soon, I came to a road cut. I followed it but it stayed level, and I found what looked like some footprints going up a slope, so I followed those. This went up more steep slope to yet another road cut. Getting up and over the lip of loose dirt was difficult. Footing was impossible as everything slid.
This road also stayed level. I followed what I could until I found another way up onto the slopes, which I followed all the way up to the top. The summit has been mined and flattened, the highpoint for now a mound of dirt on its east side. I walked over to this "highpoint" and tagged it, snapping a couple images. It was an ugly summit and I did not want to waste time. I immediately turned around and headed down.
I followed my own boot prints almost all the way down, sliding with the rubble now instead of against it. I was soon off the slopes and back onto the flatter ground, and back to my car not long thereafter, the time now close to 6 p.m..
There is nothing to recommend Sheep Hill as it is being slowly torn apart, but I am glad I finally tagged it, if only for completeness purposes. I would recommend for future visitors to skip it.
Now to find a place to camp. I headed north on US-89 to where the road to Sunset Crater branches east. Directly opposite on the west side is FR-552, the road to Lockett Meadow and the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks. I was planning to hike Sugarloaf Peak tomorrow morning so camping here would be convenient.
Not surprisingly, most spots were already taken, a mix of large trucks with trailers, RVs, and also smaller vehicles. Spots are spread around so that you're not camping eight feet from someone else. I found an unused spot where FR-418 branches north and took it. I slept in the back of my car. The night was starry and mild, but with a persistent breeze.
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