The Mountains of Arizona
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Little Mesa • Peak 6154 I returned to this batch of peaks in the southern and eastern part of the Bradshaw Mountains, a week after hiking a few peaks over by the Senator Highway. On that visit, I was able to scout other peaks along the Mayer-Bolada Road (Prescott FR-67), which got me thinking about these two peaks. These two peaks rise north of FR-67 at the 5.5-mile mark of the road. Neither of them are fabulous peaks but they are pretty, with flattish tops and surrounding cliffs. Forest cover is minimal, and there appeared to be a good network of roads, old tracks and footpaths (and nothing) that got close to both peaks. I was looking at hiking both in one long loop outing. Yesterday, Tuesday, I taught my classes at ASU then stopped in at the Target in Tempe for victuals. I headed up the freeway onto the high plateau, intending to camp at the same spot as I did last weekend, off Dugas Road. It was about 9 p.m. when I was approaching Black Canyon City on Interstate-17 and the base of the 8-mile steep grade that gets onto the plateau. This segment has always been a major pain in the neck because it is just two lanes and always a few trucks inching up at 25 miles per hour, slowing everyone down. I dread driving this segment. About three years ago the state started a big expansion and re-working of this segment, between Black Canyon City below and the Sunset Point Rest Area up top. The main new addition was a new set of "flex" lanes. These lanes either allow traffic to go up, or down, depending on volume. Big gates are either open to allow passage, or closed. I drove the flex lanes downhill last week. These lanes parallel the southbound lanes of the interstate. Anyway, going up, I saw that the flex lanes were open so I got onto them. They were no more or less steep than the other pre-existing lanes, but the main thing was that there were no trucks. I did not see any signs that forbade them, but they all were on the original uphill lanes. This was fantastic. I was able to get up this grade easily without having to slow down behind a truck going 30 miles per hour passing another truck going 25 miles per hour. I hope this "no trucks" rule is official. It makes going uphill much more pleasant. Up on the plateau, the temperatures cooled into the mid 70s. It had been in the high 90s down below. I drove to Dugas Road and followed it in a little over three miles, and pulling into the exact same spot I had last week. It worked for me last week so why not. The night was very mild. There were no clouds and there would be no moon, so the sky was lit up in stars, enough to barely light up my area to see my way around. It was peaceful and pleasant. I ate in the front seat, then crawled into my cot a little after 10 p.m.. It was breezy all night and never cooled, staying in the high 60s. I slept marginally well, as the breezes sometimes woke me. The cot itself isn't that comfortable. I was up at 4:50 a.m.. Venus rose in the eastern sky, the "morning star". The eastern horizon was barely lighting up, but dawn would not be long. I packed everything up and headed out about 5:30 a.m..
Date: September 24, 2025
• Elevation: 6,502 feet
• Prominence: 342 feet
• Distance: 9.8 miles whole hike
• Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes whole hike
• Gain: 1,560 feet
• Conditions: Sunny and clear, very pleasant
Arizona
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LoJ
I entered into Mayer about 6 a.m., now smarter as to what roads to follow out of town to get on the Mayer-Bolada Road. I stayed on this road until past mile-marker 5, this stretch being a steep downhill, the grade easily above 10%. At the bottom, where the road passes over a concrete culvert, I eased onto a rough track and got in about thirty feet, this being FR-9213A.
I was hoping, as usual, I could drive up the track a little and cut off some distance, but no such luck this time. The track drops into Mule Creek (big rocks) then gets very steep up the other side with some severe exposed rocks that would demand a very high-clearance vehicle and 4-wheel drive. I got myself properly dressed and was walking at 6:40 a.m.. I was in the shade for now, and it was cool but only in the mid 60s.
I walked uphill on the track. Once it gains the lower steep slopes, it levels slightly and aims north. I had a good view of the south slopes of Little Mesa (the highpoint being hidden on its north rim), and of Peak 6154, in shadow for now.
The track is not as rocky up here and I was able to keep a good pace. There were some mud puddles from a recent rain (yesterday, I believe), and I had to open one gate that wouldn't pivot. I had to lift the heavy thing up to open it a foot to get through. Up ahead was a windmill and stock tank. The road splits here, "A" going right and "B" going left. I took FR-9213B.
This track gets rockier and much rougher to where only an ATV would be adviseable on it. It aims up a side canyon, gaining steeply up a slope to top out on the south edge of Little Mesa. To here I had been hiking a little under two miles and had gained a little over a thousand feet, all this in about an hour. It was cool and pleasant and I was feeling good.
The track loses distinction and was discernible in the grass for a few more yards, until it ended at a fenceline. I was still a mile away from the highpoint. The topographic map shows a dashed line going near the summit — a trail? an old road? Satellite images showed nothing.
I stepped over the fence and weaved through the low trees and brush, topping out on a small hill, where I could see the highpoint hill in the distance. I was able to keep to low grassy areas with minimal bushwhacking, but there was no evidence of any old road or track or path here. Another fence ran north, on a direct bearing to the highpoint area, so I stuck close to it. Often, the immediate two or three feet next to it was open. The grass was ankle high and the rocks were loose and wanted to roll. Although easy hiking, I had to move slow and more than once I turned an ankle on a rolling rock.
I had bottomed out from the first hill, a drop of about a hundred feet, then slowly gained up towards the highpoint. In time, the fence ended at a junction with another fence. And of all things, there was a gate here. I cannot fathom a vehicle ever being up here, so this gate is likely for stock control. The "latch" side was completely enclosed by a mature bush about four feet tall, which made me wonder when was the last time anyone or anything passed through this gate. Twenty years?
There was no way to get through the gate here, and shimmying underneath it wasn't an option due to the rocky ground and moist grass. Instead, I actually dis-assembled the "hinge" side of the gate, undoing where the barbed wire wraps around the stick to where I could ease it open about eight inches. This took about ten minutes, and I was able to squeeze through.
From here, I angled northwest and followed openings through the scattered trees until I was on top. The highpoint is along the mesa's north rim, a cairn built on top of a larger rock about a foot off the ground. Other rocks nearby looked as high. I walked around for a minute or two. I did not find a register or past hints of visitors. It had taken me an hour and forty-five minutes to get here. The weather was sunny but still quite pleasant.
I took the briefest of breaks to have a quick drink before starting out. Views were limited by the trees. Back at that gate, I squeezed back through then re-assembled the hinge side for whoever comes here next in thirty years. I assume these fences here mark off Forest Service allotments for area ranchers, but I saw no cattle or signs of them.
On the hike out, as I re-ascended that first low hill, I looked back and saw a plume of smoke! It was rising to the northwest about two miles. It was dark colored, and yes, it got me concerned. What could I do? I just kept walking south, now on course for the next peak.
Elevation: 6,154 feet ✳
• Prominence: 344 feet ✳
• Gain: 544 feet
• Conditions: Gorgeous
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Lidar
I was back onto the old track, where it crests a ridge emanating south off of Little Mesa. Peak 6154 rises to the east, a little under a mile away. Satellite images and the map show a trail dropping to the saddle below and up toward Peak 6154, but there was no hint of it where I stood.
I walked amid the low scrub and grass and made a couple of guesses, and found the trail. It dropped steeply and at first looked like an eroded portion of open slope, but as I dropped, it formed into a proper trail. It was narrow, just a couple of feet wide, steep and loose, but it went. This dropped me about 350 feet down to the lowpoint.
The trail then morphs into an old vehicle track that gains very steeply up a slope before simply ending and resuming life as a trail. It amazes (and amuses) me that sometime in the past, someone somehow got a vehicle up here, for reasons I will never know.
The track grows weak here and then a fence line cut diagonally, forcing me downslope slightly. I followed it before finding a spot to squeeze through, then pushed uphill and re-found the trail, which was barely visible here. As it gains up the slopes of Peak 6154, it becomes more defined.
This last segment made a steep ascending traverse uphill, cresting the rim of the peak about an eighth of a mile to the highpoint's south. I left the track here and walked north up an easy gradient through low grass to the top. The summit is marked by a rock outcrop about 5 feet high and easily stood upon.
Views were very good. I got a nice vantage of Little Mesa, and that smoke plume that was still rising. I also had better views down over the valleys, with the towns of Dewey-Humboldt and Mayer down below. It was past 9 a.m. by now and sunny, but not warm. The breezes all had a refreshing coolness to them. This was the second day of Autumn, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
I did not stay up top very long. I debated what to do for the hike out. My original plan was simply to retrace the trail back toward Little Mesa and catch that track down back to my car. But looking down, I could see a road down below, this being FR-9213A mentioned above. I really did not want to reascend the track to Little Mesa, but I was unsure just how to get down to that nicer road below.
Instead, I dropped off Peak 6154 by following its long and gentle south ridge. Along the way, I came upon that fence again, and found ... a gate. Another gate never meant for a vehicle. It was held shut by a rope, which I had to untie. In doing so, one of the sticks in the gate broke in half. It made re-attaching the gate difficult, but I did what I could.
Walking down was easy. The terrain was grassy and sometimes brushy but never very heavy. I could see more fence below and another gate, and I aimed for it, dropping about 400 feet. This was yet another peculiar gate, setting a record for me for most out-of-the-way gates found on one hike.
The good thing is there was a trail that led downhill from here, dropping into Mule Canyon. This path was good, a little rough in spots, but easy to follow. I dropped into the canyon bottom near a pair of stock tanks, then found ribbons a few yards south signifying a path that led up the other side to that road I had seen from way above. I was happy my gamble paid off. Now on the road, all I had to do was walk it out.
The road walk covered a couple miles and went well, but I was tired by now and I stopped a couple times to have a drink and a snack. I was back to my car at 11:20 a.m., a four hour and forty minute hike covering just under ten miles. It was warm (about 80°) but it felt refreshing. The humidity was very low, which made a big difference.
I was beat but happy. I changed into dry clothes and started the slow roll out. In Mayer, I stopped at the Circle-K for gas and something to drink, and an Aleve. My left ankle was sore from turning it a couple times. In just the twenty minutes it took to drive here, I could barely move it. The Aleve helped. I also killed time sitting in my car in the shade, answering a few texts and emails.
I drove back into Phoenix but it was still early, about 1 p.m., so I wasted some more time at a Starbucks along the Carefree Highway before driving back down through Scottsdale to my cheap hotel in town. It was hot (107°) and it felt good to shower and crash for an hour in the air conditioning.
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