The Mountains of Arizona
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Steer Mountain • Peak 5004 Steer Mountain and unnamed Peak 5004 nearby are two peaks that hem in Yankee Joe Canyon in the Apache Hills area about fifteen miles north of Globe. There are other peaks in this grouping; for example, Peak 4925 North also rises nearby (as well as unranked Peak 4925 South). I climbed the northern one almost exactly a year ago. These all lie in the Tonto National Forest, and the roads in are pretty good. This is a popular backroad scenic byway which would require a proper 4-wheel drive for most of the roads, but for what I needed, my Subaru Forester was more than adequate to get me close to both peaks. I was in Tempe yesterday earning my keep. It was very hot, though, over 110°. I did not want to pop for a hotel, and camping down low was out of the question because it would be too hot even at night. So before I left Bisbee, I thought that camping near Globe would be a better idea. I recall these peaks from last year and figured I'd give them both a look for this visit. I was also encouraged by a trip report and photos from CannondaleKid at HikeArizona, who hiked these peaks about ten years ago. I was done with my tasks by 7:30 p.m. last night, so I got in my car and headed out of town, taking the 202 Freeway eastbound to the US-60, then that east, the usual way to Globe. Then I saw the electric signs saying that US-60 would be closed for hours at a time in the coming days. I pulled into a gas station south of Apache Junction to get something to drink (it was still well over a hundred degrees) and to look online about this closure. They're blasting out some rock along the highway in Queen Creek Canyon above Superior for a highway-widening project. The closures would be in the afternoons. Thus, I would have a clear shot into Globe now, but might be delayed tomorrow when I want to drive out. I stopped in Globe for something to eat and more drinks, then proceeded on US-60 northbound to the Jones Water Campground. I rolled in about 9:30 p.m.. Conditions were mild, temperature about 75° here. The sky was cloudless and there was no moon. It was very dark, but also a very starry sky. The campground is small, and I found a spot where I backed in. I would be sleeping in the open on my cot. I had my Walmart-salad dinner (which wasn't bad), then vegged for awhile looking at the stars. I slept reasonably well. The overnight lows stayed in the 60s. The highway was just a few yards up a hill so every ten minutes I'd hear some big truck going by.
Date: September 4, 2024
• Elevation: 5,116 feet
• Prominence: 436 feet
• Distance: 2.6 miles
• Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
• Gain: 816 feet
• Conditions: Clear, sunny and warm
Arizona
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PB
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LoJ
I was up with the sunrise, and after packing things up, got moving. All I had to do was cross the highway, as the road I needed, Haystack Butte Road (FR-303) starts opposite the highway to the campground. I went north on this road a little under three miles to FR-645, which is signed for the OHV crowd and has a huge cleared staging area at the junction. FR-303 is an excellent wide all-weather road, while FR-645 is still a good road but narrower and prone to ruts.
The road enters into the hills and makes a right where FR-217 goes left (this is the road for Peak 5004). After passing through an open gate, FR-645 gets a little rockier and steeper. I just had to move more carefully. There is another gate about a half mile later that I had to open and close behind me. I parked at a bend in the road near Little Walnut Spring. There is a clearing here where I could stash my car off the main road.
The sun was still low in the eastern sky but it was already warming. The overnight low stayed about 60°, and it felt like closer to 70° now, which was nothing bad except that it was still just 6:30 a.m.. This was going to be a very hot day in the deserts, and probably a warm one here. I was at 4,300 feet elevation.
I stepped over a fence, now nearby a stone tank filed with water, with pipes going up the canyon to the south. But looking to my right as I faced south, I saw a rough open path going steeply uphill, so I followed it. This worked well. This path paralleled a fence line that cut up and across the slopes of Hill 4494. I gained about a hundred feet quickly. I had to step over one more fence line here.
I could see Steer Mountain in the distance and its pointier northern subsummit, Point 5000. I just had to figure out how to get there. I walked up one slope past a small hill, then went left and across a grassy clearing, now on another slope below Hill 4730. I stayed high but angled left of its summit, sidehilling a little and dropping about thirty feet to another open area, now directly below the north slopes of Point 5000.
Next, I started up the slopes toward the rocky knob atop Point 5000. The ground was steep but often with lanes. The brush was spaced out and there was little grass, so I could see my feet almost all the time, and keep an eye out for snakes. The brush here was manzanita, holly and scattered small trees such as juniper.
I got high enough to where I was on the lower rocks of this little summit. It made sense to stay on these as they were more stable. I curled around the first knob, then ascended behind it onto the rocky ridge. I then poked my way through the rocks, going up and down two more main outcrops, before descending off the rocks and onto the wide summit ridge, the top about a quarter mile away and 150 feet higher.
I was able to find lanes and cattle paths almost the whole way to the top. Cattle do get up here, as evidenced by their poos. There are other ways up to the top ridge that would be cow-amenable. I was on the summit about 45 minutes after starting.
The summit is hard to discern, the top being flat and covered in scattered brush and trees. I could not find a distinct cairn or point suggesting others have been here (not many people have, going by registers online). The sun was still low and with the day so clear and dry, I had fine views of the surrounding ranges and canyons. I shot a few images, and walked the entire length of the ridge until it started to drop again heading south.
I then doubled back and walked again over the summit area, hoping one last time to find a cairn or something. I generally followed the same routes out, taking advantage of whatever openings and paths as I found them. However, instead of dealing with Point 5000's slopes again, I dropped off the ridge earlier, which was still steep and loose, but not as bad as what I had coming up. This is probably how the cows get up and down from the ridge.
This route choice did not save me any distance and actually added some extra arroyo crossings as I traversed below Point 5000 until I was generally back on track where I had been coming up. I then walked out, memorizing landmarks aling the way. I was back to my car at about 8:20 a.m.. This had been a good hike and prettier than I was expecting. The temperature seemed to stay steady too, and once higher up, I had some breezes that helped cool me.
I drove back out to FR-217, then drove that south a little bit, now aiming for Peak 5004.
Elevation: 5,004 feet
• Prominence: 304-324 feet
• Distance: 3 miles
• Time: 90 minutes
• Gain: 564 feet
• Conditions: Warm but with a nice breeze
• Wildlife: Horses ☺
PB
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LoJ
Now on FR-217, it was a decent road for a little bit, entering into a meadow clearing with some ranch junk on it. The roads got rocky fast and started to split. I picked one split and it went, but was very rutted. The roads were uneven with high centers. I got to one uphill with a lot of rubbly rocks and decided to park rather than deal with the roads. I was a little over a mile from the peak, so I was fine to park where I did.
It was a tad warmer now, the mid 70s, but still very pleasant, and not a cloud to be seen. I walked up this rough patch of road, now on top of a long bluff/ridge that trended southwest. Peak 5004 and its lower northern hill were easily seen about a mile in the distance. The road was actually better here. I think I could have coaxed my Forester up that rocky part. It was moot now anyway as I was already walking.
In about fifteen minutes, I had come around to the west-facing slopes of Peak 5004. The road continues farther, but I did not need to stay on it. I could see some large animals up ahead. I assumed cattle, but their coloring was un-cattle-like, and getting a little closer, saw that they were horses! Two of them were all white, another two were a light brown. Farther off, I could see a couple more.
The horses seemed curious and started to come my way. I wasn't interested to meet and greet them, so I angled off the road and started cross country through the low scrub, down into a soft drainage then up the other side, now on the slopes of the peak.
The uphill hike was just a matter of grunting up moderately-steep slopes of holly and manzanita, but with openings about 90% of the time. There were a few trees, and I would stop in their shade for a brief rest each time. I was soon on top this humble peak, about 40 minutes after starting.
The top features a couple cairns, the higher one hiding a register. It was placed by Mark Nicholls about twenty years ago. CannondaleKid from HikeArizona would have been here but his name wasn't in it. There were a couple names from 2021, brothers I'm thinking (same last name, same date). Then me.
I enjoyed the breezes, which cooled me. The views were excellent and I shot some more images of everything, and sat for about five minutes for a break. Peak 5798, which rises a little over a mile to the south, is on my list, so I studied its lines. I don't know when I'll come back for it.
Going down, I decided to head off the peak on its northern ridge, going up and over its lower northern bump. Then I just followed the terrain down off the main hill into the arroyos. I had to drop and regain about fifty feet at a time a couple of times until I re-met FR-217. This route variation probably didn't save me time or distance, but it was something different to do.
I was back to my car, the time now roughly 10 a.m.. I changed into my driving clothes and started out. It was warm now, in the low 80s. I was very pleased with this morning's two peaks. They were prettier than I was expecting and I recommend them for future visitors. I'm not sure if the horses are wild, or belong to someone who leases the lands. I suspect it's the latter.
So now I had to contend with the US-60 road closure near Superior. The online sites said it would be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. One option was to take a bypass through Winkelman and then up to Superior, but that would add an extra 60 miles. I did not need to be in Phoenix until later in the day anyway, there was absolutely no urgency to get back down and suffer in the heat. So I figured I'll roll with the punches and stay awhile in Globe and see what it has to offer.
I drove into the downtown part, onto Broad Street, the main historical downtown avenue of Globe. These days, it's a mix of shops, cafes, bars, some looking modern and some places looking vacant and derelict. But it seems to have a vibe to it. I parked and walked up and down the street, then encamped in a cafe for about two hours. I had a pastry and soda, but the main thing was I scored a cushy sofa seat and catnapped in it for much of that time.
I also stopped in to some of the stores in town just to see what they had. Later, I drove into Miami and toured its tiny downtown district, which is one or two roads parallel from the main highway. It was much slower here, just a couple places open. But the architecture is interesting and maybe in the future, this could transform into some tiny artist's colony. I wouldn't wait around for that to happen any time soon, but it has that look.
I started driving out at 1:45 p.m., and I got to where the closure was at 2 sharp, and it was open. Fortunately, traffic was light. I descended into the Phoenix borg and after cleaning up, went on campus to do some quick work things, although I didn't have to. I was back in Bisbee the following night.
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