The Mountains of Arizona
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Sugarloaf Peak • Peak 6073 • Peak 7380 This was my second day of a four-day trip to the Flagstaff area over Memorial Day weekend. I had arrived yesterday and hiked three simple peaks farther south, then set up a basic camp in the forest at the east base of the San Francisco Peaks. Today, I would be starting with the longest hike of the trip, to Sugarloaf Peak. Then I would see how things went, how warm it got, how much free time I had, and decide on what extra peaks to hike afterwards. I had no real agenda afterwards.
Date: May 24, 2025
• Elevation: 9,283 feet
• Prominence: 591 feet
• Distance: 5.8 miles
• Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
• Gain: 1,613 feet
• Conditions: Cool, sunny, and very breezy up high
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Sugarloaf Peak is an abrupt lava dome that rises at the east edge of the San Francisco Peaks. When the mountain erupted many millions of years ago, it blew sideways to the east, leaving behind a massive inner basin (called the Inner Basin) in which the big peaks — Doyle, Fremont, Agassiz, Humphreys, Abineau and Rees — rise along its south, west and north rims. Sugarloaf is the lone peak on the east rim, formed by a subsequent lava eruption in which it just piled up into a dome.
The aforementioned peaks are all at least 11,000 feet in elevation, while Sugarloaf barely breaks the 9,000-foot barrier. Despite its smaller relative stature, it does stand out as it rises somewhat by itself and has a very distinct conical-trapezoidal shape. The best views are in profile from the south or north. From the east, it can sometimes blend in with the background peaks, although in the right light, it can be easily recognizable.
Before 2022, one could drive a steep but decent forest road (FR-522) into the Inner Basin and Lockett Meadow, and then hike Sugarloaf Peak from there. I have been in the Inner Basin once before, back in 2015 in which we drove to the trailhead. But the Pipeline Fire of 2022 caused a lot of damage on the east side of the San Francisco Peaks, prompting the forest service to close the road indefinitely.
I was here in 2023, completely unaware the road was shut, only to discover it was gated below the peak. So I gave up and looked for other peaks to hike. Last year, knowing it was gated, I came back anyway and hoped it was open, but it wasn't. Like the previous year, I had back-up plans and went with those. For this trip, I resolved to hike the peak, meaning I would have to walk the road as well.
From my camp, I drove just a quarter mile to where the road starts up the mountainside. And sure enough, it is still gated closed. I parked in a nearby lot, one other car already here. It was still early, barely past 6 a.m., but sunny and mild. Temperatures were in the low 50s for now, but would be warming as the day progressed. I got dressed and was on the move at 6:20 a.m..
I walked FR-522, which aims north then swings counterclockwise around some lower peaks and ridges before trending south into the Inner Basin. The road walk went well. The road was in fine shape. Whatever damage the fire had caused has been fixed. The slopes above and below showed some fire damage, but any slides or sloughing seemed to have been cleared up and fixed. The road showed fresh tracks, presumably by authorized vehicles only. I am not sure when or if the forest service will re-open the road to public vehicles.
In about 45 minutes, I had covered 2.5 miles, now approaching the Inner Basin. Sugarloaf Peak could be seen again, now to my left as I faced south. From the north, the peak appeared to be covered in trees and brush, with a few large rocky extrusions and cliffs on the peak's highest ridges. All the slopes looked equally steep.
I left the road and started up a gentle ridge, and kept walking it. It led me to west base of the peak, essentially choosing my route for me. From this side, the slopes looked about the same as before: steep.
The lower slopes were mostly grass and light brush, a few spaced-out trees and some downed logs. The gradient increased, becoming steeper and then much steeper. I aimed up but traversed rightward, intending to get myself within a tract of live trees that appeared to go all the way up. Given the very steep slope, I figured the trees would ensure better footing and at the very least, I could scamper from tree to tree to get up the slope.
The steepest portion ran about 300 vertical feet and was about as steep as the slope could be before things would naturally roll down. But, most importantly, the tread was never treacherous. The volcanic rock generally held together well. The grasses helped ensure the "structural integrity". I would look down and get a little adrenaline rush, but never felt I was getting myself into trouble. To my relief, it never got any worse than just the steepeness.
Soon, I was approaching the high ridge, where the grade lessened. I could see the highpoint in the near distance, a rocky pile partially hidden by the trees. The walking here was easy, but rockier with more downed logs to get around. The final segment was up the rockpile, which was awkward but not difficult. Finally, I was done with the ascent.
I found a register and signed in, the first for 2025. The day was warming but still very pleasant, with a breeze. The summit was open and I had an amazing elevated view of all the big summits of the San Francisco Peaks. It had taken me an hour and 45 minutes to get here. I relaxed for about 15 minutes up top.
For the descent, I felt it wise to follow as close to possible my ascent slope. Even so, I found myself on slopes that seemed to just disappear. I realized I was off by about 30 feet from where I should have been. Once I walked over, suddenly things looked better. I could actually see the slopes down below. I inched down slowly, and in time had gotten myself down the steep slope and back onto the road, which was a relief.
The walk out went well, just walking a nice road. I met more hikers coming up, almost all, I suspect, heading into the Inner Basin and not to Sugarloaf Peak. I was back to my car at 9:40 a.m., a three-hour, twenty-minute hike. I was elated to be finished and to get this peak into the books.
Later, in reading some other trip reports, it seems no other way was obviously better. This peak does not see a lot of visitors but it sees enough, being a "niner" and one of the San Francisco Peaks. The steepness may spook off more casual hikers. I would recommend poles as absolutely critical for the ascent and descent. On the uphill, I would plant them above me and lean heavily into them to get up. For the descent, they offered critical balance and assurance.
Now at my car, I had to decide what to do next. I literally had no plan. It was still early and the day was looking to be a nice one. The next two peaks that I ended up hiking I call the "gently surprised" peaks because in both cases, I was not sure if I would be successful on them, mainly for access and/or road issues.
Elevation: 6,073 feet
• Prominence: 373 feet
• Distance: 1.1 miles
• Time: 35 minutes
• Gain: 385 feet
• Conditions: Cloudy but warmer
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I remembered that there was a lonely bump up on the CO Bar Ranch north of Humphreys Peak, a batch of vents dominated by S P Crater and its subsidiaries. I had ignored it on my past visits up there, and it had been three years since I was up that way.
Peak 6037 is a mound of cinder and agglutinate about three miles northeast of S P Crater, and near the edge of the lengthy lava flow from S P Crater. I knew how to get there but had no idea of road quality or access regulations. I guess I'd find that out when I got there.
I got back onto the highway, and went north about fifteen miles. The road I wanted is called Tub Ranch Road on the map, but is not signed when there. For reference, from the Wupatki Road exit, another mile or so north gets one to the S P Crater/CO Bar Ranch Road near the historic (and empty) Hank's Trading Post. Another couple of miles north is Tub Ranch Road.
The road was a good road, so that was a relief. About a mile in, I came to a sign-in kiosk, where one can sign in and get a free ranch pass, which I did. This was very promising. I drove a few more miles on the good road, with Peak 6037 appearing soon as a triangular peak with a rocky upper half and grassy lower slopes.
I eased onto lesser roads going north, getting in about a half mile, and parking in a clearing. I was close to the peak and also close to the lava flow. I was impressed by the scale of the lava, its flanks rising about 70 feet above the terrain.
A cloud bank had moved in, knocking down the temperature a little. It was warm but not bad, about 75°, with a steady breeze. Since the lower hike was through grassland, I put on my snake gaiters to be safe.
The hike went fast. I walked across the grassy flats onto the lower slopes, and followed open lanes of rubble to the saddle below the top. The latter ascent was up the rubble and larger agglutinate rocks, and quickly, I was on top, just a twenty-minute hike.
The summit is a low crown of the rock welded together, very sharp to the touch, and forming a small cliff looking east. I saw no cairns nor registers but there was a rock on the highest point, looking like someone placed it there.
The best view was of the lava flow. I could see the whole flow from the base of S P Crater to where I was. This flow is about 71,000 years old, yet it is virtually barren. Some gasses have taken root on its sides and in a few spots on top, but otherwise, it is as black and bare as it was way back when it first erupted.
The hike down went very fast, and the whole round trip took just over a half hour. This was a simple peak but I was pleased I was able to hike it. The road was an excellent road and access was not fettered.
Even with two peaks now climbed, it was still not yet noon.
I got back onto the highway and went south briefly to Wupatki Road. I drove that in about ten miles to take a look at Doney Peak, an unranked mound of lava rubble that I considered hiking. But when I got there, I didn't feel like it. I spent some time with the car parked, relaxing. I had a weak signal so I got on my device and looked at other places in the area to explore. This brought my attention to Peak 7380...
Elevation: 7,380 feet
• Prominence: 800 feet
• Distance: 2.4 mile
• Time: 90 minutes
• Gain: 800 feet
• Conditions: Warm, some clouds, extremely windy
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Peak 7380 rises about eight miles due south of Peak 6073, in the same batch of peaks as S P Crater, but south enough to be within the Coconino National Forest. It can be seen about three miles west of the highway, being at the south end of a line of three peaks. Red Hill is the next one north, then Peak 7100.
I had planned to hike both Red Hill and Peak 7380 as a single outing tomorrow, coming in from the north via the CO Bar Ranch/Babbitt Ranch since the roads are better from that way. My ranch pass wouldn't go into effect until tomorrow anyway.
So it's about 1 p.m. and I start thinking about hiking one of these peaks now. The approach from the south is via FR-417, which is notoriously haggard. I've been on it a few times and it's always rocky, uneven and generally rough. But today, with a lot of time open, I decided to go south a few miles and give FR-417 another look.
I found it easily, and yes, it gets bumpy almost immediately. So I took it slow and weaved through the embedded rocks in the road, going northwest. I got in about a mile and a half to where FR-514 branches west, and FR-417 continues northwest, now a narrower two-track etched into the grass.
I went slowly on FR-417, there being two tracks here. An older one looks abandoned and is full of rocks, while a newer one runs parallel and is smoother. This is what I drove. The track heads northwest then north, circling around Hill 6843 on its west. Up ahead was Peak 7380, still about four miles distant. So far, as long as I went slow and was patient, I was making progress.
I got to a fence line and cattle grate and saw a beefier Dodge Ram coming at me so I pulled to the side. When he got to me, he rolled down his window and we talked. I asked if there was any showstoppers ahead. He said some erosion ruts about a half mile ahead might be trouble. He was friendly and it was good to get some information from him.
I continued on FR-417 and soon came to these ruts. These cut across the road, not in the road, so I was able to approach them at an angle and carefully ease down into and out of them, two in particular being challenging. In both cases, I scraped the back end as I descended. But, happily, I got though them.
The road then continued. So far, I had covered about 5 miles. The road had behaved. It was mostly smooth, but when it got rough, it got rough. I would hit a rocky segment every half mile or so. More than once I got out to pick up some big rocks in the road. I had to be mindful of high-centering too.
But... it went! I was able to cover about 7 miles and place myself west of the peak, close enough to start from the main road if necessary. I found a lesser track, FR-9113W, which went east in toward the peak. I figured I had used up all my luck already, but when I got onto the track, I was able to cover the entire distance, about a mile. The track was just some ruts in the grass, amid piñon and juniper country. I drove until any roadly essence disappeared, and parked deliberately in the open so I could see my car on the way down.
I was very close to the peak and this would be a short, uncomplicated hike. It was about 2 p.m. now, still sunny and warm, but staying steady, still in the mid 70s. The clouds from earlier had moved aside and I had more blue skies. But it was still very windy.
I walked across a grassy expanse to the base of the hill closest to me. I trudged steeply uphill to get on the ridge above me. The peak consists of a main crater and a secondary one, both on a north-south axis. I was on the west ridge, and the highpoint was on the east ridge.
I hiked more uphill north along the west ridge. I thought about descending to a saddle hemming in the main crater, and busting up to the summit from there, but once close to it, it looked very steep and rubbly. Instead, I stayed on the west ridge until it circled clockwise toward the east ridge, where the slopes were far less steep.
Now on the east ridge, I followed the slopes to the long and flat top, covered in low brush and grass with fine views in all directions. The only challenge had been the wind. At one point, it blew a sustained 30-something miles per hour, enough to force me to hunker in place. If I moved, it would knock me off balance. Sometimes these gusts would go on for about 30 seconds straight.
It had taken me about 45 minutes to get to the top and I was pleased to be here. There was no cairn or register, so I did not stick around long. I retraced my route down, taking about the same amount of time to egress. On the lower slopes, I slid on some loose cinder and had my first butt landing of the trip. I was back to my car about 3:30, a 90-minute round trip hike.
I took the drive out slowly, now knowing what to expect. Even so, I scraped my car's bottom more than once on a high center or a rock. But I was going so slow that it didn't cause any damage. I was back to the main highway after another half hour.
I was very happy to be successful, and surprised that I had got so close to the peak by this road. Getting this peak done today also helped me with my subsequent plans as it gave me a lot more flexibility.
Back in Flagstaff, I stopped at the Safeway near the mall on the east side. I also had a meal at a Panda Express, which I rarely do, but they were close and open, and it wasn't bad at all.
As the day turned to dusk, I started back north on US-89 and returned to the same area I had camped at last night. Someone had taken my first spot, but I found another spot nearby and camped there for the night. Tomorrow, I would meet Matthias and we'd climb three more craters.
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