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Beauty beyond destination by joebartels  Here's a simple hike into a scenic area few ever see. From Mesquite Flat just east of Tortilla Flats you take off NW onto a jeep road. The entire hike mentioned here is on the jeep road. In fact you could drive but the scenery is better absorbed hiking. It's a steady rise up the road. Soon the road notches high on the left to go around a ravine with a mini dam of sorts. Continue on to the Y intersection. First I opted for the west extension of the Y. The views are pretty good but not as good as the east extension. You might opt to use this end for further exploration. Most notably would be Peak 2749. On route to the east extension you are presented with options for exploring the drainages to the north. All of these eventually end shortly at the Salt River. The east extension of the Y ends with nice views in many directions. An easy off trail excursion would get you to even better views from Peak 2545. Although nothing mind rattling I found this to be a pleasant hike even in mid-day August heat. Granted it was an uncharacteristically cool day with scattered clouds. Photographers would certainly benefit from surrounding thunderstorms. The area doesn't show the horrid signs of abuse I've witnessed in the nearby Tonto Forest. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.
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