Little Four Peaks Photoset • AZLumberjack • 2015-12-05 • HikeArizona.COM

Little Four Peaks, AZ

	2015-12-05
	12 by AZLumberjack

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Little Four Peaks

Phoenix, AZ

Little Four Peaks

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking	1.60 Miles	506 AEG

Hiking	1.60 Miles	1 Hour 48 Mns	1.25 mph
	506 ft AEG	31 Mns Break

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Many hikers out there are well aware of the scenic range known as "Four Peaks", but did you know there's also a smaller range known as "Little Four Peaks"? Little Four Peaks lies along the East side of the Apache Trail at mile marker 205 (approx). If you pause at the turnoff for LDSP or First Water Road and look at Four Peaks in the distance, you will notice Little Four Peaks just down the road.... and the peaks almost perfectly align

I was just out exploring the area looking for some scenic shots of First Water Canyon this afternoon in the range known as "Little Four Peaks", so I hiked an old Jeep road to a trashed out shooting range where all trails end :scared:

From here on, you're on your own and at the mercy of you're route finding and bushwhacking skills. The slopes are steep with a couple of deeply gouged out washes and lots of loose rocks

but finally I reached a saddle between two of the peaks and was blown away by the outstanding views of the Western Superstition Mountain Range

Few observation points within the area offer better views. From this single vantage point you can see First Water Creek at the bottom of the canyon, the massif above Hackberry Spring, Hackberry Mesa, Garden Valley, Black Mesa, Malapais Mountain, part of the Superstition Ridgeline and, of course, Weavers Needle.

This area is not frequented by many hikers so there are no designated trails to follow, although cairns are everywhere, and does involve lots of bushwhacking and some climbing to get to the four summits. I did manage to summit on one of the lesser peaks but time was getting late so I'm going to have to save the rest for another trip. There were no other hikers encountered

but, since you're so close to the Apache Trail, lots of traffic noise

to interrupt an otherwise pleasant experience.

As a sidenote to the hike, I encountered a barbed wire fenceline that stretched between two of the peaks.... I wondered, what the heck is a fenceline doing way up here :-k

On my way home, I stopped at the Bluebird Mine Store and, while enjoying a refreshing cool one, asked Lewis Ruiz about that fence. He told me that many years ago, when he was employed by John Cox (Rancher), they installed that fence to isolate the livestock from the Superstition Wilderness. The fencing material was hauled up by a pack mule and Lewis showed me the home-made 40 lb driving tool to hammer in the fence posts that still solidly stand..... I'm impressed :worthy:

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Superstition Wilderness - West

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On every trip into the Superstitions, I find another Gold Mine. Today the mine was filled with Memories. I can not wait for the next trip.

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