Brown's Trail #133 @ Four Peaks Wilderness

BROWN’S TRAIL #133 (FOUR PEAKS WILDERNESS)

Brown’s Trail #133 is within the Four Peaks Wilderness area in the Tonto National Forest. The trail technically ends at Brown’s Saddle just below Brown’s Peak, the tallest and north easternmost of the four peaks, appropriately known as “Four Peaks.”

Links:
Tonto National Forest Website
Todd's Hiking Guide
Hike Arizona website

One-Way Mileage to Saddle: Approximately 2 miles.

Elevation Gain: ~1000 feet gain from the trailhead to the Saddle and another 1000ish feet gain to get to the top of Brown’s Peak. We went above the saddle but below the peak and achieved a top elevation of around 7300 feet.

Top Elevation: Approximately 6760’ at the saddle and 7660’ on Brown’s Peak.

Experience Needed: Hiking on steep trails which are sometimes fairly exposed to wind and drop-offs. If you’re afraid of heights or have trouble with steep hills this may not be for you. If you choose to summit Brown’s Peak you will need to be able to scramble boulders 10-15 feet high several times.

Difficulty: Listed as “more difficult” on the Tonto National Forest website.

Parking: Park at Lone Pine Saddle Trailhead, which is up FR143 via a 19-mile

dirt road. You should not attempt this without having a high clearance vehicle able to withstand an hour’s worth of bumping and grinding. It’s not a difficult 4x4 road but it’s not made for your standard Honda Civic. 4 wheel-drives may not be a necessity but it definitely is a plus. Some people park at the bottom of the junction off SR87 and then use ATVs or other recreational vehicles up the road. Here’s a photo of the cars we found at the trailhead – use this is a guide for what type of car is needed to get there.

Pets: We brought our mascot, Lucy the golden doodle, with us but she was the only pup we saw. And we turned back before finishing the Brown’s Peak hike due to safety factors from both the standpoint of Lucy’s capabilities and the big wind gusts we experienced that day.

People Meter: I found this to be a comfortable level of people. We passed several large groups going up or down and a few other folks but mostly we had the trails to ourselves.

Safety: We took along our walkie-talkies for the first time and were within range of each other the whole trip. We were also able to hear other conversations on our radio frequency. To me this indicates fairly decent safety since we were within range of getting additional help if need be. BUT, the hike is difficult, so be ready for a heart-pumping experience. My heart rate topped out at 186 at some places as we hiked to the saddle. Be sure to watch your footing, and hike with a buddy. Also- just because you’re in range of getting help, remember that you’re an hour into the wilderness, so it will be a fairly long time before you’re able to get medical attention. So be aware and safe! Remember getting up is optional but getting down is mandatory. Do NOT climb up anything you don’t think you can get back down!

My Experience: We intended to hike Brown’s Trail to the summit on May 15, 2011. We headed out with a late start from Cave Creek around 9:45. In our Jeep, the three of us and our mascot headed out to SR87 and then up the dirt road FR143. If you take a dog with you, I recommend a harness or some way to strap your pooch in. Lucy was anxious and had a few brain scrambles as she was knocked around between the seats over the bumpy 19 mile drive to the trailhead. Once at the trailhead we were so focused on hiking we didn’t even stop to verify which trail we took. A trail sign was there but it was blank – just wood, no sign. So we luckily chose the path we wanted to be on, but it’s a big reminder to start off on the right foot and trail! The hike quickly gains in elevation as you twist up and around, through foliage and rock. Richard quickly gained traction and was 15 minutes ahead of us but still reachable by walkie-talkie. He waited for us about 5 minutes below the saddle near a big rock with a great view of Roosevelt Lake.

At the saddle we stared up at Brown’s Peak and put away our hiking sticks. The rest of the hike would need our hands and feet to get there. Lucy the dog is like a billy goat but after several minutes of climbing we faced the crevasse of the tall rock wall we’d need to scramble up before summiting. That, coupled with the 40+ mph wind gusts, made us rethink our stopping point for the day. We had already hiked two hours and were happy with our progress, so we decided not to push it and to put the hike on our schedule for June. We watched some hikers get to the top through our binoculars while we sat and rested, refueled and headed back down.

On the way down we noticed what we thought was a camp fire in the distance had turned into something a bit more ominous. Richard called and reported it, we were not the first to call but they were appreciative of the call. As we drove back out FR143 we drove right by the area and the fire service was already on scene hiking out to contain the damage. We saw several planes fly by and one dropped a powdery red-orange substance out on to the area.

It was a fairly small fire as forest fires go, but the winds were high so hopefully they’re able to stop its expansion fast!

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