O'Leary Peak Trail
Northern Arizona is home to over 600 volcanoes--yes, you read that right, 600 of the fiery, exploding suckers. Don't worry, they're all extinct. For now. Foreboding-ness (let it happen) aside, you're probably wondering how you can climb one of these heartburn-ridden mountains; and while the most famous of the Arizona volcanoes, Sunset Crater, can't be climbed, there's another right next to it that gives you what just might be the best view in the entire area--that also includes a LOT of those 600 volcanoes mentioned earlier. That lucky mountain? O'Leary Peak.
When to Visit
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The O'Leary Peak trail is open 24/7, 365 days a year, but if you're visiting in the winter, expect snow and ice--crampons and warm weather gear are a great idea. You'll find it busiest, and warmest, between May and September, but this is northern Arizona, near a less-popular park, so don't expect the throngs of people you'll find in the nearby Grand Canyon.
How to Get There
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O'Leary Peak is about 28 minutes north of the city of Flagstaff, just off Highway 89. While Flagstaff does have an airport with big carriers, it's relatively small, and often expensive to fly into. Your next best option will be Phoenix, which is approximately two and a half hours away from Sunset Crater. As for reaching the trailhead, enter Sunset Crater from Highway 89, and your first left turn before the entrance gate should lead to the O'Leary Group Campground. Proceed up this road, and make your first right, where you'll find a small parking lot and the trail's start.
About Me
Hi there, I'm Dan: videographer, travel-addict, and beer-lover. I left corporate life behind to start my own video business and travel the world. Want to know more about me and Dan Treks?
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O'Leary Peak Trail
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Time: 4 - 5 hours.
Distance: 9.6 miles.
The trail is actually a forest service road to the fire lookout tower at the summit--no, you can't drive it, no skipping the hiking part. A word of warning for those wanting a trail with diverse views, twists and turns, and adventure around every corner: this is just a service road, and while the views of the surrounding areas get immensely better the higher you get, that's about it. Begin the hike, with the first mile or so being relatively flat. Very quickly you'll come across a two-story high wall of jagged, black rock: this is the Bonito Lava Flow, which erupted from nearby Sunset Crater about 1,000 years ago.
Sunset Crater and Bonito Lava Flow (top) and O'Leary Peak with the lava flow (bottom).
After the first mile, the trail begins heading gradually up, and then turns into nothing but long switchbacks for pretty much the remainder of the hike. With plenty of food, water, and sunscreen packed (you remembered, right?), there's not much else to do but start the trek upwards. Do definitely take breaks along the way, if only just to enjoy the scenery: the scale of everything becomes more and more apparent the higher you get, from the size of the lava flow, to the massive San Francisco Peaks behind you.
Sunset Crater Volcano Cinematic Video
See this amazing cinder cone volcano up close, explore the rugged lava flows around it, and hike to the premiere view of the area at the top of O'Leary Peak--all in this cinematic video of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument!
Sunset Crater and lava flow (top) and San Francisco Peaks with volcano craters (below).
Continue on, though these switch backs are long and take some time--you're gaining around 2,000 feet of elevation on this hike, and starting out close to 7,000 feet as it is. If you're not conditioned for the higher altitude, expect to do some extra panting and sweating: I like to call it the Dan Treks experience. You'll be able to see the fire tower most of the way, and use it to judge how close you're getting to the top.
An average trail view heading to the top of O'Leary Peak (top) and the fire tower (below).
Continue on, though these switch backs are long and take some time--you're gaining around 2,000 feet of elevation on this hike, and starting out close to 7,000 feet as it is. If you're not conditioned for the higher altitude, expect to do some extra panting and sweating: I like to call it the Dan Treks experience. You'll be able to see the fire tower most of the way, and use it to judge how close you're getting to the top.
Approaching the summit.
Congratulations! You've reached the fire tower and the summit of O'Leary Peak. If it's fire season, there will probably be someone living in the tower, and it's their choice whether you get to come up or not. If it's not fire season and no one is living there, you can climb the stairs, but the latch to the very top will be locked. Regardless, head past the fire tower where you'll find a small trail leading to an amazing overlook: Sunset Crater, numerous other cinder cone volcanoes, and even the distant Painted Desert are all visible.
Spying a LOT of volcanoes to the north (top) and Sunset Crater (bottom) from the summit.
So now what? Well, really your only choice is make the 4.3 mile journey back down, hop into your car, and treat yourself to a beer at one of Flagstaff's amazing breweries. That, or maybe check out Sunset Crater National Monument: you've looked into this amazing volcano, now take the opportunity to hike it's lava fields or just take a closer look via my complete guide found here.
Sunset Crater Volcano.