Browns Peak
Yavapai: Wikopa
View of Four Peaks with some snow
Highest point
Elevation7,659 ft (2,334 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence3,297 ft (1,005 m)[2]
ListingArizona county high point[3]
Coordinates33°41′04″N 111°19′32″W / 33.684357033°N 111.325686994°W / 33.684357033; -111.325686994[1]
Geography
Browns Peak is located in Arizona
Browns Peak
Browns Peak
LocationGila / Maricopa counties, Arizona, U.S.
Parent rangeMazatzal Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Four Peaks
Climbing
Easiest routeExposed scramble, class 3

Four Peaks (Yavapai: Wi:khoba[4]) is a prominent landmark on the eastern skyline of Phoenix. Part of the Mazatzal Mountains, it is located in the Four Peaks Wilderness[5] in the Tonto National Forest, 40 miles (64 km) east-northeast of Phoenix. In winter, Four Peaks offers much of the Phoenix metro area a view of snow-covered peaks. Four Peaks is the site of an amethyst mine that produces top-grade amethyst.

The name Four Peaks is a reference to the four distinct peaks of a north–south ridge forming the massif's summit. The northernmost peak is named Brown's Peak and is the tallest of the four at 7,659 feet (2,334 m).[1] It is the highest point in Maricopa County. The remaining summits have no official names, and from north to south are 7,644 feet (2,330 m),[6] 7,574 feet (2,309 m)[7] and 7,526 feet (2,294 m)[8] in elevation.

Four Peaks Wilderness

The Four Peaks Wilderness, established in 1984, covers 60,740 acres of land. It is home to a diverse variety of plants and animals due to the quick change of elevation in the range.[9] Brown's Trail, found in the Four Peaks Wilderness, is used to reach the tallest peak and is home to black bears, ring-tailed cats, skunks, and coyotes.[10] The Four Peaks Wilderness contains a section of the Arizona Trail,[11] which is considered one of the most difficult passages, as it is infrequently maintained.[12] On April 27, 1996, a party of two campers left a campfire unattended near Lone Pine Saddle. This caused the Lone Fire which burned over 61,000 acres and lasted 11 days.[13] The Lone fire was Arizona's largest recorded wildfire prior to the Rodeo–Chediski Fire in 2002.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Four Peaks". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  2. ^ "Browns Peak". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  3. ^ "Arizona County High Points". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  4. ^ Alan William Shaterian (1983), Phonology and Dictionary of Yavapai, University of California, Berkeley
  5. ^ "Four Peaks Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  6. ^ "Four Peaks North Middle, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  7. ^ "Four Peaks South Middle, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  8. ^ "Four Peaks South, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  9. ^ "Four Peaks Wilderness Area". United States Forest Service. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  10. ^ Allen, Natalie (28 February 2017). "Hike Brown's Peak". Arizona Hikers Guide. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Passage 20: Four Peaks". Passage 20 on the AZ Trail. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  12. ^ Drown, Jule (January 2015). "The Arizona Trail". Horse&Rider. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  13. ^ "The Lone Fire". United States Forest Service. Retrieved 13 November 2018.

External links

Media related to Four Peaks at Wikimedia Commons

Mountains of Arizona
Authority control databases: National
Categories