Ash Creek Peaks – Off 169 west of I-17 – 5,835’ and 5,740’ - Difficult

The Ash Creek Peaks are located about 10 miles east of Prescott Valley within Prescott National Forest. I have hiked quite a few mountains back in this area, including Crater Mountain, Goat Peak, Onion Mountain, and others. The “Ash Creek” Peaks aren’t well traveled and few people have hiked the summits because they aim for higher or more well-known peaks in the area.
However, the hike to the Ash Creek Peaks is off a paved road, only about an hour’s drive from the McDonalds at Carefree Highway.

By the end of March, temperatures in this area will vary, but generally, because this hike is mostly in between 4,750’ and over 5,800’, even if it’s warm in the valley, it should be relatively mild up here.

From the parking area at 34.5415, -112.0823 we hike a dirt road to the west for over 2 miles. We then hike north on a lesser road/wash for over a mile. This puts us at the base of the saddle. We hike off-trail to the saddle for a third of a mile, and then a third of a mile to the summit.
We return to the saddle and then cross down to a trail and up to the saddle below the eastern and higher summit. Now the toughest part, it to get up the steep slope to the summit.

Once on the summit, we descend a different way. We go east, and then north about 450’ down to the Lamb Tank. Then we hike on small ATV roads back around in the hills and then down south back to the main road leading to the original trailhead.

This is about a 10-mile hike. 2 miles is off-trail.

The rest is on dirt road, wide wash, and a little bit of trail. The total elevation gain is about 2,000 feet.

READ THE FOLLOWING: The Organizer of this trip is a VOLUNTEER, not a "leader". The organizer IS NOT trained in first aid and is not a bonded expert mountain guide. You will need to bring your own experience and judgment. If you want to enjoy the benefits of traveling in a group, then we suggest that you stay with the group on the trip.

The waitlist is created to give preference to hikers who have demonstrated the ability for tougher hikes and consistency of showing up when they RSVP. Those who have RSVPed multiple times and have always cancelled or been a no-show will be kept on the waitlist until others who are more likely to come are given an opportunity to RSVP. The waitlist also ensures we do not overwhelm parking, as this area doesn’t have infinite parking.

Assess the route and conditions as if you were going to do this trip solo.

About your organizer: My name is Dan. I moved to the Phoenix area in early 2017. I have organized over 200 hikes for various groups – including in Arizona, the Sierras, and Northern Nevada. I tend to choose mountain summits I have never done before. I do as much preparation and mapping as I can to ensure we take the correct trails. However, when driving to and hiking in a new area, there are always surprises and unknowns.

This hike is subject to cancellation or rescheduling due to fires or inclement weather.