Rover Peak and Blackjack Point - Seven Springs area - Difficult

Seven Springs Road leads into the higher terrain north of the Phoenix Valley. I have hiked many peaks in this area. One I haven’t gotten a chance to hike is Rover Peak 5,279’.

However, I have hiked another summit from the same trailhead we would be using, so I am quite familiar with the area.

A jeep track leads all the way to the base of the mountain, going up and down along the way, with a steep final section gaining 700’ to the top which is off-trail. All in all, it is about 1,600’ of round-trip hiking. About 1.2 miles of it off-trail (out and back to the summit).

Typically, people try to approach Rover Peak from the west instead of the north, but there is private land issues due to mining and ranches. Approaching from the north avoids these issues, and is actually more straight-forward. The jeep track is in Tonto National Forest.

Meanwhile, to add some extra distance to the hike, there are two other summits in the immediate area, both of which I have hiked. Peak 4821 is just a half-mile off the jeep track with an easy open-slope approach. Blackjack Point is 5,380’ and starts with a road and then open slope to the top of the ridge.
We would park separately on the way back at the base of the road to Black Jack Point.

The total elevation gain would be about 2,400’ in 10 ½ miles.
The trailhead is at 34.05339,-111.8593

We can meet at the Bashas in the town of Carefree. It is about an hour drive to the trailhead. 4WD is recommended, although it is a fairly good road the entire way.

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, and there are sufficient 4WD to reach the trailhead.

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.