O'Leary Peak

Dogs Leashed

Features Fall Colors · Geological Significance · Views

O'Leary is a great hill for a fitness hike to a summit near Flagstaff. You'll see interesting geology in old lava flows plus great views of the San Francisco Peaks and Mt Elden. The "trail" is a dirt road made of loose volcanic cinders that leads to a fire tower on top. The soft surface makes it feel like hiking in sand at times, which adds to the overall difficulty of the route.

This can be very hot in summer, so you may want to bring water, or stash some on your way up.

From the parking lot, warm up on the flats and gentle rollers of Forest Road 545A as you prepare for the consistent grade of the O'Leary Lookout Trail. At 3.5 miles from the start you'll come to a gate. This is a nice place for a shade break or a turnaround point if you are in a rush to get back to your car.

After the gate, the gradient increases and stays steeper than the start until you get to the top at the fire tower. The station is used by Forest Service lookouts, so you won't be able to go up the tower. Nonetheless, you'll have amazing views of the San Francisco Peaks and surrounding cinder cones from the sparsely treed summit of O'Leary.