Browns Peak via Brown's Trail [CLOSED]

my son and I hiked it Sunday, only ones up there, and got some incredible vids of the fire and the wildlife. the wind shifted on us on the way down and started blowing straight up the shoot. we got down before the smoke got to us and some great AZ game officers lead the way out. breaks our hearts that the fire got to the four peaks. it was my top hike here for many reasons.

The road up to the trailhead is absolutely nuts. There are two ways to get there from the east valley. Take the longer way by the Bush Highway because the dirt road section is half the length, and more defined/easy to drive on. The hike is very nice and the views are wonderful throughout. When you get to the saddle you'll look up and think the trail is joking you because the chute up to the top is straight up. Take it slow and you'll be rewarded with a 360 view of the entire area. It was well worth it.

This is one of my top ten hikes ever. Its difficult and if you are a beginner you need to work up to this one. If you go in the winter you will see snow. Great views!

Fires are currently blocking western views. Great views of Roosevelt though. Watch out for the Diamondbacks, met one while taking a piss haha

This hike was hard! I went as a beginner (never having done any intense hiking before) with 3 other very experienced hikers who helped me through the hard parts. I would not recommend this hike for beginners. My legs and arms are shredded, but despite the challenge, this hike was amazing and I recommend it for the experienced hiker. Good luck!

An incredible hike with spectacular views. If you are in shape and Hike a lot this should be a decent hike for you. There is a rock scramble to the top with the best views, follow the red arrows. I brought my dog, but he is used to climbing rock and very athletic. probably not the best hike for most dogs unless they are used to climbing. There are still good views if you decide to not go all the way up. A lot of wildlife out here. A good challenge for most people. The road getting there is very long and bumpy. Definitely need a truck or SUV

Beautiful easy incline up to the face of Browns. A little tricky for inexperienced scramblers/climbers, but I found it very easy and fun! The view from the top is absolutely incredible. Put my name in the book too. Had to stop my recording early due to my phone being at a very low battery, but my Fitbit clocked in at 6.23 miles from the parking lot. Bring water and a jacket, it gets windy! Definitely need a truck to get in. The hour drive on the unforgiving dirt road is no joke!

This is one of my favorite trails in arizona. It’s a pretty easy trail. Once you get past the saddle it does become a little more technical involving you to climb up and over rocks but it’s well worth it. We packed in friday night, hiked through a beautiful sunset, ran into a black bear and camped at the saddle. We woke up and hiked up to the top of browns peak and all the way back down. Yes the road is rocky and long; but as long as you have a suv you will be fine. We took an 04 yukon xl RWD.

Took El Oso road in as suggested. Long windy dirt road in good condition overall. Would not drive a sedan on it- definitely need an SUV or 4WD- the road is steep. A few camping spots off the road along the way. The trail to the chute is very nice providing outstanding views of the wilderness as you’re climbing elevation. Even if you do not want to scramble up the chute it is worth hiking to it just for the views! Once at the chute it’s a scramble to the top, very easy to follow. I’d consider myself an experienced hiker (not a pro) and was expecting it to be much worse based off what others were saying. There are really only 2-3 tricky spots otherwise it was an easy scramble. As long as you go slow and strategize you’re fine. And be careful on all of the loose rock. I agree with the difficult rating of the hike. Everyone kept saying dogs can’t make it but I knew of someone who’s dog made it so I let mine try, willing to turn around if need be. He made it to the top!! Several parts I had to pull him up or lift him up but as long as your dog is an experienced climber and enjoys doing this they’ll make it. Definitely need a sturdy harness and rope to assist. I used the rope as a long lead while going up and down. Recommend bringing along dog booties just incase. @karaboulifestyle

My husband and I camped at the upper parking lot Saturday night and summited early Sunday morning. We enjoyed the beautiful flora in bloom along the nicely shaded trail. The chute is marked and be careful to heed these markings. We did get off-path in the chute and at one point, I thought we might have to turn around on account of it being too difficult. Once we saw we were off-track of the trodden path and returned, it was a more pleasant stretch to the top. We were surprised no one had commented on the swarming of flies.. this drove us nuts overnight and we camped in our car. Once we got on the trail, we had become numb to the unceasing buzz. The ladybugs at the top are such a fun surprise. Bring protein to refuel, and always water. Stunning views.

near the summit I encountered a massive lady bug swarm it was unlike anything I've ever seen. the last quarter mile is very rocky and you have to climb to the summit. hand are required so I left my water bottle once it got steep. the dirt road is 18 miles long from Bush highway and takes longer than suggested on the map. from Bush highway to the trailhead took me nearly 2 hours.

Been staring at these peaks from Phoenix for as long as I can remember! Fun hike, ESPECIALLY the chute. First time doing it. Started at 9am and passed only four people on the way up- had the top to ourselves for a while! Just over an hour to summit. Great views. Will do again!

Beautiful wilderness area. Highly recommended for experienced adventures only. That being said, minus 1 star because the trail on all trails needs some love(the best trail starts at lone pine trailhead and then you connect with Browns Peak Trail after a few miles, if you're doing this hike properly) and the amount of people congregating at the top was egregious. Anyhow this trail should be attempted when there is very little to snow on the ground and serious scrambling is required. I won't go so far as to say this encompasses bouldering/climbing but if you aren't steady on your own to legs and confident in getting hands on, maybe take a look at some of the other beautiful hikes in this area. It was on my second attempt that I made it to the top, the first time there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground which at the top of the rock had melted and refrozen into slick sheets of ice. Needless to say it's not impossible to do under those conditions but only for those prepared. Attempt 2 and the weather was gorgeous, sun was out wind was whipping fast at the top but it was just the ticket to bring down the 98°+ of the valley below. The only obstacles of note are the well documented scree chute and yesterday there was a behive buzzing with a large swarm of bees only 10 ft max from the trail(just past the saddle on the east side of the trail in a tree). But navigating them was easy and this hike felt rewarding though it we took a steady pace to account for bum knees. Bring plenty of sun protection, water, good shoes, a slim pack that won't catch on rocks and trees as you squeeze and maybe some long pants if you want to check this one of the list with ease. Now get out there and get some space. ~@chris_laney_photography

this is one of my favorite hikes in Phoenix. the chute looks way harder than what it really is. it actually is a lot of fun to climb the chute. well worth it for the views up top!

Impressive views the entire route-including the drive up the wilderness area. We took El Oso road coming from the east valley and it was definitely worth it. The trail itself was fairly easy-fair amount of heart pumping elevation gain. I was surprised how well-kept the trail was. As for the scramble up the chute, it was intimidating. Even with no snow or ice present, it required very thoughtful moves. It is attainable, just mentally prep yourself. It was not as physically demanding as Flat Iron but for sure mentally demanding. I was 10 minutes from reaching summit and turned around because of a patch that I just couldn’t scale comfortably (I am under 5 feet tall). Now that I know what to expect I definitely think I could go all the way next time! Dress in layers and bring snacks. I’d also suggest a smaller and lighter backpack, as I found that my backpack made it difficult to maneuver through the chute easily. It also got stuck a few times on branches. Happy hiking and be safe :)

This trail rates higher if you make it to the top but half the hikers I met didn't. Without the peak the best views are in the first half of the trail. Than it gets progressively rockier and steeper. I spend a total of at least 1 hour in the chute in 3 contact point sloth mode. That had gotten me beyond every scramble in the past. At a feature that looks like a little cave I tried 2 approaches for about 10 minutes before I decided that I did not want to later have to descent that area, and turned around. Some rocks had blood on it. I got curious and researched accidents. In 2010 a hiker died in the chute. Driving my sedan on the El Oso road was doable but not much fun either.