Today was an exploration day! Neither of us had ever been east of I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff, and we were intrigued by the Arizona trail travelling through the area, the topo maps and promise of elevation (and thus cooler temperatures), and the general promise of new things to see and do. On a whim, we decided to head to Dairy Springs Campground, as Ken had seen a picture of a trail sign that said both the Arizona Trail and Mormon Mountain summit could be reached from that trailhead. So - we took the scenic route from Phoenix to Mormon Lake (which, lies, is no longer a lake - it should be renamed Mormon Meadows) on AZ-87 through Payson, Strawberry, Pine, and other small communities until we got onto the forest service road. Everything was paved and very well maintained, well signed, etc. The trail was also well-maintained and decently well-signed. It's a decently steep climb for the first 2 miles and then the grade levels off and is much more gentle near the summit. The Mormon Mountain Trail actually dead-ends at an unpaved forest service road that is mostly used for servicing the communication towers at the top of Mormon Mountain. That being said, the summit itself is to the north and west (to the left) of the communications area; you can easily skirt around it and stay outside the boundary to get over to the summit. We did so, saw a lot of elk scat, and found the summit a bit up and behind the towers. Hopefully I won't glow in the dark...! No summit register that we could find. We saw two other groups on the trail; one was coming down as we were going up, and one was behind us. No idea if they actually went bushwhacking like we did to find the summit, or if they walked to the telecom tower area and turned around. Aspens didn't start until about 8300' above sea level; mostly pine forest with some oak. Beautiful, easy, and my first hike at elevation for the season. Ah, if they could only all be this easy...! A lovely day, sunshine and the scent of warm pine. Lots of flowers. So glad to be out and about - and now I know to look for other peaks in this area. I wouldn't mind camping up here a few times during the summer to escape the heat of Phoenix! I can see why it's a popular escape.