"Birthday peakbagging bonanza! Okay, maybe not as bonanza-y as last year, but I still got to go hiking for my birthday weekend and that's all that matters. :) Considered West O'Leary and Darton Dome, but both were very steep and I really wasn't feeling it. I can come back for them later, another day. Weather was gorgeous; it was a bit breezy in downtown Flagstaff, but up in the hills it was quite nice. O'Leary is very straightforward; you park at the trailhead at the O'Leary Group Campground right outside the entrance to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, and follow a very well-maintained forest service road to the lookout tower about 5 miles up the road. Very slight downhill at the beginning of the hike, but most of the rest is a climb. The steepest part occurs when you've reached the saddle between Darton Dome and O'Leary peak; at that point, you've done most of the mileage, but still have half of the gain left in the hike. The views on the way up are incredible, both of Sunset Crater Volcano to the south and east and the San Francisco peaks to the west. On the way back down, we found the old jeep road (honestly, if it hadn't been for the cables trying to further block it of..." — psychikingjes • Oct 9, 2021

"Before touring Sunset Crater & Wupatki National Monuments, I did some peakbagging and general wandering just outside the national monument boundary. Despite being dwarfed by the adjacent San Francisco Mountains, the volcanic cinder cones and lava domes in this area have their own appeal for anyone interested in geology. They also offer tremendous views of their loftier neighbors to the west. The five-mile O'Leary Lookout Trail starts out relatively flat and passes by a lava field before switchbacking its way to one of Arizona's 120 fire lookout towers. The path is deceptively steep-ish albeit nice and wide. You can see the San Francisco Mountains and Sunset Crater volcanic area really well from the upper reaches of the trail and from the tower. Some of my favorite photos and videos of my entire Arizona trip were taken here. It's worth noting that O'Leary Peak actually consists of two distinct peaks. The eastern peak, where the lookout tower stands, has only 150 feet in prominence whereas the western peak is over ten times more prominent. While hiking back down to the saddle between O'Leary's dual peaks, I quickly discovered that I am not quite as big of a prominence nerd as p..." — theascent • May 18, 2021

"Smoke from the Museum Fire filled the air, but fortunately I found a big mountain trail that was actually open. The climb is on a service road that leads to the fire lookout tower. Amazing views from the summit overlook the lava fields of Sunset Crater and toward Humphreys Peak. Unfortunately, the smoke diminished the views quite a bit. Before returning to the parking area I also visited West O'Leary Peak and Robinson Peak. Darton Dome was also very close, but I left it alone. Apparently three summits on one hike seems to be enough for me. (Stats include all three summits)" — MikeTeeples • Jul 23, 2019

"Climbed the road to the top. Hot day even for this elevation, mostly in the sun the whole way up. Great views from the top. The nice lady at the fire tower gave us some watermelon." — tjjohnson • Jul 9, 2013

"There was too much snow to drive to the base of the mountain, so we started at the junction of Sunset Crater road. There was places that was knee deep snow. Once we started heading up the mountain there was considerably less to no snow on the FS road. Hiked when I was 14. " — MtnGeek • Mar 17, 1991