Four Peaks Summit

I previously thought Flat Iron was the toughest hike with the best views in the Valley. I was wrong. I’ve hiked Flat Iron 5 times, and Four Peaks blew Flat Iron away with views as well as difficulty.
Let’s start with the drive there. The last 20 miles are on a stretch of graded dirt/​rock, which took 1h25m to travel, most of which came in the last 18 miles. Imagine driving down the Goldmine trail at San Tan mountains in a motor vehicle, and this is what it would feel like. Can you say motion sickness? I’d recommend renting an oversized truck and buy their insurance. The bone-​jarring ride does provide a great view, however.
Take the 4 peaks road past the Lone Pine trail sign until you see the actual sign for the Brown’s Peak trailhead, about a quarter mile below. Take the Brown’s Peak trail 133, and when you see a fork in the trail, go right. I made the mistake of turning left, and it eventually joined the 4 Peaks Trail, which forced me to backtrack all the way to the trailhead.
Brown’s trail is very well defined. You should never have to wonder if you’re on trail, and if you do, then you’re off trail. Near the saddle, there’s a sign for Trail 133 with an arrow pointed vaguely in the direction you just came from, but it also looks like it’s pointing down toward a trail that goes down into a ravine. DO NOT take the trail down to the ravine like I did. Confused hikers even left cairns there, but it leads to nowhere fun. Just ignore that Trail 133 sign and continue marching upward toward the saddle.
Once you get to the saddle, the views really open up. This is the point where many hikers turn around because the next portion is not for everyone. Up until the saddle, the hike is relatively easy, but if you want the full reward, you have to scramble to the summit. This involves some class 2 scrambling at first, similar to Echo Canyon trail at Camelback, then about 300 feet of class 4 scrambling will get you to the peak. If you’re not comfortable with heights, just don’t ever look all the way down. There are plenty of places to apply your death-​grip onto the boulders so you don’t fall, but the height still makes it nerve-​racking
The view from the top is the best in the Valley. You can see the entire valley, Roosevelt lake, Gold Canyon and its lakes, the Superstition wilderness, and even Mt. Humphreys is visible on a clear day.
The technical part of the scramble makes it the hardest hike in the Valley. The altitude isn’t extreme ~7700 feet, but I still got a bought of altitude sickness later that day and into the next.
The temperature high only reached 85 in early September while it got to 105 in Phoenix. I would not recommend going to the peak from November to March since it gets icy and very dangerous.
Things to be aware of:
1. Bear country. This forest has the highest concentration of black bears in AZ
2. Bees. Lots and lots of bees
3. Unpredictable weather. There’s no protection from storms, and storms happen much more frequently up there than in the desert.