Four Peaks, Mountain in Tonto National Forest, Arizona, United States
Four Peaks is a massif in the Mazatzal Mountains of the Tonto National Forest, 40 miles east-northeast of Phoenix. Its summit is a north–south ridge of four distinct peaks: Brown's Peak, the tallest at 7,659 feet and the highest point in Maricopa County, then Brother, Sister and Amethyst. The upper slopes are bare grey rock; below, brownish-grey slopes fan outward.
Four Peaks Wilderness was established in 1984, covering 60,740 acres within the Tonto National Forest. On April 27, 1996, two campers left a campfire unattended near Lone Pine Saddle, starting the Lone Fire, which burned over 61,000 acres in 11 days and was Arizona's largest recorded wildfire until the Rodeo–Chediski Fire of 2002.
The Yavapai name for the massif is Wi:khoba, while the English name counts the four summits of the north–south ridge: Brown's Peak, Brother, Sister and Amethyst. Four Peaks appears on Arizona's standard vehicle registration plates, so the four-peak outline is seen daily across the state.
Brown's Trail, in the Four Peaks Wilderness, is the route to Brown's Peak, the 7,659-foot summit. The Arizona Trail crosses the wilderness here, and its passage is described as one of the most difficult, since it is infrequently maintained. Plan for heat and scarce water on the exposed upper slopes.
Four Peaks is depicted on Arizona's standard vehicle registration plates, so the four-summit silhouette is familiar to drivers across the state. The amethyst mine within the massif is known as a source of top-grade amethyst.
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