Hike Mount Floyd Mount Floyd State Trust Lands, AZ

Mar 29, 2024 — Mount Floyd is located north of I-40 and can be accessed using the twisting Ranch Road, which is in excellent shape and passable by any vehicle. At this junction, turn left (35.38439, -112.69427), but passenger cars likely won't be able to make it much farther. I'm honestly not sure if this hike is legal, despite many others doing it before me. I parked a bit before a small "No Trespassing" sign, though this sign could have been referring to the land on the side of the road rather than the road itself. I hurried along just in case since this region is a checkerboard mess of State Trust Land and private land.

I hiked along the road for a short time as Mount Floyd came into view. This road drops to the left and returns, but I left it briefly to head cross-country, rejoining it momentarily before starting up the southeast slope of the peak. I made an ascending traverse toward the south side of Mount Floyd. The ascent quickly introduced plenty of talus, and then hardy brush began to poke out and slow my progress. When I was just south of the summit, I started directly toward it. The last couple of hundred feet were steep and had lots of large talus boulders precariously stacked on one another, and at this steep angle actually posed a danger. A couple of Class 2+ moves got me to the summit, and not without a few deep cuts from the hateful brush.

I was surprised to find a ridiculous multiple-human-sized cairn constructed on the summit. I could see Humphreys Peak clearly and overall really nice views, but this didn't make up for the particularly not fun hike. I previously thought I'd work my way south to Peak 7402, but my concern about potentially trespassing and the generally not fun brush/talus of the area had me reconsider, so I just headed back the way I came.