West Cedar Mountain
West Cedar Mountain is a rugged and surprisingly prominent summit in central Arizona, rising above the remote country between Bloody Basin and the Verde River. The mountain reaches approximately 5,488 feet (1,673 meters) and has nearly 1,800 feet of topographic prominence, making it one of the more significant lesser-known peaks in Yavapai County.
The mountain lies within Tonto National Forest, north of Cave Creek and west of the Verde River. Together with neighboring East Cedar Mountain, it forms part of the Cedar Mountains area within Arizona’s complex Transition Zone, where the landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, Basin and Range, Sonoran Desert, and central Arizona highlands converge.
West Cedar Mountain is particularly interesting geologically. Its tilted profile records a period of major crustal extension millions of years ago, when fault blocks were rotated as central Arizona’s landscape stretched and fractured. For hikers, the mountain offers a very different experience: no developed summit trail, substantial cross-country travel, loose rock, thorny brush, remote dirt-road access, and wide-ranging views across some of Arizona’s wildest terrain.
⚡ Fast Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Mountain | West Cedar Mountain |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Yavapai County |
| Region | Central Arizona Transition Zone / Cedar Mountains area |
| Elevation | 5,488 feet / 1,673 meters |
| Prominence | 1,788 feet / 545 meters |
| Isolation | 5.69 miles / 9.15 kilometers |
| Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) | Lost Mesa |
| Coordinates | 34.11461° N, 111.81985° W |
| USGS quadrangle | Rover Peak |
| National forest | Tonto National Forest |
| Drainage basin | Verde River |
| Principal road access | Forest Road 24 |
| Summit route | Unmaintained roads and cross-country hiking |
| Nearby companion summit | East Cedar Mountain |
Peakbagger’s current lidar-based measurement places the summit at 5,487.9 feet and calculates 1,787.7 feet of clean prominence. Older maps and peak lists generally round the elevation to 5,489 feet.
🏔️ A Surprisingly Prominent Arizona Mountain
West Cedar Mountain is not especially high by Arizona standards, but its topographic prominence makes it much more significant than its elevation might suggest.
The summit rises almost 1,800 feet above its key saddle, giving it enough prominence to rank among roughly the 100 most prominent peaks in Arizona under current Peakbagger measurements.
Its slopes also descend dramatically toward the Verde River country to the east. From portions of the summit ridge, the difference between the crest and the river is more than 3,000 vertical feet.
This relief gives West Cedar Mountain an imposing appearance when viewed from surrounding mesas and creates expansive views from the upper ridge.
📏 Nearest Higher Neighbor
The Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) of West Cedar Mountain is Lost Mesa, approximately 5.7 miles to the northwest.
PeakVisor identifies Lost Mesa as the nearest terrain exceeding West Cedar Mountain’s elevation, while Peakbagger independently calculates West Cedar Mountain’s true isolation at approximately 5.69 miles.
This represents an important correction to some older peak listings that associated Turret Peak with West Cedar Mountain’s NHN.
Turret Peak is an important higher summit in the broader region, but it lies substantially farther away.
🗺️ Where Is West Cedar Mountain?
West Cedar Mountain lies in Yavapai County, roughly north-northeast of the Phoenix metropolitan area and approximately 30 miles north of Cave Creek.
The lower Verde River valley forms the eastern boundary of the broader Cedar Mountains study area, while Cooks Mesa lies to the west. Bloody Basin spreads across the country immediately to the north.
The Arizona Geological Survey identifies West Cedar Mountain and East Cedar Mountain as distinctive fault-block mountains within the central Arizona Transition Zone. Primary regional access is provided by Forest Roads 24 and 269, with rougher four-wheel-drive roads branching into the surrounding backcountry.
This is sparsely developed country. Roads are widely separated, settlements are distant, and many of the surrounding mesas, canyons, and mountains retain a strong wilderness character.
🌎 Arizona’s Transition Zone
West Cedar Mountain occupies one of Arizona’s most geologically and geographically complicated regions.
The Arizona Transition Zone forms an irregular belt between the Colorado Plateau to the northeast and the Basin and Range Province farther south and southwest.
Rather than having one uniform landscape, the zone contains mountains, mesas, volcanic uplands, deep canyons, old fault blocks, river valleys, and high-desert plateaus.
West Cedar Mountain lies near the southern part of this transitional landscape.
The Verde River cuts deeply through the country east of the mountain. Across the river, the land rises sharply into the Mazatzal Mountains, including Mazatzal Peak.
To the west are Cooks Mesa and the New River Mountains, with the Bradshaw Mountains visible beyond them.
🪨 Geology of West Cedar Mountain
West Cedar Mountain is particularly valuable to geologists because its shape helps reveal how central Arizona was stretched and faulted during the Cenozoic Era.
Detailed geological mapping of the Cedar Mountains area found Early Proterozoic basement rocks overlain by younger sedimentary deposits and volcanic rocks.
Basalt flows approximately 15.1 to 13.5 million years old cap parts of the fault blocks.
Rather than remaining horizontal, these blocks were tilted approximately 20 degrees toward the west and west-southwest along east-dipping normal faults.
Later volcanic flows, including basalt dated to about 6.4 million years ago, accumulated after much of the major deformation had ended.
West Cedar Mountain therefore preserves evidence of a landscape that was literally being pulled apart.
↘️ A Tilted Fault-Block Mountain
The profile of West Cedar Mountain is not simply the product of erosion.
It is partly structural.
Geologists specifically describe East and West Cedar Mountains as examples of tilted fault-block morphology. Rock layers that once occupied different positions were rotated as movement occurred along major faults during regional extension.
The process created basins between elevated blocks.
Those depressions accumulated conglomerate and other sediments eroded from nearby highlands. On West Cedar Mountain, one older conglomerate unit reaches roughly 200 meters thick in places before thinning southward.
These relationships indicate that substantial hills and basins already existed before later volcanic rocks covered portions of the landscape.
🌋 Volcanic History
Volcanism added another layer to West Cedar Mountain’s geological story.
Basalt flowed across the landscape during the Miocene Epoch, covering older sedimentary deposits and Precambrian basement rocks.
Some of these lava flows were later tilted along with the underlying fault blocks.
The geological sequence therefore allows researchers to estimate when faulting occurred: older basalt is tilted, while much younger basalt remains comparatively flat.
The Arizona Geological Survey study concluded that significant extension in the area occurred between approximately 13.5 and 6.4 million years ago.
This makes West Cedar Mountain an excellent example of how volcanic rocks can serve as geological time markers.
🧭 The Lower Verde Valley Graben
The mountain also lies beside a larger structural feature known as the Lower Verde Valley graben.
A graben is a block of Earth’s crust that has dropped between faults as the crust stretches.
Geological mapping indicates that the graben extends roughly parallel to the Verde River, continuing northward toward Bloody Basin and southward beyond the immediate West Cedar Mountain area.
The faults around West Cedar and East Cedar mountains are therefore pieces of a much larger tectonic system rather than isolated geological curiosities.
⛰️ West Cedar Mountain and East Cedar Mountain
West Cedar Mountain has an obvious companion immediately to the southeast: East Cedar Mountain.
East Cedar reaches approximately 5,449 feet, making it only around 40 feet lower than West Cedar Mountain.
The two summits are separated by Long Canyon and related drainage and fault structures. Geologists have studied the pair together because their tilted volcanic layers clearly display the effects of regional faulting.
East Cedar Mountain’s Nearest Higher Neighbor is West Cedar Mountain itself.
Viewed from farther south, the two mountains provide a particularly good visual example of tilted fault blocks.
West Cedar is the more topographically significant of the pair, with substantially greater prominence.
🌊 The Verde River
One of West Cedar Mountain’s defining geographic features is the Verde River, lying far below the mountain to the east.
The Verde cuts through remarkably rugged country before eventually flowing south toward the Salt River.
From West Cedar Mountain’s upper ridge, hikers can look thousands of feet down toward the Verde corridor.
Across the river rise the much higher Mazatzal Mountains.
This juxtaposition—West Cedar Mountain, the deep river valley, and the Mazatzal escarpment beyond—creates one of the mountain’s most impressive panoramas.
The Verde also places West Cedar Mountain within the much larger Colorado River watershed.
🌿 Vegetation
West Cedar Mountain lies above the hottest Sonoran Desert lowlands but below the extensive pine forests found on higher central Arizona mountains.
Much of the landscape is characterized by interior chaparral, grassland, juniper, scrub oak, and other drought-tolerant vegetation.
Drainages may contain larger trees where moisture is more dependable.
The upper ridge can appear relatively open from a distance, but hikers frequently encounter substantial brush while traveling cross-country.
A documented summit ascent described knee-high thorny vegetation mixed with loose rocks along the crest, making progress considerably slower than the terrain initially suggested.
The vegetation also reflects West Cedar Mountain’s transitional location between Arizona’s desert and mountain ecosystems.
🦌 Wildlife
The isolated landscape surrounding West Cedar Mountain supports a variety of central Arizona wildlife.
The East and West Cedar Mountain area is known habitat for Coues white-tailed deer, which occupy rugged uplands and drainages around Tangle Creek and the surrounding mountains.
Other animals typical of the broader Tonto National Forest landscape can include mule deer, javelina, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, black bears, rabbits, and numerous reptiles.
Raptors use rising air currents along ridges and canyon walls, while riparian corridors near the Verde River support a substantially richer concentration of bird life.
Because West Cedar Mountain receives comparatively little recreational traffic, wildlife encounters—or at least tracks and other signs—may be more common than on heavily visited mountains close to Phoenix.
🥾 Hiking West Cedar Mountain
There is no developed hiking trail to the summit of West Cedar Mountain.
Instead, the mountain is primarily a peakbagging objective requiring use of forest roads followed by cross-country travel.
One well-documented ascent followed Forest Road 612 from near its junction with Forest Road 24.
The route initially used an old road before reaching the crest northeast of the summit. From there, the climber followed the ridge south through rocks and brush to the high point.
That particular outing covered approximately 4.5 to 5 miles round trip, with roughly 2,000 feet of total elevation gain.
These figures should be treated as an example rather than an official route description. Forest-road conditions and access can change substantially over time.
🧭 The Summit Ridge
The upper ridge of West Cedar Mountain does not require technical climbing on the commonly described approach.
The terrain nevertheless presents several challenges.
Loose rocks cover portions of the ridge, while thorny brush can make apparently short distances slow and tiring.
Minor rock outcrops may require easy scrambling.
Game trails sometimes provide easier passages through the vegetation, but there is no maintained path directing hikers toward the summit.
Strong route-finding skills are therefore important.
An offline topographic map, GPS or dedicated navigation device, plenty of water, protective clothing, and sturdy footwear are advisable.
🌄 Views from West Cedar Mountain
The summit’s isolation provides exceptional views in several directions.
Immediately east, the land drops toward the Verde River, with the Mazatzal Mountains rising dramatically on the opposite side.
East Cedar Mountain dominates the view toward the southeast.
Farther north, Pine Mountain rises above the Verde country.
To the west, hikers can see the New River Mountains, while the much larger Bradshaw Mountains rise in the distance.
Nearby mesas include Cooks Mesa and Lockwood Mesa.
A climber who reached the summit in 2014 described the views as extensive in every direction, with particularly impressive relief toward the Verde River.
🚙 Access via Forest Road 24
One traditional approach to West Cedar Mountain uses Forest Road 24, also known in portions of the region as Seven Springs Road.
FR 24 runs north from the Cave Creek area toward Bloody Basin and eventually connects with Forest Road 269.
A historical summit route branched from FR 24 onto Forest Road 612 near CP Tank before continuing toward the western side of West Cedar Mountain.
The geology study of the Cedar Mountains likewise identifies Forest Roads 24 and 269 as the primary access routes through the region.
Numerous smaller four-wheel-drive tracks branch from these roads.
Conditions can vary dramatically after storms, wildfire, flooding, grading, or prolonged periods without maintenance. Anyone planning a visit should obtain current road information from Tonto National Forest rather than relying solely on old trip reports.
⚠️ A Remote Backcountry Peak
West Cedar Mountain should not be approached like a developed trail hike near Phoenix.
Visitors should be prepared for:
- Long travel on unpaved roads
- Limited or nonexistent cell service
- Cross-country navigation
- Thorny chaparral
- Loose rock
- Unreliable natural water
- Extreme summer temperatures
- Rattlesnakes and other wildlife
- Rapidly changing monsoon weather
- Flash flooding in washes
- Changing forest-road conditions
A high-clearance vehicle may be prudent depending on the chosen access route and current road conditions.
The summit itself is not technically difficult by normal mountaineering standards, but the combination of remoteness and navigation makes West Cedar Mountain best suited to experienced backcountry hikers.
☀️ Best Time to Hike West Cedar Mountain
Late autumn through spring generally offers the most comfortable hiking conditions.
Winter can produce cool days, clear skies, and excellent long-distance visibility. Temperatures on the summit may fall below freezing, particularly overnight.
Spring brings warmer weather and seasonal wildflowers after wet winters.
By late spring, temperatures in lower elevations can become increasingly uncomfortable.
Summer is the most difficult season. Much of the route is exposed, and central Arizona heat can become dangerous. July and August also bring the North American monsoon, when thunderstorms can generate lightning, strong winds, heavy rain, and sudden flooding.
Autumn becomes increasingly pleasant as temperatures moderate after the summer heat.
🏔️ Nearby Mountains
West Cedar Mountain lies within a particularly interesting cluster of central Arizona summits.
East Cedar Mountain rises immediately to the southeast and reaches approximately 5,449 feet.
To the north lies Turret Peak, a remote 5,841-foot summit associated with Pine Mountain Wilderness.
Farther north, Pine Mountain reaches approximately 6,818 feet and towers above the Verde Rim.
Across the Verde River, Mazatzal Peak rises to more than 7,900 feet.
West of West Cedar Mountain are the New River Mountains and Blackjack Point, while Rover Peak occupies another nearby high point of the Cedar Mountains–Cooks Mesa landscape.
Farther southwest, Humboldt Mountain provides another elevated viewpoint over the transition between the Phoenix Basin and Arizona’s central highlands.
🧗 Why Peakbaggers Seek West Cedar Mountain
West Cedar Mountain is unlikely to become one of Arizona’s busiest summits—and that is part of its attraction.
It combines several qualities prized by peakbaggers:
A high prominence relative to its elevation, a remote setting, a true cross-country summit route, broad views, complicated geology, and very little recreational development.
Its prominence of nearly 1,800 feet also makes it significant on Arizona prominence lists.
For hikers accustomed to crowded trailheads around Phoenix, Sedona, or Flagstaff, West Cedar Mountain offers an entirely different mountain experience.
The challenge is less about steep technical climbing and more about self-sufficiency, navigation, rough access, and moving efficiently through an undeveloped landscape.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How high is West Cedar Mountain?
Peakbagger’s lidar data gives West Cedar Mountain an elevation of approximately 5,488 feet (1,673 meters).
Where is West Cedar Mountain?
West Cedar Mountain lies in Yavapai County, Arizona, within Tonto National Forest north of Cave Creek and west of the Verde River.
What is West Cedar Mountain’s prominence?
The mountain has approximately 1,788 feet (545 meters) of clean topographic prominence.
What is West Cedar Mountain’s isolation?
Peakbagger calculates approximately 5.69 miles (9.15 kilometers) of topographic isolation.
What is West Cedar Mountain’s Nearest Higher Neighbor?
The Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) is Lost Mesa, approximately 5.7 miles northwest of the summit.
Is Turret Peak the NHN of West Cedar Mountain?
No. Older listings have identified Turret Peak as the NHN, but current isolation data places the nearest higher terrain on Lost Mesa to the northwest.
Is West Cedar Mountain in Tonto National Forest?
Yes. Peakbagger places the summit on Tonto National Forest land.
Is there a trail to West Cedar Mountain?
There is no maintained hiking trail directly to the summit. Climbers typically use forest roads for part of the approach before completing the climb cross-country.
How long is the hike?
One documented route was approximately 4.5 to 5 miles round trip with roughly 2,000 feet of total elevation gain. The exact distance depends on road conditions, parking location, and chosen route.
Is West Cedar Mountain difficult?
The summit does not normally require technical climbing, but route finding, brush, loose rock, remote access, heat, and lack of a maintained trail make it a serious backcountry hike.
What is East Cedar Mountain?
East Cedar Mountain is West Cedar Mountain’s slightly lower companion summit, reaching approximately 5,449 feet a few miles to the southeast.
What can you see from the summit?
Views include the Verde River, East Cedar Mountain, Mazatzal Mountains, Pine Mountain, New River Mountains, Bradshaw Mountains, Cooks Mesa, and surrounding central Arizona highlands.
🔗 Related Articles
📚 Sources
- Peakbagger — West Cedar Mountain, Arizona
- PeakVisor — West Cedar Mountain
- Arizona Geological Survey — Tertiary Extension and Fault-Block Rotation in the Transition Zone, Cedar Mountains Area, Arizona
- Arizona Geological Survey — Cedar Mountains Geological Study Summary
- U.S. Geological Survey — National Gazetteer of Arizona
- Surgent.net — West Cedar Mountain
- U.S. Forest Service — Tonto National Forest
