O'Leary Peak Loop

FR 546 is a scenic ten-mile cinder two-track loop around O'Leary Peak starting at the Sunset Crater National Monument and ending back at US-89. This is a great trail to take if you're already planning to visit Sunset Crater (and you should!) or if you're going to hike in the Strawberry Crater Wilderness to the east. There is a lot of open space and high-quality dispersed camping along spurs off FR546. Views range from decent to excellent as the mountainous heights of the San Francisco Peaks to the west drop quickly down into the Painted Desert canyons of the Hopi and Navajo Nations to the east, with O'Leary Peak and Sunset Crater thrown in for good measure. You'll find several roadside campsites along the road as well, and they'll usually be vacant because this part of Flagstaff gets little traffic. The closed roads on the north slopes of O'Leary Peak are excellent for mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking, with no cars, great views, and your choice of elevation gain.