O’Leary Peak is a lava dome volcano, not a cinder cone like Sunset Crater Volcano.

The hike is along a roadbed, which is rough with potholes, rocks, and eroded sections. You may take your pet on this road on a leash. Summer temperatures can be fatal to pets left in vehicles.

The route up is a blocked-off forest service road. Initially, one could drive up to the pass between O’Leary and Darton Dome, but the entrance has been pushed back. Now there is about another mile you have to hike to even reach the base of the peak. During this part of the hike, you walk along Sunset Crater’s impressive lava flow. It’s worth getting off the trail and checking out.

There are a total of 6 switchbacks to the tower, which is not on the Peak. The peak is O’Leary’s western summit. To hike it, get off the road between the two summits and hike up until you reach the top. This is the most difficult part of the climb. The tower sits at 8,916 and offers fantastic views. You can see into the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks, into the crater of Sunset Crater, and to the north you can see the Painted Desert.