We took a side trip to Green’s Peak while visiting in Pinetop to see what
opportunities there might be for use as a night sky observing site. Turning
left (north) off AZ260 onto Forest road 117 the view ahead was stunning -
rolling grass covered hills starting at an elevation of 8500 ft. The six mile
well graded dirt road steadily climbed until reaching a high plateau where
roads veered off in many directions however the adjacent meadows were laced
with 1-2 ft lava rocks making it impossible to stray from the road. We noticed
a group of campers centrally located in the large meadow up against a large
group of trees near an unimproved road. Obviously this location would not
provide unobstructed views. Also, the towering Green’s Peak was blocking all
access to the western sky. Then we saw it, the turnoff to Green’s Peak. I
have never seen a road like this in my life - an undulating 20-30% graded shelf
road that reminded me of the typical oscilloscope pattern. Up and down for two
miles and one switchback. Obviously no RV campers on this road - well maybe
Mike Wiles could do it. I quickly wished I did not commit us to climbing this
road but it was doable and soon enough we were at the summit - 10,133 ft with a
fantastic view. The summit was designed for maintenance of the 10+ towers that
crowd the area with no room for visitor parking except for parking on the loop.
Thanks Paul for calling attention to this beautiful place. It was a great ride.
There is a lake 3 miles from the base of Green’s Peak called Carnero Lake.
Google Maps shows some campers parked near the shore so there might be
opportunities for an observing site there. We didn’t have enough time to
investigate. George Kolb
On Aug 10, 2019, at 1:30 PM, L Knauth <Knauth@xxxxxxx> wrote:--
Anyone been to area around Greens Peak (10,000') about 30 easy road miles
east of Pinetop? Looks on Google Earth like lots of open areas near the
Peak on National Forest Land that might make good observing sites? About 4
hours from East Valley. A contractor working on my hacienda project in
Gilbert saw my telescope trailers and alerted me to it saying he's been there
camping, amazing skies, and that very few people go there. Maybe after
monsoons and before snows?
Paul Knauth
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