Today we plan to explore US87 towards Payson with two stops, at Mount Ord and Deer Creek if it is too cold on Mount Ord. We also want to take our new jeep for a ride to understand the capabilities. We didn’t expect the Mt Ord road to actually still have snow and be slightly muddy so the Jeep gets dirty almost immediately but it performs well enough and soon we are exploring the higher altitudes.
There is quite a bit of snow as we approach the peak but nothing on the road. We exit the car a few times just to enjoy the rare snow and even ice.
The views are beautiful especially when we can see over the trees or if there are no trees, you can see far in the distance including the Four Peaks and some of the surrounding lakes. But it is cold here so we decide to descend and explore a lower altitude trailhead, the Deer Creek Trailhead.
