Mike in the Wild

While Prescott might be Arizona's mile-high city, some of the surrounding peaks climb closer to 8,000 feet.  They're all in the Bradshaw Mountain range that rises just a few miles to the community's south, where mountaintops offer high escapes to alpine environments that are mostly protected and managed through the Prescott National Forest. Mount Union is the range's highest mountain, followed by Mount Davis and Spruce Mountain.  These summits and surrounding slopes are populated with dense forests of ponderosa pines, Gambel oaks and Douglas firs.   Both Union and Spruce can be reached via forest roads, but a high-clearance 4x4 might be needed, especially if winter snows or summer monsoons have rutted and muddied the way.   A more rewarding way to experience the verdant landscape is to hike one of several well used and marked trails that access the peaks.  The surrounding forest creates a dense, cool canopy even during the hottest part of the summer.  Mea...