ourwaytoroam 11 Posted March 31 We took our Unimog up Aztec Peak trail in Tonto National Forest and it ended up being the perfect way to beat the crazy heatwave down in the valley. Cooler air, incredible views, and a road that just keeps getting better the higher you climb. On the way up, we spotted a side road labeled Murphy’s Ranch and decided to see where it went. It led us out to a patch of private land with what looks like an old homestead with rows of what appear to be apple trees, or at least what’s left of an orchard. The whole place has that quiet, forgotten feeling, like it once had a lot of life but has been sitting untouched for a long time. The onX off-road app says it's a 42 acre property. Someone must have once spent a long time clearing the wild forest land to put in that orchard. It got us wondering about the history out here. Through some research, we found that this property was homesteaded in the early 80's by a man and his wife, who moved into Globe when their daughter became old enough to go to school. He passed in 2024 and there doesn't seem to be much upkeep in recent years. The property was also narrowly missed by the Billy Wildfire in 2025. Most of the road into the ranch burned but the property was spared. It seems like it would have been an incredible place to live. It's a beautiful location right on the edge of the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. We’ve been surprised by how many old orchard sites we’ve come across on trails around the Phoenix area. There’s clearly a deeper history here than you’d expect in the desert. If you have some time, Aztec Peak is worth the drive! aztec-peak-abandoned-orchard-ranch-v0-jd5afyfvc9qg1.webp aztec-peak-abandoned-orchard-ranch-v0-scqiyyfvc9qg1.webp aztec-peak-abandoned-orchard-ranch-v0-yo7juszwc9qg1.webp aztec-peak-abandoned-orchard-ranch-v0-bmfgachxc9qg1.webp 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ourwaytoroam 11 Posted March 31 Edit to add photos! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
