"The closer you get to the summit, the harder it is to turn around." "It is like a kind of compulsion, an inexorable force pulling them further and further up the mountain," Petrzela says.

"Our summit experience was topped with a visit from several mountain goats," another Viator enthusiast gushes. "We also saw a marmot taking in the view and a deer with a good sized rack.

But there are numerous paths to choose from that span a variety of difficulty levels, and kids will enjoy what awaits them at the top of the mountain. Sitting on Flagstaff's summit, the nature ...