RED MOUNTAIN TRAIL

RED MOUNTAIN TRAIL

Hiking among hoodoos

Few things in life are certain but what we know for sure is; wet dogs stink, Star Trek is great, some hikers think beer is the fifth food group and Red Mountain is one of the most magical places on earth.  Okay, those first three might be dubious, but the last one---an atypical volcano north of Flagstaff--- offers a singular hike that supports the claim.  If you’re looking for a mind-boggling, surreal experience, forget theme park attractions--Red Mountain is the real deal.

View of Red Mountain from the access trail

Located just off Highway 180 north of Flagstaff, the 740,000-year-old cinder cone offers a rare opportunity to walk inside the guts of a formerly explosive geological wonder.  Although the mountain’s fractured and fabulous form is a sight to behold, geologists aren’t certain about what caused its northeast face to slump away exposing the internal structure.

Inside the volcano

Thousands of years of wind and water erosion have sculpted the mountain’s multi-colored layers of volcanic ash and cinders into craggy pillars and honeycomb walls. Along the short, family-friendly access trail that winds through a pinion-juniper forest, views of the gaping U-shaped collapse give a taste of what’s to come. 

The ladder 

At the 1.24-mile point, the trail meets the inky black cinder slopes at the base of the volcano where a wooden ladder must be climbed to get to the good stuff.

Bizarre pillars of ash

Once inside the volcano, hikers are surrounded by 800-foot escarpments, stony passages and wildly contorted rock columns called “hoodoos”.

Hikers explore a stony passage

Footpaths wander among weather-blasted pinnacles, crevasses and pine trees and shrubs that somehow took root in the cracks.  There’s even a short trek through a tight passage where ongoing erosion washes out bits of shiny black hornblende minerals (often mistaken for obsidian) that collect in glinting streams underfoot. Look overhead to see chockstones (boulders caught in cracks) and lava caps that teeter atop grainy spires like fancy hats. Be sure to bring a fully-charged camera or phone to document the adventure in case you’re asked to prove what you know for sure about this Arizona natural treasure.

A hiker emerges from a tight spot

LENGTH: 3 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 6700’ – 7000’

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff, go 30.5 miles north on US 180 and turn left at the sign for Red Mountain Trailhead near milepost 247. Dirt access road is passable by passenger vehicle when dry.

INFO: Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55160

RED MOUNTAIN

RED MOUNTAIN 
Coconino National Forest

Of the more than 600 volcanoes that define northern Arizona’s landscape, only one offers an opportunity for hikers to walk into the innards of a dormant mountain of fire. For reasons not entirely understood by geologists, the northeastern flank of Red Mountain collapsed, exposing the intricate internal structure of the 740,000-year-old cinder cone. Tiny cinders crunch underfoot along the ponderosa-shaded trail that leads into a visually striking arena of towering stone pillars and contorted lava formations. A secured six-foot ladder must be climbed in order to get into the most spectacular part of the mountain where disintegrating layers of red, ocher and black cinders create a maze of clefts and canyons and to explore.

LENGTH: 2.5 miles
RATING: easy
ELEVATION: 6700' - 7000'
GETTING THERE: From Phoenix, take I-17 north to Flagstaff. Connect to Highway 180 and continue north for 33 miles then turn left at mile marker 247. Follow the dirt road for .4 mile to the fenced parking area. There are no fees and no facilities at the trailhead.