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WALKER LAKE RIM
View from the rim of Walker Lake cinder cone
Maybe it’s a lingering mood in the ether that hints at an acrid, nose-tingling whiff of molten earth or the smattering of solidified lava blobs that surround its rim that makes hiking Walker Lake such a visceral experience. 
Walker Lake on August 5, 2026
Sitting near the core of the San Francisco Volcanic field, the extinct cinder cone volcano is referred to as Walker Lake because of the ephemeral water that collects within its crater. 
Kendrick Mountain seen from Walker Lake
The San Francisco Volcanic Field is spread over an 1,800 square mile slice of the Colorado Plateau centered around the city of Flagstaff. 
Parry Bellflower blooms June - September
It has been a geologically active area for millions of years and has produced over 600 volcanic features over the landscape. 
View from the east rim
Basically, every observable mountain and hill around Flagstaff is of volcanic origins. 
Overlooking a volcanic landscape
The last volcanic event that happened about 900 years ago formed Sunset Crater and its adjacent lava flows. 
The rim loop trail
Walker Lake isn’t the biggest or most spectacular volcano in the mix, but what catapults it from a one-in-600 minor lump on the landscape to one-in-a-million hiking destination is its serendipitous location. Imagined or not, the scorched-earth visceral feel of the short trail that circles Walker Lake captivates the imagination and drives the narrative of walking on the eroded rim of a cinder cone. 
Aspen sunflowers bloom July - October
The trail is an excellent platform for viewing several types of geological features that rise out of the sprawling plateau highlands of Northern Arizona. 
Primitive footpath to Walker Lake
The trek into this volcanic world begins on a closed road that brushes past an aspen protection area where wire fencing shields the iconic mountain trees from browsing animals so they have a chance to mature. 
Aspen exclosure area
At the 0.3-mile point, the hike continues behind a large sign that reminds that motorized travel is prohibited in the area.
Lake viewed from the south rim
A short uphill walk on the wide road ends at a 3-way junction and the beginning of the rim loop hike. The trail becomes a slender path as it crawls up over the crater’s south brim. 
Humphreys Peak seen from the crater's south rim
Soon, the massive profile of San Francisco Mountain and 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak— a stratovolcanoes that had at one time soared to over 16,000 feet— comes into view. 
Torrey's crag lily blooms in August
The lava domes of the Hochderffer Hills (9,152 feet) and the White Horse Hills cinder cones (9,065 feet) lap around its base. 
Looking north from the crater
At several points, first glimpses of the internal crater lake peek through tall pines and a jagged lip of basalt. The trail swings eastward to emerge on the rim’s high point where amazing vistas fill the view frame. 
Arizona pea blooms May - October
Rangeland below is dotted with homesteads, pine glens, stock tanks and the faint scribble of the Arizona National Scenic Trail that skims the mountain 400 feet below. 
Beginning of the uphill hike
Through breaks in the fringe of Douglas firs and Ponderosa pines, views stretch all the way to the Painted Desert. As the trail moves north, 10,418-foot Kendrick Mountain looms large. 
Far-reaching vistas
This hill that’s popular with hikers is a complex mix of lava domes and lava flows that built up over millions of years. Farther out, the lumpy profile of 8,215-foot Slate Mountain sits on a hazy horizon. Interestingly, there’s no slate on Slate Mountain. 
Common silverweed blooms May - August
The complex lava dome volcano is a conglomerate of metamorphic rhyolite, sediments and magma flows. Also on show is 8,864-foot Saddle Mountain another hill of volcanic origins with a hikable road to its summit. 
The 3-way junction
The rim loop trail then descends on slippery, rocky tread, landing back at the 3-way junction. To visit the crater lake up close, follow the middle road and primitive footpaths into the bowl-like depression. Ringed with conifers and fields of wildflowers, the “lake” vacillates from soggy bog to substantial ponds depending on snow melt and monsoon rains. Let it sink in that you’re standing inside a volcano that in the not-so-distant past (in geological terms—a blip) was a fiery fount of lava and molten ejecta. And, the fireworks ain’t over yet. The San Francisco Volcanic Field is still active which means more eruptions will almost certainly occur in the future. Whether that happens next week or in a hundred years, the rim of Walker Lake will be an ideal place to observe the show. 
Hike begins on FR9007S
LENGTH: 3.3 miles roundtrip
RATING: moderate
ELEVATION: 8,109 - 8,502 feet
GETTING THERE:
From Flagstaff, go 19 miles north on U.S.180 to Forest Road 151 (Hart Prairie Road) on the right just past milepost 235. Follow FR 151 1.6 miles to Forest Road 418. Continue 0.2-mile on FR418 to the second dirt road on the left which is Forest Road 9007S. FR9007S IS CLOSED TO ALL MOTORIZED USE but foot and horse travel is permitted. There’s limited parking at a turnout at FR9007S—maybe room for 2-3 vehicles as well as additional parking along FR418. Be respectful of private property in the area and don’t block access roads or driveways.
HIKE DIRECTIONS:
From the FR418/9007S parking spot:
- Hike 0.2 mile to a fork
- Veer right at the fork onto FR 9004S
- Follow FR9004S 0.1 mile to a large road closed sign
- Hike 0.3 mile up the road behind the sign (still 9004S, though not signed) to a 3-way junction which is the start of the rim loop trail
- Take the narrow single-track on the right which heads up to the crater rim. For reference, the wide central road heads down into the crater and the lake. The path that continues straight ahead is the return leg of the rim loop.
