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Sep 20, 2021 — Doyle Peak is one of the sub-peaks of Humphreys Peak within the San Francisco range north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Since I'd already gotten Agassiz and Fremont via the Inner Basin Trail, I wanted to check out the Weatherford Trail which I'd never hiked before. I knew going into the hike that it would be a long one in terms of distance, but the long and twisting switchbacks meant the hike would be a really light grade and therefore more of a nice forest walk than a difficult hike. The Weatherford Trail was originally constructed as a road to access the high peaks back in the day, but the project was abandoned (thankfully) and now the roadbed remains, creating this trail. Accessing the trailhead is fine for any vehicle.
There's not much to note about the very long approach except that it's pretty and the morning sun was really nice. The forest is sparse much of the time and I got nice views to the south. There are also delightful meadows as the trail ascends. You can cut a few of the road switchbacks if you're so inclined to shorten the hike a bit, but I really can't advocate for that. Eventually the trail made its way to Doyle Saddle, where the views became really cool, overlooking the Inner Basin and the taller peaks, including of course Humphreys Peak.
From Doyle Saddle the route got a bit more steep. Hints of a social trail, though not really, led east to the summit of Doyle Peak. The terrain was loose and had some light Class 2. I also found myself slipping a bunch due to the gravelly volcanic nature of the slope. Along the way I passed a little cabin that seems to get at least a little use, though I'm not sure for what. I marked it on my attached map.
You can return the way you came, or get in touch with me for a much nicer descent with light bushwhacking. I left this option off my attached map because it's very different than the quality and personality of the standard Weatherford Trail. A hint is that this other option heads over Schultz Peak. ;)
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