Hike Humphreys Peak Coconino National Forest, AZ

Aug 18, 2023 — Being the wildly famous high point of Arizona, Humphreys Peak is a popular destination for nearby Flagstaff AZ and for anyone beyond looking to reach the tippy-top of the San Francisco Peaks. The most commonly used trail for accessing the summit is the Humpreys Peak Trail, which begins from the Arizona Snowbowl. I hiked Humpreys Peak in May 2014, so many years ago that I wanted to revisit this ancient volcano using this popular route. Like the majority of hikes on this extended summer peakbagging trip, I started early to avoid poor weather only to get rained on anyway and then granted unexpected blue skies for the rest of the day. At least the result was that I saw a rainbow and avoided the crowds!

The Arizona Snowbowl is a prominent ski resort with a large paved parking lot used as a trailhead for summer hiking, so the start of the Humpreys Peak Trail well-marked. The hike begins through a sweeping meadow for a half mile before entering a dense coniferous forest. Ascending gently, the trail switchbacks widely and the initial ambiance is really peaceful, especially today since I was hiking before a storm and the sunlight was softened by thick cloud-cover. A sign marked the boundary of the Kachina Peaks Wilderness shortly after starting. The forest is surprisingly lush, the floor covered in decomposing trees and punctuated by bright green undergrowth. Often, little plants creep onto the edges of the wide trail. Although there are lots of embedded roots and rocks that are slippery when wet, the trail is in great shape. Considering that people complain about the rocks quite a bit, I should note my judgment of the rockiness is likely skewed and quite subjective.

Almost imperceptibly, the trail gets a bit more steep as it ascends the west slope of Humpreys Peak. There are a couple of talus fields that are crossed easily due to significant trail construction. The trail begins to wrap east toward the saddle separating Humphreys Peak from its neighbor, Agassiz Peak. Here there are intermittent glimpses of the flat landscape surrounding the San Francisco Peaks far below, seen through gaps in the pines strewn across the slope. The trail begins to ascend more steeply as it nears the saddle, switchbacking on the volcanic talus with more vigor. I passed a trail sign with warnings to stay on the trail to preserve fragile plants, and that camping above a certain altitude is not permitted.

From the saddle I could see the lovely Inner Basin to the east, as well as Humphreys Peak at the end of the ridgeline to the north. It might be tempting to hike up to Agassiz Peak, but note that doing so is illegal when the ridge is not snow-covered. The clouds were scaring me now even though there wasn't any thunder just yet, so I pushed on hurriedly. Eroded trails that stray from the official trail makes the correct route a little tricky to find. Generally, the trail ascends a bit below the ridge crest and if you find you're not on a wide and obvious route, head back and look again. I thought it was odd the trail wasn't built along the crest, but I'm sure there's a reason for that choice. A couple of short rocky sections might warrant a low Class 2 scramble rating, but really they're just obstacels along the trail. It's mostly just a steep hike that mashes together sharp volcanic talus with loose pebble debris.

The Humphreys Peak Trail ascends to a false summit, and from this point onward the trail finally follows the ridgeline proper and includes the much-awaited consistent views toward the other peaks of the San Francisco Peaks ridgeline. A final slope to Humphreys Peak is notoriously windy, and I stupidly left a warm layer in the car. I snagged the summit and immediately scurried back off. On my way down, the sun came out so I was happy to get a different vibe through the forest. An excellent ending to a long summer trip, it was probably about time to take off my mountain legs for a while. *cries*