Trail Series, Part 41 Is there a bad time to go hiking in Flagstaff? Not that I'm aware of, but Fall is certainly a GREAT time for this! Just as the days become shorter and the temperatures cool, the Aspen leaves adorn the forest with a glorious yellow hue that seems to first absorb, and then reflect, the sunshine. While not the only location for getting your Fall groove on, we found "Humphrey's Peak Trail" (and its surrounding environs) to be generous providers of the vibes we were seeking. None of the trails that we traveled were paved and their difficulty ranged from easy to moderate. However, as you travel up the mountain you'll find that the rocky outcroppings become more frequent and the hike becomes more strenuous. Before long you'll find yourself at 10,000 feet, so you'll be in much thinner air than you're likely used to and your water/rest breaks should increase accordingly. Each trail we explored was well traveled, but the buddy system is still recommended (if for no other reason than to have someone to marvel at the beauty with). Wildlife sightings are common, but it is the rare sightings of Big Foot that are the most cherished. Ample parking and portable restrooms can be found at the trailhead located at the end of Lot 1 of the Arizona Snowbowl Resort. For those interested in traditional restrooms and/or a restaurant, both are located at the resort and an easy walk from this parking lot. If you visit Flagstaff in the Fall, please don't find yourself "leaving" without experiencing the "leafing" all around you this time of year! And that's...Henry's Take. Photo credit @danavoros #flagstafffallcolors #trailseries read more

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Mount Humphrey's is a fantastic hike, filled with solitude. It was challenging, humbling and motivating to hike the tallest peak in Arizona. This has been on my to do list for awhile and I was grateful to have completed this summit. read more

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Hiked on 6/3/23 - I've done this hike a handful of times. It has ample free parking at the trailhead along with dumpsters and bathrooms available. Great amenities before a 11 mile hike. This particular day there was still a ton of snow on the trail, which made following the trail pretty difficult. The views are well worth it and it is a beautiful hike, but anticipate on taking significantly longer than normal. Make sure to pack water and snacks! Best to hit the trail early to avoid afternoon showers at the summit. Also, don't be discouraged by the false summits, nice steady pace will get ya there! Trail is primarily covered/shaded with trees. There is exposure of the elements at the beginning and last mile in a half ish. Happy hiking! read more

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This was quite an adventure. I hiked this on Memorial Day Weekend as part of my high pointer bucket list (getting to the high point of every state). This was #16, and while it wasn't my favorite, it had a lot going for it. As high points go, this is a pretty straight-forward hike - from the Snowball parking lot, you're taking the Humphrey's Trail up to the top and back. That's it. However, as with any tougher, higher elevation hike, this had its complications. I decided to do this hike several months ago, but in the interim was keeping an eye on trail conditions. This area of Arizona had a ROUGH March in terms of snow, and it was becoming very clear in May that it was going to linger into the late spring. The day before summiting, AllTrails had several very recent reviews indicating about 75% snow coverage, and that turned out to be right on point. I procured some spikes for my hiking sneakers at the Peace Surplus in Flagstaff, which absolutely made the difference between getting to the top and not - a total gamechanger. The first mile and a half or so of the hike isn't bad. I didn't feel the thin air too much (I'm from NJ; our high point is less than 2000 feet), and the incline was pretty gradual. It's just a lot of meandering in the woods. Once it started to climb though, the snow coverage became a factor immediately. If you're doing this hike when snow is still on the ground, absolutely get out there early - I started later than I wanted, probably around 7AM, and that was too late. If you get out there around 5:30 or so, you have a shot at getting up and getting most of your hike done before that snow starts melting and becoming a serious problem. Even the next mile wasn't too bad; yes, there was snow completely covering the trail, but the biggest issue was that for some mystifying reason, there are no trail blazes in the woods - if they're there, I didn't see them/they were covered by the snow, but there was nothing on the trees. So as a result, you're literally just looking for the most footprints and hoping that other hikers will show up to validate your navigational decisions. Definitely lost the trail a few times, and that's a very obvious area to improve. Once I got past tree line and into the Saddle area (which had very little snow), there were blazes on the rocks that helped - though by that point a lot of what you're doing and where you're going is pretty obvious. Put blazes on the trees! The trail definitely picks up in intensity just below tree line when you start getting rewarded with the viewpoints. There was a gorgeous view of a nearby mountain and its ski slopes (I was glaring enviously at the skiers who were very obviously going to have an easier time getting down to the bottom), and you start getting some optics of the surrounding area especially to the west. This part was probably the most dangerous going up and down because the incline is significant, as is the snow - there was a guy at the summit who somehow did this in regular sneakers, and I have no idea how. In a lot of ways, I thought this was much easier once I hit the Saddle (I only knew its name because I encountered some local hikers right before it, and it certainly looked like one) and the snow was no longer an issue for the ascent. Yes, the air was thin - at that point you're right around 12,000 I'd guess - but you now have an insane view of the entire area. Humphreys really benefits from being a standalone peak. You can literally see the Grand Canyon at the top, and I was also impressed by the fact that you're so high you can tell the exact instant to the east that Arizona becomes a hardcore desert. Super wild. I don't want to minimize the altitude. I was definitely stopping every few minutes for a quick breather, but I also came very prepared with a lot of water and did a few tougher hikes beforehand. I did the Colorado high point a few years ago that was over 14,000 and ended up with a splitting headache and swollen paws. Not here, so maybe there's that big of a difference between 12,400 and 14,000+, but I preemptively took a few ibuprofen right at the start of this hike and didn't regret it. The descent was tough. That area right above tree line was pretty treacherous, and I tagged along with a group that included a native Flag guy who was familiar with the trail/mountain. His recommendation to basically forego the trail in most spots and just slide down piece by piece may have saved me from serious injury, and it's A LOT easier to do it in a group that can stop you before tumbling headfirst over the mountain or into a pine tree. Trust me. The rest of the hike down was slippery but it wasn't too bad once you hit the switchbacks and the descent wasn't as significant of an angle. Unfortunately due to the snow coverage there was minimal wildlife and no canine chums, but as often happens with a hardcore hike, I met a handful of really cool people. Awesome hike, but do it on Labor Day instead. read more

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Wow, barely any trip reports on this one from November-April! If you are a mountaineer, this will be a fun and easy summit. If you are a casual hiker, this might be one of the harder hikes you've done. It had been two weeks since my 2nd shot of Moderna, so I planned my first hiking/climbing trip to the lower 48 in well over a year. I flew in Friday and met some friends that drove in from NV and CA. Our plan was to go up Saturday. As Saturday got closer, we realized it was the only day for weeks with bad weather in the forecast. Just our luck! Snow was predicted for about noon. The gang was game for an alpine start, so we woke up at 5am and hiked out of the yurt at 5:30am. By maybe 6:30ish, we were on the trail. The first mile was completely dry and went quick. By about mile 2 there was snow, which persisted all the way to the saddle. Lucky for us, cold overnight temps kept the snow firm and easy to walk on. (we took crampons and axes, didn't need either) Eventually we hit the saddle and walked the dry, Hawaii-looking-lava-landscape trail to the summit. Although it's only one mile, the altitude and deteriorating weather made it seem much longer. Eventually we reached the summit and we celebrated by cracking a crowler of IPA which was then distributed into super-classy red solo cups. Before we knew it, it was snowing. We posed for some cheesy photos with the summit sign (which had fallen off of the pole it was mounted on), and started making our way down. We left the summit, and saw a dozen poor souls just coming up into the snow. (many over-dressed with full-shank mountaineering boots and automatic crampons, maybe they were training for Denali or Rainier?) We decided to try a short cut. The team-minus-me was going to attempt to short-cut all the switchbacks by going straight down the snow slope. I decided to stick to the trail. Would the unknown line be any faster or would it be maddening post holing? The answer was: YES. It shaved ~20-30 minutes off the initial descent, but added some post-holing. We had good cell signal the entire way, and were able to communicate our locations to each other via elegant GPS screenshot trading. We met up and eventually used the snow to our advantage once again. We cut off most of the remaining switchbacks. (don't worry, we didn't damage the delicate alpine/forest environment, too much of the white stuff!) We were back in town before 3pm and enjoying crispy brews in Flagstaff, a great day out! read more

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Glad we snagged this hike, but I'm a one and done on this one. We met so many people who have hiked it numerous times, but this isn't one I'd do again. Pretty, challenging, but oh so many rocks. It was a moderate to hard hike depending on how often you hike. We rarely do, but have summited some big ones like Whitney and loved Rim to Rim (would do that again). We have kids now and so... soccer games take over. We're in decent shape so we didn't train, but thought it was totally doable. I brought 4.5 liters of water and only drank 2 liters, so prepare accordingly, but don't be a doofus like me and drag 2.5 additional liters up and down with you for 10+ miles. I wanted to stay ahead of the altitude (which was fine) but it weighed me down. The hike had loads of rocks and tree roots, but right after the saddle for about 15 minutes was the worst part of all. The false summits weren't that bad and since you know they're coming, it's fine. I didn't think they were very "false" anyway because you can see them and know you aren't there yet. The two false summits before were relatively easy and we got pretty lucky with perfect conditions at the top. It was mildly windy and t-shirt weather (even for me at 115 lbs and 5'3"). I hear it does get cold, so plan accordingly with layers. Pretty clean trail with minimal trash. But... seriously people, clean up your tissue. Saw 4 deer in the meadow when we started at 6:45am, some cool birds, and lots of squirrels. Finished just shy of 6 hours with 20 minutes of hangout time at the top. read more

It was a very nice hike, shorter then most of the ones I've been on but be prepared to use a lot of stairs, the island trail drops 185 feet and has 273 stair steps, but is very beautiful . read more

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Thinking about hiking here in snow? Winter Backcountry Permit may be required depending on the day you want to go. Call Coconino National Forest Service at (928) 527-3600 to check if you need a permit or not. I've been hiking here annually and this year was my 4th hike. When I called late April, they said they quit issuing a permit two weeks ago but warned me about still a lot of snow remained and asked if I was going to be prepared with crampons. I kept checking weather at the summit online. The day I originally wanted to go had 40 mph wind all day with temperature around 10F, windchill -9F. Above tree line, 40mph wind is brutal. I did it once in summer but you really have to stay low and craw like a baby. Changed to the next day when wind was 20mph and slightly warmer 20F, made the hike more pleasant. Most people was putting crampons around the sign in area, including myself. I had micro spikes. We saw one person training for Denali, he had a really spiky professional climber type. Even with my micro spikes, I slipped a couple of times. We spotted two groups with just regular shoes and no hiking poles, they said they were under prepared and they ended up turning around fairly quick. Trail is very difficult to find as they are covered gravely with snow. I saw a group of two came with GPS, they seemed to be more prepared for this type of hike. If I have an opportunity to come back, I would train more as walking in snow with crampons was a lot harder than I anticipated. Getting lost in the snow wasn't fun. We ended up walking towards the ski slopes, then walked down the ski slope area (ended up being a shorter route). Despite of this cold and hard hike, I really enjoyed this challenge. read more

Humphrey's Trail - 5 layers of top, 3 layers of pants, 2 layers of gloves, one layer of socks. Thinking oh I wish I won't get frostbite.. on 4/30 - Hiking Near Me - Flagstaff, Arizona

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We arrived in Flagstaff the night before we hiked this peak and glad we did. It gave us an opportunity to acclimate a little to the change in altitude. We awoke early to hit this trail by 7:00am. My hubby and I trained for this climb all summer and it was everything we had hoped for. The peak is located within the Cococino National Forrest in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness. Driving through town and up to the base is only seven miles and we happened to see a pretty little doe on the roadside eating. We started in a large parking lot near the ski lifts and began to make our way up the trail. The trail quickly turned into a shaded forest full of fallen trees and logs. The trail houses many tree roots and rocks to maneuver around all the way up and back. Just before the trail really starts to ascend, there is a register to list your name so just in case you get trapped or hurt, emergency services can attempt to find you. As we made our way up the eleven switchbacks, we encountered people of all ages making their way up to the peak. This hike is so beautiful and the higher we climbed the more scenic it became. Once we rose up out of the switchbacks, we came to the saddle. Heavy winds blew and glad we had dressed in layers. Definitely a bit nippy this time of year. Now the hardest part came. There are two false peaks that you must climb past before getting to the summit. Thankfully there are guiding poles which help you stay on the trail and make it to the top. At this point there is lots of scrambling over boulders and heavy climbing. Be advised, the altitude will slow you down especially coming from Nevada where we are only at about 2500 feet. Flagstaff is the home of this Peak and they are at roughly 7000 feet. The drive to the base takes you up to approximately 9300 feet and your goal to the peak is 12,633 feet! As we approached the summit, I almost wanted to run up but the wind was blowing so hard, we had to stay low on the mountain. Once we summited, it was sheer joy for both of us! We were literally even with the clouds as they floated by. We could see all around the valley below and in the distance we viewed the Grand Canyon! Yes, we felt on top of the world even if it was only for a little while. Coming down was no easy feat and my knees felt it. I only used one trekking pole and I would recommend two if you have knee issues as it is a loooong way down. Once back at our car, we just sat for a moment taking in the accomplishment!! Yay!!!! This is a serious climb and I probably wouldn't recommend for kids under the age of 12, unless you have an athletic child. It is highly recommended that you are in good physical shape all the way around. This trail will test your physical and mental abilities but believe me it is so worth it being the tallest peak in the beautiful state of Arizona. read more

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Hard hike but awesome. About 10 miles round trip from the Snowbowl parking lot. Pack enough food, water and warm clothing to layer. We tried to summit this in June but were snowed out. Fall season is much better, it will only be the ferocious wind that stops you for the final peak. For experienced Arizonan hikers this is a must, though there will likely be a ton of people on this busy trail. If you don't have time to summit it's about 8 miles round trip to the Saddle which is still a great hike and not as difficult. read more

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After seeing that movie about the guy who got trapped while hiking Humphrey's and had to cut his own arm off to escape, I was pretty intimidated... and curious to find that detached limb. And once I learned the hike was 10 miles round trip, with a 3300ft elevation gain, I dreamed this was the next daunting adventure I'd write about in my hiking journal... which is also Yelp. So I trained, for months, on Camelback and Piestewa, culminating in a jaunt up to Flatiron. Then I considered myself ready. Experienced hiker, and proficient pianist, Yuko H, organized the outing and provided a comprehensive "things to bring" list, which really saved my bacon. Down where I live, the temps we hovering near 110... but thanks to her suggestions, this first timer brought and wore the appropriate amount of clothing, which was: * 4 layers: short sleeve, long sleeve, with 2 thick hoodies * 2 layers: shorts with sweat pants * A thermal beanie, baseball cap, and two hoods * 2 pairs of socks and hiking boots * A pair of thermal road biking gloves Even with all that cotton up on me, I was still feeling a tad hypothermic at 12,633ft... but who cares? I had arrived... I made it! All those months of training were worth it. Little secret... the climb wasnt that hard... its just long. Like sitting through Waterworld long, followed by sitting through Waterworld again... except you're not sitting. I had a backpack full of Clif bars and 3L of water. I returned with 1L of water, and an excess of energy bars. I should have handed them out to passers by during my descent. Now its whats for dinner... My knees were feeling all rusty by the time I passed the sign-in sheet... momentarily causing me to walk all straight-legged, like Frankenstein, until I received a few curious glances which made me all self conscious. All in all, a great hike, and quite fascinating at 3am wearing a headlamp, whose comforting glow gives off a 30ft visibility. I'm checking this one off the list. Grand Canyon, here I come... read more

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BEST HIKE IN ARIZONA! HIGHEST PEAK IN ARIZONA! 1. Summertime no permits needed in my experience, no fees, free parking. 2. Wintertime there are supposed to be permits required, probably so they know who is out there in case you go missing or get eaten by savage squirrels! So Donna planned this little trip out and read somewhere that it was about a 4.5 mile hike... It turns out that is nowhere near accurate! I have heard is is 10-11 miles more accurately, but Donna's I-Phone app that tracks you said it was more like 13.5 miles of total hike time. So plan for an all day event with food, water and good boots or you will wish you had. You start out driving all the way to the ed of the snowbowl road to the parking lot to the left of the ski lodge. You park and at the end is a little sign directing you to journey across the field and into the woods. When you reach the woods the trail becomes so much more clear. You wind your way through switchback after switchback until you come to a saddle (A dip between two peaks) that makes you think you are getting near the top. This is probably around the halfway point or just further. You journey to the left from the saddle and make your way along some pretty loose rock. It would be cool if a group of people came and cleaned the trail up a bit with some rakes in the last sections. I'm all for natural hiking but this is all loose baseball to volleyball sized loose rocks so we say a few people fall and hurt their ankles. I was thinking I would bring a rake next time and spend a couple hours just cleaning it up a bit. As you work your way around you reach 2 false peaks that make you think you made it in error... When you finally reach the true summit you will know and there is a little wooden sign and people usually hanging around relaxing and taking pictures. We had the comedy of a girl taking topless photos while we were at the top in the 35 degree windy air... All I know is I was not about to take my shirt off! Brrrrr! The views are outstanding from Humphreys Peak and tell an interesting tale of geological wonder. It is amazing to see how volcanoes have shaped much of this area and it makes me wonder when volcanoes will do the same again! This is the highest peak and highest point in Arizona at 12,000 and some odd feet elevation so the air gets thinner than Phoenix for people that wouldn't have thought about that. All in all, this is one of the best hikes I have done in Arizona and I have done lots of hikes! Now, get off your butts and take a hike! Bring good boots and lots of water! read more

Difficult to do but extremely rewarding in the end. Great tourist attraction of Flagstaff AZ.

A really great challenge and beautiful. I recommend training for this one a bit before.

This was definitely the easiest 12,000+ feet peak I've hiked. That being said, it was probably the most beautiful one as well. Not sure why it felt so easy, I was trying come up with reasons, there weren't any horrible switchbacks, no horrendous scree slopes, no super steep uphill portions. I think the entire hike was so gradual, it made it really easy to acclimatize to. Only thing I could come up with. Starting out at the Arizona Snowbowl Humphreys Peak trailhead, we got to walk through a huge field of Wildflowers that were incredible (I'm easily impressed when it comes to flowers). Once we actually hit the trail, again it was so beautiful. Tons of trees and vegetation throughout. The trail was well maintained, lots of rocks, but easily walked over. There were a few large trees that you did have to get yourself up and over tho. My friend kept calling this an aspen trail, it was almost like being in Colorado. There is a lava rock boulder area that was so crazy to look at. I kinda wanted to scramble up it. But alas, you're not allowed off trail. Once you hit the saddle, you start up to 3 false summits, and TONS of people. We did this during monsoon season, and started a little late (in my opinion) at 7am, but these people had to had started way earlier. Tons of trail runners, people with dogs, a few with kids. I enjoyed this last part, I like to scramble, there were just a few spots I was able to. The views from the top were incredible. We made it to the top before any storms started moving in, but the clouds stated forming fast, and we were advised to get off the mountain if we heard thunder. Luckily we had perfect weather, it wasn't even windy at the summit. I did this hike without using my trekking poles, and I thought the downhill was relatively easier on my knees than other hikes I've done. This is now one of my favorite peaks. Can't wait to go back and do it again! Next time I want to start from the Weatherford Trail. *side note, I've never seen so much used toilet paper on a trail. It was terrible. Take an empty plastic bag on your hike with you and take your TP with you people! Leave no trace! read more

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It is well worth the climb. Make sure you bring a jacket for the top. It isn't that hard. The trail is easy to follow and you can reach the summit with a little determination. Check the weather first though. read more

Ever since moving back to AZ last September, it had been my goal to reach the state's highest point atop Humphreys Peak. After completing numerous higher-altitude and/or high-intensity hikes in the state (Mt Lemmon, Spruce Mountain, Flatiron, Picacho Peak, etc.), I figured I had completed enough training to tackle this gargantuan challenge. While it was definitely enough preparation, I think it's impossible to complete this hike without using every ounce of energy in you. My wife decided to join me in the trek, and knowing her sensitivities, recommended she take some acetaminophen prior to the hike (oh was she happy she did!). If you know you have altitude problems, it might be a good idea to plan accordingly and do your research ahead of time. We drove up from Chandler and reached the trailhead parking lot by 7:30 am. Hitting the trail at 7:45, we reached the saddle by 10:30 and spent some time admiring the view. It is at this point when you are greeted by the tree line and start of Arizona's only tundra. You are so high up that trees and other vegetation cannot grow. Brace yourselves for the final push in altitude my friends. After another approx 1.5 miles up the rocky false peaks, we reached Humphreys Peak! Definitely a one of a kind view. On clear days such as ours you could see the Grand Canyon. Just beware of all the bugs. And believe me -- there are a LOT of bugs. The hike down takes just as long as you need to watch your step. We finished at almost 4 pm completely drained but super accomplished. If you are up for the challenge, I highly recommend this hike. read more

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Well, I made it halfway... I'm fifty-something, an avid hiker, X-fit three to four days a week, but...I had to turn around. Not because of energy, but because of my toes. But a warning if you're coming from the Valley, to hike to the top is 12k-plus. I live at 5500', and I was still a bit winded. Maybe I had too much wine last night. Across from Humphrey's Trail is Kachina Trail. To me, it's a beautiful scenic trail that overlooks Flagstaff. And it's not quite as steep. read more

Absolutely gorgeous! Myself, my husband, our 8 year old son and our lab hiked to Humphery's peak. We hiked on a beautiful clear day in early September and felt so lucky to experience the 360 degree view at the top. It was strenuous and we all felt the altitude a bit, but were happy we completed it. Go prepared, pack TONS of water, snacks and a lunch if you plan on taking your time. Our phones mapped us at 10.6 miles to the peak and back. Remember pack out what you pack in!!! There are no trash cans, please respect our Mother Earth and happy hiking! read more

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This is defiantly the toughest/longest hike I've ever done, especially since I'm not acclaimed to the high altitude. It took us all day, about 7 or 8 hours. You need to sign in before going up the second leg of the hike, just in case. After the summit, you are walking/climbing up these large rocks that look like boulders. This was the scariest part of the hike for me. We were almost near the top of the peak at this point and the skies started getting dark. We were debating whether or not to turn around because this would be the worst place to ever be during a thunder storm. I think my boyfriend was little nervous about me as well, my lips were a blue-ish and I was having trouble breathing, but we were sooooo close I didn't want to turn around at all! So we kept going and luckily it didn't start raining and we made it to the top! We hung out on the top for about an hour, ate some bagels we brought with us and took lots of photos. It wasn't crowded at all, there were two-four other people up there the entire time we were... this was also a bit different for me because most hikes I've been on are tourist attractions and packed. But the privacy of the hike made it even more rewarding and is one of the main reasons I really loved this hike. read more

4.8 miles to the summit. There's a sign to Humphrey's Peak that will direct you to a dirt road parking lot on the way to the Arizona Snowbowl. You start off walking through a grassy meadow before entering a forest with tall trees galore. After about 3 miles of switchbacks, you emerge to the saddle, where the tree line begins to end. After 3/4 of a mile, you finally enter the only tundra in Arizona, where there are just rocks and no more trees to be seen. From that point there are 3 false summits that you ascend before going up the real summit. The view is incredibly beautiful. I went during late August, started at 6am and reached the top by 8:30am. It was pretty cold throughout, and it became windy at the top, but there was enough sunlight at the top to make up for it. There are plenty of markers once you reach the tundra so that you don't wander off trail or get lost. This is the highest point in Arizona, so would highly recommend if you ever visit Flagstaff. read more

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This was an amazing adventure. My friend Jessica and I with my small 18 pound dog accomplished this hike. We started at 9am and got back to the trail head at 4pm! Super exhausted but we did it. Everything says its 4.8 miles or roughly 5-5.5 miles one way making it about 10-11 miles round trip. All I'm saying is both of our phones and fitbits clocked our summit and return at 14 miles! Go early, bring lots of water and some snacks bc the view up there is worth it! read more

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Let's just go hiked the highest peak in AZ...that's what I once said when my wife and I decided to do this hike one day. Well on the night before we decided to do some bar hopping the night before. Not the best thing before a 8 hour hike clocking in at nearly 9. Ike's total! Oh don't forget altitude sickness setting in starting over 110000 ft. I admit I was totally unprepared for how hard this hike really was. Took a lot of mental toughness for me to keep going. Once we reached the saddle at 11400 ft we figured that we didn't have much left and continued. Oh wow!!! With passing up 2 false summits we finally saw it and made our way up the 3rd and final summit. With the air so thin up there it's almost like taking a few steps then pausing to catch your breath. The. The top you finally reach. Actually I felt all the pain and wanting to quit was over and I finally felt like I accomplished something. Hiking the highest peak in AZ, 12th in the US. 12600 ft was amazing. The way down wasn't all that bad too. I just really recommend hiking poles because your legs will be tired and you are more prone to injury on weak legs. I do gone up here 3 times in 2 years. Getting ready to make it our 4th summit in Aug, so that tells you how much I really like the hike. You really feel like you accomplished something! I say if I can do this each year even when I'm old then my life will be dang good! If you never done this then plan to bring the right equipment, backpack, good boots, rain coat, head cover, sunscreen, and lots if water and snacks. Oh don't forget 2nd pair of socks. I changed on top. I admit first time I did this I was sore for a week but it was worth it! read more

Awesomely beautiful trail. For the elevation you're climbing it's really not that tough. It's about a 8-9 mile hike to summit and back. With that being said, you don't have to go to the top there's other trails leading off of this one. Bring water and lunch that way you can picnic at the top read more

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CANNOT beat my recent trip up this mountain. Recommended to start early morning so as to reach the summit before the afternoon storms that frequently happen. Fifteen minutes into the trail, just before getting to the log book.. a bear sighting. Continuing on up the hill, we were fortunate to stumble upon some wild raspberries. LOVED them. Around 10,000 feet, take a break on the rock fall... a slide of boulders and rocks streaking down the mountain. Continuing up past the 11,400 marker, you are almost to the saddle. The trail gets much steeper and trees thin out as you reach the treeline and edge into the tundra. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Altitude may affect those who are not used to it (me) so take it slowly. We had to rush a bit since clouds off in the distance were quickly making there way to us. There are 3 false summits so don't be tricked and KEEP going! Once at the top there are a couple wind break formations at the top, a wooden bench and military box with a log book and miscellaneous trinkets and reminders of previous hikers. Take some time to enjoy the view and eat some lunch you brought up with you before heading back down. MUST do at least once. read more

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everytime i do this trail, i forget that it is actually pretty hard for us flatlanders! today was no different and boy can i tell you how nice that flagstaff weather is compared to today's phoenix heat. door-parking lot of trail head: 3 hours. head through flagstaff and make a left towards the grand canyon, towards snowbowl. it's a few miles outside of town. drive up snowbowl road and the trail head pretty much starts from the ski resort (to the left. the kachina trail is to the right). at a hustle, with a dog, and with rest breaks, picture stops, and pee stops about 3.5 hours to the summit. half that for the way down. even during the summer, be prepared for gale force winds and chilly temps as you come out of the pine forests around 11k feet. you don't have to, but you may be more comfortable if you bring a light pair of gloves and a warm hat for the final push to the summit. the trail can be very loose at times, but it is easy to follow. a great hike, and it's AZ tallest! read more

I am visiting Flagstaff and into trail running. I looked for routes to run and decided that Humphrey's Peak was going to be on the list to do. It was a really good decision. The route is sort of runnable, some tricky/rocky parts higher up on the ridge and the altitude (for me) slowed me down at times. I ran in in late June (same date as the review) and the day was perfect, blue sky, no clouds and no wind. The view from the top is stunning and recommend it to anyone not to stop at the pass/ridge line as the 1 mile or so to the top is well worth it, I could see the Grand Canyon in the distance. There were all sorts of people hiking up there and seemed to be a a regular thing to do for locals that are into that sort of thing. Overall well worth the effort. read more

They say this is the easiest 12,000'+ peak to hike in the continental US. Knowing that I grabbed my brother, packed light, started early, and had a great time and amazing workout in the process. We went Sunday, September 1st which is an excellent time of year because the monsoons have moved on for the most part and its not too cold at the top. We started at approx. 6 am before sun up, and after about 4 miles we realized the sign at the start of the trail was incorrect 4.8 miles (maybe by the way the crow flies?). Both my brother and I had our MapMyRun GPS apps and it was approx. 7 miles (one way) and I say that because the app stopped working about 10,000'. We eventually made it past the 3 "false" peaks...more like heartbreak hills. You think its the end and then you get your heart broken by yet another, taller peak. At the top I was hoping to see the North Rim, but alas it was not to been seen that day. We still were able to get some amazing photos/video. It was great to hike through the forest and the tree line and see the different temperate zones on this mountain. read more

Humphrey's Trail - Easiest of the 12,000'+ peaks to climb. - Hiking Near Me - Flagstaff, Arizona

If you are coming from Phoenix like I was, I recommend getting acclimated to the altitude by staying overnight in flagstaff one day before the hike. If that is not possible then hike it at a very slow pace. I made the mistake of trying to run the trail and boy was that a mistake. Around the halfway point, I felt like I had just taken 10 shots of vodka. I made it to the top and it was well worth it. read more

Be informed. It's an easy ascend. It is a difficult decent that requires focus and physical stamina. As an avid hiker, cross-fitter and outdoors woman this was a 10 on the difficulty scale. My knees and hips took a serious toll! I would have paid dearly to be lifted out, no joke. read more

This was a great hike!!!! We went up to Flagstaff last week to escape the 110 temps in Scottsdale. We went up the night before to adjust to the elevation. We started the hike at 8 am and ended at 1pm. It took about 3 hours to reach the top, the last 40 minutes or so was difficult being that the elevation made us a bit nauseous and we were tired. There was also a lot of loose gravel/small stones so we were glad we had our hiking poles to keep us balanced. When we got to the top there were a lot of small/large flies which was gross so we took our pictures and headed down! People who were hiking with us said the flies weren't normal so not sure where they came from. Also we heard thunder on the top and didn't want to get in a storm up there. On our way to the top about every 30 minutes we stopped to take a break. I have a small camelback that holds 1 L and wish it held more/had a large backpack. Would definitely recommend this hike to any hikers wanting to do a long hike and escape the Scottsdale heat! read more

Started this trail after a night of brewery hopping down in flagstaff. Not a good idea. We parked at the lower snowbowl parking lot (there is another parking lot a couple hundred feet higher up, but we didn't know it at the time). We walked near some ski lifts and crossed an open field and into the trees before we saw a small post that marked the Humphrey's trail. About 20-30mins later we came to a registry, and I guess this is what marks the real start of the trail head (the second parking lot is closer to this). It was a very difficult climb for us. We are in decent shape and love to hike, but we had never hiked something at this altitude. We were a tad unprepared, and our bout of drinking till 2am before the hike was just stupid. We were miserable almost from the start. I had woke up feeling great with no hangover, however, I developed a bad headache and was getting a little dizzy the higher we got. Well, I found out it was altitude sickness. We didn't acclimate ourselves to the altitude. Somehow, we made it to the saddle. At the saddle (the point between Humphrey's peak and Aggasiz peak, about 2-3 hours from the start, depending on your speed) we took a break. It was a popular spot for everyone else to stop at. From what I was told it is also where most people actually turn around at. You can see the peak from there, which is about 1-2 hours away depending on how fast you go. We should have turned around. 99.9% of me wanted to turn around. I do not know how that one percent of the battle in my mind won, and we forged on toward the peak. It was a little bit trickier from the saddle to the peak. Lots of loose rocks and at times the trail is unclear. But we forged on and made it. I wanted to lay down and give up many many times. There is a bench at the top and two rock walls built to shelter you from the wind. There is also another registry in a small metal box. At the top I thought I would feel great with a sense of accomplishment, and a hiker's high coursing through me. Not this time. I was miserable. My head hurt, it was cold, and my legs didn't feel like they were still there. And oops, we have to go down.... So you think going down should be easier, but not this time. I was very unsure about my steps because my legs were shakey. And the decline was killing my legs even more. We ran out of water. It felt like the trail would never end. Words cannot describe how awful and fatigued my whole body felt. Total trip time was 8 hours. I have heard of people completing this hike faster and some have took longer. There was all sorts of levels and ages of hikers on this trail, including kids as young as 7. Even though I didn't enjoy this trail (due to being stupid the night before) It is a beautiful hike with rewarding views at the top. Rumor is, you can see the grand canyon at the peak on a clear day. Even making it to just the saddle is a great hike with great views. Be sure to look at weather reports before you go because I have heard stories of weather suddenly changing at the peak with snow and wind gusts up to 80mph, even in the middle of the summer. read more

My Dad, who was in his late 50's at the time ,tried this hike with me, i was around 12 years old, we weren't prepared at all and had 2 cans of soda with us (no joke) this was mainly because we weren't planning to go that far but ended up getting to the saddle before turning back. Fast foward a few years, My dad was 60 (although in great shape) and i was 14, this was our second attempt and we came prepared with camelbacks as well as energy bars. We got up to the saddle without taking any breaks and got to the top of the mountain within 2:30 mins of starting. However, as we glided through the first miles to the saddle, the trek from there to the top is ALOT TOUGHER. In the end we scaled the mountain up and back down in 4 hours 30 minutes. my dad was exhausted after it. read more