Humphreys Peak: Ascending Arizona mountain not for faint of heart

SAN FRANCISCO MOUNTAINS, Ariz. — Hiking Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona, is actually ascending the remains of a dormant stratovolcano that dominates the high desert landscape in the Flagstaff region.

At 12,633 feet above sea level, Humphreys is a nine-mile round-trip hike that climbs 3,200 feet from the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort's lower parking lot, in the Kachina Wilderness region of the Coconino National Forest.

The peak rises some 5,700 feet above Flagstaff, though Humphreys is not visible from all but a small slice of the southeastern part of town. That's because neighboring Agassiz Peak (elevation 12,356 feet) obscures Humphreys from the majority of Flagstaff.

Scaling Humphreys' upper reaches is a lot like hiking Mount St. Helen's in Washington; wooden poles mark the path through lots of loose volcanic rock.

"I think it looks like you are on top of the world," said Phil Rosso of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, after reaching the Humphreys summit in late morning.

"This is amazing that Arizona can have such a rugged mountain," Marilyn Sanders, another Calgary resident, said.

"The hike was OK, a little tricky at the top," Jackie Hester, from Carpinteria, Calif., said after reaching the Humphreys summit.

She was also impressed by the clear skies and no wind — a rarity on the usually blustery summit.

"Spectacular views, very windy," was what Mike Vuk recorded in the summit's log book.

"It's windy. I bet everyone writes that," Robert Conly wrote in the log.

Roy Major from Tempe, Ariz., wrote that he had scattered his son's ashes on the peak in accordance with his last wishes.

"Praise God for his awesome creation," is what Keith Wegehaupt wrote in the summit log.

Adam Schafer penned this: "Awesome hike. I am beat! Where's the hammock?"

Humphreys is best hiked in late summer or early fall (June to October), when there is no snow. The shortest starting point is the Snowbowl's lower parking lot, at 9,500 feet above sea level. The resort is about 14.5 miles from Flagstaff.

There is a restroom but no water available at the trailhead.

The U.S. Forest Service states that the hike is a strenuous one, with moderate to heavy use. The hike requires three hours to the summit along a steep path through "a thriving alpine forest streaked with huge rock slides and avalanche tracks hug the mountain's slopes."

The current trail was built in 1984.

The Forest Service report continues: "As the elevation increases, trail-side vegetation shows more and more evidence of the extreme harshness of this environment. Near tree line, what's left of the forest consists entirely of bristlecone pines bent and twisted by wind and frost. This hardy tree manages to live one of the longest lives on earth in one of the planet's most inhospitable environments.