The Red Mountain Trail is one of Flagstaff’s best kept secrets. This short hike leads you to the inside of an extinct cinder cone with otherworldly red hoodoo-like formations. It’s one you won’t want to miss.

The area surrounding Flagstaff is filled with hikes to fascinating volcanic formations, thanks to the San Francisco Volcanic Field that stretches across central Arizona. Popular spots include the Lava River Cave, SP Crater, and the San Francisco Peaks, home to Humphreys Peak—the highest point in the state.

Scientists have theorized that Red Mountain was formed from an eruption about 740,000 years ago!

If this intrigues you, you’ll want to keep reading to find out everything you need to know about this one of a kind hike.

Where Is Red Mountain?

Red Mountain is located off of Interstate 180 which runs between the towns of Valle and Flagstaff.

The trailhead is about a 40 minute drive from central Flagstaff and 3 hours if you’re coming from Phoenix.

Interstate 180 runs between Kendrick Mountain and the San Francisco Peaks which are some of the highest summits in Arizona. So you’ll get some phenomenal views along the way.

Permit or Fees Required?

It is completely free to hike the Red Mountain Trail. No permit or fees are required.

Best Time of Year to Hike Red Mountain

This part of Arizona gets all four seasons, with mild summers and cold winters. So you can really get away with hiking this trail at any time of year as long as you’re adequately prepared for the weather. 

I will say, summer is monsoon season in Arizona which will bring heavy rains, wind, and lightning which can all potentially be dangerous on this trail. Monsoons are most likely to happen in the afternoon so you can typically avoid summer storms by hiking in the morning hours.

I actually did this hike in late December and it was cold but we bundled up and luckily it was a sunny day so it wasn’t too bad. Hiking in the winter also gives you the chance to see snow on the rocks which makes it even more breathtaking.

But if you’re looking for the best weather conditions, you’ll want to hike this trail in spring or fall.

Accessing the Trailhead- 4WD Required?

You will want a high clearance vehicle to get to the Red Mountain Trailhead. 

From Interstate 180, it’s only a half mile drive to the start of the trail, but as you get closer to the trailhead the road gets significantly rougher with large rocks and potholes.

When you first turn onto the Forest Service Road, it starts out as just a flat gravel road. Luckily, there are places you can park there before the road gets too bad and walk to the trailhead if you’re in a sedan.

But if you have high clearance you can drive all the way to the trailhead. It will be bumpy but we didn’t even have to put our 4Runner into 4WD.

Trail Stats

Mileage	Elevation Gain	Duration	Difficulty
3 miles	300 ft.	1 hour 30 mins	Easy

If you’re a frequent hiker you will find this trail quite easy. It’s nothing too strenuous. This would make a great trail to take a beginner hiker because the trail is not super rocky, and has a very gradual incline.

What to Expect Hiking the Red Mountain Trail

You can see the amphitheater formation that you’ll be hiking into from the trailhead, which I think is such an incredible view. You can definitely see how it got it’s name, especially when the rocks glow fiery-red in the sunlight.

The trail begins on nice a dirt pathway through a forest of pines trees. You’ll be steadily gaining elevation, but it doesn’t feel too challenging. It’s a pretty well marked trail although it won’t hurt to have AllTrails pulled up just in case. 

Once you near the base of the cinder cone, there will be a small ladder to your left where the trail continues, and a tall gravel hill with boot prints showing that hikers use this as another pathway into the amphitheater. Shown below.

Whether you take the ladder or the gravel hill it doesn’t matter since they lead to the same place.

We took the ladder where we were instantly transported into an otherworldly landscape surrounded by the massive red rocks.

Some of the rocks form slot canyons that you can explore, and you can climb on some of lower ones too. Each formation looks different from the next. I was in awe.

After exploring the inside of the cinder cone we began our hike back by taking the gravel hill back down to the trail. It’s quite difficult to hike down it without slipping. So, if you don’t feel comfortable taking this way the ladder is definitely the better way to go.

Since this is an out and back trail, you will leave the cinder cone and take the same route back.

This is such a neat hike. I’ve hiked all over Arizona and haven’t seen anything else like it in the state. The closest thing I can compare it to is Bryce Canyon in Utah.

This is high up on my favorite Arizona hikes list because it’s free, and it’s still pretty unknown. When we hiked we were the only ones on the trail. It’s a true hidden gem.  

I know you’ll enjoy hiking to Red Mountain just as much as I did and I hope this post was helpful for you in planning your visit. Thank you for reading!