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| Hiking | 2.50 Miles |
400 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.50 Miles | 2 Hrs | | 1.25 mph |
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| no partners | | What a great day for a little trip out to Red Mountain! It had probably been 8 years since I had been out there so I was pretty excited. If you aren't familiar with the area, Red Mountain is a cinder cone volcano about 30 miles northwest of Flagstaff, formed about 750,000 years ago making it one of the older cones in the San Francisco volcanic field. The Northeast side of the cone has since collapsed in on itself, creating a cutaway amphitheater filled with amazing water sculpted hoodoo cliffs.
During the gradual uphill stroll to the cutaway there was a welcome breeze to keep us cool. Being early May, snow was still visible on the Peaks and there was so orographic uplift going on that day so I got one two nice pictures from the distance. The dry stream bed that protrudes from the cutaway has me interested in seeing how much water flows through it during a rainstorm. At the entrance to the cutaway near the 7 foot tall dam there are some beautiful black rock formations that form a gateway into the center. They look like some sort of exposed volcanic necks or dikes of some sort. We ran into a middle-aged mountain biker who was glad to see us. We chatted and he mentioned how he is a frequent visitor to Red Mountain but never hardly ever encounters another soul. What a shame! Such a gorgeous place with all the hoodoos and other unique rock formations. He also mentioned a lava cave he found not far away near Slate Mountain, different from the larger "Government Cave" that everyone knows about. The new maps don't show it, but pick up an old forest service map and it will show the lesser known cave. My dad has a map printed in 1994 that shows it. |
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Route Editor
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