Inner Basin to Doyle Peak • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Oct 05 2024
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	10.76 Miles	3,407 AEG

Hiking	10.76 Miles	7 Hrs 17 Mns	1.79 mph
	3,407 ft AEG	1 Hour 16 Mns Break

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Waterline Trail #146

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After the disaster of riding my bike to the trailhead, I started my hike totally depleted of energy and stamina. Apparently oxygen isn't a thing here either. It was slow going and I had continual thoughts of where and when to call it a day and turn around. Somehow I carried on.

There were a handful of people on 29, but nothing obnoxious. Above the waterline road, I didn't see another soul over the next 5 and a half hours of trudgery. As was the case last year, the water department has graded every old two track to Prius quality. This includes the former cavern that was once the trail from the bus stop up to the 10k contour.

Knowing that stretch of trail is giving Y-bar a run for its money, I stayed in the drainage and climbed to Doyle spring before cutting over to the trail again. I think the stretch of 102 from the 29 junction down to the saddle is my least traveled stretch. Usually when I'm here I go up and add Fremont too. But having done that a couple of months ago I headed over to Doyle.

The view of the inner basin from 11,060 in fall is perhaps my favorite scene in the state. Of course to get there now requires a depressing traverse of absolute maximum heat destruction. It is what it is. No going back now.

The top is still neutralized with nary a blade of grass pushing through the ash yet. Lower down, some horribly unhealthy and sickly aspen are making it a bit of a bushwhack to get through. I spooked two sets of elk including a huge buck and 3 bulls, followed by another harem of ladies half a mile later.

I made the pre-planned but idiotic decision to cut some mileage and drop off the ridgeline straight down to the waterline road near the edge of the burn boundary. The steepitude of this slope cannot be understated. 1010 do not recommend.

Skipped like Dorothy along the yellow-brick road to the former no-molestation station before opting for the old upper 552 two-track back to Lockett for a different view and fewer afternoon peepers.

An additional 3 miles on foot would not have been particularly enjoyable, so I was happy to find my bike where I left it, with two fully inflated tires ready to roll.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Doyle Peak Doyle Spring Interior Valley

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

Nov 11 2023

emilystardust

Routes 386
Photos 49
Triplogs 792

43 female

Joined Jun 23 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Nov 11 2023
		emilystardust • Triplogs 792

Hiking	18.37 Miles	4,257 AEG

Hiking	18.37 Miles	10 Hrs 16 Mns	2.12 mph
	4,257 ft AEG	1 Hour 36 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Inner Basin to Doyle plus extra road miles. We decided to give this one a shot even with roads on both sides being closed. Inner Basin looked like the better option so the journey began. First part of Lockett had some burn damage but nothing into the aspens and Fremont saddle up to Doyle was all burned, but most everything else remained unscathed. Long day but first non-Humphreys summit in this area.

_____________________

1 archive

Oct 12 2022

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Pipeline Fire Scar, AZ

Hiking		Oct 12 2022
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	17.81 Miles	5,447 AEG

Hiking	17.81 Miles	9 Hrs 4 Mns	2.14 mph
	5,447 ft AEG	44 Mns Break

no routes

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6 linked trail guides

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The_N

Notice: Super long triplog and obnoxious photo dump! Intentionally posted excessive detail to share as much of the Pipeline scar as possible.
--
After Saturday's 22-mile sufferfest around the north side of the peaks I wanted to take advantage of the near-perfect seasonal colors, lack of typical crowds here, and the minimally publicized end to the area closure, to check out the devastation firsthand.

With the forecast calling for rain and wind by the weekend, I figured it would be good to take advantage of the perfect weather today. In fact, after the cold wind, flurries, and socked-in peaks four days ago, the blue skies today were somewhat ... bland!

After a quick gander at driving 9129D to Alto Spring it became apparent that walking the 552 would be eternally faster. What's an extra 6 miles and 1000 feet on a day like this!?

There were 3 other cars parked at the gate. I could have easily made the drive, but I can see how the roadbed is too unstable to reopen without some extensive culvert reconstruction and erosion prevention. It'll be interesting to see how this progresses.

Lockett Meadow was in great shape, as we saw from the Waterline Road on Saturday. All the camp sites are fully intact and ready for enjoyment. It was odd to experience this place in autumn gold without another soul in sight.

I was unprepared for the matchsticks that the first quarter mile of #29 now passes through. It is complete and total destruction. But the trail cuts through the scar quickly and emerges into the untouched forest as the remaining trail climbing to the waterline road are as pristine as ever. And today was absolutely perfect for aspen colors; the best I've ever seen them!

Above the waterline it was amazing to see how quickly the aspens had progressed from just four days earlier. These trees had lost significant amounts of leaves and looked drab compared to the vibrant yellows just a short distance away. We saw our only other hikers on the trail sitting at the bus stop. They had come over from Snowbowl, and were headed back that way.

We made quick work up the ankle-buster road before hitting Weatherford and climbing up to the saddle. Off-trail to the summit of Fremont is as it has always been, untouched by fire. As LJW reported a couple of weeks ago, this is where things change significantly.

The trip down the ridge to Fremont Saddle follows the burn perimeter, sometimes in untouched forest and others in ash and char. Fire rings remain at the saddle campsites, but everything else is gone. The climb up to Doyle is severely burned. Climbing it was a challenge, descending it might be more of a buttslide. If wet, bring a sled. The ground was always a little bit loose and gravelly here, now it's just ash and dried ash-mud. The bristlecones are just blackened skeletons.

To nobody's surprise, the rudimentary cabin structure just below the peak was completely destroyed. The corrugated roofing materials lay in a heap, collapsed as the wooden structure which supported it no longer exists. Countless nails, the door hinges, and some remnants of metal tools are still in the rubble, but not much else.

At the high point, the summit cairn still held two summit register jars. A plastic jar had melted into the register paper inside, and I made no attempt to remove it. The glass jar survived and the paper inside was charred from the heat. But it survived and is still usable.

From Doyle we headed down the ridge toward the ridge that leads to Schultz. This area is moonscape. It appears that the fire did not burn east of the Schultz Peak ridge (which had previously burned), and there were pockets of unburned (this time) terrain as we headed downhill. North of the 10,569 ridge, the damage was extensive once again. There was a new rain gauge placed here presumably to help warn the downstream neighborhoods of imminent flooding.

As we progressed down the ridge, the damage was total. It wasn't until shortly before reaching the Waterline Road that we started to encounter aggressive aspen sprouts and even a couple of little mosaic islands of unburned mature aspen groves. As we crossed Waterline it was clear that the north slope into the Inner Basin was torched, but the south side meadows down toward Doney Park appeared to be largely untouched, despite being within the perimeter scar.

The views looking up from here were beautiful, with golden fall colors carpeting the entire inner basin. The late afternoon sun prevented us from getting any quality photos.

After returning to Lockett Meadow we began the trip back down the road and caught up with a pair of hikers from Flagstaff who we chatted with for the final mile down to the closure gate.

I might need a hiking break after these last two! It was great to get up and hit the fall colors and get into the fire scar up close, but it's definitely a bittersweet experience. Glad to see what still stands, but sad at what doesn't. Thanks to N for getting out there with me, it was a good day.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] San Francisco Peaks groundsel

Autumn Foliage Observation Extreme
Prime time in the Inner Basin. It doesn't get any better than this!

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

Oct 15 2019

kyleGChiker

Guides 1
Routes 61
Photos 604
Triplogs 79

male

Joined May 28 2019
Phoenix, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Oct 15 2019
		kyleGChiker • Triplogs 79

Hiking	10.50 Miles	3,050 AEG

Hiking	10.50 Miles	8 Hrs	1.31 mph
	3,050 ft AEG

no routes

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Went out with my mom to enjoy the fall leaves and hike Doyle. Weather was perfect--in the mid 50s. The Aspen were also perfect!

Rather than following the "official" route up Doyle from Fremont Saddle, we just went straight up the front face from the inner basin. It was about half a mile as the crow flies from the inner basin to the summit. We switch backed our way up due to the steepness of the mountain, so our distance up was probably about 0.8 to 1 mile. It took us 2 hours to ascend the 1,400 feet. I estimate I could've done it in 1:20 by myself.

The descent was much faster, taking only 1:20. I would've gone faster alone (Mom was being careful because of knee problems), and probably could've descended in 40 minutes.

Anyway, just wanted to leave a trip report for the route straight up Doyle. It was a completely reasonable route, and I would recommend it for ascending Doyle. I'm sure others have taken this route as well.

I will try to figure out how to upload the route file from my Garmin GPS.

Autumn Foliage Observation Extreme
The fall colors in the Aspen groves were some of the best I've ever seen!

Sep 10 2016

VolcanoCLMBR

Routes 1
Photos 2,050
Triplogs 425

46 male

Joined Sep 16 2011
Phoenix

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Sep 10 2016
		VolcanoCLMBR • Triplogs 425

Hiking	14.00 Miles	3,050 AEG

Hiking	14.00 Miles	6 Hrs	2.33 mph
	3,050 ft AEG

no routes

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_____________________

The world is my playground!

Aug 28 2016

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Aug 28 2016
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	11.94 Miles	4,446 AEG

Hiking	11.94 Miles	7 Hrs 20 Mns	2.20 mph
	4,446 ft AEG	1 Hour 54 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Abineau Peak Agassiz Peak Cinder Hills Doyle Peak Doyle Saddle Elden Mountain Fremont Peak Fremont Saddle Humphreys Peak Humphreys Saddle - Kachina Peaks Inner Basin Kachina Peaks Wilderness Little Elden Mountain Rees Peak San Francisco Mountains - Kachina Peaks Wilderness San Francisco Peaks Natural Area Schultz Peak

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LindaAnn

Having previously traveled the entire north side of the San Francisco horseshoe from Agassiz, Humphreys, Abineau, and Rees to the Inner Basin, I've had the south half of the horseshoe on my radar.

With several inches of hail accumulating over the peaks on Friday and the season's first snowfall on Saturday morning, I was hoping Sunday would provide better weather. The forecast had called for clearing and drier weather earlier in the week, but the chances for storms on Sunday kept getting higher and higher as the day got closer. We decided not to let it deter us, opting instead to make a very early attempt in hopes of beating any severe weather.

So we set off toward the mountain at oh-denny-thirty with hopes of a pre-sunrise start. The peaks were shrouded in clouds in the early morning light and we didn't manage to start the ascent until a couple minutes past 6. We started at the base of Sugarloaf Peak at the east end of Lockett Meadow and headed up the closed 552B which swings around and parallels the ridge as it climbs steadily over 1.5 miles to the Waterline Road.

The next 4.5 miles of ridge hiking is off-trail until Fremont Saddle. The first half mile above Waterline was a pleasant grade before the slope got considerably steeper. At the 3 mile mark, some of steepest terrain of the day presents a challenge to getting to peak 11,060. There's a short ridge here before the final 400 foot climb to Doyle, but that ridge is a boulder field and travel is very slow. But the boulders provide relief from the pine canopy and amazing views over the Inner Basin and the peaks on the north side of the horseshoe.

The climb up Doyle from the east is pretty straightforward and when you reach the peak there's a cairn with the original (and correct) summit register placed in 1988. We signed in despite the lack of recent entries. As we pressed on toward Fremont, we encountered another cairn about 0.15 miles from the original. This also had a register. This register had recent entries. It also actually said that this register wasn't placed at the peak. Then why the :pk:

did you build a cairn and put a register here? ](*,)

Seriously. People are dumb. :bdh:

The perfect conical shape of Fremont stood directly before us, a very attainable 500 feet higher up. Unfortunately, to get there requires dropping 700 feet to Doyle Saddle. The descent might be the steepest terrain on the day. The climb in the opposite direction must be a real chore! We took a quick snack break at the saddle before beginning the 1200 foot climb to Fremont. It's only half a mile away!

It was 9:45, and I made a goal of reaching the peak by 11:00. Yes, I was estimating 1:15 to go the next half mile!

The ascent up Fremont was awesome. The clouds came and went, sometimes leaving us with no view and other times opening dramatic glimpses at the other peaks. The lower part was forested before reaching a bouldery section that leads to a steep scramble with a large crux rock about 600 feet below the summit. We opted to go around to the left, but I think the right would have worked fine too. Left is softer and more forested, right is more bouldery.

The final stretch is steep and a continued combination of soft dirt, dwarfy pine trees, and small boulder fields. Staying just to the south side of the ridge seemed to provide the best route, but some zig-zagging was in order, if for no other reason than the views into the Inner Basin. Once up top, I was surprised I was unable to find a register. There's a nice shelter wall built though it was quite calm and not needed on this day. Another short break and a summit beer were in order before the final off-trail mile across the 11,673 ridge and the final descent to Fremont Saddle. Six miles in 5.5 hours! Off-trail ascents take their toll! : rambo :

From there, we cruised back to the IB, happy to be on trail again. Saw 3 people in the Inner Basin before passing a dozen or two in the lower aspen section of trail. Back to the car for the return to the valley after a very long and rewarding day!

The weather couldn't have been better. It was 42 at the trailhead when we started, and warmed somewhat in the early sun, but winter-like clouds shrouded the peaks from time to time, creating dramatic views and lighting. I don't think it ever got above 55 until we were back at the trailhead at the end of the day. The temperature and awesome clouds really made this hike as good as it could be! :y:

(Not bad for August in Arizona!)

Glad to have now hit all the peaks around the Inner Basin horseshoe. The only non-direct section for me is the direct link between Fremont Saddle and Agassiz (I've taken the Weatherford traverse and the ridgeline to Agassiz from the Humphreys saddle). Not sure I'll ever do that line direct unless I decide to skin up Agassiz and ski down into Freidlein Prairie sometime. I'm sure it's been done before... :-k

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Quaking Aspen

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cag Shot Intrepid Back Shot Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fire Burn Area & Recovery Hail

Wildflowers Observation Light
Especially in the lower elevation grassy meadows.

	Doyle Spring	Dry	Dry
	No surface water

Locket Meadow Tank

51-75% full

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

Aug 28 2016

LindaAnn

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Aug 28 2016
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	11.94 Miles	4,446 AEG

Hiking	11.94 Miles	7 Hrs 20 Mns	2.20 mph
	4,446 ft AEG	1 Hour 54 Mns Break

no routes

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chumley

Chumley's triplog already covers this entire hike, so I'll avoid rehashing it again, but so far this was probably my favorite AZ hike of the summer. Starting out in the aspens was great, and it was nice to have some easy hiking at the very beginning, before the hard work began. After that, I heard "This part will be steep" at least a half-dozen times throughout the day.

Climbing up Doyle wasn't too bad, and I liked the boulder field. I'm not fast making my way across the rocks, but I enjoy it as much as, if not more so, than hiking on a trail. We stopped at the top for a few minutes to sign the register, and get some pics of the amazing clouds. Hiking down Doyle was very steep, but at least the ground was soft. For every step I took, it seemed like I slid forward another half step or so; I would have hated to climb up that side.

We took a quick break at Doyle Saddle, then my favorite part of the day began. Fremont looked intimidating to me, but I really liked it. Again, climbing up the rocks was my favorite part. And the weather was constantly changing from almost sunny, to being completely enveloped by clouds, which gave plenty of opportunities for some good pictures. It was definitely steep, but the rocks made for slow going, and I thought it felt easier to climb than Doyle. Another break at the top, and even though there was no wind, it felt cool enough for an extra long sleeve shirt since I wasn't working hard anymore.

After that, it was a quick hike down to the saddle, then easy trail all the way back to the car. Finishing out the hike by walking through aspens again was the perfect way to end the day.

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

Stop crying and just go do the hike.

Sep 06 2015

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Backpack		Sep 06 2015
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Backpack	15.22 Miles	4,547 AEG

Backpack	15.22 Miles	2 Days
	4,547 ft AEG

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Schultz Peak

Fremont Peak - SE Ridge

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RedwallNHops

A great overnight backpack in the San Francisco mountains outside of Flagstaff.

Having to carry your water for two days keeps all the people away! While there are springs along the way, the city of Flagstaff has capped them and are piping the water to town. We saw several examples of how Flagstaff is getting some of its water. Read more at: azdailysun.com/life ... html

We hiked up the Inner Basin trail with views of the cirque. We headed to the saddle between Doyle and Fremont peaks. And then we summited Doyle our first afternoon and Fremont the next morning! On Doyle we met a man who was extremely interested in the area's history. We learned that the world's highest observatory once sat on its top, built in 1927. Two Bristle cone pines aligned perfectly to be used to support the telescope. At that time the peak was called Schultz Peak and the observatory was called Schultz Peak Station. We hung out on the peak enjoying the views.

Note: The ridge to the west of Fremont peak was called Doyle peak. That area is now Doyle Saddle and it is not next to the peak now called Doyle peak. However the area we stayed at is labeled Doyle Saddle and trail signs also call it Doyle saddle.

https://en.m.wikipe ... Peak

The next morning Nick and I climbed up Fremont Peak which has even better views of the area. Of course we had to hike up 1000 ft in .75 miles from our camp!

After a snack we headed back to Flagstaff using the gently graded Weatherford Trail (used to be a road). We encountered some rain but not nearly as much as the town of Flagstaff did.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Greater Short-Horned Lizard

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Summit Register Log

Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

Sep 06 2015

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Backpack		Sep 06 2015
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Backpack	14.22 Miles	3,547 AEG

Backpack	14.22 Miles	2 Days
	3,547 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Schultz Peak

Fremont Peak - SE Ridge

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Wildflowers Observation Light

_____________________

Aug 29 2013

mt98dew

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,010
Triplogs 2,387

55 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Aug 29 2013
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	11.84 Miles	3,050 AEG

Hiking	11.84 Miles	8 Hrs 24 Mns	1.51 mph
	3,050 ft AEG	35 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

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Stoic

Took this day off so I could go hiking with good friend Chris. He had planned this hike a few weeks ago, but we were not sure if it was going to happen because of the weather forecast. Initially, we were going to throw on Freemont Peak as well, but Chris discovered that the peak is off limits to help preserve some type of endangered plant.

Got to the TH around 6:30am. We took the trail for about 1.7 miles through some beautiful aspens getting some gradual elevation gain with some nice switchbacks. This brought us to the Waterline Trail (basically a very nicely graded road). We took this road for about .5 miles to where the Inner Basin Trail split off from the Waterline and headed in a westward direction. At this juncture there were several structures, one of which, was a noisy, smelly generator/water pump. The trail continued to be a usable road that brought us into the inner basin. Most of the hike up until this point had been in pretty, but forested slopes with very limited views. When we got to the basin, we were able to see three of the peaks ( Doyle, Freemont, and Agassiz) framed by blue skies. Humphrey was initially obscured by trees so I did not get to see until we hiked further into the basin. After we had crossed the basin, passing another water pump the road started to convert back into an authentic trail. Initially this involved a steady, straight climb up the side of a hill. Probably the ugliest part of the hike, due to the erosion and the the fist sized rocks that I needed to contend with. Also, because of the elevation and the steepness of the slope, the "views" kind of took our breath away. Kind of funny - Chris who had been here several years ago (when the 552 was closed) had hiked up to this section in the snow. Because he and friends had to hike 3 miles just to get to Lockett Meadow, this was as far as they got. Before he and his friends turned around, they "summited" at the rock outcropping just to the north of the trail. He pointed it out to me through breaks in the trees. This was dubbed as "Stoic's Peak". The last .5 miles of the Inner Basin Trail were switchbacks. Very similar to what I experienced at the beginning of the trail, just without the aspens.

At about 4 miles the Basin Trail "T"ed with the Weatherford Trail. We made a left at this juncture, heading towards Schultz Tank. The views of Humphrey and Rees were truly spectacular as we made our way in out of pines. The trail was narrow at times with a fairly steep drop off into the basin, so I had to be a little conservative in my gawking. We actually lost a little elevation as we hiked a mile to reach the Doyle/Freemont saddle. The saddle provided a nice view of the surrounding area. We had our first view of Flagstaff, (we could see NAU in the distance), we had a great view of the Inner basin and the surrounding peaks and of course, an up close view of Doyle, the peak we wanted to summit. This part was off trail and involved choosing what looked to be the easiest path. Luckily, Chris and I had different views on what this was, because half way up I sent (at least) a 60pd boulder tumbling down the slope. :scared:

It didn't come near him, but he said he could feel the vibrations in the earth.

The summit was nice, but the views were not quite as good as I was hoping for. This was primarily because the peak was forested and large and flat. So to get a view in any direction, I had to walk a ways to see through the trees. This allowed Chris and I to discover both registers (who knows, there may be more than the 2 we found). The first register was in the stone/metal/wood abode just to the south of the false summit. The true summit, which was a little further to the east and about 30 feet higher (11430) at the base of a dead tree. (More like a 5 ft. tall stump.). We ate some lunch and watched the clouds begin to gather and darken to the west of Agassiz, before we headed back down.

Trip back was uneventful. Got a little bit of rain in the last five minutes of the hike. Only one nice blast of lightning/thunder, otherwise it was just distant rumblings. Saw 1 hiker going in as we were coming out. His trail head log said that he planned on staying the night on Humphrey Peak.

No wildlife to speak of, though we did see a squirrel working over a peach core that Chris had discarded on our way up the trail. Timing is everything! Six hours ago Chris had "recycled" the peach into a nearby drainage ditch. Six hours later, the squirrel literally posed for us on a boulder, pear core held is in two little paws. It just goes to show, one mans biodegradable trash is another mans (squirrels) treasure.

Great hike! Thanks for the planning and driving!

_____________________

Aug 29 2013

Stoic

Routes 297
Photos 6,928
Triplogs 552

49 male

Joined Dec 30 2007
Avondale,Az

[ checklist ] Summit Register Log Trail Signs and Markings

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Aug 29 2013
		Stoic • Triplogs 552

Hiking	11.84 Miles	3,500 AEG

Hiking	11.84 Miles	8 Hrs 24 Mns		1.51 mph
	3,500 ft AEG	35 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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mt98dew

Great day for a hike, eventhou this hike kicked my pumpkin. I think the elevation was playing tricks on my head, and I need lower my pack weight for trips like these. Lessons learned.
On the way back down, we also hiked around the 9800ft Pump station. A small extra segment into the woods and back out.

Mt98dew

Took this day off so I could go hiking with good friend Chris. He had planned this hike a few weeks ago, but we were not sure if it was going to happen because of the weather forecast. Initially, we were going to throw on Freemont Peak as well, but Chris discovered that the peak is off limits to help preserve some type of endangered plant.

Got to the TH around 6:30am. We took the trail for about 1.7 miles through some beautiful aspens getting some gradual elevation gain with some nice switchbacks. This brought us to the Waterline Trail (basically a very nicely graded road). We took this road for about .5 miles to where the Inner Basin Trail split off from the Waterline and headed in a westward direction. At this juncture there were several structures, one of which, was a noisy, smelly generator/water pump. The trail continued to be a usable road that brought us into the inner basin. Most of the hike up until this point had been in pretty, but forested slopes with very limited views. When we got to the basin, we were able to see three of the peaks ( Doyle, Freemont, and Agassiz) framed by blue skies. Humphrey was initially obscured by trees so I did not get to see until we hiked further into the basin. After we had crossed the basin, passing another water pump the road started to convert back into an authentic trail. Initially this involved a steady, straight climb up the side of a hill. Probably the ugliest part of the hike, due to the erosion and the the fist sized rocks that I needed to contend with. Also, because of the elevation and the steepness of the slope, the "views" kind of took our breath away. Kind of funny - Chris who had been here several years ago (when the 552 was closed) had hiked up to this section in the snow. Because he and friends had to hike 3 miles just to get to Lockett Meadow, this was as far as they got. Before he and his friends turned around, they "summited" at the rock outcropping just to the north of the trail. He pointed it out to me through breaks in the trees. This was dubbed as "Stoic's Peak". The last .5 miles of the Inner Basin Trail were switchbacks. Very similar to what I experienced at the beginning of the trail, just without the aspens.

At about 4 miles the Basin Trail "T"ed with the Weatherford Trail. We made a left at this juncture, heading towards Schultz Tank. The views of Humphrey and Rees were truly spectacular as we made our way in out of pines. The trail was narrow at times with a fairly steep drop off into the basin, so I had to be a little conservative in my gawking. We actually lost a little elevation as we hiked a mile to reach the Doyle/Freemont saddle. The saddle provided a nice view of the surrounding area. We had our first view of Flagstaff, (we could see NAU in the distance), we had a great view of the Inner basin and the surrounding peaks and of course, an up close view of Doyle, the peak we wanted to summit. This part was off trail and involved choosing what looked to be the easiest path. Luckily, Chris and I had different views on what this was, because half way up I sent (at least) a 60pd boulder tumbling down the slope. It didn't come near him, but he said he could feel the vibrations in the earth.

The summit was nice, but the views were not quite as good as I was hoping for. This was primarily because the peak was forested and large and flat. So to get a view in any direction, I had to walk a ways to see through the trees. This allowed Chris and I to discover both registers (who knows, there may be more than the 2 we found). The first register was in the stone/metal/wood abode just to the south of the false summit. The true summit, which was a little further to the east and about 30 feet higher (11430) at the base of a dead tree. (More like a 5 ft. tall stump.). We ate some lunch and watched the clouds begin to gather and darken to the west of Agassiz, before we headed back down.

Trip back was uneventful. Got a little bit of rain in the last five minutes of the hike. Only one nice blast of lightning/thunder, otherwise it was just distant rumblings. Saw 1 hiker going in as we were coming out. His trail head log said that he planned on staying the night on Humphrey Peak. No wildlife to speak of, though we did see a squirrel working over a peach core that Chris had discarded on our way up the trail. Timing is everything! Six hours ago Chris had "recycled" the peach into a nearby drainage ditch. Six hours later, the squirrel literally posed for us on a boulder, peach core held is in two little paws. It just goes to show, one mans biodegradable trash is another mans (squirrels) treasure. Great hike! Thanks for the planning and driving!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gilled Mushrooms

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cliff Chipmunk

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Humphreys Peak

Wildflowers Observation Light

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Jul 06 2013

VolcanoCLMBR

Routes 1
Photos 2,050
Triplogs 425

46 male

Joined Sep 16 2011
Phoenix

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jul 06 2013
		VolcanoCLMBR • Triplogs 425

Hiking	10.50 Miles	3,050 AEG

Hiking	10.50 Miles	6 Hrs 35 Mns	1.59 mph
	3,050 ft AEG

no routes

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ElliotAlford

What a day to be out in the San Francisco Peaks! With rain in the forecast we decided to still go do exploration. We had rain poured down on us most of the time we were in the inner basin with small hail falling at times. Lightning was also present this morning with one lightning strike hitting about a mile away from us. Once we reached the junction with the Weatherford trail the clouds opened up and we were treated to some really cool light reflections hitting down on the inner basin. The rain went away for about half hour and after another batch rain clouds formed on top of us. This happened as we were on the Doyle Peak saddle, the rain gradually continued to get stronger and some lightning bolts were see hitting down about 3 miles away, by this time we reached the summit drenched and only stayed up there for a couple minutes before heading back down. On the way back down we didnt come across anyone, the rains pretty much sent everyone home. Living in Phoenix we dont get to experience the rain a whole lot, this hike was a very much welcome adventure!

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Doyle Peak Doyle Saddle Fremont Peak

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

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The world is my playground!

Jun 18 2011

Jim

Guides 73
Routes 176
Photos 10,174
Triplogs 2,324

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jun 18 2011
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	10.00 Miles	3,800 AEG

Hiking	10.00 Miles	8 Hrs 45 Mns	1.14 mph
	3,800 ft AEG

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HAZ - Event

cindyl

It doesn't seem appropriate to log this under this hike description since I only used about a 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile of the Inner Basin Trail. It was mostly off trail, through steep, rocky terrain, and through some decently dense brush and burned areas, as well as across talus slopes and one particular slope that was like walking on broken dinner plates, and some nice safe class 3 scramble over boulders along and near the ridge line.

What a hike! I must admit that as this hike day approached, I was losing my enthusiasm for it. I've been on the Peaks so many times, did I really need another hike up there? My various highest 3 summit numbers are many, and I've been on trail and off over various parts of the volcano plenty of times. When sitting at home looking at a weather forecast for winds in the 50s and a high barely near that, did I really want to subject myself to that?

I'm glad I did, because what I must remind myself, is that I almost always did the same few things over and over, and did the same safe terrain, the same summit(s)-though with excellent views- many, many times, and had stopped exploring the Peaks. This was different. In an effort to cut down on the mileage, we went south of Sugarloaf and entered the Inner Basin from the Waterline Road, and after reaching the shelter at 9780', we went off trail and would remain so to the end. We hiked directly up slope from the shelter to Doyle and hung out there for a while (arriving at 1545).

I found the Sierra Club Desert Peaks Section summit registry placed in the tree trunk in 1988 and looked through it a bit. I don't normally sign those things anymore, but after finding my 2 previous entries from 2007, I added another. I read some of the older ones from the 80s and 90s. Some were a little funny. Doyle has great views of the other 3 higher peaks in the state, and they feel much larger from this already pretty high summit. I like Doyle and wish I had come here more, but what can you do? It made for a nice time up.

We left around 1645 making as straight a line to the cars as we could. This meant going along the ridge and then down through spruce and bristlecone, aspen and various burned areas, across a nice meadow, and past the old mines. It was a good outing.

Elevation is a good estimate, given the known summit and starting elevation and then rounding up for some additional gain. Mileage seems like a good estimate.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bristlecone Pine

Wildflowers Observation Light

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Jul 11 2009

azpeavy

Triplogs 129

64 male

Joined Dec 17 2004
Gilbert, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Jul 11 2009
		azpeavy • Triplogs 129

Hiking	10.20 Miles	3,050 AEG

Hiking	10.20 Miles	5 Hrs 3 Mns	2.02 mph
	3,050 ft AEG

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no photosets

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I originally set out to summit Fremont and Doyle. By the time I hit the Weatherford Trail the thunder started to roll. I continued on to Fremont Saddle where I got rained on pretty good. I decided to go for Doyle since the lightning was getting close and I wanted tree cover.

From the saddle, Doyle appeared steeper than expected. The 700 ft off-trail climb ended up not being nearly as steep as it looked. The lightning and rain soon passed over as I was about halfway up. On top, I visited both the west and east summits. Back at the saddle, it started to cloud up again so I bailed on Fremont and headed back down.

Nice aspen forest and great views along the Weatherford.

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1 archive

Aug 09 2008

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Aug 09 2008
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	10.00 Miles	4,625 AEG

Hiking	10.00 Miles	5 Hrs	2.00 mph
	4,625 ft AEG

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Lockett Meadow up to Fremont via the north ridge then over and up to Doyle on a lovely day of intermittent rain and sun. Everything's green and gorgeous!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Silverstem Lupine

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

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1 archive

Oct 07 2007

jzinnaz

Photos 6
Triplogs 67

55 male

Joined Oct 07 2002
Chandler, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Oct 07 2007
		jzinnaz • Triplogs 67

Hiking	10.50 Miles	3,050 AEG

Hiking	10.50 Miles	5 Hrs 6 Mns	2.06 mph
	3,050 ft AEG

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Wow!! If your reading this and it's still the week of October 7th - 15th 2007, get off your computer and drive to Flagstaff NOW and complete this hike. Even if it is only to the Inner Basin the ASPEN's are in their glory and it may not last much longer with the weekend having frost lows. Excellent hike -- forested pines and aspens to start, wide open basin views mid-way, then a little cardio climbing to the saddle and then an all out scramble to the peak. Truth be told the views from the peak aren't significatly better than from the saddle. That said - having forgotten my hiking boots at home (right next to the door) - I did the whole hike and scramble to the peak and down in hiking socks and slip-in-sandals. No skin left on the little piggies, but if I can do it with beyond substandard hiking kicks -- anyone can make the scramble. This is a must do every fall. Great weather and the Aspens in yellow blaze - Fantastic.

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Aug 24 2007

Grasshopper

Guides 48
Routes 510
Photos 9,555
Triplogs 578

79 male

Joined Dec 28 2006
Scottsdale, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Aug 24 2007
		Grasshopper • Triplogs 578

Hiking	10.50 Miles	3,050 AEG

Hiking	10.50 Miles	6 Hrs 45 Mns	1.56 mph
	3,050 ft AEG

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On this, our last full camping & hiking day at Lockett Meadow Campground, two of us decided to try Nick's hike & suggested route to summit Doyle Peak(11,460') and back via the entire Inter Basin Tr from Lockett Meadow to the Weatherford Trail & then the final off trail bushwhacking up (way up) to Doyle Peak summit.

We started this hike at 8am from Lockett Meadow and with breaks/pics/lunch returned back to our campsite at 2:45pm. From Lockett Meadow, we went up and came back down that "Secondary Inner Basin Tr" as described in my 8/22/07 triplog: Inner Basin TR/Waterline-Loop.

This was my first hike on the Inner Basin Trail past the Waterline Rd intersection. Nick's well done trail descriptions & comments along with Steven's(from his "Inner Basin Trail" description), pretty much tell the scenic story regarding this area and the Weatherford Tr section that I can only confirm and not really add much too. I will say that the highlight of this segment of the hike for me from Lockett Meadow to the Doyle/Fremont Saddle was the approach to this saddle(at 10,575') on the Weatherford Trail..just a wonderful panoramic view up & all around of many of the San Francisco Peaks surrounding you with a special view down at the scenic Inner Basin area you just hiked through and with a better view of what you are about to attempt to climb up- Doyle Peak.

When you reach this Doyle/Fremont Saddle at 10,625' you recall Nick's comment to try and take the off trail "path of least resistance" to the top. To the two of us, looking up from the saddle, this Peak looked like it was going to be like trying to climb a pyramid..ie-looked the same going up regardless of where you started. Well, to make a long story short, we did it, but we could not find a "path of least resistance" going up or coming back down. The coming back down part was very slow & the most difficult due to steep angles and loose, rocky footing with very little that was stable to hang on to. It was very easy to fall and bust your fanny and we did a few times!

When we finally reached the Doyle Peak Summit(11,460') on the West side for lunch at 11:30am, we kind-of forgot about the hassle to get up there because the views to the West looking straight at(fm right to left):
Rees Peak (11,474 feet), Aubineau Peak(11,878 feet), Humphreys Peak(12,633 feet), Agassiz Peak (12,356 feet), Fremont Peak, (11,969 feet)
was just completely worth the effort..Just a very nice ending lunch spot!

Also, on the final leg to the top, just East of that False Summit that Nick speaks about (note: a large cairn here), about 50 yards to the East of this cairn there is an old rock cabin with a tin roof built into the ground that one can enter via an open door area. In this old underground cabin hanging from one of the walls, there are pots, pans, a tin cup, a spatula, a dust broom and pan, and a sign in there that reads: Old Doyle Peak Cabin. A pretty cool find, but we had no idea why someone would be living way up there in the middle of no where unless it was for the views! We saw no signs of mining or such in the immediate area.

Overall a great out and back hike..and..next time I can just enjoy hiking to the saddle and back and say: "see that peak up there, I have already done that, so no need to do it again"..or..maybe attempt a real pyramid summit up Fremont Peak!

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Doyle Peak

_____________________

(Outside.. "there is No Place Like It!!")

1 archive

Aug 04 2007

e005229

Photos 180
Triplogs 50

67 male

Joined Nov 25 2005
el mirage, az

Flagstaff, AZ

Hiking		Aug 04 2007
		e005229 • Triplogs 50

Hiking	10.50 Miles	3,050 AEG

Hiking	10.50 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	1.91 mph
	3,050 ft AEG

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Did just the Inner Basin portion of this hike last summer and knew I'd be back for more. The basin really is a treat, and yes it is hard to believe it's in Arizona. Anyway, while the Inner Basin trail is good, the Weatherford is even better. The short stretch from the I.B. to the Doyle/Fremont saddle is something special. Great views of the Basin and surrounding peaks and a kind of eerie walk across a scree slope make it a
great trail. Just as I got to the saddle the usual afternoon storm rolled in, so I (wisely) decided to call it a day. I don't feel cheated though...it was still a great day! Kudos to nickfraley for a well written and accurate description.

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Aug 12 2006

fricknaley

Guides 93
Routes 397
Photos 4,984
Triplogs 4,124

49 male

Joined Jun 20 2003
Tucson, AZ