Red Mountain Trail near Flagstaff probably goes down as one of Top 10 favorite hikes in Arizona. And this is a rating via the kids! With mini canyons to explore, and boulders to climb, it’s an amazing hike that will leave you saying “wow”.
This trail is 1.5 miles one way, so 3 miles round trip. The majority of the well marked trail meanders towards a mountain, and is relatively flat. After about a mile you’ll come to a small, sturdy staircase. The remaining 0.5 miles takes you to the the canyons, with a huge volcanic rock mountain on one side.
Once in the canyon, the fun really starts! We found three places to explore. One was towards the left, with a short slot canyon type experience. You will need to scale a smartly placed branch to reach the end of the canyon; our two oldest kids were able to do this while Mom and Dad waited back with the 4 year old. But all ages will be able to climb the boulders in other spots, and make their way up to some pretty amazing viewpoints.
Just be aware that the rocks are a weird mix of slippery and rough. Shoes with tread will help, and hands might be scraped. We had one in our family wearing Crocs and they definitely slipped more than the others with regular sneakers.
We spent an hour in the canyon! Next time we’d bring a lunch because there are some nice picnic spots (no official picnic tables). The trailhead has a good amount of parking spots, and there are no restrooms. Putting in “Red Mountain Trail” in Google Maps brings up the correct location. It’s about 40 min north of Flagstaff.
You can also find more info on AllTrails.
