Mt. Humphreys is the highest of a cluster of volcanoes called the San Francisco Mountains, located just north of Flagstaff. These are the only mountains in Arizona which are high enough rise above treeline, and there's even a ski area on its western side. The highest group of peaks are arranged in a horseshoe-shaped cluster which looked perfect for a linkup. I mapped an route which started from the east side of this horseshoe and did a loop in a counterclockwise direction.
Warning: This route is only legal when there is snow covering the peaks, as all off-trail travel in the area is prohibited by the forest service above treeline in dry conditions due to the protection of rare plants.
Peaks climbed
| Peak | Elevation | Topographic Prominence | Summit Coordinates (lat/lon) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rees Peak | 11,476 ft | 188 ft | 35.35593, -111.65166 |
| Aubineau Peak | 11,854 ft | 253 ft | 35.35521, -111.65971 |
| Humphreys Peak | 12,636 ft | 6,042 ft | 35.34631, -111.67792 |
| Agassiz Peak | 12,359 ft | 578 ft | 35.32590, -111.67770 |
| Fremont Peak | 11,967 ft | 605 ft | 35.32296, -111.66072 |
| Doyle Peak | 11,465 ft | 613 ft | 35.33024, -111.64590 |
Total Stats
17.5 miles
7,500 ft gain/loss
class 2
Tom and I started very early at around 3:30am, wanting to get up high for the sunrise, and also because we had a long drive ahead of us to another destination. We had initially wanted to start from the Interior Valley but the road into it was closed to vehicles, prompting us to walk an extra 2.5 miles along the road each way. As we reached a point in the road west of Sugarloaf Peak, we left the road and started cross country up the east side of Rees Peak, gaining about 3,000 ft to its summit. The terrain was somewhat tedious, with thick scraggly saplings and deadfall. It didn't take long to hit the snow line as well and we trudged up ankle-deep snow, occasionally breaking through thin crusts of snow which covered up smaller saplings.
We crested the tree-covered summit of Rees Peak at dawn and continued west to the less vegetated summit of Aubineau Peak just before sunrise. The saplings had thinned out dramatically by this point and the terrain was fairly pleasant.
summit of Rees Peak
summit of Aubineau Peak
We reached treeline at 11,800 ft at the start of the steep final ascent to Humphreys. About 30 minutes of postholing brought us up to the summit where warm windless conditions greeted us. There were several people up there who had all ascended the western side and it was our first time seeing other people all day.
heading towards Humphreys
summit of Humphreys
A well trodden trail brought us from the summit of Humphreys to the low saddle between Humphreys and Agassiz. From there it was an easy posthole up to Agassiz where similar great views were had.
summit of Agassiz
The connecting ridges to Fremont and Doyle were very straightforward and not brushy. Doyle had burned sometime recently and most of the mountain was covered with burned out husks of old conifers. A few small and very young saplings could be seen here and there poking out of the snow, so thankfully the area was beginning to recover.
Fremont summit
heading to Doyle
burnt summit of Doyle
From Doyle we continued northeast along the main ridge, then took the left (north) of two ridges when the main ridge split in two. Some moderate bushwhacking was involved here, mainly through shrubs which had quickly sprouted after the fire. Some of these were over 6 ft tall. Eventually the ridge intersected a dirt road which we followed to Lockett Meadow just west of Sugarloaf Peak.
Several aspens were present around Lockett Meadow, with most of them still retaining their yellow leaves but not likely for much longer. Although we had been at this spot several hours earlier, this was our first time seeing the place in daylight. We passed several groups of people hiking and cycling on the road, enjoying the nice weather and fall colors.
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