Slate Mountain Trail offers one of the best overlooks in the Flagstaff area with great views of Humphrey’s Peak and Kendrick Peak along with 360-degree views of stunning terrain that spans for miles.
Slate Mountain Trail Overview
Slate Mountain Trail is an easy to moderate hike that is perfect for beginners or those just interested in some fantastic views without an overly strenuous hiking experience. Only about 40 minutes north of Flagstaff, the trail is never too steep and offers a lot in terms of bang for buck. It’s also a stunning hike to do during the winter although snow and ice make it a bit more challenging.
- Distance: 4.5 miles
- Elevation Gain: 840 feet
- Route Type: Out and back
- Pets: ?
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- Time needed: 2 hours
Getting to the trailhead
Getting to the Slate Mountain Trail is easy and you’ll find a pretty accessible trailhead. From Flagstaff, we traveled north on 180 and it took about 40 minutes for us to arrive.
I don’t think the street has a name that you will turn on but if you input “Slate Mountain Trailhead” into your GPS (Google Maps) it should take you to where you need to be. You will also see a sign letting you know you have made it to the turn off.
As you pull up, you can admire this nice little mountain, which is just big enough to excite.
You’ll need to travel about 2 miles along the dirt road to get to the trailhead. I wasn’t able to tell how rocky the road was due to the snow but we managed to get through a few inches of snow pretty easy on this road and it looks like it receives a small to medium level of traffic.
Note: If there is substantial snowfall this road may not be passable.
Trail conditions
It’s a bit difficult to tell exactly what condition the trail is in when hiking in the snow but from what I could tell the trail seemed to be very well-maintained and it was certainly easy to follow.
We did this hike after about 3 to 4 inches of snow came down over the span of a couple of days. We did not use snow shoes (nor did we feel like we needed to). We also brought crampons with us but we did not end up needing them. And finally, we did not use (or need) trekking poles either, so you could say this is a very doable hike with mild winter conditions.
The most difficult aspect of the hike was the temperature. When we began it was under 20°F and there was a little bit of a breeze which made it the coldest hike we have done to date. Eventually, we did acclimate to the weather and while a bit challenging, it was not so bad given that the hike was only 4.5 miles.
Based on how the hike went, I would say this is a great winter hike for beginners interested in getting a taste of what it’s like to hike in wintry conditions without taking on too much of a commitment.
Route description
The trail starts off with a pretty gentle incline as you are immediately immersed in a wide variety of vegetation. During the hike we came across a lot of species of pine, fir, and plenty of other types of trees like juniper.
It seems like there is a lot of active wildlife in the area. We came across a lot of different birds but we did see a lot of tracks in the snow for some larger animals.
You’ll find a few interpretive panels placed along the hike which can help give you some insight into the vegetation. Many of these were frozen over during the hike so I wasn’t able to check them out.
It does not take very long for the amazing views to begin to emerge and by the time you hit the first long switchback (about .5 miles) you will have exceptional views of the neighboring peaks like Humphrey’s Peak and Kendrick Peak.
The trail never felt super narrow so you don’t have to deal with steep drop offs on your way to the top, which means it’s super easy to enjoy the views.
About 1 mile into the hike you will deal with a set of about four switch backs which are not very bad at all. You will then begin to ascend to the mountain summit.
This portion of the trail is quite interesting because you are wrapping around the summit in a way that gives you views of every surrounding direction. This is awesome because the scenery is very stunning all the way around.
At about 2 miles, you will do the final wraparound which takes you right up to the summit at 8,216 feet.
It’s a pretty good-sized summit so even if you needed to share it with other people it wouldn’t be so bad.
I think you can see all the way to the Grand Canyon and beyond so if it is a clear day, be prepared for some jaw-dropping vistas.
Final word
Overall, I think this is a tremendous hike for beginners during the winter time and for other people just looking for a more leisurely hike with amazing views.