Humphreys Peak on June 14th 2003 by Mike Downey
12,633 Feet Above Sea Level
Highest Point in Arizona
Route: Followed the Humphreys Trail from the Arizona Snowbowl to the top.
Mileage: 5 miles (10 miles roundtrip)
Elevation: The trailhead is around 9,300 feet. The summit of Humphreys Peak is 12,633. Total elevation gain is about 3,300 feet.
Difficulty Rating: Moderate/Class 2 (Click here for discussion of Class System)
Pre-Climb: The trip began for me in Prescott, Arizona where I was staying with my step-mom's parents. I woke up around 5 a.m. because the sun was beginning to rise (Arizona doesnt have daylight savings so the sun rises very early in the morning). Me and my Dad took off around 5:40 a.m. from Prescott. We headed up Arizona Sate Highway 89 towards Ashfork. This route proved to be much faster than going on Arizona Highway 69 to U.S. Interstate 17. We reached Flagstaff at around 7:30 and continued along U.S. Highway 180 towards the Arizona Snowbowl. The aspen forest around the snowbowl is beautiful, reminds me of Colorado.
The Climb: We arrived at the Humphreys Trailhead at 7:40, so it took almost exactly 2 hours to get from Prescott to the trailhead. Even though it was early in the morning, the trailhead was already packed with people. We started on the trail at 7:42. My Dad and I only had one backpack between us, so I was stuck carrying all the food and water. But im used to it so it wasnt a problem.
The first 1/4 mile or so crosses a wide-open park with the chair lifts running acrossed it. I assume that these were cleared for the resort. From the open area I could barely see Agassiz Peak (12,356). The sun was in my face so it looked more like a shadow. After the short open area, the trail enters a thick aspen/conifer forest, and I mean thick. I couldnt see the San Francisco Peaks until I was near the saddle. The first mile and a half or so are pretty easy, the trail is nice and soft and winds back and forth slowly as it climbs the ridge. Once it gets to about 10,000 feet or so I began to see scattered snow patches uner the trees and in the gullies.
There was complete silence in the forest for the first few miles. Then suddenly the silence was broken by a woodpecker, hammering away at a ponderosa tree.
We reached the saddle around 10 or so. There were several signs in this area. One showed the elevation at 11,400. The others said "fragile tundra" and made it very clear that climbing out of the marked trail areas was prohibited.
From the saddle, there was a clear view of Agassiz to the south. Humphreys and its many false summits were all visible. The inner basin still had some decent snow banks. I took a couple shots of the rim and the snow. I remember some man came up to the saddle who had lost a digital camera while fleeing from a lightning storm. I thought it was kinda comical.
We took off from the saddle shortly after and headed up towards the first of three false summits. The trail gets much more rocky at this point and there are places where it is possible to loose the trail, although there are several posts with "trail" burned into them. There are also stacked cairns.
There is very little snow on the west side that the trial goes up. I didnt have to cross any snow. I reached the summit at around 11 a.m. There is a sign to let you know you are there and not on another false summit. I looked around and saw tons of people. Everything was great on the summit, the view, the weather, etc. EXCEPT for the bugs. The bugs were al over the place and swarming on everyone. Me and my dad signed into the register, took a few pictures and then moved to some snow to try to avoid the bugs. We spent about 2 hours on the summit and then headed back down.
The trip down was pretty easy and fast. We passed by some crazy man who did Humphreys three times in a row, jogging the whole way. I wish I wouldnt got his name. He must have been some kind of marathon runner.
We reached the car around 3:40 p.m. spending a total of 8 hours on the mountain. As is our custom, we stopped to get some super-sized cokes in Flagstaff to quench our thirst.
About the Author
I am currently a student at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), where I intend to get a degree in Political Science and Geography/Environmental Studies. When I'm not studying, you will find me in the mountains. I have been climbing since I was pretty little and have done climbs throughout California, Colorado and Arizona, including the highpoints of those states. I have done Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert, but I plan on doing some even higher mountains, maybe Aconcagua, Mount Mckinley or Kilimanjaro, Check back with me in about 10 years. Meanwhile you can check out some of the other trips reports:
Trip Reports
Fill free to email me at [email protected] for questions, comments, suggestions or whatever else you can think of.
Homepage Trip Reports Summit List
Music Pass July, 2001
Mount Elbert July, 2002
Rito Alto Peak July, 2002
Humphreys Peak June, 2003
Lakes of the Clouds June, 2003
Gibbs & De Anza July, 2003
Mount Antero July, 2003
Comanche & Venable Aug, 2003
Horn Peak Aug, 2003
Santiago Peak Feb, 2004
Agua Tibia Mountain Mar, 2004
Mount Adams July, 2004
Shavano/Tabeguache Aug, 2004
Mt Princeton July, 2006
Engineer Pass Aug, 2006
Schofield Pass Aug, 2006
Trail Ridge Road RMNP Sep, 2006
Torrey Pines SR Dec, 2006
Mt San Jacinto May, 2007
