Natural Amphitheater in Red Mountain

Northern Arizona's Red Mountain

By Sara Gamble | Sedona.biz

Flagstaff, AZ - Only 30 miles northwest of Flagstaff off Hwy 180 in the Coconino National Forest, under inconspicuous juniper cover, a hidden oasis reminiscent of the canyon lands of Utah lies within the arid arms of an extinct 1,000 foot tall cinder cone called Red Mountain.

A simple hike leads into the heart of Red Mountain, where opportunities for climbing, further hiking, photography, and sight seeing abound.  Dark cinders contrast sunset colored walls and spires, while a large rock face boldly extends to the sky.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, "Red Mountain is one of several hundred cinder cones within a swath of volcanic landscape that extends 50 miles eastward from Williams, Arizona, through Flagstaff to the canyon of the Little Colorado River. Geologists call this belt of volcanoes the San Francisco Volcanic Field, named for San Francisco Mountain, whose tallest peak is 12,633 feet above sea level, the highest elevation in Arizona.  Red Mountain rises about 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape, and its crest is at 7,965 feet elevation. The San Francisco Volcanic Field has been active for about 6 million years, and Red Mountain is roughly 740,000 years old."

The cinders which comprise most of the cone are a result of highly pressurized molten rock which, along with volcanic gasses, burst forth from the ground, spreading tiny particles into the air. Through successive eruptions of this kind, particles from the ‘lava fountain’ cooled and fell to the ground in layers, forming a tall cone.

Red Mountain trail (San Francisco Peaks in background)

Red Mountain in unique in the San Francisco Volcanic Field because a large portion of its interior is exposed to the west, so that it does not have the symmetrical characteristics of a typical cinder cone but, instead, is shaped like a crescent moon.  There is also a natural amphitheater cut into the northeast side of Red Mountain with an exposed vertical back wall rising 800-feet (click for topographical map).

Although there are many hypotheses, the generally accepted explanation for the crescent shape of Red Mountain is that, as the molten rock below the cone cooled and lessened, it flowed out from the base of the cone as lava, carrying portions of the mountain on the lava flow’s warm back.  A supporting collection of similar cinders has been found about 2 miles away.  Many of the cinders are cemented together, forming a golden matrix that houses small black crystals.  The cementation may have occurred as stormy skies drowned the cinders while they still held warmth from the Earth’s interior.

Trail to Red Mountain

For hikers, a rusty red trail departs from the parking area and gradually climbs toward the interior of the cinder cone.  Juniper give way to pine as the trail weaves forward, eventually following a dry creek bed into the center of Red Mountain.  The trail is roughly a mile long with a change of about 300 feet in elevation. 

Once the black and gold walls of Red Mountain envelope the trail, the mood changes drastically and near endless opportunities for adventure unfold.  Small trails winding along the smooth cemented cinders and sets of long, exaggerated tracks leading up and down the ebony hillsides form a web of pathways through the otherworldly landscape. 

Ladder to main trail

The main trail climbs a short ladder over a stone wall backfilled with eroded cinders, and meanders deeper into the wonderland.  On the broad rock face directly ahead, convex bands reach toward the sun.  A veritable forest of looming hoodoos (thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins) and other erosional features color the foreground, dazzling the senses and capturing the eye within their voluptuous and rolling shapes.

These rocks speak in an elemental and delicate language of shadow, light, depth and texture to anyone patient enough to listen.  Smooth, weatherworn rock walls sprawl luxuriously throughout the mountain’s interior, interspersed with clinging pine and occasional large boulders, or volcanic ‘bombs’ once shot forth from the churning inferno bellow.

Trail to the Amphitheater (source: U.S. Geological Survey)

This beautiful location is also easy to access.  Any car should be able to reach the trailhead, but ample parking is also available just off the highway for times of poor weather.  The hike into the heart of the mountain is relatively short with minimal elevation gain.  Ample drinking water and good shoes are necessary, especially if you plan to do any climbing.  Also, the stunning scenery offers great opportunities for photography.  There are plenty of places to rest out of the sun and wind within the amphitheater, but prepare for harsher conditions if you head to the top of Red Mountain.

Rock formations at Red Mountain

On the way to Red Mountain, you will pass the Museum of Northern Arizona, the San Francisco Peaks, and the Sacred White Buffalo Trading Post, all of which offer intriguing side trips. 

[Home Page] [News Home Page] [Back to Community Page]