A long-distance hiker pushing nearly 37 miles in a single day might sound extreme, but it captures what the Arizona Trail around Flagstaff serves up right now: rolling ranch grasslands, hard wind, hungry miles, and a giant snow-dusted volcano looming closer with every step.
The latest trail diary from The Trek follows two hikers through the Babbitt Ranch passage north of Flagstaff, a stretch of open prairie dotted with junipers, wheatgrass and wildflowers that the writer compares to Montana and Wyoming more than the Sonoran desert most people picture when they hear "Arizona." The star of the show is Mount Humphreys, the state's highest peak at around 12,600-13,500 feet depending on how you measure its subpeaks, its summit freshly white after a recent storm. The trail curves right past its base, and there's a side path for anyone ambitious enough to bag the summit.
Conditions were classic high-desert autumn: steady 20-30 mph winds with 40 mph gusts, clouds most of the day, and sudden swings from puffy-jacket cold to scorching sun the moment clouds parted. Wildlife stole several scenes — a herd of elk (jumpy, since hunting season just opened), a speedy jackrabbit, and a friendly horned lizard that let the hikers get close.
Water logistics matter on this stretch. The pair relied on wildlife watering stations and a rain-filled cattle trough on a hilltop — cold, clear and overflowing after recent rain. It's a reminder that between Flagstaff resupply points, sources can be sparse, unappealing or far apart, so planning matters even in cool weather.
The other relatable theme: food. Even a hiker with roughly 23,000 trail miles behind them admits resupply planning is the hardest part of any thru hike — appetites spike unpredictably, and snacks stop cutting it. Their solution was a big-mileage push back toward Flagstaff, covering 36.8 miles before dark.
Why should a regular traveller care? Because this section of the Arizona Trail is very doable in slices. Day hikers and weekenders can pick up the trail on the ranch roads outside Flagstaff, walk grassland with Humphreys in view the whole time, and finish with a beer in town. For stronger hikers, the Humphreys summit side trail is one of the finest half-day objectives in the state, with views across the San Francisco volcanic field. Autumn, when the high country gets its first snow and the crowds thin, is arguably the most photogenic window — just pack layers and wind shell.
