Kendrick Peak Trail: Northern Arizona's Most Overlooked Summit

Most Arizona hikers working through a summit list have Humphreys Peak at the top, Wrightson in second, and a vague notion of other peaks somewhere further down. Kendrick Peak rarely appears on that list. That’s a gap in judgment.

The 1930s-era Forest Service fire lookout cabin still stands at the Kendrick Peak summit at 10,418 feet. From the cabin porch, you can see the Grand Canyon North Rim to the north on a clear day. The San Francisco Peaks rise to the east. Oak Creek Canyon drops away to the south. The Kaibab Plateau stretches northwest toward Utah. The view is comparable to Humphreys Peak, and you’re getting it from a historic structure that most hikers in Arizona have never set foot near.

Kendrick Mountain is the second-highest summit accessible by trail in northern Arizona. It sits in the Kaibab National Forest 20 miles northwest of Flagstaff. No permit, no fee, and on summer weekends the parking area might have four or five vehicles.

Trail Overview

Kendrick Peak Trail is Forest Service Trail #22. It’s 4.3 miles one-way to the summit, with 2,657 feet of elevation gain from the trailhead at 7,761 feet to the summit at 10,418 feet.

The trail climbs through three distinct forest zones, and the transition between them is part of what makes this hike worth doing.

The lower section climbs through ponderosa pine. These are big trees, old ponderosa with orange-plated bark that smells like vanilla or butterscotch in warm weather. The understory is open. Light comes through in columns. The gradient is steady but manageable in this section, and the forest floor in fall is carpeted with golden ponderosa needles.

The middle section transitions into mixed conifer, with white fir and Douglas fir appearing among the ponderosa. The forest gets denser and darker. The trail steepens. This is where most hikers find their pace and settle in.

The upper section enters the spruce-fir zone near the summit. Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir. The trees are smaller and more widely spaced. The ridgeline becomes visible above you. In aspen groves on the upper mountain (roughly above 9,500 feet), fall color can be spectacular from late September through mid-October.

The trail doesn’t use switchbacks in the upper sections. It’s a direct ridgeline approach that gains elevation efficiently and without mercy. Rocky and rooted in places, but well-marked with trail signs at the major junctions.

An alternate approach, Bull Basin Trail #40, comes in from the west and covers 15.8 miles for a longer, less steep ascent. It can be combined with the main Kendrick Trail for an 11-mile loop if you set a shuttle.

Getting There

GPS coordinates for Kendrick Mountain Trailhead: 35.4267, -111.8878.

Driving directions from Flagstaff: Take US-180 north from Flagstaff toward the Grand Canyon. Drive approximately 17 miles to FR 245 (Kendrick Park Road). Turn left (west) on FR 245. Drive approximately 2.6 miles, then turn left (south) on FR 171. Continue south on FR 171 for approximately 3 miles to the trailhead parking area.

FR 245 and FR 171 are dirt and gravel forest roads. They’re passable for most passenger vehicles in dry conditions. The road has some sections of rock and moderate washboard but nothing that requires high clearance on a dry day. After rain or early in the season with snow patches, conditions change. Check with the Kaibab National Forest Williams Ranger District at 928-635-5600 for current road conditions.

No fee and no permit required. This is a Kaibab National Forest trail. Sign the trail register at the trailhead kiosk.

The trailhead has a small parking area with room for 8-10 vehicles. A pit toilet is at the trailhead. No water at the trailhead. Fill up in Flagstaff before you leave.

Trail Description

Trailhead to Forest Transition (0 to 1.5 miles)

The trail starts in ponderosa pine and climbs steadily from the first step. There’s no warm-up flat section. The forest is mature and open in the lower mile, which makes the gradient feel manageable. You’re gaining 200-300 feet per mile in this section.

At roughly 1 mile, you cross a small meadow clearing with views back north toward the Kaibab Plateau. The clearing is worth stopping in. It’s one of the few open sections before the summit, and in early morning it sometimes holds deer.

The trail re-enters forest beyond the clearing and the gradient tightens slightly. By 1.5 miles you’ve gained about 700 feet from the trailhead.

Middle Section: Mixed Conifer (1.5 to 3 miles)

The forest character changes distinctly here. White fir and Douglas fir are now present alongside the ponderosa. The canopy is denser. The trail narrows in places where fallen timber has been cleared but not widened.

This section has the best wildflower density in early summer (late June through July). Lupine, Indian paintbrush, and mountain phlox appear in the forest openings. Bring water and take your time. The middle section is where altitude starts to register if you came up from Phoenix.

At 2.5 miles, you reach a trail junction signed for Bull Basin Trail. Bear right to continue on the main Kendrick Peak Trail toward the summit. Bull Basin Trail goes left and west for those doing the loop.

Upper Ridge: Spruce-Fir and Summit Approach (3 to 4.3 miles)

The forest opens up and the trees shrink. Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and at the highest elevations, a few bristlecone pines. The trail gets rockier. You’re following the ridgeline with increasing views to both sides.

The upper 0.5 miles below the summit are the steepest on the trail. The path gains 500 feet in that half mile, climbing directly up the ridgeline. The footing is rocky with some loose material. This section requires attention but is not technical.

The summit area opens suddenly. The fire lookout cabin appears ahead. It’s a small wood-frame structure with a metal roof, built in the 1930s when the Forest Service had a network of staffed fire detection stations across northern Arizona. It was used for decades. It’s now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Walk around the entire summit area. The views shift dramatically with each direction. North: Grand Canyon North Rim visible 40 miles away on clear days, the Kaibab Plateau spreading away below it. East: the San Francisco Peaks, with Humphreys Peak’s summit unmistakable at 12,633 feet. South: the Mogollon Rim edge and the Verde Valley far below. West: the Kaibab Plateau merging into the Arizona Strip.

Spend 20-30 minutes at the summit. Eat, hydrate, take photos. Then start down. The rule about being off the summit by noon in July and August is real.

What to Bring

There is no water source on the trail. Carry everything you need from Flagstaff. For the 8.6-mile round trip with significant elevation gain, 3 liters is the minimum. 4 liters if temperatures are warm or you’re coming from low elevation and anticipate moving slowly.

A hydration pack keeps both hands free for the rocky upper ridgeline sections. Water bottle management while hiking a steep rocky trail is annoying and people tend to drink less when access is awkward.

Footwear matters more on this trail than on most Flagstaff-area hikes. The upper ridgeline has loose rocky sections that will punish trail runners with worn lugs. Stiff hiking boots with solid ankle support are the right call for the rocky summit approach. Our desert and mountain footwear guide covers the crossover between Sonoran desert trail runners and mountain terrain boots.

Layers are worth carrying. The summit at 10,418 feet is 20-25 degrees cooler than Flagstaff at 6,900 feet. In June, you might start in a t-shirt and need a mid-layer at the top. In September and October, bring a wind layer and a warm hat regardless of the Flagstaff forecast.

A sun hoody works well in the forest sections where UV comes through the canopy. The summit area is fully exposed. Any hoody with UPF 50 covers your neck and arms for the full hike without requiring reapplication.

Trekking poles are worth carrying for the descent. The steep upper section and rocky footing on the way back down put significant load on the knees. Poles distribute that load and improve stability on loose sections.

Safety Notes

Thunderstorms: The same afternoon thunderstorm pattern that controls Humphreys Peak applies to Kendrick. The San Francisco Peaks and the Kaibab Plateau both generate afternoon convection in July and August. The Kendrick Peak summit is exposed. Be off the ridgeline by noon, and off the summit by 11:30am if you’re counting carefully. Check the National Weather Service forecast for Flagstaff and for Williams the morning of your hike.

Altitude: The trailhead sits at 7,761 feet, the summit at 10,418 feet. If you’re driving from Phoenix at 1,100 feet, spend at least one night in Flagstaff before the hike. Altitude headaches and nausea are common at the summit for visitors coming from sea level. Hydrate well the day before.

Elk: Kendrick Peak is active elk habitat. Bull elk are common on the mountain during the September-October rut. They’re large animals and during the rut, bulls are less predictable. Give them space. Don’t approach. If you hear bugling on the upper mountain, slow down and look for the source before moving toward it.

Trail marking on upper section: The trail is generally well-marked, but some cairns on the upper ridgeline can be knocked over by weather or visitors. If you lose the trail on the upper section, the ridgeline itself is your navigation guide. Stay on or near the ridge and you’ll reach the summit.

Getting down the forest roads: If you’re doing a late-season hike (September-October), late afternoon light fades fast at this latitude. Don’t be on the forest roads after dark if you don’t know them well. FR 171 and FR 245 have no markers and cell coverage is absent. Leave the trailhead with enough daylight to drive out comfortably.

Photo Spots

The summit with the historic lookout cabin is the primary photo target. The cabin reads best in morning light from the northeast, where the low sun angles across the weathered wood. The views are equally good in all directions, but the Grand Canyon North Rim shot to the north requires a clear autumn day.

The aspen groves on the upper mountain in late September are dramatic. The light filters through yellow leaves in ways that are different from anything you’ll find in the Sonoran Desert below. Come early morning when the aspen stand is lit from the east. Later in the day the canopy backlit is harder to expose correctly.

The ponderosa forest in the lower section is worth slowing down for. The tree scale is hard to show in photos, but if you get low and shoot up through the orange-barked trunks into the open forest canopy, you can show the scale. Golden hour in fall stretches long warm light through the ponderosa understory.

Related Trails

For comparison, Humphreys Peak (8.6 miles round trip, 3,360 feet gain) is the harder and higher summit in the San Francisco Peaks, 14 miles southeast of Kendrick. It’s covered in our Humphreys Peak guide. If you want to hike both peaks in the same season, do Kendrick first to calibrate your fitness and altitude acclimatization, then tackle Humphreys.

The Kachina Trail on the San Francisco Peaks (10 miles round trip, 600 feet gain) is a good warm-up hike if you’re spending multiple days in Flagstaff. It traverses the base of the peaks through the same spruce-fir forest you’ll encounter on Kendrick’s upper section. Good altitude acclimatization for the day before a summit attempt.

Inner Basin Trail in the San Francisco Peaks (4 miles round trip, 1,000 feet gain) takes you into the volcanic caldera that forms the center of the San Francisco Peaks. The aspen forest in the basin is the most concentrated in Arizona. It’s a short, lower-stakes hike with fall color comparable to the upper Kendrick aspen groves.