Coconino National Forest

The Red Rocks of Sedona are in Coconino National Forest

The 1,856,038 acres of Coconino National Forest are divided (sort of) into 4 distinct districts: Peaks, Mogollon Rim, Mormon Lake and Red Rocks.

The Peaks District is that area mostly north of Flagstaff: the Volcanic Highlands-Kachina Peaks area. The San Francisco Volcanic Field and the highest point in Arizona are here.

The Mormon Lake District spans from the southern reaches of the Peaks District south to where Upper and Lower Mary Lakes meet, still on the Mogollon Plateau and north of the Rim. Mormon Lake is the largest natural lake in Arizona and this area is where most of the wild elk in the state hang out.

The Mogollon Rim District is that area where the Colorado Plateau drops up to 2,000' down into the Desert Canyon Country of central Arizona. This is an area of rugged countryside and huge views, where the vegetation makes the change from evergreen forests to cactus and ocotillo.

The Red Rock District is the southwestern part of Coconino National Forest, that area in central Arizona below the Mogollon Rim around Sedona and Oak Creek. This area is classed as a "high impact recreational area" and the Forest Service has instituted a "pass" program for users of this area. It is permissible for folks to stop and stretch or take a couple of photos, but if you stop in any one place for more than 15 minutes save yourself the problem: pay the $5 fee for the daily pass (longer term passes are available, too).

Coconino National Forest contains some of the most varied and sought-after countryside in Arizona: from the highest point to some of the lowest points. The vegetation varies from high alpine tundra through aspen and spruce to Ponderosa to pinon and cedar to sagebrush and creosote bush to cactus and ocotillo. From the Arizona Snowbowl to Sedona's Red Rock Country, there's a bit of almost everything here.

Scattered through the Forest you'll also come across a number of archaeological sites: some protected as National Monuments, State Parks, etc., some not. Federal and State laws are in place to try to preserve and prevent the disturbance of these historical and cultural sites, hopefully saving them for future generations to enjoy. You'll also come across old homesteads, stage stops, mine sites, railroad beds, logging camps, cow camps and other remains from more modern visitors to this countryside. For that matter, there's even an old road (now part of the trail system) that leads to the top of the Kachina Peaks (folks used to be able to drive their Model T's up there).

Oak Creek itself

In Fay Canyon, Red Rocks-Secret Mountain Wilderness

Campgrounds

Below is an alphabetical listing of the developed campgrounds on Coconino National Forest. Most campsites in these campgrounds (but not the group sites) are designed to accommodate up to 8 people with one vehicle. Some sites have room for a second vehicle, but an extra vehicle charge may apply. If you find dead or downed wood around your campsite, it is legal to cut and burn that in your campfire, but do not pack that wood up and take it out of the Forest with you (you need a firewood-gathering permit for that and those usually apply only in special areas).

If you prefer primitive camping to the developed kind, you can camp almost anywhere on Coconino National Forest except where "No Camping" is posted. However, there are still certain guidelines to be followed:

• The maximum stay limit is 14 days in any 30-day period. In some posted areas the stay limit is less.
• There is no camping or campfires allowed anywhere within any city limits.
• Unless you have the owner's explicit permission, stay off private property.
• Do not camp within 1/4 mile of any natural or man-made wildlife or stock watering tank or hole.
• Where primitive camping is allowed be at least 1 mile from any designated pay campground or recreation area, or as posted
• Don't be camping or driving on any open meadowland.
• You can use any dead or downed firewood you find around your campsite but do not load that wood into your vehicle and leave the Forest with it, unless you have a valid firewood-gathering permit.
• If you must have a campfire, be aware of the responsibility that goes with that. Use established fire rings, fire pans or build a fire mound. Keep the fire small, and make sure it is dead out before you go anywhere. (I remember a 400,000+ acre fire a few years ago on the Coconino and Apache-Sitgreaves, because someone was stupid and irresponsible...)
• Be at least 200 feet from any main roadway, at least 20 feet from any forest road, and if there's a right-of-way fence, be on the other side of that.
• Pack it in, Pack it out. Leave no trace.
• Use a "cat hole" and bury your waste and your pet's waste properly.

The Red Rocks District prohibits primitive camping, dispersed camping, "Camping on your Own," anywhere within the "pink-salmon" colored area on this map. If you want to camp in this area, you must be in a designated campground area.

Bell Rock, at the edge of Munds Mountain Wilderness

Picnic Areas

Peaks District

Picnic Area Name	Fee	Facilities
Painted Desert Vista and Doney Picnic Areas	No day-use fee

Mormon Lake District

Picnic Area Name	Fee	Facilities
Upper Lake Mary Picnic Area	$5
Lake Mary Narrows Picnic Area	$5
Lower Lake Mary Picnic Area	$5

Red Rocks District

Picnic Area Name	Fee	Facilities
Banjo Bill, Halfway and Encinoso Picnic Areas	Yes	8 sites at Banjo Bill, 11 sites at Encinoso, 9 sites at Halfway - picnic tables and cooking grills, vault toilets, drinking water only at Encinoso Picnic Area
Crescent Moon Picnic Area	$8 per vehicle (up to 5 people) walk-ins: $1 each
Grasshopper Point	$8 per vehicle (up to 5 people) walk-ins: $1 each
Slide Rock State Park Arizona State Parks - Does not honor Federal Passes	$8 per vehicle entry fee (up to 4 people in vehicle); $10 per vehicle from Memorial Day through Labor Day; $2 each for walk-ins, bicycle, or for over 4 in vehicle
Red Rock State Park Arizona State Parks - Does not honor Federal Passes	$6 per vehicle entry fee (up to 4 people in vehicle); $2 each for walk-ins, bicycle, horse, or for over 4 in vehicle
Call O' The Canyon (West Fork Trailhead)	Open year-round - $8 per vehicle or the Weekly or Grand Annual Red Rock Pass Walk-ins per day per person: $1
Huckaby Trailhead	Red Rock Pass (minimum $5) or Golden Passport required
Palatki Ruins	Red Rock Pass (minimum $5) or Golden Passport required

Trails

Contained below is a list of some of the trails available on the Coconino National Forest, broken down by ranger district. This is not an exhaustive list, just a list of some of the more popular trails for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. Some are segments of much longer trails, like the General Crook Trail and the Arizona Trail. Some are combinations of trails that work together as loops. Some of these trails either are fully in Wilderness or cross Wilderness, so Wilderness Rules and Regulations apply to those sections of the trails (particularly the part about no mechanized vehicles including mountain bikes allowed). There's enough here to keep someone busy for more than few days...

Peaks District Trails

Trail Name	Difficulty	Length in miles	Trailhead Elevation	Elevation Gain/Loss	Uses
Abineau/Bear Jaw Trails, #127/#26	Strenuous	6.0 mile loop	8,500'	2000'
Arizona Trail (Equestrian Bypass) #87	Moderate	9.0	6,750'	500'
Brookbank Trail #2	Moderate	2.5	7,900'	1,000'
Campbell Mesa Trail	Moderate	11.3	6,723'	157'
Deer Hill Trail #99	Easy	5.0	7,180'	100'
Doney Trail #39	Easy	0.5	5,300'	200'
Elden Lookout Trail #4	Strenuous	3.0	6,900'	2,400'
Fatmans Loop Trail #25	Easy	2.0	6,900'	600'
Fort Valley Trail System	Moderate	6.7	7,300'	180'
Heart Trail #103	Strenuous	2.0	7,200'	1,300'
Humphreys Trail #151	Strenuous	4.5	9,300'	3,350'
Inner Basin Trail #29	Moderate	2.0	8,800'	1,400'
Kachina Trail #150	Moderate	5.0	9,500'	700'
Kendrick Park Watchable Wildlife Trail	Easy	0.25 - 1.5	7,900'
Little Bear Trail #112	Moderate	3.5	7,620'	1,080'
Little Elden Trail #69	Easy	4.7	7,200'	600'
Old Caves Crater Trail	Moderate	1.2	6,753'	430'
Oldham Trail #1	Moderate	5.5	7,000'	2,000'
O'Leary Trail	Strenuous	7.0	6,952'	1,986'
Pipeline Trail #42	Easy	2.8	7,100'	100'
Red Mountain Trail #159	Easy
Rocky Ridge Trail #153	Easy	2.2	7,100'	100'
Sandy Seep Trail	Moderate	1.5	6,875'	350'
Schultz Creek Trail #152	Easy	3.5	7,200'	600'
Slate Mountain Trail #128	Moderate	2.4	8,360'	850'
Sunset Trail #23	Easy	4.0	8,000'	1,275'
Sycamore Canyon Trail System	Moderate to Strenuous	11.3	6,800'	2,000'
Waterline Trail	Easy	14.0	8,000'	2,400'
Weatherford Trail #102	Moderate to Strenuous	8.7	8,800'	3,200'

Mormon Lake District Trails

Trail Name	Difficulty	Length in miles	Trailhead Elevation	Elevation Gain/Loss	Uses
Arizona Trail, Marshal Lake to Fisher Point	Moderate	5.0	7,100'	500'
Dairy Springs Trail #136	Very Easy	0.5	7,300'	150'
Griffith's Spring Trail #189	Very Easy	1.0 mile loop	6,919'	100'
Lake View Trail #132	Moderate	2.0	7,200'	200'
Ledges Trail #138	Very Easy	1.0	7,200'	100'
Mormon Mountain Trail #58	Moderate	3.0	7,200'	1,300'
Sandys Canyon Trail #137	Easy	1.0	6,950'	100'
Wood Memorial Trail	Easy	0.5	6,900'	300'

Mogollon Rim District Trails

Trail Name	Difficulty	Length in miles	Trailhead Elevation	Elevation Gain/Loss	Uses
Arizona Trail, Blue Ridge Segment	Moderate	15.8	6,900'	300'
Arizona Trail, Happy Jack Segment	Moderate	31.5
Babe Haught Trail #43	Strenuous	5.3	7,722'	122'
Barbershop Trail #91	Moderate	4.5	7,600'	200'
Cabin Loop Trail - This is a system of four trails.	Moderate	-	-	-
Calloway Trail #33	Strenuous	0.5	6,250'	500'
Donahue Trail #27	Moderate	3.4	7,300'	370'
Fred Haught Trail #141	Moderate	6.0	6,900'	300'
General Crook Trail #130	Easy	25.0	7,900'	700'
Horse Crossing Trail #20	Moderate	1.5	6,950'	500'
Houston Brothers Trail #171	Moderate	7.0	6,900'	600'
Kinder Crossing Trail #19	Moderate	1.1	6,977'	23'
Maxwell Trail #37	Strenuous	0.7	6,700'	700'
Myrtle Trail #30	Easy on Coconino- Strenuous on Tonto	1.0	7,218'	538'
Pine Canyon Trail #26	Moderate	8.0	7,200'	2,200'
Rock Crossing Trail #18	Moderate	2.2	7,149'	249'
Soldier Trail #21	Moderate to Difficult	2.0	6,540'	440'
Tramway Trail #32	Strenuous	0.7	6,700'	750'
Turkey Springs Trail #217	Strenuous	2.6	7,218'	238'
U-Bar Trail #28	Moderate	6.5	7,500'	200'
Victorine Trail #101	Difficult	3.0	6,980'	300'
Willow Crossing #38	Easy	1.3	6,700'	500'

Red Rocks District Trails

Trail Name	Difficulty	Length in miles	Trailhead Elevation	Elevation Gain/Loss	Uses
A.B. Young #100	Strenuous	2.4	5,200'	2,000'
Airport Loop/Table Top Trails #211/212, including Bandit and Brewer Trails	Easy	4.3	4,600'	220'
Allen''s Bend Trail	Easy	0.5	4,400'	0'
Apache Maid #15	Strenuous	9.5	4,000'	2,500'
Arizona Cypress Trail	Easy	0.75	4,600'	100'
Baldwin Trail	Easy	1.6	4,140'	150'
Bear Mountain #54	Strenuous	2.5	4,600'	1,800'
Bear Sign Trail #59	Moderate	3.25	4,800'	650'
Bell Rock Pathway	Easy/Moderate	3.7	4,200'	50'
Bell Trail #13	Moderate	11.0	3,700'	2,800'
Big Park Trail	Easy	1.0	4,200'	50'
Blodgett Basin Trail #31	Moderate	2.5	3,600'	1,600'
Boynton Canyon #47	Easy	2.5	4,600'	450'
Brins Mesa #119	Moderate	3.0	4,600'	600'
Broken Arrow Trail #125	Easy	1.5	4,250'	300'
Carroll Canyon Trail	Moderate	1.8	4,600'	100'
Cathedral Rock Trail #170	Moderate	0.7	4,050'	600'
Casner Canyon Trail #11	Moderate to Strenuous	2.0	4,600'	1,800'
Casner Mountain Trail #8	Strenuous	7.0	4,600'	2,150'
Chimney Rock Pass	Moderate	1.0	4,500'	150'
Cibola Pass Trail	Moderate	1.0	4,600'	250'
Cockscomb Trail	Easy to Strenuous	2.5 to 16+	4,600'	160'
Cookstove Trail #143	Moderate to Strenuous	0.7	5,600'	800'
Courthouse Butte Loop Trail	Moderate	4.2 mile loop	4,250'	250'
David Miller Trail	Strenuous	1		800'
Dawa Trail	Easy	2	4,600'	0'
Deadmans Pass	Easy	1.4		150'
Devil's Bridge Trail #120	Moderate	0.8	4,600'	350'
Doe Mountain Trail #60	Easy	0.7 miles to top of mesa	4,600'	400'
Dogie Trail#116	Moderate to Strenuous	5.4	5,600'	1,000'
Dry Creek Trail	Strenuous	6.2 mile loop
Fay Canyon Trail #53	Easy	1.1	4,600'	150'
Fossil Springs Trail (on Tonto NF)	Strenuous	2.5	5,600'	1,320'
Girdner Trail #162	Strenuous	4.5	4,500'	260' loss, then 360' gain
HS Canyon Trail #50	Moderate	2.5	4700'	800'
H.T. Trail	Easy	0.75	4,200'	0'
Harding Springs Trail #51	Moderate to Strenuous	0.7	5,600'	700'
Herkenham Trail	Easy	1.1	4,500'	100'
Huckaby Trail #161	Moderate	2.6	4,400'	170'
Hot Loop Trail #94	Moderate to strenuous	9	4,400'	2,000'
Jacks Canyon Trail #55	Moderate to Strenuous	6.5	4,300'	2,000'
Jim Thompson Trail #124	Easy	3	4,500' / 4,750'	100'
Jordan Trail	Moderate	1.5	4,600'	200'
Lime Kiln Trail #82	Moderate To Strenuous	16 miles	3,300'	1,300'
Little Horse Trail #61	Easy	1.5	4,250'	300'
Long Canyon Trail #63	More Difficult	9.5	5,000'	1,500'
Long Canyon Trail #122	Easy	2.9	4,500'	500'
Lower Chimney Rock Trail	Easy	1	4,600'	100'
Loy Canyon Trail #5	Moderate, last two miles Strenuous	5.0	4,800'	1,700'
Mail Trail #84	Strenuous	10.0 miles on Coconino	5,900'	1,600'
Margs Draw Trail #163	Easy	2	4,300'	100'
Mooney Trail #12	Strenuous	4.2	4,500'	1,000'
Munds Mountain Trail #77	Strenuous	2.8	5,600'	400'
Munds Wagon Trail #78	Strenuous	4.0	4,400'	1,100'
North Urban Trail System - West	Easy / Moderate	5	4,500'	370'
North Urban Trail System - East	Easy - Moderate	6.5	4,450'	460'
OK Trail	Easy	0.5	4,600'	100'
Old Post Trail	Moderate	2.7	4,500'	100'
Parsons Trail #144	Easy	4	4,600'	200'
Ridge Trail	Easy/Moderate	2	4,500'	200'
Rupp Trail	Easy	2.8	4,600'	200''
Schnebly Hill #158	Strenuous	1.7	5,600'	400'
Schuerman Mountain Trail #56	East	1.0	4,450'	350'
Secret Canyon/David Miller/Bear Sign/Dry Creek Trails Loop	Strenuous	6.2 mile loop	4,700'	800'
Secret Canyon Trail #121	Strenuous	5.5	4,500'	600'
Soldier Pass Trail #66	Moderate	2.4	4,450'	450'
Sterling Pass Trail #46	Strenuous	2.4	4,900'	1,100'
Sugarloaf Loop/Sugarloaf Summit	Easy - Moderate	0.5 miles each	4,600'	50' - 250'
Summit Trail	Easy	1	4,600'	100'
Taylor Cabin Trail #35	Very Strenuous	2.3	6,400'	1,800'
Teacup Trail	Moderate	2.0	4,600'	200'
Telephone Trail #72	Moderate	1.2	5,380'	1,000'
Templeton Trail	Easy	3.5	4,240'	250'
Thomas Point Trail #142	Moderate	1.0	5,300'	850'
Thunder Mountain Trail	Easy	1.0	4,600'	50'
Towel Creek Trail #67	Moderate	6.4	4,100'	1,500'
Turkey Creek Trail #92	Moderate	3.0	4,000'	600'
Vultee Arch Trail #22	Easy	1.7	4,800'	400'
Walker Basin Trail #81	Moderate	8.0	4,000'	2,000'
West Clear Creek Trail #17	Moderate	7.7	3,700'	2,100'
West Fork Oak Creek #108	Easy	3.0	5,300'	150'
White Mesa Trail #86	Moderate	1	4,060'	850'
Wier Trail #85	Easy	0.75	4,060'	0'
Wilson Canyon Trail #49	Easy	1.5	4,500'	500'
Wilson Mountain Trail #10 and North Wilson Trail #123	Strenuous - Strenuous	5.6 - 2.0	4,500' - 4,750'	2,400' - 1,450'
Woods Canyon Trail #93	Easy	4.25	3,900'	400'

The Mogollon Rim, from the top of Oak Creek Canyon