"This was our recovery hike after summitting Humphreys the day before. A bit breezy, but the sun was warm (~90 versus the ~70°F air temperature) so the breeze was welcome. Considering neither of us expected much out of ourselves after doing Humphreys, we were pleasantly surprised by the first 1,000' going in 51 minutes and the second 1,000' going in 49! Making progress indeed. Of course, it is amusing that the summit of Elden is below the trailhead starting elevation for Humphreys, but what can you do...? Beautiful weather, and not a trace of snow. The aspens on the spur to the lookout itself are gorgeously leaf-ing? (new leaves) and a beautiful new growth green color. The yucca plants were blooming, it was a beautiful, sunny day. A good recovery hike! " — psychikingjes • May 22, 2022

"Since I had been sick and we didn't get far on Humphreys the day before, but I was feeling somewhat better, we went and did a quick fitness hike to Elden Mountain. Gotta take advantage of the altitude when you have it, right? Not too much snow til we hit the ridgeline and the spur that took us up to the Elden Mountain lookout tower. From there it was almost all covered in slushy, slippery snow. We didn't have our microspikes or our poles, which in hindsight was not the best plan ever. We made it up, cautiously. The trail runners barreling up and down that snow... yeesh. I'm glad they stayed safe. The way we occasionally post-holed or slipped, if they had experienced that... it wouldn't have been pretty. It was a nice day. On the way down, we finished the Fatman Loop Trail for a bit of additional distance since we didn't get as much elevation or distance the day before as we had planned. " — psychikingjes • Apr 3, 2022

"I didn't manage to #optoutside on Black Friday this year because I was travelling from TX back to AZ after a very nice holiday with my family; was too tired after the flights to even go stomp out a local peak I've already done. Thankfully (and I am very grateful), my hiking partner was just up the road from me visiting his family for the holiday, and was more than willing to let me grab him for a great, easy, all-trail conditioning hike in Flagstaff. It's about a 2, 2.5 hour drive for me from my home base up to Flagstaff (depending on the area), and I had my eye on Elden Mountain as a good workout hike for a day when I wanted some elevation but not to go stomping around off-trail and bushwhacking. I got on the road from PHX at 5:15 AM, had my hiking partner in the vehicle from his base at 6:15-6:20 AM, and we were at the trailhead a little after 7:30 AM. It was chilly - about 25°F right after sunrise. We were bundled up, but (intelligently) didn't have our down puffy jackets on when we started. The trailhead was deserted; the lot only held one other vehicle when we started. (By the time we got back, it was parked 3 rows full!) We did the traditional Elden Mountain route from the Fa..." — psychikingjes • Nov 27, 2021

"Bag all the peaks! Trying out some inserts in my hiking boots to solve some sore feet problems, also decided to push my speed to see how fast I could make a steep hike like this. My first solo hike in a while." — wazoheat • Oct 14, 2021

"In order to better acclimate myself to the altitude, I stayed at the Flagstaff KOA. The KOA was pretty full and busy, with a groups of angst-ridden teenagers and boisterous preteens walking to and from the recreational area. However, I was able to get some sleep, fortunately. Unfortunately, the café in the campground (which makes a great French Toast breakfast, by the way), didn’t open until 6:30. So by the time I got started it was already 7:30 and starting to warm up. I caught a trail leaving the north-western corner of the campground which intersected with the lower part of Fatman’s Loop trail. Taking a left turn onto this trail allowed me to meet the Elden Lookout Trail just east of the parking lot and official trailhead. The trail started ascending gently, passing junipers, cactus, yucca and a few interspersed ponderosa pines. After passing the Pipeline trail that heads off to the south and east, the trail starts getting steeper and by the time you reach the turn off to the upper portion of Fat Man’s Loop, it really starts climbing. Since this trail is on the eastern side of the mountain, it warmed up fast and I was grateful for the occasional pine tree or juniper..." — lawrencebaker • Jun 17, 2017

"My Second Last Hike on the 20/20 Challenge List. Drove from Las Vegas the Night before and got an early Start, Great Morning Workout as the Trail is steep although not very long. Good Views all around. " — Nuernberger • Jun 24, 2016

"A long fireroad climb brings you to the top of a singletrack extravaganza. I went as fast as I could to escape an approaching thunderstorm but still had to get off a few times in the crux serpentine downhill. With lightning bolts all around and ice cube-sized hail, I took temporary refuge in a pine grove. Then the storm passed, very little precipitation, and the trail was dry and ready to go. I bombed down singletrack for a mini eternity before blowing out two tubes in a row. Unfortunately, two strikes and I was out – the last few miles of this descent I spent walking a fireroad. I need to go back with a good bike." — scott • May 31, 2003