Humphreys Peak - B24 Crash Site Hike

Humphreys Peak - B24 Crash Site Hike

I needed someplace to hike this weekend for training that wasn’t 1,000 degrees and had some decent elevation gain. I remembered hearing of an old B-24 bomber crash on Humphrey’s Peak. Upon researching it more, I saw it had about 2,000’ of elevation gain, which was perfect for my training. (I wasn’t considering the summit of Humphreys Peak because, honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was currently conditioned enough to make it.)

So I packed up the 4Runner and headed to Flagstaff. I got an early start, only to learn they closed the lower section of the trail and re-routed it up the gondola run. Not sure if you’ve ever walked up a ski slope before, but those things are steep. I must say I did not enjoy this section, mainly because it’s never fun walking up a steep slope directly under a machine that has the sole purpose of carrying you up mountains. It’s kind of like walking up a road.

Anyway, it was short enough, and I was soon in the pine forest. I’d forgotten how beautiful the trail was. So much so that I was at the turn off for the crash site in what seemed like no time. I’m not sure the last time I did an uphill hike that included the thought “I’m already here?” But I was. Now time for a miserable off trail scramble.

Or not. I immediately lucked out and picked up the social trail to the crash site. There were some boulder field crossings that were annoying, but overall the hike was pretty straightforward with a decent amount of cairns and no real bushwhacking. I don’t want to make it sound too easy; it is very faint in most spots and you can never count on cairns being there when you need them. So it’s wise to pre-mark your path on GPS as a back up. And I wouldn’t make this my first off trail adventure. You’ll want some experience off trail.

Anyway, the crash site itself was fascinating. I spent a lot more time exploring it than I thought I would.

After the site, I felt great and it was still early, so I continued hiking up the mountain. I wasn’t sure if I was going to the saddle or the summit, but it didn’t really matter; I’d already hit my training goal, so all the rest was just a bonus.

At the saddle, I saw an arch that looked like it might be close to the Weatherford Trail. This basically put me in the opposite direction as the summit, but I’ve been to the summit before. The Weatherford Trail climbed slightly to another saddle and even more incredible views, so I’m glad I checked it out even though I couldn’t see the arch from it.

And….I’m tired of typing. The B-24 Bomber crash site at Humphreys Peak is a very interesting piece of history, worth checking out if you have the time and ability. And Humphreys Peak itself is amazing. It gave me the feeling of a true alpine experience here in Arizona. Even though it’s not the Rocky Mountains or something that ‘serious’, it’s still great to have it so close to home to scratch that itch.


Music by Artlist:
The Path - Patrick Ussher
Quiet Contentment - The David Roy Collective
Teacup - Just for Kicks
Songbird - Doug Kaufman
The Day I'm In Love - Anthony Lazaro
Heroes - Piotr Hummel