Weather Changed Humphreys Summit Plans
February 13, 2026
By Clay Dunsmore
The Rough Riders of the Sedona Westerners “summit day” to Humphreys became a winding journey on Munds Wagon Trail through rain-freshened washes where puddles turned into mirrors, reflecting red rock, blue sky and towering junipers overhead.
It received the name Humphreys around 1870 when it was named for General Andrew A. Humphreys. Humphreys had been a general in the Union Army during the civil war and after the war he served as Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
The hike to the summit of Humphreys Peak was scheduled to be the first Rough Rider hike of the season and I feel it is our most physically demanding. The Rough Riders are the most advanced hiking group of the Sedona Westerners hiking club. Humphreys Peak is a challenge for several reasons. The round-trip distance of 9.5 miles and cumulative elevation gain of 3,100 feet are a lot on their own but summiting the tallest peak in Arizona means you will do that climb while your lungs search for oxygen in the thin air. The hike starts above 9,000 feet and tops out at 12,637. Each breath at the top will get you about 30% less oxygen than in Sedona. If that was not enough, the trail from the saddle to the summit is strewn with uneven basalt rocks that help you remember you are on top of an extinct volcano and make footing difficult. A final challenge is the weather. Just due to the elevation the temperature at the top is around 40 degrees colder than what the forecast for Sedona put in your head while you were packing your backpack. To make it all just a little bit more fun the winds along the ridge can knock you off of your feet with gusts over 40 MPH. I speak from personal experience on this last item. All in all, hiking Humphrey is definitely a challenge.
About now you are wondering “who in their right mind would do that?”. I guess the answer to that question is Rough Rider hikers. Every time we do this hike people show up. Some to test themselves, some to stand on the apex of Arizona and others to experience the incredible views.
As tough as the hike is today, geologists tell us it once would have been much more difficult. Humphreys along with neighboring Agassiz and Fremont are the remnants of a single much larger stratovolcano that has been given the name San Francisco Mountain. It is estimated that the combined peak reached 16,000 feet. Approximately 200,000 years ago San Francisco Mountain may have had a “Mount St. Helens” type of event, leaving the three peaks and the inner basin that we see and love today.
OK, this is a hike that you should do some preparation for. Our leader for the day, Mike Holmes, has tons of experience. He has backpacked all over the southwest, including countless times in and around the Grand Canyon. Experience is great but elevation is a challenge best handled with some physical training. With that in mind Mike made the time to do three prep hikes. On his first trip to the top, inclement weather turned him around at the saddle. A second try netted him the summit. Then to assure himself he was ready, he joined a group of us to hike the Bear Jaw / Abineau loop. The fall colors and gorgeous weather made the long drive and effort well worth it.
The preparation was over but there was one more lesson to be learned: when climbing a mountain Mother Nature has a say. The weather forecast for the day of the hike turned ugly. A combination of wintry mix, low visibility and high winds were very likely. Five hikers showed up the morning of the hike and we discussed our options for the day. There was definitely a feeling of disappointment in the air and some talk of toughing it out and attempting the hike anyway. In the end sanity prevailed and it was decided to take advantage of the recent rains and go explore Mund’s Wagon off of Schnebly Hill Road instead.
Putting our disappointment aside we loaded up and headed to the Huckaby trail head but there was one more obstacle before we hit the trail. One of our members noticed that the car that had just pulled into the parking lot had a flat tire. We decided to make ourselves useful and offer to change the tire. Fifteen minutes later the spare was on, and we had answered that age-old question, “How many Westerners does it take to change a tire?”. The answer, it turns out, is five.
Finally, we headed down the trail and spent the next several hours weaving in and out of washes, drainages and spillovers. The recent rains had left us with both obstacles and watery mirrors that reflected the surrounding scenery. The slickrock that provides such sure footing when it is dry lives up to its name when it is damp, but the group was still having a great time. Every turn revealed a unique combination of red rock, green vegetation and blue water.
After a break for lunch, we explored some more but rain was coming so we were soon heading back to the trail head. We had prepared for 3,100 vertical feet and panoramic views. That would have to wait until another day, but the earlier feeling of disappointment was gone. The day did not turn out as planned but once again Sedona delivered a memorable experience. As we drove off the rain started to fall.
Check out sedonawesterners.org for upcoming hike and membership information.