Woody Mountain via Rogers Lake Trail

Woody Mountain is a lone summit near Rogers Lake southwest of Flagstaff, Arizona. This moderate hike leads you up to the viewpoint tower on top of Woody Mountain, which was built in 1936 (still very stable, though). From here, you’ll have great views of mountains in the distance and a glimpse of Rogers Lake. There are some steep, rocky sections on this trail, so it’s a good pick for strong beginners who want to start to expand their skills.

This route does present a navigational challenge when you’re trying to connect from the forest road to the trail, so we recommend downloading the GPS route and referring to it if you’re not sure which way to go. Thankfully, the rest of the route is easy to follow. The drive to the trailhead is washboarded, so take a high-clearance vehicle if you can.

From the trailhead, follow the Forest road south along the Sinclair Wash. This part of the route is fairly laid-back, sparsely forested, and easy to follow. The route begins to zig-zag as you make your way into a shady forest which is a scenic portion of the hike. As you climb uphill, you’ll take the Rogers Lake Connector as it heads across the southern base of the mountain, turns northwest, and then picks up the trail to the summit. From the top, you’ll do a bit of trailblazing down to the connector, or you can retrace your steps if you’d prefer an easier descent with added distance.