Munds Mountain Trail # 77

Page Type Page Type: Route
Location Lat/Lon: 34.85830°N / 111.711°W
Additional Information Route Type: Hiking, Mountaineering
Seasons Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Additional Information Time Required: Half a day
Additional Information Difficulty: Strenuous Class 1
Additional Information Grade: I
Sign the Climber's Log

Route Description

Difficulty: Class 1 trail
Distance: 6 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 800 feet (500 feet of that in a quarter of a mile or so)

The trailhead starts just a little ways from the parking lot. You will walk out to the road and take a left. The trail will start shortly after to your right. It should be impossible to miss. It is what remains of the old Schnebly Hill Road. From here you will follow this road for about 1 mile until it forks. Take the fork to the left. Hike then for another 0.5 miles until you can see some type of radio equipment tower set up. From here there will be another fork in the road. Take the fork to the right. Follow this for a short ways and then take the obvious road to the left. You will descend this road for about a quarter of a mile or less and then it u-turns sharply to the right. At the point where this road u-turns there will be a trail to your left. An old rusty sign will read “Munds Jacks Hot Loop.” Take this trail. You will hike through some trees and then come up along the rim with some good views. Unfortunately, you will have to descend slightly right before you make the final climb. Along the way to meet up with the Munds Mountain trail you will pass through two gate. Please be sure to close these behind you So, at approximately ¾ of a mile after you have started on the “Munds Jacks Hot Loop” you will meet up with the Munds Mountain Trail # 77. From here you will make a steep ascent to the top of Munds Mountain, switching back and forth for a 500 foot elevation gain in less than half a mile. Once you reach the top, it opens up into a very wide plateau with less than perfect views. But the climb is fun and the views along the way make it well worthwhile.

Getting There

Note: Access can be somewhat difficult without a high-clearance vehicle, although, not impossible. I have driven the entire length of Schnebly Hill Road with my Toyota Corolla, it just takes quite a while.

From 89A Heading South

From the intersection of highways 89A and 179 take a left onto 179. Follow it for 0.3 miles to a T in the road. Take a left here (Schnebly Hill Road) and then drive it for another 6.3 miles to the fair sized parking lot that will be on your left hand side. Walk back out to the main road and take a left. Follow it for a short way until your reach a very old and rocky road to your right. This will be the beginning of the trail for you.

From I-17 Heading South from Flagstaff

Drive south on I-17 for about 18 miles until you reach the Schnebly Hill Road exit. Once you take this exit you will follow Schnebly Hill Road for about 5.4 miles and then park in the bumpy parking lot that will be located on your right hand side. Exit your car and follow the same directions as above to reach the trailhead.

From Phoenix

Drive north on I-17 until you reach exit 287. Follow this towards the towns of Cottonwood/Payson. This will be AZ-260. Follow it off the interstate to your left towards 89A. The drive will be approximately 12 miles and then you will turn right towards the town of Sedona. Once in Sedona, drive until you reach the junction of 179 and 89A. Take a right towards 179 for 0.3 miles and then turn left onto Schnebly Hill Road. From there follow the later part of the directions from Flagstaff to the trailhead, driving on Schnebly Hill Road for about 6.3 miles.

Red Tape

You will need a Red Rock pass, which are actually excellent deals.

One Day Pass - $5.00
Weekly Pass - $15.00
Annual Pass - $20.00

Weekly and Annual passes can be purchased online here

Rather than creating a very huge list of where you can buy passes either in person or by phone, I will just add a link with all of those details. Click here to see that list.

Also, from December 15th through April 1st the trail is off limits to vehicles due to the Elk that make this their home during the winter months. (The beginning of the trail is actually the old Schnebly Hill Road, 4 x 4 for sure)

Camping

No camping is allowed on the mountain. However, there is free camping available just north of the parking area for the trailhead. There are many spots along the remaining 5 miles or so of Schnebly Hill Road that one could potentially pitch a tent.

Click here to view campgrounds listed on summitpost.

When to Climb

Munds Mountain can generally be climbed anytime of the year. During winter months Sedona does get snow occasionally and I could forsee potential danger of slipping along the last half mile of the trail due to its steepness. Spring and fall would be great times to climb, and in the summer just be very cautious of afternoon thunderstorms and the heat, as it can reach 100 degrees.

Weather Conditions




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Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.