Elden Lookout Road

This route is short and sweet. Elden Lookout Road winds steeply up the west flank of Mount Elden, the 9000-foot mountain around which wraps Flagstaff and Route 66. From the peak, the views are excellent. It’s a nice place for a picnic or stargazing. The summit can be windy, especially in Spring. The real highlight and reason most use this road is the collection of hiking trails and mountain biking singletracks that crisscross the mountain. The trails include Elden Trail, Sunset Trail, Brookbank Trail, Rocky Ridge Trail, Oldham Trail, and more. Mount Elden is a frequent host of professional mountain bike races. Unfortunately, the 2019 Museum Fire burned much of this route, so it is now a monument to the damage of a forest fire and the catastrophic debris floods that often result. In 2019 the Museum Fire was the worst early-season fire in the country and attracted a large number of airborne firefighting assets. The fire nearly burned into the City of Flagstaff.