Doney Trail - Coconino National Forest

The Doney Picnic Area is located on Sunset Crater - Wupatki Loop Road 9.3 miles from its northern terminus on US 89 north of Flagstaff, Arizona. While the picnic area is located in Coconino National Forest, you have to go through the Wupatki National Monument to reach it by paved road. We stopped during our May 2015 visit to the Southwest. The picnic area has vault toilets as well as trash and recycling receptacles. While there, I hiked the one mile round-trip trail to a vista point on 5512 foot high Doney Hill. There is no shade along this trail, so use sunscreen and drink lots of water. The wind carries cinder dust and increases as you climb. The trail is rated as easy. Several benches have been placed along the way as well as interpretive signs.

Topographic map with GPS hiking route

Trail elevation profile

The initial trail surface is loose cinders

As the trail climbs up to a saddle between cinder cones, the trail surface is much firmer

Painted Desert from the saddle

Turn right at the saddle to climb the higher cinder cone

Remains of a Wupatki farmstead

More of the ruins

Wildflowers in bloom

Hard packed cinder path

Continuing the climb

Merriam Crater (6813' 14 miles)

The top is in sight

Bench and sign at the end of the trail

Loop Road, Red Hill and S P Mountain

San Francisco Peaks

Fault line

Wupatki National Monument Visitor Center and Wupatki pueblo

Painted Desert

Gray Mountain, part of the Coconino Rim

Doney Mountain (5534')

Pinyon Pine

Another view of the Painted Desert

There is no entry fee for this portion of the Coconino National Forest.

The trail webpage is http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=55086&actid=50.
The forest website is http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/coconino/home.