Fall arrived in Flagstaff and ten Trailblazers were there to enjoy the colors. Starting from the Schultz Tank Trailhead, we connected to the Sunset Trail and started an easy uphill climb heading east towards Mt. Elden.

Three miles later found us in an open area at the junction of the Little Bear Trail.

We took a short break there, and then continued south on the Sunset Trail. Now we were entering a burned area, destroyed by the 2019 Museum fire.

At that point, we could look across to Mt. Elden and saw that the aspens had started their color change to yellow-gold. We entered the first aspen trees enjoying the colors as the trail climbed higher on the west side of a ridge.

When we out of the trees, the breeze we had been enjoying turned into a strong crosswind making the final climb to the Elden summit more difficult. We left the trail and took the road the last half mile. Reaching the windy summit, we took pictures at the elevation sign on the fire tower, and found the USGS survey marker.

We got out of the wind on the leeward side of the summit to have our lunch.

Even though the summit is a popular destination and it was a beautiful day, there were only a few other hikers while we were there.

We left the summit on the Elden Lookout trail, descending until we met the Sunset Trail junction.

If we had not gone in this direction, we would have missed to the opportunity to walk through the aspen forest. The aspens here are not tall, but they had plenty of color.

Next time I do this hike I’ll stay on the Sunset Trail and not take the road shortcut to the summit. We retraced our way, arriving back at the Little Bear Trail junction. At that point, three hikers continued on the Sunset and the rest of us started down the Little Bear. From the junction, you don’t hike very far until you find yourself going down the mountain.

The upper part of the trail is very pretty with good views, but as you leave the trees, the mountainside is bare. However, this is a good trail for ascending or descending Little Elden Mountain, in contrast to the Heart trail which is much steeper. Four miles later, we reached the Little Elden Springs Trail junction. At that point, we turned and hiked two miles back to the Schultz Tank Trailhead.

I had estimated a 13 mile hike, but my final GPS track showed about 15 miles in 7 hours, 40 minutes. After the hike, five of us went to Pita Jungle and ate on their nice patio.