Located in Arizona's volcanic highlands near the 12,643-foot-high San Francisco Peaks, Cinder Hills is a 13,5000-acre OHV area just off US-89, about seven miles northeast of Flagstaff. Thanks to numerous cinder cones dotting the region, and hence the name, this little piece of northern Arizona is full of pumice and ponderosa. Sadly, we spent too little time there and only scratched the surface. Like many things in the western side of the country, it's big and sprawling. Of course, within the vast Cinder Hills boundaries, there are a few areas that are closed off due to such things as sensitive plants, archaeological sites, critical wildlife habitat, excessively steep slopes and visually sensitive areas. That means the trail network can be dense and devoid of or with sparse vegetation in places.
We didn't let that stop us from enjoying this unique place. Its volcanic residue is more akin to pea gravel than the big rocks usually associated with eruptions. As such, the terrain resembled sand dunes with less intimidating slopes (although, have no fear, cinder cone mountains equal big altitude gains, should your inner hillclimb child require mollifying). In spite of the plethora of gorgeous ponderosas blanketing the landscape, we hit a good bit of dust on the more open, fast trails-no different from the rest of the dry Southwest.
There are plenty of easy, nearly fire-road-sized trails to explore, but we also wanted to uncover slower, technical stuff, and it was a challenge to find tight sections. The novice riders in the group were very satisfied with the options, as they were able to concentrate on technique rather than stressing about a big ascent or descent and simply have fun-which is why we ride in the first place. However, our more advanced riders had to search for some challenge. We found our kicks tackling the climbs up some of the cinder cones; they got pretty rough and whooped out near the top, and the pumice rocks grew, as well.
As I said earlier, we saw only the tip of this black iceberg, and with more time, I think we could find some sections to silence my bored colleagues. That settled, I'd heartily recommend Cinders for family outings, as there are plenty of places for everyone to ride together, from the little tyros to the well-skilled parents. That is the major draw of this location, besides its proximity to Flagstaff and Interstate 40. Camping options are mixed. We saw a few campers in the OHV area, and we stayed at a really nice Kampground of America facility about eight miles to the south, near the Peaks Ranger Station, which was a good resource for area information and maps.
Best of all, it doesn't look like the typical desert we see too often here in the region. Plus, that altitude means it's a good escape during the searing summer heat (it'll only be scorching hot).