the very edge of the designated camping area. It’s close to the road, but you’ll see more saucy Steller’s jays than passing vehicles on this dead end.
Back on the main road, the landscape gets rockier. Freidlein Prairie is actually a well-known bouldering spot, with at least one published guide to the best climbs. It’s a few minutes’ drive to reach shallow site 10. Site 11 is on a ledge below the road, surrounded by boulders. Sites 12 and 13 are nice, but our pick for beauty is site 14, a tight spot among lichen-covered boulders and bright-green ferns. Note that sites 10–14 are closed March 1–August 31, the nesting season of the Mexican spotted owl. Any traditional nesting area may be important to the survival of this endangered species, so please respect the closure.
With no services available in the Freidlein Prairie area, pack-in/pack-out and Leave No Trace practices are required. With any luck, the camper before you had good wilderness ethics, but if not, remember that an extra trash bag and five generous minutes on your part can transform a campsite for yourself and those who follow you. Keep in mind this is bear country, so be bear safe.
Elevation along the road ranges from 7,900 to 8,600 feet, with cool summer days and the possibility of cold nights. You’re near Arizona Snowbowl here, one of the state’s prime downhill-ski areas, as well as the Arizona Nordic Village, so expect wintry weather anytime from early fall to late spring. In the winter, Snowbowl maintains FR 516—the primary access to Freidlein Prairie Road—but the ski area’s personnel only plow when Snowbowl is open. If you’re truly hardy and ready to try winter camping here, check the Snowbowl and Coconino National Forest websites to assess conditions. You’ll need a free winter backcountry permit (available at the ski area if open or from the Flagstaff Ranger Station) for winter camping and snow play in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness area.
You can find summer fun at Snowbowl as well, with daily scenic lift rides up Agassiz Peak and ranger talks at the top. Have a deli-style lunch at the Agassiz Lodge Restaurant, then head out for a hike. You can use Snowbowl as the jumping-off point for some great hikes in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness, including a 4.5-mile, 3,300-foot climb to the top of Humphreys Peak (Arizona’s highest at 12,633') and the Kachina Trail, a more moderate 7-mile ramble across the slopes of the ancient volcano, which terminates at the end of FR 522.
For more information about Flagstaff’s charms and area attractions, see the next profile, Lockett Meadow Campground.
GETTING THERE
From Flagstaff, take US 180 northwest 7.4 miles to Snowbowl Road; then turn right and drive north 2.4 miles to FR 522. Turn right into the dispersed area.
GPS COORDINATES N35° 17.473' W111° 42.403'
5
Lockett Meadow Campground
Beauty
KEY INFORMATION
CONTACT: 928-526-0866, tinyurl.com/lockettmeadow
OPEN: Mid-May–mid-October
SITES: 17
EACH SITE HAS: Picnic table, fire ring
ASSIGNMENT: First-come, first-served; no reservations
REGISTRATION: Self-register on-site
AMENITIES: Vault toilets
PARKING: At campsites, at trailhead
FEE: $16/night, $8/additional vehicle, $8 day use
ELEVATION: 8,600'
RESTRICTIONS:
PETS: On leash only
FIRES: In fire rings only
ALCOHOL: Permitted
VEHICLES: RVs and trailers not recommended; 2 vehicles/site; ATVs or motorbikes prohibited except to and from campground; mountain bikes prohibited in wilderness
QUIET HOURS: 10 p.m.–6 a.m.
OTHER: 14-day stay limit; 8-person limit/site; bear-country food-storage restrictions; firearms prohibited; horses prohibited
In spring and summer, the meadow is spangled with wildflowers, and in late September and early October, the changing aspens splash the mountainsides with bright gold.
Volcanic peaks around the Inner Basin form the backdrop for Lockett Meadow.
Approaching Flagstaff from any direction, the first thing you’ll notice is the San Francisco Peaks. Volcanic upheaval created this range, and after a million years of erosion, these are still Arizona’s highest mountains. For centuries the peaks, frequently snowcapped or shrouded in rain clouds, have held spiritual significance for Native Americans. They form the Sacred Mountain of the West and the boundary of the Navajo Nation; they’re also visible from the mesas of the Hopi, who believe that the Kachina spirits call these mountains home. The Kachina Peaks Wilderness encompasses the heart of this ancient volcano.
On the edge of this wilderness, nestled high on the eastern slopes, is the alpine haven of Lockett Meadow Campground. The narrow unpaved road winds up the mountain, revealing magnificent views past the cinder cones and lava fields of Sunset Crater National Monument and out to the Painted Desert. This challenging route is usually passable by passenger cars in dry weather but is definitely not recommended for RVs or trailers. At its end, towering Douglas-fir, ponderosa pines, and quaking aspens surround several acres of upland prairie grasses, once summer grazing for the sheep of homesteader Henry Claiborne Lockett. In spring and summer, the meadow is spangled with wildflowers, and in late September and early October, the changing aspens splash the mountainsides with bright gold. Stand quietly at sunrise or sunset and you may see foraging elk, mule deer, porcupine, or even a black bear. Listen for voices of the numerous native and migratory birds. The variety of plant and animal life found in these mountains inspired pioneering biologist C. Hart Merriam to develop the ecological concept of life zones.
Lockett Meadow is the only campground this high in the peaks, and it’s best to arrive early—the 17 campsites cannot be reserved, and dispersed camping is not permitted near the meadow. The high elevation means you’ll enjoy comfortable temperatures all summer, but
