Arizona Snowbowl

The Arizona Snowbowl is on the western flanks of the San Francisco Peaks in the Coconino National Forest, minutes north of Flagstaff and only about 2 hours from Phoenix. This 777 acre site boasts 2,300 feet of vertical drop with 31 scenic trails to enjoy. And where else can you go skiing and catch glimpses of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon? Check the map below and you'll see that the ski area is almost surrounded by the Kachina Peaks Wilderness. And Humphrey's Peak is the highest point in Arizona.

The mountain has something for everyone, from beginners to extreme skiers and boarders. The Sunset Terrain Park on the mountain features rails, hits, spines, fun boxes and more. As the Snowbowl has minimal grooming, stark facilities and old clunky lifts, you know you're not in some glitzy ski resort with a bunch of high-end clothes-horses running around. And if the top of the Agassiz lift isn't high enough for you, you can make the hike to the top of Agassiz Peak, adding another 800' to the vertical drop, and take advantage of that remote and untracked backcountry bowl (but you want to be better than intermediate to do this...)

The Agassiz chairift runs all summer (mid-May to mid-October), taking folks to the top of the lift to enjoy the eivw, perhaps even skip some of that uphill of the Humphrey's Trail. The resort has even put in an 18-hole disc golf course that winds back and forth across the ski runs.

In 2011, there is a lot of controversy around the Snowbowl because of plans to expand and court rulings in favor of that expansion. Protests (and arrests) have been going on for months. Part of the problem stems from the fact the mountain is sacred to several Native American tribes in the Southwest and they don't feel they were consulted with as mandated by previous Federal agreements and court orders. So there is a war of words going on and some folks are chaining themselves to the heavy equipment.