Sandy Steps, Heart, and Upper Oldham Trail

Route Description for Sandy Steps, Heart, and Upper Oldham Trail

The Sandy Steps, Heart, and Upper Oldham hike makes use of a few different routes to cover a lot of ground in the mountains immediately north of Flagstaff. This route begins near Elden Mountain, climbing up and over past the Dry Lake Hills, dropping down through Buffalo Park to end in East Flagstaff.

This is a long point-to-point hike, so we recommend arranging a car shuttle to complete the entire route. It would be a bit ambitious to try to hike this route as an out and back, so plan ahead.

From the trailhead, take the Arizona Trail–Sandy Seep towards Elden Mountain. You’ll climb up to the ridge between Elden Mountain and Little Elden Mountain, traversing across this ridge until you reach Upper Oldham, where you’ll take a right and descend to the base of T V Hill. Hug the base of the hill heading south and then follow Easy Oldham Trail into Buffalo Park.

Hike directly through the park, cross W Forest Ave, and take Arizona Trail–Flagstaff to the route that will lead you to the endpoint.