Kachina Peaks Wilderness
Rising to truly majestic summits, Kachina Peaks Wilderness area boasts 12,643-foot Humphrey's Peak, the highest point in Arizona. The Wilderness is part of a large and heavily vegetated composite volcano, which bears signs of a rich geologic past that included violent eruptions and lava flows. Arizona's best examples of Ice Age glaciation can be found here in lateral and medial moraines and abandoned stream beds. Erosion and frost have helped shape this area. The only arctic-alpine vegetation in the state grows up here in a fragile two-square-mile zone. Here and nowhere else on Earth grows the fragile San Francisco Peaks groudsel.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Arizona |
| Size | 18,720 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 35.34° N, 111.66° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 4 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
7 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 179 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona ↗ | 149.3 | |
| Weatherford ↗ | 10.4 | |
| Kachina ↗ | 5 | |
| Humphreys ↗ | 4.8 | |
| Inner Basin | 4.2 | |
| Bear Jaw | 2.8 | |
| Abineau | 2.4 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedFreidland-Chimney Piles Rx
4 mi from the center point · 1,029 acres
- PrescribedDry Lake Hills Piles Rx
6 mi from the center point · 902 acres
- PrescribedKendrick Park Piles Rx
7 mi from the center point · 17 acres
- PrescribedA1 4 Piles Rx
8 mi from the center point · 260 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 1 miFern Mountain Ranch ↗Flagstaff, AZ
- 3.9 miHomestead, The ↗Flagstaff, AZ
- 3.9 miMuseum of Northern Arizona Exhibition Building ↗Flagstaff, AZ
- 4.6 miCoconino County Hospital Complex ↗Flagstaff, AZ
- 5 miFrancis, D. M., House ↗Flagstaff, AZ
- 5.5 miEldredge, Dean, Museum ↗Flagstaff, AZ
- 6.1 miClark, J. M., House ↗Flagstaff, AZ
- 6.3 miWilson, Charles, Jr., House ↗Flagstaff, AZ
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Arizona
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Kachina Peaks Wilderness?
18,720 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Kachina Peaks Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Kachina Peaks Wilderness in?
Arizona.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Kachina Peaks Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Kachina Peaks Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Kachina Peaks Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 35.338° N, 111.664° W. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is 6 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Kachina Peaks Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Freidland-Chimney Piles Rx at 4 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Kachina Peaks Wilderness?
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (6 mi), Walnut Canyon National Monument (11 mi) and Wupatki National Monument (17 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Kachina Peaks Wilderness?
The National Register has 39 listings within 15 miles, including Fern Mountain Ranch and Homestead, The.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.