Thunder Mountain to Little Sugarloaf Trail Preview

Should you hike Thunder Mountain Trail to Little Sugarloaf Summit? What the film settles

A real summit in a short film. The steep part is the last few minutes.

The start is flat. From the Thunder Mountain trailhead at the end of Andante Drive the trail is level through cactus flats and juniper until 4:52, when it turns uphill on rocky tread, with built steps and loose stone from 6:00.

The junction is easy to walk past. At 7:08 a signpost marks where the summit spur leaves the Thunder Mountain Trail, and the film shows it clearly. If you carry on along the main trail instead, the guide covers the cairn-marked route across slickrock.

The spur is short and steep. From 8:16 the tread narrows and steepens, the roughest loose rock steps come at 9:24, and at 11:40 there are a few hands-on moves on ledges just below the top. The film reaches the summit at 13:45, with Capitol Butte, Chimney Rock and West Sedona in view. If the loose steps look wrong for someone, the junction is a good place for them to wait.

Skip the last scramble if loose rock and a couple of hands-on moves are not for your group. Thunder Mountain difficulty and hike time

What the full film shows, chapter by chapter

Timestamps read from the full 13:59 film. Owners can jump straight to any chapter.

1. 0:00 Thunder Mountain trailhead The fence and the wide dirt start; about 4,535 ft.
2. 1:28 The flat start Easy walking toward the base of the cone (0.1 mi).
3. 2:36 Cactus flats below Little Sugarloaf Prickly pear and juniper; still level (0.2 mi).
4. 4:52 The climb begins The trail turns uphill on rocky tread (0.3 mi, about 4,605 ft).
5. 6:00 Rock steps up the slope Built steps and loose stone (0.35 mi).
6. 7:08 Signpost at the junction The marker where the summit spur leaves the Thunder Mountain Trail (0.4 mi).
7. 8:16 The spur steepens Narrower, steeper tread on the cone (0.5 mi, about 4,665 ft).
8. 9:24 Loose rock steps The roughest footing of the climb (0.6 mi, about 4,765 ft).
9. 11:40 The last scramble A few hands-on moves on ledges just below the top.
10. 13:45 Little Sugarloaf summit at sunset 4,874 ft on the overlay; Capitol Butte, Chimney Rock and the whole of West Sedona in view. The film ends here; the way down is not shown.

Not in the film: the way back down the spur.

Planning the real hike? Read the full Thunder Mountain Trail to Little Sugarloaf Summit trail guide for difficulty, parking, permits and route-finding details.