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Easy • 2.7 miles • Out and Back • 60-90 minutes

A short family-friendly hike about 25 miles north of Flagstaff on US 180 at milepost 247: a gentle 2.7-mile out-and-back to a volcanic cinder cone amphitheater filled with hoodoo formations. Elevation gain is about 275 feet, rated easy, and most crews finish in 60 to 90 minutes. The oversized red rocks are practically made for climbing — a payoff that lands well with preschoolers through tweens. The honest catch is shade: there is none on the approach, and no real cover until you're inside the amphitheater. The route follows a wash, so skip it after rain or when monsoon clouds are building. Surface is rocky. Free parking at the Forest Service trailhead. Open dawn to dusk in spring, summer, and fall, and it's free. Hats and a dry-weather forecast are the difference between a great outing and a slog.