Hualapai Mountain Road

Northwestern Arizona isn’t widely known for fall color, but this part of the state has its share of high country — including the Hualapai Mountains, southeast of Kingman. And while many of the area’s ranges are remote and hard to access, the Hualapais are only a short drive from town on paved, scenic Hualapai Mountain Road. That road is this drive’s centerpiece, but a later stretch of dirt road offers even more scenery, along with some area history.

From Historic Route 66 in Kingman, head southeast on Hualapai Mountain Road, which meanders through town for a few miles before entering a rolling landscape of chollas, yuccas and other high-desert plants. The Hualapais, named for the Northern Arizona tribe whose name translates to “people of the tall pines,” loom straight ahead; they’re topped by 8,417-foot Hualapai Peak, the highest point in Mohave County.

The road starts climbing into the mountains around Mile 5, and the vegetation changes accordingly, with piñon pines, junipers, prickly pears and scrub oaks proliferating along the route. At Mile 7, a curve to the left provides an excellent view into the mountains — which, in geological terms, are a Precambrian plutonic-metamorphic complex mainly made up of rock types called schists, gneisses, granitoids and amphibolites. (That’s a technical way of saying these peaks have been around for a long time.)

Next, the road dips into Sawmill Canyon and passes a few residences. In October and November, you’ll likely see fall color on the slopes above, from oaks at lower elevations to maples and aspens farther up. An ideal place to experience the seasonal show is Hualapai Mountain Park, and the park’s entrance and ranger station are on the right at Mile 11.3. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and now operated by Mohave County, the park has more than 10 miles of trails that are ideal for exploring the higher reaches of the Hualapais, along with campgrounds, cabins and a disc golf course.

You’ll soon enter the tiny mountain community of Pine Lake, and in less than a mile, you’ll turn right onto Flag Mine Road, a narrow, unpaved path that’s rough and rutted in spots. Traveling the length of this road requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle, but for this drive’s portion, most SUVs or trucks will suffice. Tall ponderosa pines shade the road as it climbs past houses, and the evergreens soon give way to dramatic views.

The best of these views is at Mile 13, where the road passes between a drop-off on the left and a jumble of volcanic boulders on the right. The panorama includes a steep canyon and, farther northeast, the Peacock and Cottonwood mountains. Next up, at Mile 14, is a wide spot that marks the site of the Flag Mine, which produced silver and other minerals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Scattered evidence of the mine’s existence, including a closed-off entrance and tailings piles, can be found on the slopes along the road.

From here, it’s less than a quarter-mile to where Flag Mine Road tops out at a clearing with views of the Aqua­rius Mountains to the east, across U.S. Route 93. Stretch your legs and enjoy the cool mountain air, then gear up for the return trip. Not that you’ll mind doubling back. Like most things in the Hualapai Mountains, this drive is worth getting to know a little better.