Update: the guy at REI in Flagstaff told me to skip the San Francisco Peaks inner basin loop in June, he was right

Daniel Martinez · 2026-10-09T12:10:03.767577+00:00

I had my whole 3 day route mapped for the inner basin loop and the guy at the counter flat out told me not to bother until at least mid July. I figured he was just being cautious, so I went anyway on June 8th and hit snow drifts above 10,500 feet that swallowed my legs past the knee for a solid mile. My feet were soaked by noon and I ended up bailing down the Weatherford trail a full day early, which cost me the permit window I had waited 4 weeks for. What bugs me is how many people online still post trip reports saying late May is fine for that loop. The ranger I talked to after said the same thing the REI guy did, so it looks like the local advice was right and the internet advice was wrong. Has anyone actually done that loop in early June and had it go well, or is the snow just a given up there?

HW Forums

Loading…

Update: the guy at REI in Flagstaff told me to skip the San Francisco Peaks inner basin loop in June, he was right | Backpacking Routes - HW Forums