Tucked into the San Francisco Peaks in the Coconino National Forest about 15 miles from downtown Flagstaff, this Nordic oasis has most of the common attributes one would associate with a good cross country ski center anywhere else in the country. Flagstaff Nordic Center has a full 40km of non-redundant trails, more if you count portions of trails that you have to repeat to reach more distant loops. The trails wind through some of the largest Ponderosa pine stands in the state with the ever-present aspen, the other dominant species. Trails are named for terrain features found throughout the region, most of which are named after significant individuals and historic figures.
Though the area is home to a substantial elk population, they tend to winter at a lower elevation and are not seen about the trails during ski season. Coyote and rabbits are common, however, and their tracks frequently punctuate the trails.
At an average base elevation of 8,200 feet, Flagstaff Nordic Center can expect and depend on regular snow on a par with most Nordic facilities around the west. The trail layout, 16 feet wide and groomed for classic and skating, consists of well configured, expanding loops and a couple offshoot trails into the more distant reaches of the system.
