Morning Glory Spire

Coconino National Forest, AZ Sedona + Flagstaff + Grand Canyon South

Trip stats

Distance
2.2 mi
Net Gain
1,100 ft
Time
1-2 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 4
Route
Out/Back
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
2.6/10
Personality
8/10
Beauty
5/10
Solitude
2.1/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Morning Glory Spire
    4,240′ elevation · 320′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

34.887950, -111.768380

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Trip report

Feb 8, 2021 — Matt and I started at the Jordan Road Trailhead and followed the Cibola Pass Trail west until we located an obvious slope leading to a notch to the east of Morning Glory Spire. A social trail began to materialize as we neared the notch, and this trail continued up the east face of the spire (Class 2). A couple of tiny switchbacks along the red rock face led to the crux of the route, a Class 4 fifteen-foot headwall next to a tree. It's a bit slopey and includes a fairly committing move requiring a high foot and a hollow-looking flake, but it's really not all that exposed. Above this move was a flat section, where the route led to the left around the spire. A Class 3 fun crack brought us to a Class 4 incredibly fun crack. The latter had some fun moves with good holds and no exposure, but it got too narrow toward the time. A little shimmying took us out of the crack and onto the face, where a couple of moves got us to the top. A final wrap-around included a Class 3 move over a lip and we found ourselves at the summit block of Morning Glory Spire. This Class 3 move had some light exposure to the left, but was a reasonably easy move.

There is a bolt some may want to use for the crux in order to descend more safely via rappel (I recommend bringing a 60-foot rope), otherwise the down-climb might be a bit scary. Thanks to Christopher Czaplicki for the route info.

We continued east, following a social trail in order to get to somewhere unrelated to this trip report, but I believe you could find a route down to the Brins Mesa Trail. I outlined this potentially better option in purple on my attached map. The dotted line may or may not be a social trail, but the ridgeline social trail was really pleasant and had nice views back toward Morning Glory Spire, so it might be worth the attempt.

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

Photos

22 photos

  1. Starting from the Jordan Road Trailhead along the Cibola Pass Trail.
  2. Morning Glory Spire visible on the left.
  3. Close-up of Morning Glory Spire.
  4. Just before leaving the trail and heading to the notch directly to the right of Morning Glory Spire.
  5. Looking back at our route up the slope leading to the notch.
  6. Notch ahead, Morning Glory Spire on the left.
  7. At the notch, view back down.
  8. Working up along a social trail on Morning Glory Spire's east face.
  9. The Mitten, a Class 5 butte, visible on the left as we work our way up to the crux.
  10. The crux of Morning Glory Spire, Class 4/4+.
  11. Looking down at the crux.
  12. Morning Glory Spire ahead. We wrapped around to the left.
  13. Wrapping around to the left of Morning Glory Spire.
  14. Class 3 crack.
  15. Class 4 crack, quite fun.
  16. Matt exiting the narrow section of the crux, climbing up a couple moves on the headwall.
  17. Final wrap-around, requiring a Class 3 move. Just after this is the summit block.
  18. Photo of me on the Class 3 summit block. Photo by Matt Bloomfield.
  19. Morning Glory Spire summit, shot of me. Photo by Matt Bloomfield.
  20. Looking back toward Morning Glory Spire as we continue east along a social trail.
  21. Shot back again at Morning Glory Spire. I believe there is likely a way back down via a social trail if you continue east along the ridge from Morning Glory Spire, but I'm not totally sure.
  22. Close-up of Morning Glory Spire's Class 4 route.

Photo 1 of 1

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

GPX track

Morning Glory Spire GPX route and driving track

The complete GPX track is available to download, so you can load the route straight into your navigation app or device. The trip report, route info, photos and planning details stay free.