Fatmans Loop Trail — Attraction in Flagstaff

My girlfriend and I are fairly new residents in Flagstaff. We have always been big into hiking though over the years. We decided to do an evening hike on Fatman's Loop.

Overall, the trail was great. I am glad that we wore boots, as we went at the beginning of January, and there was lots of snow, ice, and mud, as well as a fair amount of terrain change throughout the trail.

She had read some other posts mentioning it can be easy to get off the trail you want to be on. We discussed, on our hike, that if it weren't for the footprints in the snow, there was a good chance we would've gotten off track at some point. This could also be a result of our poor planning and only being halfway through the trail by nightfall. Although, it would've been better to do this trail with daylight, as it was our first time, I will say that overlooking the sunset, and looking down on the lights of Flagstaff was incredible.

We thoroughly enjoyed this trail, even with being in the darkness 50% of the time. The elevation change will get your heart pumping, but in a good way. It is not exhausting or anything. Just a great...

Great morning hike that’s perfect for beginners/families/lazy people. We came around 7:30am on a Saturday and it took us about two and a half hours to finish it (we got lost and veered off to a different trail before doubling back). It was flat in the beginning and there was a slight incline that involved climbing over some rocks but it’s nothing too difficult. There’s enough signage in the beginning to point you to the different trails but we made a mistake when it was coming back in going down a different trail (totally our bad, we weren’t paying attention). There was plenty of parking when we arrived although when we left, the lot became decidedly more full. There’s plenty of shade if you turn right first when going up the loop, while the descent is sunnier with more rocks and less trees. There was no trash can or restroom at the trailhead. Overall, a fun hike and good way to listen to the trees rustle and...

This was a beautiful, very poorly signed trail system. I spent more time figuring out what trail I was on than I ever have before, and definitely did not have it right much of the time. I'm no expert, but I'm not a beginner, either. I've successfully hiked color-coded trails where the only available map was black and white, and THIS hike was frustrating. Other people asked me a few times if I knew what trail we were on, and I had to tell them I didn't. The distances on signs also may not be accurate. I liked it, but not sure I'd come here again. Also encountered a lot of rude dog walkers who don't pick up after their companions. Parking...