Mount Trumbull
A pine-topped volcano in the middle of the desert — and the unlikely source of a temple's timber.
The Volcano With a History
Mount Trumbull rises from the Uinkaret volcanic field at the center of the Arizona Strip, its summit plateau wearing a crown of ponderosa pine completely encircled by desert. Within Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, it is both a landmark and a story.
In the 1870s, a sawmill on the mountain's flank cut timber that ox teams hauled eighty miles across the open Strip to St. George, Utah — lumber that built the St. George temple. The route they used, the Temple Trail, can still be traced across the landscape.
Visiting Mount Trumbull
The Mount Trumbull Loop — the historic settlers' road from AZ-389 past Nixon Spring and the old schoolhouse — is the classic backway drive, passable to high-clearance vehicles in dry weather. A summit trail climbs from the Nixon Spring area through the pines to the top, where rim-country views stretch across the entire Strip.
Like everything in the Parashant, Trumbull is a no-services landscape: fuel in Fredonia, Colorado City, or St. George, and check conditions via the official loop-drive page. Many travelers pair the loop with Toroweap Overlook for the Strip's definitive backcountry day.
Build Your Strip Itinerary
Communities, recreation, and landmarks — plan the whole trip.