Mount Elden, Mountain in Coconino County, Arizona, US

Mount Elden is an extinct lava dome northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, built almost entirely of dacitic lava flows that emerged from several vents along regional faults. Its rocky slopes rise nearly 2,400 feet (730 m) to 9,301 feet (2,835 m) and cover about 15 square miles. Two uplifted sedimentary blocks sit on its eastern and northwestern flanks, and lobe-shaped overlapping flows form concentric benches and spires.

John Elden settled at the base of the mountain in 1877 to raise sheep near a natural spring, now called Elden Springs. A National Forest historical marker stands at the home site north of Flagstaff. Legend holds that his six-year-old son was shot by a stranger named Bob Roberts, but no historical records support the story; the grave site remains a marker.

The mountain's Hopi name, Hovi'itstuyqa, is recorded alongside the English name honouring John Elden, the settler who grazed sheep below it from 1877. A National Forest historical marker stands near his former home-site north of Flagstaff, and a second marker is said to mark the grave of his son Little John, though no historical record supports the legend attached to it.

Mount Elden is reached by a network of roads and non-motorized trails in Coconino National Forest, with routes suited to different fitness levels. The mountain rises steeply about 2,400 feet (730 m) from the Flagstaff side, so allow time for the climb. The 1977 Radio Fire burned the southern and southeastern slopes, where exposed sections can be hot and dusty; carry water and wear sturdy shoes.

A forest fire in 1977 swept across the southern slopes and left behind a landscape that has been slowly recovering ever since. Walking those slopes today, you can see patches of young growth next to older trees, which makes the plant life there more varied than on the untouched sides of the mountain.