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Snowbowl Scenic Gondola

A quiet gondola ride up the San Francisco Peaks

(1,147)
Flagstaff, AZ

About

The Scenic Gondola at Arizona Snowbowl trades its winter chairlifts for a summer sightseeing ride up the San Francisco Peaks, climbing toward the 12,000-foot range with views over Flagstaff's ponderosa pine forest toward Humphreys Peak. It's a smooth, quiet ride — reviewers consistently rate it highly, and at 4.7 stars from over 1,100 Google reviews, it's one of the better-reviewed stops in the Flagstaff area.

What to expect

The drive up Snow Bowl Road is scenic on its own, especially in fall when the aspens turn gold. At the top, a short trail continues past the gondola station before it's roped off from further hiking — plenty of visitors just take in the view, snap photos, and settle in at the picnic tables. There's a bar and food at the base if you want a drink before or after the ride. Bring a jacket regardless of the season; reviewers note it's windy and cold at elevation even in June.

Good to know

  • Hours: daily, 10 AM – 4 PM
  • Pricing: dynamic, similar to airfare — reviewers report tickets ranging from around $25 to well over $100 depending on demand, so buying online in advance is worth it
  • Crowds: one reviewer described a wait "that rivaled a Black Friday sale" on a busy day, while others caught it with no line at all — timing varies a lot day to day

It's a stop for the views and the ride itself rather than a hike — worth building into a Flagstaff day if you want elevation and a break from the pines without the effort of a summit trail.

Reviews (1,147)

See all on Google
4.7

1,147 reviews

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Jeff Terrozas
Jeff Terrozas

in the last week

Don't buy before you check the weather. There are NO REFUNDS if a storm rolls in (even rain). They will give you a credit for a free ride later, but if you are not local, you are screwed. Besides that we had a "good enough" meal at the restaurant and the drive up there is great.

Stephanie Mouritsen
Stephanie Mouritsen

in the last week

The gondola ride was fine, even though it was a little cloudy and smoky, which made the sunset somewhat disappointing, but that wasn't their fault. The 2 stars rating is for the dinner we purchased with the sunset gondola tickets. It took quite awhile to get our food, which would have been fine if it was worth the wait. My husband got the shrimp dish and I got the fish. Both dishes were so extremely salty, they were difficult to eat. I ate the potatoes out of their fried exterior, the vegetables were greasy and looked like they were cooked on a dirty old blacktop, and I ate a few bites of the fish, but couldn't do it ... my husband scraped the seasoning off the fish, and ate the interior. The shrimp were even more salty than the fish. I would recommend eating somewhere else and just going for the gondola ride.

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