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Dry Lake Hills and San Francisco Peaks from the Arizona Trail in Buffalo Park, Flagstaff

Ah, a zero day in Flagstaff. Technically this is day 28 on the AZT for me. There are few better places to spend a zero than here, I must say. If you’re not a hiker, fear not. Whether you are a cyclist, roadtripper, or just someone stopping by to check out Flag, this post will help give you an idea of places in town to get supplies and have some good food and drink in one of the best places around to do it.

Flagstaff is not just one of the greatest towns on the Arizona Trail, it is one of the coolest towns in Arizona, period. A lot of people who come through might be wondering, after a substantial trek northbound from Pine or, like me, southbound from the Canyon, where are some of the best places to go in town to resupply and quench that hiker hunger and thirst?

Transportation to Flagstaff

Obviously many reading this may be AZT hikers. All well and good – the AZT gives you two options for passing through the city, a direct route or a circumnavigation. Beyond this, the legacy of Route 66 and the railroad are both alive and well in Flagstaff as well. Route 66 passes directly through downtown and, well, it is hard to go 15 minutes without a train rumbling through as well. Amtrak’s Southwest Chief stops here at around 9:50 every night westbound and 5:41 every morning eastbound. It’s a great way to come out to visit the city, traveling between Chicago and Los Angeles. For the roadtrippers out there, I-40 takes you through the city west to east, and I-17 connects you down to Phoenix.

Hiker Resupply

When it comes to resupplies, the local place is Peace Surplus. Peace Surplus has a great variety of gear for almost anything you might need. They’ll repair Darn Tough (https://darntough.com/) socks as well. They also watched my pack while I did some other resupply runs around town and grabbed some food too, which was a big help. Great spot, at least stop by and say hi when you pass through town.

Peace Surplus
14 E Rte 66
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
https://www.peacesurplus.com/
928-779-4521

The other main gear resupply location is REI on the south side of town. I picked up some gear here as well, they have a super dedicated and friendly staff. Great place to try out gear without purchasing it as well. If you walk into town from the south, it is pretty much right on your route into downtown, too.

REI
323 South Windsor Lane
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
https://www.rei.com/stores/flagstaff.html
928-213-1914

For those of you who opt for the General Delivery route, shipping resupply packages to yourself through the US Postal Service (USPS), the downtown post office does not accept GD packages. You have to go to the post office on the east side of town. If you haven’t done a long-distance thruhike before, it’s also important to remember to be careful about ordering from places like Amazon and having it delivered General Delivery. Some people have had no issues, but others have had packages returned to sender. In a town like Flagstaff where you can pretty easily find a place to grab some backpacking food or a grocery store, that may not be a big deal. But in smaller trail towns losing a resupply box can cause serious problems. It can help to have a friend or family member that things can be sent to and who can then send them through USPS to you, should the need arise. I didn’t have any issues with General Delivery at this post office, the only thing is making sure you go to the right one.

United States Post Office
2400 Postal Blvd
Flagstaff, AZ 86004

General Delivery Address:

[Name]
General Delivery
2400 Postal Blvd
Flagstaff, AZ 86004

Flagstaff Food and Drink

OK, now, you’ve got your resupply box and any gear you need. Hiker hunger is real. Where are the best places around to get some food and drink after hiking from either Grand Canyon or Pine?

The good news is that Flagstaff has EIGHT breweries and lots of good spots to eat.

When it comes to breakfast, I have two go-to spots. The first is Macy’s European Coffeehouse on Beaver Street. I took a friend here last summer and they said it was the best coffee they had had in the United States. The specialties are the waffles (get them with fruit!) but the smoothies and breakfast sandwiches are also outstanding. The food here has also been highlighted by major national publications like the Washington Post.

Macy’s European Coffeehouse
14 S Beaver Street
Flagstaff, Arizona
http://macyscoffee.net/
928-774-2243

If you’re looking for a filling breakfast burrito, check out my other go-to Flagstaff spots, Tourist Home and MartAnnes Burrito Palace. These places does some of the best and most filling breakfast burritos around, and do it with generous portions.

Tourist Home Cafe
52 S San Francisco Street
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
https://www.touristhomecafe.com/
928-779-2811

MartAnnes Burrito Palace
112 E Rte 66
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004
http://www.martannes.com
928-773-4701

If you are craving something sweeter, I was impressed with the crepes at Old Town Creperie near Heritage Square in downtown. Took a while to find – it’s not in the building its address says but rather in a side ally attached to the building. The Nutella and banana crepe I had was great, but it was just one of many options to choose from. One of the better crepe locations I’ve tried since Skinny Pancake in Burlington, Vermont.

Old Towne Creperie
120 N Leroux St
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
http://oldtowncreperie.com/

For lunch or dinner, I have a few go-to spots. There are EIGHT breweries within city limits, so even I didn’t have time to check them all out, though.

Beaver Street Brewery has good food (we particularly liked the wood fired pizzas and the tacos) and a variety of drinks on a rotating tap. Right across the street from Macys, too, so easy to keep track of that way.

Beaver Street Brewery
11S Beaver St #1
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004
beaverstreetbrewery.com
928-779-0079

Lumberyard is a Flagstaff staple as well. The macaroni I tried here was good and you can’t really go wrong with a Lumberyard beer. Conveniently located just south of Rt 66, a few blocks east of Beaver Street.

Lumberyard Brewing Company
5 S San Francisco St
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004
lumberyardbrewingcompany.com
928-779-2739

Dark Sky Brewing used to be drinks only, but in the evenings they do a pretty good pizza here too. The drinks are definitely the highlight, though. They do trivia and its a super laid back spot. Hard to go wrong with a place that pays testament to Flagstaff’s status as an International Dark Sky city.

Dark Sky Brewing Company
117 N Beaver St A
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004
www.darkskybrewing.com
928-440-5151

Hops on Birch is still drinks only, but the ones we tried were good. Along with Dark Sky, it is a favorite of my local friends. They allow any outdoor food to be brought in as well, so it is an easy spot to just grab a quick drink or if you already have some extra food that you are willing to eat and are just looking for a great drink to wash it down with.

Hops On Birch
22 E Birch Ave #2
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004
www.hopsonbirch.beer
928-440-5380

Other breweries in town include Mother Road (an other Flagstaff icon), one I haven’t stopped by in town but that I have experienced elsewhere. Their flagship IPA is a bit hoppy for me, but that is more the style than the quality of the beer, which is excellent. Wanderlust is on the east side of town, as Rt 66 heads north to the 89 junction, wrapping around the San Francisco Peaks. In between is Flagstaff Brewing, right on Rte 66 about a block east of Peace Surplus downtown.

Wanderlust Brewing Company
1519 N Main St #102
Flagstaff, 86004
www.wanderlustbrewing.com
928-351-7952

Mother Road Brewing Company
7 S Mikes Pike St
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004
motherroadbeer.com
928-774-9139

Flagstaff Brewing Company
15 W Historic Rte 66
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004
flagbrew.com
928-773-1442

Groceries & Hiker Lodging

Lastly, of course grocery stores are crucial for any thruhiker or cyclist seeking the simpler resupply option. Fear not, Flagstaff has a ton of options to choose from.

If you are hiking the Arizona Trail and you take the eastern loop around town through Elden Mountain and Walnut Canyon, as I would encourage if for no other reason than to stop at Walnut Canyon National Monument, then the stores on the east side are going to be your go-to for supplies. There’s a Safeway just off the trail there, easy to access. You can also get a bus or Uber into downtown from the crossing of US-89 and the shopping complex. Not that anyone is particularly keen right now due to coronavirus, but there is also a cinema here if you really want that dose of civilization before plunging back into the wilderness.

On the west side of town, there’s a number of other stores, including another Safeway, Target, Wal Mart, Whole Foods, Basha’s (a local grocery chain), and Sprouts (a local organic grocery chain). Lots of places to choose from to fit your taste and palate, a rare opportunity to do so along the trail.

When you are all filled up for the night, the Grand Canyon International Hostel downtown is a well-known place to stay. Trail angels can also be contacted through the Arizona Trail Association website.

Sprouts Farmers Market
1560 S Riordan Rd
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-679-6000

Target
1650 S Milton Rd
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-774-3500

Safeway
4910 N US-89
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
928-526-6116

Flagstaff Goodwill
4308 E Rte 66
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
928-556-5101
goodwillaz.org

Basha’s
2700 S Woodlands Village Dr
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
bashas.com
928-774-3882

Safeway
1201 S Plaza Way
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-779-3401

Walmart
2750 S Woodlands Village Blvd
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-773-1117

Grand Canyon International Hostel
19S San Francisco Street
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
gandcanyonhostel.com
928-779-9421

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