60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix: Including Scottsdale, Glendale, and Mesa
288
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix: Including Scottsdale, Glendale, and Mesa
288eBook
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Overview
It’s Time to Take a Hike in Beautiful Arizona!
The best way to experience Phoenix is by hiking it! Get outdoors with Arizona writer and hiking expert Charles Liu as he helps you find and enjoy the top hikes within 60 miles of the city. These selected trails transport you to scenic overlooks, wildlife hot spots, ancient ruins, and petroglyphs that renew your spirit and recharge your body.
Explore some of the country’s finest city-owned wilderness preserves: Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, South Mountain Park/Preserve, and Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Hike at 7,000 feet at Brown’s Peak, Mount Ord, and Mount Peeley. See Arizona’s only Wild River Area at the Mazatzal Wilderness in Tonto National Forest. With Charles Liu as your guide, you’ll learn about the area and experience nature through 60 of Phoenix’s best hikes!
Each hike description features key at-a-glance information on distance, difficulty, scenery, traffic, hiking time, and more, so you can quickly and easily learn about each trail. Detailed directions, GPS-based trail maps, and elevation profiles help to ensure that you know where you are and where you’re going. Tips on nearby activities further enhance your enjoyment of every outing.
Whether you’re a local looking for new places to explore or a visitor to the area, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix provides plenty of options for a couple hours or a full day of adventure, all within about an hour from Phoenix and the surrounding communities.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781634040754 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Menasha Ridge Press |
| Publication date: | 04/13/2018 |
| Series: | 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 288 |
| File size: | 36 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN OFFERS hikers a short but challenging climb to a panoramic view from its summit. The longer and easier Circumference Trail winds around Lookout Mountain’s base for a more leisurely hike.
DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 1.1-mile out-and-back; add 2.6 miles for optional Circumference Trail loop
DIFFICULTY: Moderate for main hike; easy for optional loop
SCENERY: Lookout Mountain, city panorama, desert views
EXPOSURE: completely exposed
TRAIL TRAFFIC: Light–moderate
TRAIL SURFACE: Crushed rock, gravel, scree
HIKING TIME: 1 hour for main hike; add 1.5 hours for optional loop
WATER REQUIREMENT: 1 quart for main hike; add 1 quart for optional loop
DRIVING DISTANCE: 18 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
ELEVATION GAIN: 1,580' at trailhead, 2,054' on summit of Lookout Mountain
ACCESS: Gates open 5 a.m.–7 p.m.; trails open until 11 p.m.; no permits or fees required
MAPS: USGS Sunnyslope; trailhead plaque
FACILITIES: Main trailhead: water only; alternate trailhead: restrooms, picnic area, tennis courts, and playground
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: None
CONTACT: 602-262-7901, phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/lookout-shadow-mountain
COMMENTS: Dogs permitted on leash except when temperature exceeds 100°F
DESCRIPTION
At 2,054 feet, Lookout Mountain’s summit ranks among the highest peaks in Phoenix and provides choice views of the city below. The crowds that swarm more-popular trails such as Piestewa Peak Summit Trail (Hike 11, page 68) largely stay away from this rocky outpost on Phoenix Mountains Preserve’s northern edge. Lookout Mountain Summit Trail 150 extends only 0.6 mile, but it presents a respectable 500-foot elevation gain along a rocky path to the top. Milder and longer, Circumference Trail 308 offers a gentler hike sans steep ascents. Both trails are short enough that you can easily hike both of them within a few hours.
The main trailhead for both Summit Trail and Circumference Trail is on 16th Street, south of Bell Road. Lookout Mountain Park, on the southeastern corner of the mountain, has an alternate trailhead and additional amenities, such as a larger parking lot, a restroom, and shaded picnic areas. A short connecting trail links the park with Circumference Trail, but access to Summit Trail from the park requires a hike to the main trailhead.
From the main trailhead, which is next to a large cylindrical water tank, begin by hiking southwest along an obvious trail covered in gravel and crushed rock. Open desert terrain characterizes the foothills here. Only occasional creosote bushes and palo verde trees break the wide expanses. Cacti seem conspicuously absent from the landscape. Many smaller use trails branch out from the main trail, making navigation a hassle; the main trail is fairly easy to follow, however, if you stay left at the first few forks. Brown, rectangular posts mark the correct route. At 0.1 mile, Summit Trail breaks from Circumference Trail and heads uphill at the end of a wide turn.
Gentle turns give way to switchbacks beginning at 0.2 mile from the trailhead. Loose rocks challenge your footing, while steeper slopes demand more effort from your legs. There are some confusing forks along the ascent, but in general, you want to stay with the switchbacks and avoid any spur trails that go straight. Nearly halfway up the mountain, Summit Trail straightens and gets considerably steeper as it heads for a saddle between the main summit and a smaller summit to the west. Climb the scree-covered trail to a prominent saddle point at 0.4 mile from the trailhead. This saddle, at 1,875 feet, already commands a fine view. From here, finish your climb by turning left to ascend the southern side of Lookout Mountain. There are some loose and rocky steps here, and you might have to duck under a palo verde tree. Once on the summit ridge, the going gets considerably easier, and you can make a beeline for the peak.
As one might expect, Lookout Mountain’s flat summit overlooks the vast city surrounding the mountain preserve. To the south, major peaks within Phoenix Mountains Preserve, such as Piestewa Peak, North Mountain, and Shaw Butte, frame the distant downtown buildings. Behind them lie the long ridges of South Mountain and the jagged Sierra Estrella peaks. This panoramic view encompasses nearly all of the major mountain ranges that surround metropolitan Phoenix, so take your time to soak it all in. Return via the same route to the Summit Trail and Circumference Trail junction.
If you have time, consider tacking on the 2.6-mile Circumference Trail 308, which encircles Lookout Mountain and a smaller peak to its west. From the aforementioned trail junction, turn west onto Circumference Trail and descend a gentle slope toward a deep but dry wash. The trail crosses the wash and veers left uphill. At a marked trail fork 0.3 mile from where you left Summit Trail, break right and hike west toward a saddle point. Cross this saddle and then turn left at a fork about 30 yards downhill.
The trail parallels the preserve’s western boundary and skirts the backyard fences of some homes. Near the mountain’s southwestern edge, make a moderate climb east on loose rock. Roughly 1.4 miles from where you left Summit Trail, you’ll reach a boulder-strewn, 1,670-foot-high saddle point between Lookout Mountain and its western sibling; here, turn southeast and skirt the southern side of Lookout Mountain. Many use trails crisscross this area, so look for the brown posts to stay on Circumference Trail.
At 1.9 miles from where you left Summit Trail, a wide path leads toward Lookout Mountain Park and the alternate trailhead. Follow this path southeast, toward the park, but turn left to leave the access trail. Another left turn takes you close to some backyards. Now hiking between Lookout Mountain and backyard fences, continue north along Trail 308. The trail eventually curves around the eastern flank of the mountain to take you back to the water tank and the main trailhead in 2.6 miles.
NEARBY ACTIVITIES
Phoenix Mountains Preserve contains many popular trails, including Piestewa Peak (see Hikes 10 and 11, pages 64 and 68), Shaw Butte (see Hike 13, page 77), and North Mountain (see Hike 8, page 56). Shadow Mountain, on the eastern side of Cave Creek Road and Sharon Drive, has a few short trails. On Central Avenue and the Arizona Canal, Murphy’s Bridle Path offers a pleasantly shaded urban walk.
GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES
N33° 37.623' W112° 02.897' (Main Trailhead)
N33° 37.112' W112° 02.578' (Lookout Mountain Park)
DIRECTIONS Main Trailhead: Take AZ 51 to Bell Road. Exit onto Bell Road and drive west 2.6 miles to 16th Street. Turn south (left) onto 16th Street and follow it 0.9 mile to a small parking lot next to the water tank.
Lookout Mountain Park: Take AZ 51 to Cactus Road. Exit onto Cactus Road, and drive west 1.6 miles to Cave Creek Road. Follow Cave Creek Road north (right) 1 mile to Sharon Drive. Turn west (left) onto Sharon Drive, and continue 0.5 mile. Then turn north (right) onto 18th Street, and proceed 0.5 mile to Lookout Mountain Park.
Table of Contents
Overview Map
Map Legend viii
Acknowledgments ix
Foreword x
Preface xi
60 Hikes by Category xiv-xv
Introduction 1
City of Phoenix 23
1 Apache Vista and Ridgeback Overlook 24
2 Camelback Mountain: Cholla Trail 29
3 Camelback Mountain: Echo Canyon Trail 34
4 Dixie Mountain Loop 39
5 Hidden Valley Trail via Mormon Trail 43
6 Holbery Trail and Dobbins Lookout 47
7 Lookout Mountain 52
8 North Mountain National Trail 56
9 Papago Park 60
10 Piestewa Peak: Freedom Trail 64
11 Piestewa Peak: Summit Trail 68
12 Quartz Ridge Trail 72
13 Shaw Butte Trail 77
14 South Mountain: National Trail 82
Phoenix Suburbs: (Ahwatukee, Cave Creek, Glendale, Mesa, Scottsdale) 89
15 Bell Pass and Windgate Pass Loop 90
16 Black Mountain 96
17 Brown's Mountain Loop 100
18 McDowell Mountain Regional Park: Scenic Trail 104
19 Pass Mountain Trail 108
20 Pinnacle Peak Trail 112
21 Sunrise Trail 116
22 Telegraph Pass Trail and Kiwanis Trail 121
23 Thompson Peak via Dixie Mine Trail 126
24 Thunderbird Park: Cholla Loop 130
25 Tom's Thumb 134
26 Wind Cave Trail 139
East (Including Superstition Wilderness) 145
27 Black Mesa Loop 146
28 Boulder Canyon Trail to LaBarge Box and Battleship Mountain 151
29 Boyce Thompson Arboretum: Main Trail 157
30 Circlestone from Reavis Ranch 161
31 Fish Creek 165
32 Hieroglyphic Trail 169
33 Lost Goldmine Trail 174
34 Peralta Trail 179
35 Picketpost Mountain 183
36 Reavis Falls 188
37 Reavis Ranch via Rogers Trough Trailhead 192
38 Rogers Canyon Trail 196
39 Siphon Draw Trail 201
40 Superstition Ridgeline 206
41 Wave Cave 211
Northeast (Including Cave Creek and Mazatzal Mountains) 217
42 Barnhardy Trail 218
43 Butcher Jones Trail 223
44 Cave Creek Trail and Skunk Tank Trail 227
45 Elephant Mountain Trail 232
46 Four Peaks: Brown's Peak 237
47 Go John Trail 241
48 Mount Ord 246
49 Mount Peeley 251
50 Palo Verde Trail 255
51 Pine Creek Loop and Ballantine Trail 259
52 Tonto National Monument: Upper Cliff Dwelling 264
53 Vineyard Trail 268
West and South: (Including White Tank and Sierra Estrella Mountains) 275
54 Ford Canyon Trail and Mesquite Canyon Trail 276
55 Goat Camp Trail and Willow Canyon Trail 280
56 Picacho Peak: Hunter Trail 285
57 Quartz Peak Trail 289
58 Ranibow Valley Trail and Butterfield Trail 294
59 Table Top Trail 298
60 Vulture Peak Trail 302
Appendix A Hiking Stores 307
Appendix B Sources for Trail Maps 309
Appendix C Hiking Clubs and Organizations 310
Glossary 311
Index 313
About the Author 320