This popular urban hike reveals the rugged beauty of the Sonoran Desert.
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In the heart of the Phoenix metro area, Phoenix Mountains Preserve invites hikers and mountain bikers to set off on rugged, challenging trails. Steep slopes and loose-rock trails require visitors to keep their eyes on the ground here, no easy task when passing by giant saguaros and impossibly balanced rock formations. The challenge is clear from the parking lots at the bottom of Piestewa Peak. Hikers survey the climb ahead and make a decision — go up or go around?
Reach the Summit
Most hikers commit to the climb, the Valley floor’s toughest out-and-back hike rivaled only by Camelback Mountain. Piestewa’s Summit Trail is short at just over 1 mile to the top, but the trail has more than 1,200 feet of elevation gain. Hikers head single file up the Summit Trail on a relentless hike that goes straight up. Natural rock stairsteps, multiple switchbacks and railings in the most precarious spots help the cause. Precise footing and stamina get hikers to the top, where 360-degree views of the metro area and surrounding mountain ranges reward the effort.
Explore the Sonoran Desert
Other trails at Piestewa Peak offer a flatter and less strenuous experience, but not by much. While rated moderate, the Freedom Trail is no slouch. It winds 4 miles around the base of the peak and features the same loose shale on the trail and includes steep ups and downs that hug the side of the mountain. Other trails meander through the surrounding desert washes and attract trail runners and hikers seeking solitude, but the trails at Piestewa Peak are too rough for mountain bikers. For fast and flowy rides through the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, head north of Piestewa Peak to the Dreamy Draw Recreation Area or south to the Quartz Ridge Trail to find hard-packed rocky singletrack.
Phoenix Mountains Preserve
Other summit hikes smack-dab in the middle of the metro offer the same amazing views but without the crowds. Lookout Mountain and North Mountain have less elevation gain than Piestewa and reward hikers with a great workout and spectacular valley views. Shadow Mountain is a longer hike that features gentle switchbacks to reach the summit. The Dreamy Draw Recreation Area brings even more picturesque hikes into the mix. For a complete Phoenix Mountains Preserve experience, Trail 100 stretches 11 miles from the northern fringe of the preserve into the city center. Mountain bikers pick up speed on the flatter sections of bumpy singletrack and navigate many technical, rocky climbs. Hikers enjoy the vast expanses of desert landscapes along trails that skirt the preserve’s urban summit hikes.
