Green - Best easy day hikes, Phoenix

Best Easy Day Hikes

Phoenix

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Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, facilities come under new management, and so forth.

We welcome your comments concerning your experiences with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, well take them to heart and well also make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the following address:

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Thanks for your input, and happy trails!

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Copyright 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield

Maps Rowman & Littlefield

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN 978-0-7627-9889-6 (paperback)

eISBN 978-1-4930-1432-3 (e-book)

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The author and Rowman & Littlefield assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Dedicated to the memory of my nephew, Blake Harrison Green (19892014). Beloved son, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend. We love you, Blake. See you on the other side of the mountain.

Contents

The Hikes

Acknowledgments

I always enjoy hiking and climbing around the Phoenix area, climbing volcanic and granite cliffs, hiking desert trails, and ascending to the arid summits of rocky peaks. Many thanks to those who hiked trails with me, met and talked along the trail, provided info and guidance, and rangers and employees of the various city and county parks who gave suggestions, reviewed chapters, and made corrections, including Patricia Armstrong, Michelle Aubert, Brian Shelton, Ian Green, Brett Green, Rand Hubbell, Jewels Johnson, Marty Karabin, John Loleit, Martha Morris, Albert Newman, Nancy Spencer Rosenburg, and Jim Waugh. Also thanks to my editors Katie Benoit and Ellen Urban with Falcon Guides/Globe Pequot for this comprehensive new third edition.

Introduction

The Phoenix metropolitan area, sprawling across the Valley of the Sun, is one of Arizonas most popular visitor destinations. The city and its suburbs, including Scottsdale, Tempe, and Glendale, offer superb hiking trails on the areas many mountains and mountain ranges. Best Easy Day Hikes Phoenix describes thirty-three of the best and most accessible trails for the casual hiker.

If you are on a tight schedule or want to do a short, excellent hike in a scenic area, this book allows you to quickly select a hike suited to your abilities and time constraints. Most of the hikes are between 1 and 3 miles long, round-trip. Also included are easy walks for families and barrier-free trails that are wheelchair accessible. All the trailheads are easily accessible by car and have parking lots.

The hikes are also rated by difficulty from easiest to most challenging. Check the listing to help you decide which hike is best for you and your party.

Weather

All the described hikes in the Phoenix area lie in the Sonoran Desert. The best months for hiking are October through April. Daily high temperatures can be extreme, particularly in summer when temperatures can reach 120 degrees F. The sun can be hot even in the cooler months and shade is seldom found. Always carry adequate water to avoid dehydration and heat exhaustion. A quart per person for a 3-mile hike is not too much; more is better. Its also important to wear a hat to shade your face. Use sunscreen. Good hiking boots protect your feet from rough rock and cactus spines. Although its unlikely you will see a rattlesnake, keep alert for snakes on the trail or under nearby rocks.

The trails and access points are all on public land administered by the Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department, Arizona State Parks, Tonto National Forest, and other agencies. More information on these and other area trails is available from these agencies.

Types of Hikes

Loop: A loop hike starts and ends at the same trailhead via different routes, although part of the hike may retrace the same route for a short distance.

Out and back: An out-and-back hike reaches a specific destination and returns via the same route. Distances given in the text are specified as one way (just the out portion) or round-trip (out and back).

Trail Maps

Detailed maps of all the different hiking trails are included in this book. If you need more maps, many others are available for hikers. USGS topographic maps for each hike are listed, although they are out of date since many of the trails and the surrounding suburban areas and roads have changed and grown since they were first published. A color map of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve trails is available from the Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department. Hiking trail maps are available at visitor contact stations in the Maricopa County and Arizona state parklands. Maps are also available on the Internet at the various public agencies that administer the parks. Check the appendix for websites, mailing addresses, and phone numbers for the appropriate agencies.

Zero Impact

Phoenix and the surrounding mountain ranges lie in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem, an area characterized by extreme temperatures and giant cacti. Desert ecosystems and environments are extremely fragile and sensitive to human use. The marks of man linger for a long time on this arid landscape. Irrigation canals built by the ancient Hohokam Indians over a thousand years ago can still be seen. More recent scars include old mines, social trails, and damage from off-road vehicles and motorcycles.

Every desert hiker should adopt a zero impact ethic to minimize his impact on this beautiful land. The trails in the Phoenix area are heavily used and sometimes abused. As trail users and advocates, we need to pay attention to the impact that our hiking has on the landscape. If we all obey some common sense rules for desert hiking, we can ensure that these fabulous trails will remain as a wild enclave from the encroaching city.