These 9 Arizona Hiking Trails Lead To Some Incredible Pieces Of History

You don’t need to go to a museum to find pieces of Arizona history. If you’re enjoying the lovely weather this time of year, then try going on a hike through Arizona’s vast landscape where you can encounter bits of history: ruins, petroglyphs, and long-abandoned cabins. Let’s check out a few!

Johnida Dockens/Flickr

Located in the Superstition Mountains, this relatively easy hike will lead you into beautiful desert scenery and right up to some incredibly old petroglyphs. You’ll also see incredible views of the city to the west, meaning this makes for a fun trip to take out-of-towners on.

Miles: 3 miles round trip
Hiking details: Hike Arizona

Alan English CPA/Flickr

Cabins from Arizona’s territorial days are still standing in some parts of Arizona, including the old homestead found on this Mogollon Rim Trail. The hike to Aspen Spring will take you to Pinchot Cabin, an old fire guard station and you’ll even see a stray fireplace sitting alone on the trail .

Miles: 3.5 miles one-way
Hiking details: Hike Arizona

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Kaibab National Forest/Flickr

Sitting just north of the highway between Flagstaff and Williams, this hidden spot is beautiful and is the perfect spot to see old petroglyphs and wildlife. Ytryingou’ll enjoy to figure out the stories these are attempting to tell.

Miles: 1.75 miles one-way
Hiking details: U.S. Forest Service

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Flickr

This trail in Prescott follows a former railroad line built in 1893 and hauled tons of copper ore. You’ll find some evidence of the old railroad with old signs, small train cars sitting on the trail, all within view of the lovely Granite Dells.

Miles: 6 miles
Hiking details: City of Prescott

Alan Levine/Flickr

Another interesting railroad hike, this one takes you to an unfinished railroad tunnel that has essentially become an elaborate cave. It was supposed to run through the Mogollon Rim but the company excavating the tunnel ran out of funds and the plan was eventually abandoned.

Miles: 1 mile round trip
Hiking details: Hike Arizona

bdinphoenix/Flickr

If you ever wondered what the interior of a volcano was like, you will enjoy checking out this place! The history here occurred about 740,000 years ago when the volcano erupted and blew out a portion of its side.

Miles: 1.5 miles
Hiking details: U.S. Forest Service

Woody Hibbard/Flickr

This trail runs for miles and miles in southern Arizona but we recommend starting in Charleston to see what remains of some old mining ghost towns. The hike this time of year is also a lovely trek through Charleston and Millville, so take your time enjoying the sights!

Hiking details: Hike Arizona

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Michael & Sherry Martin/Flickr

One of Arizona’s loveliest hikes, this popular trek shows off what remains of the old Mayhew Lodge, a popular vacation destination for celebrities until 1968. It was later damaged from a fire but you can still find the lovely stone walls, fireplace, and spaces where windows and doors once stood.

Miles: 3.2 miles
Hiking details: U.S. Forest Service

Rich Luhr/Flickr

Located in Canyon de Chelly, this is the only public hiking trail at the park. It will lead you from the canyon’s rim, down to the floor, and up to the centuries-old White House Ruin. This cliff dwelling is an intriguing find and dates to roughly 1070 AD.

Miles: 2.5 miles round trip
Hiking details: Hike Arizona

Want to check out more incredible hikes around the state? You will enjoy reading about some of our favorite day hikes in These 10 Day Hikes Will Show You The Very Best Of Arizona.