Let's Go For A Spring Hike At The Phoenix Mountain Preserve In Arizona
By Melissa Mahoney|Published April 29, 2024
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
Spring has sprung in the desert! When the wildflowers are in bloom, I feel the need to venture out and take a hike in my favorite spot in Phoenix — the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. At 37,000 acres and home to epic peaks like Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak, outdoor adventure is seemingly endless here. And the desert truly comes alive with the beautiful pops of colorful flowers across the landscape. I recently took a spring hike through a portion of the preserve that happens to be in my old neighborhood, and I will share my short but sweet hiking adventure with you today.
Within the vast landscape of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve lies the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, Papago Park, Lookout Mountain, and North Mountain
While I have climbed both Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak, I feel like there is so much more to explore here. There are dozens of trails and smaller peaks that aren’t as strenuous as the park’s most well-known mountains.
I am also someone who enjoys a leisurely hike as opposed to chasing the feeling of accomplishment one gets when making it to a mountain summit.
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Before the hike, let’s talk about the parking first. I tend to park in the 40th Street parking lot just south of Shea. This preserve parking lot is in my old neighborhood and, therefore, I am most familiar with it.
There are plenty of spaces in this parking lot but on weekends and holidays it can be packed and hikers will park along 40th Street. I was lucky enough to find a parking spot mid-morning on a Saturday.
While many hikers tend to take the moderately challenging Two Bit Peak Trail, a 2.6-mile out-and-back trek, I prefer a series of trails that head into the preserve and circle back to the parking lot. It’s approximately 3.8 miles long and relatively easy, and the trailhead is found towards the west end of the lot.
Now, one thing about this part of the preserve is that the trails aren't well-marked. While I am familiar with the trails here, I would highly suggest you download AllTrails+ to help plan your route, especially if it's your first time hiking here.
On this beautiful spring hike under bluebird skies and a temperature in the mid-70s, I took it all in. It had been a while since I had hiked here and I was so happy to be back. I started out on the L.V. Yates Trail Loop before taking a portion of Trail 100, a popular mountain biking trail.
The trails are rocky here, so a good pair of hiking boots or shoes in essential! Pictured here is one of my favorite parts of the hike -- a ledge around part of a small peak. The views from here are outstanding!
The trail eventually gave way to more vegetation including a grove of cholla cactus. I was even able to spot some purple lupine as well as numerous yellow blooms and orange-red flowers of the Ocotillo.
As I continued on, the trail looped around a small rocky peak and towards the edge of the preserve near a neighborhood. From here on out, it was relatively flat yet still rocky.
While there were plenty of cars in the parking lot, I didn't encounter too many hikers. There were a few who had dogs with them (yes, this is a pet-friendly place to hike) as well as several mountain bikers enjoying the gorgeous Phoenix morning,
Towards the very end of the hike, the trail led me through Tatum Wash and I was able to admire the yellow wildflowers between there and the parking lot.
Have you ever hiked through the Phoenix Mountain Preserve? Which trails have you trekked and what peaks have you climbed? Let us know in the comments. For more information on the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, head to the Visit Phoenix website. To view trails within the preserve, visit AllTrails and download the AllTrails+ app to guide you on the trails.
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