The Phoenix Mountain Preserve is made up of two mountain ranges, the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and South Mountain Preserve, located in central Phoenix. The preserve serves as a municipal park, offering hiking, mountain biking, and horse trails various different access points. Hike the Phoenix Mountain Preserve!
For those new to the Valley, some will find the weather enjoyable for hiking year-round, while others prefer to leave summer hiking to the early mornings and, better still, the gorgeous season from October through April. There have been years I made it through the whole summer hiking but as time goes by I usually stop hiking in later July/August. But hey - it's a dry heat - there really are die hard hikers all year round!
Should you decide to go hiking in Phoenix, make sure to wear shoes with rubber treads, pack a water bottle with a strap, slather yourself in sunscreen, and wear a hat, sunglasses, and a sleeved shirt over a tank top. Take your time, too! There are trails to suit every hiking level, from beginners to advanced hikers.
Phoenix Mountain Preserver Parks are open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The major peaks of the Phoenix Mountain complex are:
- Moon Hill
- Lookout Mountain
- Shadow Mountain
- Shaw Butte (This is MY hill)
- North Mountain
- Echo Mountain
- Stoney Mountain
- Piestewa Peak (formerly Squaw Peak)
- Mummy Mountain
- Camelback Mountain
- Sunnyslope Mountain
The mountains contain the Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area which includes the Dreamy Draw Recreation Area, Lookout Mountain Preserve, North Mountain Preserve and Piestewa Mountain Park.
The Dreamy Draw Recreation Area is located in the pass between the Stoney/Echo mountain ridge and Piestewa Peak known as Dreamy Draw. The name originated from the neurological effects suffered by miners who worked the area's cinnebar (mercury sulfide) mine. There is a flood prevention dam in the Dream Draw area.
Phoenix Mountain Preserve Hikes
All throughout the Valley of the Sun, majestic mountains rise high into the sky from the neighborhoods of the city. These mountains are largely protected as preserves and parks. The Phoenix Mountain Preserve is an entire mountain range that is completely surrounded by city. Other parks such as South Mountain Park and Echo Canyon Park offer mountainous climbs with a close-up desert experience and city views.
Easy Hike:
Penny Howe Barrier Free Trail
Location: North Mountain Recreation Area
Length: 0.3 miles, one way
Trailhead: Seventh Street and Peoria Avenue
Mountain View Nature Trail
Location: North Mountain Recreation Area
Length: 1.2 miles, one way
Trailhead: Seventh Avenue north of Cheryl Drive (Mountain View Park)
Nature Trail
Location: Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area
Length: 1.52 miles, one way
Trailhead: Glendale Avenue & Piestewa Peak Drive
Lookout Mountain Circumference Trail
Location: Lookout Mountain Recreation Area
Length: 2.6 miles, one way
Trailhead: 18th Street north of Sharon Drive
Easy to Moderate Hike:
Quartz Ridge Trail #8
Location: Northeast of Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area
Length: 2.45 miles, one way
Trailhead: 40th Street south of Shea Boulevard
Charles M. Christiansen Memorial Trail
Location: Phoenix Mountain Preserve
Length: 10.7 miles, one way
Trailhead: Seventh Avenue north of Cheryl Drive (Mountain View Park), or Northern Avenue east of Piesewa Peak Parkway (Dreamy Draw Park)
Mohave Trail
Location: Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area
Length: 1.5 miles, one way
Trailhead: Glendale Avenue & Piestewa Peak Drive
Dreamy Draw Nature Trail
Location: Dreamy Draw Recreation Area
Length: 1.5 miles, one way
Trailhead: Northern Avenue east of Piestewa Peak Parkway
Easy to Strenuous Hike:
Quartz Ridge Trail #8A
Location: Phoenix Mountains Parks and Recreation Area
Length: 1.7 miles, one way
Trailhead: 32nd Street and Lincoln Drive
Moderate to Strenuous Hike:
Perl Charles Memorial Trail
Location: Northwest of Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area
Length: 4.8 miles, one way
Trailhead: Myrtle Avenue west of Piestewa Peak Parkway
North Mountain National Trail
Location: North Mountain Recreation Area
Length: 1.6 miles, one way
Summit Trail
Location: Piestewa Peak
Length: 1.2 miles, one way
Trailhead: Glendale Avenue & Piestewa Peak Drive (Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area)
Freedom Trail
Location: Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area
Length: 3.74 miles, one way
Trailhead: Glendale Avenue & Piestewa Peak Drive
Strenuous Hike:
Lookout Mountain Summit Trail
Location: Lookout Mountain Recreational Area
Length: 0.6 miles, one way
Trailhead: 16th Street south of Greenway Parkway
Hike the Phoenix Mountain Preserve!
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