60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix: Including Scottsdale, Glendale, and Mesa - Softcover

Liu, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1634040740 ISBN 13: 9781634040747

Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press, 2018

Synopsis

It’s Time to Take a Hike in Beautiful Arizona!

The best way to experience Phoenix is by hiking it! Get outdoors with Arizona writer and hiking expert Charles Liu as he helps you find and enjoy the top hikes within 60 miles of the city. These selected trails transport you to scenic overlooks, wildlife hot spots, ancient ruins, and petroglyphs that renew your spirit and recharge your body.

Explore some of the country’s finest city-owned wilderness preserves: Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, South Mountain Park/Preserve, and Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Hike at 7,000 feet at Brown’s Peak, Mount Ord, and Mount Peeley. See Arizona’s only Wild River Area at the Mazatzal Wilderness in Tonto National Forest. With Charles Liu as your guide, you’ll learn about the area and experience nature through 60 of Phoenix’s best hikes!

Each hike description features key at-a-glance information on distance, difficulty, scenery, traffic, hiking time, and more, so you can quickly and easily learn about each trail. Detailed directions, GPS-based trail maps, and elevation profiles help to ensure that you know where you are and where you’re going. Tips on nearby activities further enhance your enjoyment of every outing.

Whether you’re a local looking for new places to explore or a visitor to the area, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix provides plenty of options for a couple hours or a full day of adventure, all within about an hour from Phoenix and the surrounding communities.

About this title

About the Author

CHARLES LIU immigrated to the United States from China in 1980 and settled in a suburb of Phoenix with his extended family. During his formative years at Arizona State University, Charles grew increasingly fond of the Grand Canyon State’s diverse outdoor offerings. Hiking quickly became his passion; in particular, he adopted a keen preference for challenging day hikes and alpine mountaineering. An avid outdoorsman and active member of several hiking clubs and creator of his own hiking group, Charles has led countless hikes over the years, including annual treks to the depths of the Grand Canyon and to the 12,633-foot summit of Humphreys Peak, Arizona’s highest point.

An engineer by trade, Charles spends much of his spare time hiking, photographing, and writing about trails in and around Phoenix. He can often be found racing up Camelback Mountain after work, relieving stress from a high-tech career, or traipsing through the Superstition Wilderness on weekends.

Aptly nicknamed “Mad Hiker,” Charles finds fulfillment in tough hiking challenges. He has recently conquered Mount Whitney in California, Mount Rainier in Washington, and all of Colorado’s 58 “fourteeners.” He has also climbed challenging peaks worldwide, including Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Elbrus. Charles’s extensive hiking experience, attention to detail, and passion for hiking make him an ideal trail guide for the 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles series.

To contact Charles with comments or suggestions, visit his website, madhiker.org/6060.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN OFFERS hikers a short but challenging climb to a panoramic view from its summit. The longer and easier Circumference Trail winds around Lookout Mountain’s base for a more leisurely hike.

DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 1.1-mile out-and-back; add 2.6 miles for optional Circumference Trail loop
DIFFICULTY: Moderate for main hike; easy for optional loop
SCENERY: Lookout Mountain, city panorama, desert views
EXPOSURE: completely exposed
TRAIL TRAFFIC: Light–moderate
TRAIL SURFACE: Crushed rock, gravel, scree
HIKING TIME: 1 hour for main hike; add 1.5 hours for optional loop
WATER REQUIREMENT: 1 quart for main hike; add 1 quart for optional loop
DRIVING DISTANCE: 18 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
ELEVATION GAIN: 1,580' at trailhead, 2,054' on summit of Lookout Mountain
ACCESS: Gates open 5 a.m.–7 p.m.; trails open until 11 p.m.; no permits or fees required
MAPS: USGS Sunnyslope; trailhead plaque
FACILITIES: Main trailhead: water only; alternate trailhead: restrooms, picnic area, tennis courts, and playground
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: None
CONTACT: 602-262-7901, phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/lookout-shadow-mountain
COMMENTS: Dogs permitted on leash except when temperature exceeds 100°F

DESCRIPTION

At 2,054 feet, Lookout Mountain’s summit ranks among the highest peaks in Phoenix and provides choice views of the city below. The crowds that swarm more-popular trails such as Piestewa Peak Summit Trail (Hike 11, page 68) largely stay away from this rocky outpost on Phoenix Mountains Preserve’s northern edge. Lookout Mountain Summit Trail 150 extends only 0.6 mile, but it presents a respectable 500-foot elevation gain along a rocky path to the top. Milder and longer, Circumference Trail 308 offers a gentler hike sans steep ascents. Both trails are short enough that you can easily hike both of them within a few hours.

The main trailhead for both Summit Trail and Circumference Trail is on 16th Street, south of Bell Road. Lookout Mountain Park, on the southeastern corner of the mountain, has an alternate trailhead and additional amenities, such as a larger parking lot, a restroom, and shaded picnic areas. A short connecting trail links the park with Circumference Trail, but access to Summit Trail from the park requires a hike to the main trailhead.

From the main trailhead, which is next to a large cylindrical water tank, begin by hiking southwest along an obvious trail covered in gravel and crushed rock. Open desert terrain characterizes the foothills here. Only occasional creosote bushes and palo verde trees break the wide expanses. Cacti seem conspicuously absent from the landscape. Many smaller use trails branch out from the main trail, making navigation a hassle; the main trail is fairly easy to follow, however, if you stay left at the first few forks. Brown, rectangular posts mark the correct route. At 0.1 mile, Summit Trail breaks from Circumference Trail and heads uphill at the end of a wide turn.

Gentle turns give way to switchbacks beginning at 0.2 mile from the trailhead. Loose rocks challenge your footing, while steeper slopes demand more effort from your legs. There are some confusing forks along the ascent, but in general, you want to stay with the switchbacks and avoid any spur trails that go straight. Nearly halfway up the mountain, Summit Trail straightens and gets considerably steeper as it heads for a saddle between the main summit and a smaller summit to the west. Climb the scree-covered trail to a prominent saddle point at 0.4 mile from the trailhead. This saddle, at 1,875 feet, already commands a fine view. From here, finish your climb by turning left to ascend the southern side of Lookout Mountain. There are some loose and rocky steps here, and you might have to duck under a palo verde tree. Once on the summit ridge, the going gets considerably easier, and you can make a beeline for the peak.

As one might expect, Lookout Mountain’s flat summit overlooks the vast city surrounding the mountain preserve. To the south, major peaks within Phoenix Mountains Preserve, such as Piestewa Peak, North Mountain, and Shaw Butte, frame the distant downtown buildings. Behind them lie the long ridges of South Mountain and the jagged Sierra Estrella peaks. This panoramic view encompasses nearly all of the major mountain ranges that surround metropolitan Phoenix, so take your time to soak it all in. Return via the same route to the Summit Trail and Circumference Trail junction.

If you have time, consider tacking on the 2.6-mile Circumference Trail 308, which encircles Lookout Mountain and a smaller peak to its west. From the aforementioned trail junction, turn west onto Circumference Trail and descend a gentle slope toward a deep but dry wash. The trail crosses the wash and veers left uphill. At a marked trail fork 0.3 mile from where you left Summit Trail, break right and hike west toward a saddle point. Cross this saddle and then turn left at a fork about 30 yards downhill.

The trail parallels the preserve’s western boundary and skirts the backyard fences of some homes. Near the mountain’s southwestern edge, make a moderate climb east on loose rock. Roughly 1.4 miles from where you left Summit Trail, you’ll reach a boulder-strewn, 1,670-foot-high saddle point between Lookout Mountain and its western sibling; here, turn southeast and skirt the southern side of Lookout Mountain. Many use trails crisscross this area, so look for the brown posts to stay on Circumference Trail.

At 1.9 miles from where you left Summit Trail, a wide path leads toward Lookout Mountain Park and the alternate trailhead. Follow this path southeast, toward the park, but turn left to leave the access trail. Another left turn takes you close to some backyards. Now hiking between Lookout Mountain and backyard fences, continue north along Trail 308. The trail eventually curves around the eastern flank of the mountain to take you back to the water tank and the main trailhead in 2.6 miles.

NEARBY ACTIVITIES

Phoenix Mountains Preserve contains many popular trails, including Piestewa Peak (see Hikes 10 and 11, pages 64 and 68), Shaw Butte (see Hike 13, page 77), and North Mountain (see Hike 8, page 56). Shadow Mountain, on the eastern side of Cave Creek Road and Sharon Drive, has a few short trails. On Central Avenue and the Arizona Canal, Murphy’s Bridle Path offers a pleasantly shaded urban walk.

GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES
N33° 37.623' W112° 02.897' (Main Trailhead)
N33° 37.112' W112° 02.578' (Lookout Mountain Park)

DIRECTIONS Main Trailhead: Take AZ 51 to Bell Road. Exit onto Bell Road and drive west 2.6 miles to 16th Street. Turn south (left) onto 16th Street and follow it 0.9 mile to a small parking lot next to the water tank.

Lookout Mountain Park: Take AZ 51 to Cactus Road. Exit onto Cactus Road, and drive west 1.6 miles to Cave Creek Road. Follow Cave Creek Road north (right) 1 mile to Sharon Drive. Turn west (left) onto Sharon Drive, and continue 0.5 mile. Then turn north (right) onto 18th Street, and proceed 0.5 mile to Lookout Mountain Park.

About this edition

• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1634040740
• ISBN 13: 9781634040747
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 336