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Hiking is a very useful activity in Arizona. Not only is it healthy, it is usually breathtaking as well.
Please check all the resources before you choose a hike. Some of these hikes have extreme elevation changes in a short distance. Know what you are getting into BEFORE you hit that trail! Be sure to check with your doctor before you begin any kind of extraordinary exercise program!
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| Things To Do:: Hiking | |||||||||||||||||
However, we also want you to have the resources available to find more of the many beautiful hikes that Arizona has to offer with information about topography. Many are day trips out of the Phoenix area, some are just a short distance practically in your neighborhood. Make sure you are prepared for a safe hike.
We have included many resources below that will help you find a safe and exciting hiking experience. |
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1. Take along plenty of water. The number one cause of the need for hiker rescue is dehydration! If you plan to do a lot of hiking - invest in a backpack that has a "camelback" type system to carry water. You can even just buy the bladder.hose and slip it into a regular backpack. 2. Invest in some good hiking shoes or ankle boots. You will be surprised at how many trails have lots of loose gravel and tennis type shoes just don't have enough traction to prevent you from slipping. 3. Invest in some athletic "ankle braces" - to carry along with you in your backpack just in case you turn an ankle. 4. Include a small first aid kit - band aids, antibiotic cream, motrin are all things to keep on hand. 5. Pocket knife - never know when you may need it! 6. Cell Phone - may not always work where you are, but take it just in case you need to call with an emergency. 7. Small plastic bags "baggies" to place any garbage or waste into for the journey. 8. Toilet Paper - remember not to leave any evidence behind that you have been there, see number 7. 9. Wear a hat - rain and shine. Both good reasons to have one with you preferably with a brim. 10. Sunscreen - even though many of the hikes are in the woods, there are still enough clearings that you will need this key ingredient. 11. Hand Held GPS - Great for finding the trailhead as well as finding the trail back if you get off the main trail. A GPS unit for your car is also a great tool to find the trailhead. Many of the hikes will give you gps coordinates to the trailhead. 12. Walking Sticks - A good walking stick is a handy tool to have. Using a pair can make hiking elevation changes easier. They are also great for maintaining balance when you have to climb a bit of rock. 13. Check weather reports for the area - especially if it is monsoon season. The last thing you want is to be caught on a trail in one of those storms. 14. NEVER hike alone - in fact always tell someone where you are going, and how long you think you will be. When you arrive back at your car, call/text that person and let them know you have returned safely. No one can come look for you if you run into trouble if they don't know you are there in the first place. 15. Common Sense - Stay on the trail | keep your eyes open | make plenty of noise as you progress down the path. Remember you are in the wild. You may see signs of mountain lions, bear, wolves, javelina, rattlesnakes, gila monster, black widow spiders, scorpions and more. In other words, just pay attention to your surroundings.
This magnificent hike is located in the Sedona area and ends with a view like no other! This hike should only take 1-2 hours, depending on how long you explore your final destinations. The total trail length is only 2 miles round trip. You will experience an elevation change of 362 feet - up. On your way up the trail, be sure to look for the "balancing rock" it is quite an amazing spectacle. At the end of the final destination - the bridge - there is a bit of a climb up some rock "stairs", but it is a heartily moderate climb. Coming down just sit on your "rump" and ease your way down the rock. Be aware that although the bridge itself is accessible to walk on, the forest service highly recommends that you don't! After you have experienced the bridge, be sure to take a little side trip on your way back to explore under the bridge. Just as beautiful - and absolutely amazing. Groom Creek Trail - Directions to Trailhead: From the intersection of US 89 and This is the first hike we did after the Devils Bridge hike. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We didn't get started until later in the day... We went during the week, so we pretty much had the trail to ourselves. Our goal was to make it to the Spruce Mountain Lookout, and not do the entire 9 mile loop. We figured based on the map that the trail to the tower was approximately. 7 miles round trip. We learned alot about elevation changes and topography maps from this hike. We took about 5 hours to complete this hike, mainly because we stopped to rest our legs. There are restrooms available at the lookout as well as a ranger tower that if Groom Creek Trail Loop boasts an elevation gain of 1350 ft. This hike is not for the faint hearted. This amount of elevation gain in this distance is substantial. It is an amazingly beautiful hike. This is a very quite spot where you hear the wind whispering in the pines and nothing else. We always take along a "blanket" (actually a "beach" blanket made from that almost paper like material) with us on all our hikes. It is light weight and takes up very little room when folded. You can almost always find a grassy / clear / flat spot to take a rest if need be and we found the blanket to be a lifesaver. It also makes a great place to eat a picnic lunch that we suggest you might want to take along. Hell's Canyon Trail - Directions to trailhead: From State Route74, turn north at the Lake Pleasant Regional Park turnoff and continue north on the Castle Hot Springs Road. Just past the first "cattle guard" on the left is the wash. Beyond the wash is the trailhead. You can park off Castle Hot Springs road and walk down to the trailhead. The trailhead and trail is well marked with cairns - even through the wash. When you reach the fence with an opening, continue on. This hike is a great training hike for future hikes with elevation changes. This hike goes up and down many hills to get your legs in practice. The final decent is down into the canyon. This canyon is basically a large wash that leads into Lake Pleasant from the Hieroglyphic Mountains. Beautiful desert landscape surrounds you as well as a magnificent view of Lake Pleasant once you reach the top of one of the peaks. This area is surrounded by private land, so be respectful of the trail markings. Horton Creek Trail - Directions to trailhead: From Payson drive East on SR 260 Cross the street from the parking area and walk up the road to the campground. At the top of the hill, you will find the sign starting the Horton Creek Trail. The trail drops quickly to the creek. Cross the creek and follow the very wide path along the West side of the creek. at about 1/4 mile you will come to a fence and a turnstile. Continue. at .75 miles, the trail forks. The left is the official trail. the right fork takes you along the creek. The trails rejoin about 1 mile from the trailhead. This is a beautiful hike. We took the right fork on the way up and the left back down. You will see waterfalls all along the creek. Great photo ops! Watch for the area across the creek from the main trail that someone has made armchairs and a loveseat, a fireplace and a teepee out of rocks and logs. It is really something to see! This trail ends officially at the Highline Trail #31. To reach the mountain spring that feeds this creek, continue east on the Highline Trail about 300 feet. This spring runs year round and the amount of water that pours out of the rock is amazing! Again, the National Forest Services provides great information about this and many other hikes in the Tonto National Forest in "Rim Country". Huckaby Trail - Access: From the trailhead at Schnebly Hill - At the junction of Routes 89A and 179, take 179 south .3 miles. Turn left on Schnebly Hill Road just across the Oak Creek Bridge and go .8 miles. Take the turnoff on the left signed for Margs and Huckaby trails. Trail directional signs begin by the kiosk. (GPS Schnebly Trailhead: N34° 51' 58.032", W-111° 44' 54.7794") From the trailhead at Midgely Bridge (Midgely GPS: N34° 53' 7.7634", W-111° 44' 29.616") - Take Hwy. 89A north from the Hwy 89A and Hwy 179 junction for 1.9 miles to north end of Midgely Bridge. Parking area on left (north west of the highway). The Trail begins beneath the bridge. This hike is 2.6 miles each way and will take you down into Oak Creek Canyon to Oak Creek. It is very pretty and pretty well traveled. There are a few places to cross the creek once you have made your way down. The temperature drops several degrees once you are at the creek. There are two trailheads from either direction. Lake Pleasant Pipeline Canyon Trail - Take 74 west to Castle Hot Springs Road north. At the The Pipeline Canyon Trail is the designated hiking trail at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. A floating bridge has been installed to connect the trail during high water levels. The trail is 2 miles one way, but we usually turn back at the bridge. This is an excellent hike in the spring when the wildflowers are blooming at their peak - usually sometime in March or April, depending on the weather. Lynx Lake - Access: Access is by paved road. From the city of Prescott, go east on The lake has a trail that takes you around the lake. It's a very pretty walk, much of it paved with benches and overlooks. This is an easy hike, but very beautiful. There are several trailheads to several hikes in the Lynx Lake area. Pivot Rock Springs Trail - From Payson, go N 32 miles on AZ 87 to mile marker 284.6. Turn left on FR 616 and drive 3.2 miles to Pivot Rock Canyon Campground. Turn into the campground and follow the narrow dirt road .3 miles until it dead ends. The trail begins here.
From the end of the dirt road, the trail follows above Pivot Rock Creek. After .25 miles, descend a rocky staircase to the water. Turn right and go approximately 20 yards to the junction with a small side canyon. The trail is hard to discern near the creek junction but as you head up the side canyon it becomes easier to follow. The canyon is lush and green. About .5 miles past the creek junction you will come across some aspen trees. The trail and the canyon continue until you reach Pivot Rock Spring. Return the way you came. Along the way, watch for the "faces" in the rocky canyon. There is also supposed to be ruins to a pioneer cabin, which we never found. This hike is 2 miles roundtrip. By the way, we give the monsoon warning because we were caught in one when we were at the end of the canyon at the spring. There was nowhere to take cover so we had to book all the way back to the car in a severe hailstorm / monsoon! This is also the trailhead for the Pivot Rock Canyon Trail and the Wildcat Springs trail. Watershed Trail - To access the trailhead from downtown Prescott, travel east on The trailhead leaves from the Senator Highway at 6,200 feet, climbing 300 feet over 0.6 mile on an open scrub oak covered hillside to Deer Lick Spring. The trail then climbs 0.6 miles through mixed Ponderosa pine and oak forest to junction with TR9854 (Seven Mile Gulch Trail).When all is said and done, you will end up at 6,900 feet. This is a beautiful hike with great views of the Prescott Valley. Again, Please be sure to avoid monsoon storms! West Fork Trail - From Sedona, drive north on SR 89A to just past mile marker 387 From the trailhead, follow the signs and rock hop across Oak Creek. This flat trail meanders through the lush vegetation of Oak Creek Canyon, which is shady and very pretty. The canyon becomes narrow at some points, and the walls of the canyon tower hundreds of feet above you. The trail is three miles long, with 11 creek crossings, but it is possible to go all the way up to FR 231 by wading and swimming This is a beautiful and peaceful hike. When we went in the fall, there wasn't so much water that you couldn't easily make the cross at the creek crossing without getting wet. It gets very cool in the shade of the canyon, so plan accordingly. Return the way you came. Waterfall Trail - Located at the Maricopa County White Tank Mountain Park, this There are many petroglyph rocks along the trail, and if you're lucky a knowledgeable volunteer will be there to talk about the rock art. |
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detail on the hikes we have been on. Keep checking back, because as we experience more hikes, we will add them here! 
Sedona on US 89A. Continue through Sedona to Dry Creek Road (FR152) at the west end of town. Turn right on Dry Creek Road and drive for two miles to where FR152 forks and take the right fork (leaving the paved road). This road is rough, but can be traveled by passenger vehicles, high-clearance vehicles recommended. It is not recommended during wet weather. About 1.3 miles up this road, turn right to Devil's Bridge Trailhead and parking lot. You will need a red rock pass for parking at most of the trailheads in Sedona. Note that the red rock pass is not recognized at the state park. 
SR 69 go south on Gurley Street to Mount Vernon Avenue. Turn left on Mount Vernon (which becomes Senator Highway) and follow the paved road 6.5 miles to the Groom Creek Horse Camp and 307 Trailhead. There is a fee to park at some of the trailheads; please contact the 
someone is there, you can go up and see an amazing view of the Verde Valley. You can even see the San Francisco peaks from here. 
for 16 miles. Just past Kohl's Ranch, turn left onto the road that is marked "Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery". 1 mile up this road, park in the trailhead parking on the west side. The trail begins across the road in the campground. 
Main Entrance, turn right. (
Highway 69 for 4.9 miles to the Walker Road (Forest Road 197). Follow this road for 3 miles to the campground entrance sign. Turn left onto this access road to the campground.
!WARNING! This hike is best done when there are no reports of possible monsoon activity in the area.!!!!! 
Gurley Street 0.3 miles to Mt. Vernon Ave. Turn south on Mt. Vernon for 4.1 miles as it becomes the Senator Highway. The TR299 (Watershed trail) trailhead is on the east side. 
and watch for the "Call of the Canyon Day Use Area" sign on the left side of the road. Note: There is a fee for parking - Red Rock Pass is required. 
through the pools in the upper canyon (roughly a 14 mile hike).
hike is both easy and wheelchair accessible (most of the way up). The park maintains this trail very well, and has replaced the boulders you used to have to climb to get to the waterfall with stairs.| Jay Otlewski, REALTOR® |
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| RE/MAX Integrity, Realtors |
| 623-271-4234 |
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