Best Desert Hikes Near Phoenix for Scenery and Challenge

Camelback gets the attention, but it’s the wrong first Phoenix hike for most people. The South Mountain National Trail gets you the same desert scenery with half the crowds and none of the permit headache. Start there, build up to Camelback when you’re ready.

The Phoenix metro has over 300 miles of maintained trails inside the city limits. That number sounds impressive until you realize most visitors funnel to two trailheads. The six trails below cover the actual range of what Phoenix hiking offers, from a flat morning loop in Scottsdale to a technical ridge that’ll humble fit hikers.

Phoenix sits at 1,085 feet elevation. Tucson is at 2,389 feet. That 1,300-foot difference matters in summer, Phoenix is meaningfully hotter, the low overnight temps don’t provide recovery, and the hiking window from April through October collapses to a narrow early-morning slot. October through March is when Phoenix hiking is genuinely pleasant and worth planning around.

1. South Mountain Park, National and Geronimo Trails

Distance: 3, 14 miles (section hikes, your choice) Elevation gain: 200, 1,200 ft depending on route Parking: Multiple free lots along Central Avenue and Desert Foothills Parkway Best season: October through April Dogs: Yes, on leash Permit: None

South Mountain Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, 16,000 acres inside the Phoenix city limits, with 51 miles of trails. It costs nothing to enter. There’s no permit system. You can park at five different access points along the park perimeter.

The National Trail runs the full east-west length of the park at roughly 14 miles. Most people hike sections. The Geronimo Trail and Estrella Trail on the north side are the best 3-5 mile moderate day hike options. Both climb the north escarpment of the South Mountain range and give views across the entire Phoenix metro from Scottsdale to Goodyear.

The Geronimo Trail gains about 700 feet in 2.5 miles to a ridge junction. The views from the ridge look north across the Valley with downtown Phoenix clearly visible. It’s the same type of view you get from Camelback but without the scrambling or the permit requirements.

South Mountain is where Phoenix residents actually hike. The crowds at Camelback are dominated by tourists and visitors. On a Tuesday morning in February, the Geronimo Trail has a fraction of the traffic of Echo Canyon. That’s the better experience.

2. Camelback Mountain, Echo Canyon Trail

Distance: 2.4 miles round trip Elevation gain: 1,280 ft Parking: Echo Canyon Recreation Area lot (reservation required April-November) Best season: October through March Dogs: No Permit: Free timed-entry parking reservation (recreation.gov, April-November)

Echo Canyon is the most climbed trail in Arizona. It’s also among the most misrepresented. At 2.4 miles, people assume it’s manageable. At 1,280 feet of gain, it’s among the steepest trails in the Phoenix metro. There are three sections with fixed handrails bolted into the rock. The final 0.3 miles require true scrambling on exposed granite with significant drop exposure.

The summit views are the best in the Valley. At 2,704 feet, you look out across the entire Phoenix metro in every direction. The McCarran Airport runways are visible to the southwest. The Superstition Mountains loom to the east. On clear winter mornings, the view extends to the Mazatzal Range 60 miles north.

None of that changes the fact that this is a serious hike. Phoenix Fire Department does technical rescues on Echo Canyon multiple times per month in winter, and multiple times per week in summer. The issue isn’t usually fitness, it’s footwear (sneakers on wet rock), hydration, and starting too late.

Practical notes: The Echo Canyon parking lot holds about 100 cars and fills by 7am on winter weekends. Check recreation.gov for reservation availability before planning your trip. The city posts current permit requirements at phoenix.gov/parks. Parking on the street on Cholla Lane is limited and strictly enforced.

3. Camelback Mountain, Cholla Trail

Distance: 3.0 miles round trip Elevation gain: 1,264 ft Parking: Cholla trailhead lot on Cholla Lane Best season: October through March Dogs: No Permit: Free timed-entry parking reservation (recreation.gov, April-November)

Cholla is the better trail for sunrise photography and for people who want a slightly different ascent line. It approaches Camelback from the east rather than the west, with a gentler grade for the first 1.2 miles. The final 0.3 miles merge with the Echo Canyon route, same technical scrambling, same handrails, same summit.

Cholla sees about 40% of Echo Canyon’s traffic despite reaching the same summit. That gap is mostly because people don’t know it exists. The Cholla parking lot is smaller (about 40 spots) and has the same permit requirements, but it tends to fill 30 minutes after Echo Canyon, giving you a slightly wider window for walk-up spots.

Sunrise from the Cholla approach is exceptional from November through February when the sun rises behind the Superstition Mountains to the east. The trail faces directly into the rising light for the first mile of the ascent.

4. McDowell Sonoran Preserve, Sunrise Trail Loop

Distance: 6.2 miles Elevation gain: 500 ft Parking: Gateway Trailhead on Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale (free) Best season: October through April Dogs: Yes, on leash Permit: None

This is the best moderate hike in the Phoenix metro that most people from out of state don’t know about. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve covers 30,000 acres of Scottsdale desert with 225 miles of trail. The Gateway area and Sunrise Trail are the most accessible entry point.

The trail has the highest saguaro density of any Phoenix-area public trail. The 6.2-mile loop stays below 2,000 feet elevation, gains only 500 feet total, and passes through open desert with unobstructed McDowell Mountain views the entire way. The trail surface is well-maintained decomposed granite.

What makes this trail stand out: it’s genuinely beautiful without being hard. Most Phoenix trails either require serious effort for the views (Camelback, Pinnacle Peak) or sacrifice scenery for easy terrain (many South Mountain sections). The Sunrise Trail does neither.

It’s also dog-friendly and free. Gateway Trailhead has restrooms, a shade ramada, and reliable parking until about 8:30am on weekends. Weekday mornings are quiet.

5. Pinnacle Peak, Pinnacle Peak Trail

Distance: 3.5 miles round trip Elevation gain: 1,300 ft Parking: Pinnacle Peak Park, 26802 N 102nd Way, Scottsdale ($3 parking fee weekends) Best season: October through April Dogs: No dogs on trail (check current park rules, this has changed before) Permit: None for the hike

Pinnacle Peak is the pointed granite summit visible from much of north Scottsdale. The park is a Scottsdale city park, and the trail is better maintained than most municipal trails. It climbs a steady exposed ridge to the base of the granite pinnacle itself, the actual summit is a technical scramble and off-limits to general hikers.

The trail has more boulder scrambling than the first two miles suggest. The final 0.5 miles is rocky enough to require hands on some sections. The views at the trail’s end terminus look south across the entire Scottsdale development pattern with the McDowell Mountains immediately east.

Best time: Early morning on a weekday from October through February. The trail gets congested on winter weekends starting around 8am. Arrive at 6:30am for empty parking and golden hour light on the granite.

6. White Tank Mountain Regional Park, Petroglyph Canyon Trail

Distance: 2.5 miles round trip Elevation gain: 150 ft Parking: White Tank Mountain Regional Park entrance, $7/vehicle Best season: October through April Dogs: Yes, on leash Permit: Park entrance fee only

White Tank Mountain Regional Park sits 30 miles west of Phoenix in a low desert range that most Phoenix visitors never reach. That distance is its best feature. The Petroglyph Canyon Trail is the most visited in the park and still far less crowded than anything on Camelback or South Mountain.

The trail follows a bajada wash to a dense concentration of Hohokam petroglyphs carved into a granite boulder face. The rock art dates from roughly 500 to 1,400 CE. Interpretive signs identify specific glyphs. The waterfall site at the trail terminus (0.5 miles past the petroglyphs) has a seasonal water-carved slot in the granite that fills after significant rainfall.

This is the best family hike on this list. The flat terrain works for young kids. The petroglyphs hold genuine attention. And the park setting, away from the Phoenix development pressure, gives a better sense of what the Sonoran Desert actually is outside the metro area.

Phoenix-Specific Hiking Rules

Permits and reservations: The Camelback permit system (both Echo Canyon and Cholla trailheads) runs April through November. Reservations open at recreation.gov two weeks in advance. The system is free. Walk-up spots exist but are unreliable on weekends. Check current requirements at phoenix.gov/parks before planning, the rules change seasonally.

Summer is not a hiking season in Phoenix. This isn’t a preference, it’s a safety fact. Phoenix averages 107°F in July. The record high is 122°F (June 26, 1990). Multiple people die on Phoenix-area trails every summer, most on Camelback. If you visit in June through September, set an alarm for 4:30am, start hiking at 5:00am, and be back at your car by 9:30am. Carry 3 liters of water minimum for any hike over 2 miles. The heat management guide covers the full protocol.

Footwear matters more than you think. The granite on Camelback and Pinnacle Peak becomes slick when wet from morning dew or light rain. Worn trail runners are fine. Flat-soled sneakers are not. The desert hiking boot guide covers the distinction. For South Mountain and McDowell, almost any shoe works.

Hydration packs beat water bottles on the longer hikes here. A 1.5-liter hydration bladder keeps your hands free for the scrambling sections on Camelback and lets you drink without stopping. See our hydration system guide for options under $60 that work well in desert heat.

Photo Spots

Echo Canyon Trail, mile 0.6: Look back southwest toward the Biltmore area. The Phoenix grid pattern and Ahwatukee Foothills are visible below. Morning light (7-9am) is front-lit from the east. Good for establishing the scale of the climb.

Cholla Trail, mile 0.8 at sunrise: The Superstition Mountains catch the first light behind you as you climb. Turn around and shoot east at the moment the sun clears the Superstitions, roughly 7:15am in winter. The rock color on the summit is warmest in the first 20 minutes of direct light.

McDowell Preserve, Sunrise Trail at mile 2: Look northwest toward the McDowell Peaks with saguaros in the foreground. Best at late afternoon when the peaks are backlit and the saguaro arms are rim-lit. Golden hour here runs about 45 minutes before sunset.

Petroglyph Canyon, the main glyph panel: Shoot in open shade (overcast days are ideal). Direct midday sun washes out the petroglyphs and creates harsh shadows. Early morning with shadow from the canyon walls gives even light across the carved surface.

South Mountain from the Geronimo Trail ridge: Shoot north toward downtown at dusk. City lights start appearing about 20 minutes after sunset, while the sky still has color in the west. This is the best Phoenix cityscape photography access in the park system.

Related Trails

Tucson beginner trails offers a completely different hiking character from Phoenix. Tucson’s canyon trails are shaded, creek-adjacent, and less technical than Camelback. A good comparison if you’re deciding between the two cities for a hiking trip.

Saguaro National Park is 100 miles southeast of Phoenix. The East District’s Tanque Verde Ridge and the West District’s Hugh Norris Trail are both harder than anything except a full Camelback round trip, but with more remote scenery and no permit system.

Superstition Wilderness is 35 miles east of Phoenix on US-60. Lost Dutchman State Park at the base of the Superstitions has trailheads for the Siphon Draw Trail (3.6 miles, 1,700 ft gain), harder than Camelback but with better views of the canyon system that defines this range. The Superstitions are a separate ecosystem from the Phoenix urban core trails and worth a dedicated trip.