If you're looking for a great hike in the Superstition Mountains, Hieroglyphic Trail is absolutely…read moreworth checking out. The scenery is incredible and the petroglyphs at the end make the hike feel especially rewarding. A few things to know before you go: the parking lot is pretty small and fills up fast, so getting there early is definitely recommended. Otherwise, you may end up waiting for someone to leave. I also wouldn't risk parking in a no-parking zone because I've heard they tow pretty regularly. The trail description says it's "a 1.5 mile trail that climbs a gentle slope covered with many cacti then enters the lower end of a boulder-filled canyon, ending at a rocky section where pools persist for much of the year," and that's mostly accurate. There are some sections before the canyon where you'll need to scramble over larger rocks, but overall it's manageable for most hikers. Once you reach the canyon and the petroglyph area, the terrain becomes steeper with much larger boulders. There's also a small streambed with several pools of water, which was a nice surprise. The petroglyphs themselves are amazing and can be found on both sides of the canyon. You can get fairly close to several of them, which makes the experience even better. Bring plenty of water because most of the trail is fully exposed to the sun during the day. Once you reach the petroglyphs it's a great spot to sit, rest, and recharge There is shade inside the canyon, although when we arrived most of the shady spots were already occupied by other hikers. Overall, this is a fantastic beginner-to-intermediate trail with spectacular views, unique scenery, and a rewarding destination at the end. Definitely one of my favorite hikes in the area.

Hieroglyphic Trail is a beginner to intermediate hiking trail you can hike to see the sunrise early…read morein the morning. There are plenty of parking spaces and the hike is not too challenging to hike even for the first timers. On either side of the trail there are beautiful landscapes be admired with mountains that can only be seen in the Arizona. With the sun slowly lightening up the trail, mid October morning was a perfect time to hike this trail. When you reach close to the summit, you will find yourself in between two rocks with hieroglyphic markings on them with the stream of water running between them. What a sight to see. We decided to hang out here for a bit enjoying the fresh breeze and the scene. No matter how many pictures and videos we take they don't do justice for this beautiful trail. We also brought some small snacks and protein bars to munch on while we planned out the rest of our day during our short visit to Arizona. Please be careful with every step. Don't leave trash behind. Take lots of beautiful photos. Let me know how much you enjoyed this!

Peralta Trails is by far one of my favorites in the Phoenix Metro Area. The drive is beautiful and…read moremost of it dirt. You don't need a four-wheel-drive however. Even if you're not a hiker, just go for the drive alone. I'd suggest getting out of your car at the provide lot and taking pictures at the beginning of the trail as it's something in itself to experience.

Fantastic trail away from everything. Pretty easy steady climb to the Needle on the other side…read more 5miles out and back. Today after few days of rain saw running water and everything was so green. The sound of water made the experience even more beautiful.

Parking lot is small; we were lucky to find a spot around noon on a Thursday. No bathrooms at the…read moretrail head and several were "popping a squat" and leaving behind their toilet paper which was kind of gross. Also no enforcement of the required permit and no other vehicles had parking passes displayed on their dash as instructed by the permit guidelines. Trail is not marked at all and we did get off trail by accident a few times coming down. The entirety of the trail is rocky, which doesn't matter as much during the first mile that is relatively flat but did require strategic footing on the way up the last half mile and extreme caution coming down. I slid several times despite being extra cautious (and saw many others sliding too) and even fell twice (luckily didn't get hurt). There was a small bee hive at the wave and bees followed us the entire way back to the parking lot. Saw some birds and lizards. Made it up in an hour and took just about the same amount of time coming down with full sun the entire time. I recommend this hike because the wave cave is a cool feature but I don't think I'd do it again because of the trail conditions and bees.

Definitely worth the hike, it was a moderate level hike but definitely had me winded at points…read more Check it out if you're in the area!

Been out exploring and looking for new trails to hike out at the Superstition Mountains and came…read moreacross Carney Springs Waterfall. You can access this trail off Lost Goldmine Trailhead East. Its an easy to moderate round trip out back trial with over 4 miles of hiking and almost 700 foot elevation gain. The last trek to the waterfall is when it gets the steepest, and on the way to the waterfall you will come across a cool cave as well. Now Carney Springs Waterfall most of the time is dry, but if you happen to go after a rainfall or monsoon, you will be treated to the waterfall. The Carney Springs Waterfall is visible from Peralta and is apx a 240-foot drop. While hiking along the trail making your way to the waterfall if you look to the left you can see the trial for the Wave Cave and even spot it in the distance. You also will see some interesting canyon views along the way. There isn't any clear signs to the waterfall but if you are going along Lost Goldmine Trail #60, at the fork that goes to the Wave Cave, turn right go past the cave and make your way to the waterfall. We went after a rain fall and got to see the fails. Once you turn off the 60 and head up Peralta trail the road becomes a dirt road, but you don't need a 4x4 to get there. The parking lot will be on the left side of the dirt road just up the road from Peralta Park.

A little confusing to get here if you are coming off the 60 East. You have to make a U-turn to get…read moreon the right side of the highway and the turn off is not well marked. Once here, it's pretty neat. You can hike multiple different trails and there is a nice view of the Superstition Mountains. This is a great option if you don't want to drive far to go hiking and you are in the east valley area. The parking is free!

Silly Mtn Park has a gravel parking lot. It also has public restroom and a covered picnic table…read more It is free and pretty easy hiking. Not really impressive views just easy trails.

This difficult 6.5 mile (5.5 according to AllTrails) heavily trafficked out and back trail is…read moreanother favorite of mine out in the Superstitions. Total elevation gain is 2641' but almost all of that is in the second half, especially after siphon draw. This well-marked trail involves a lot of scrambling and vertical climbing. Lots of pretty flowers, cacti, and views along the way and at the summit. I began this one just before 11:30am when it was 55°, cloudy, and slightly windy. Ascended in 1h55min and descended in 1h37min. No water but restrooms are open at trailhead. Dogs allowed on leash (May be difficult for them past siphon draw). $7 park fee ($10 on weekends). @azfitfoodfun

Such a fun hike! It took my partner and me about 4-5 hours total to get up and back down. It's the…read moreperfect hike to get lost and go off trail a bit. Definitely bring snacks and hiking shoes. I was not expecting to be actually hiking lol but totally worth it. Lots of people had hiking sticks and dogs were on the trail. By the time we were heading back, more people had shown up to catch the sunset and take photos. Such a beautiful spot and a great hike if you're looking for something scenic and a challenging.

I came here on a Saturday morning to run, and I arrived at the parking lot at 10:15AM. Note that…read moresince this is inside Usery Mountain Regional Park, there's a $7 per motor vehicle. The parking lot was entirely full and street parking was pretty full too, but luckily I snagged a spot right at the trailhead as a car left. I went clockwise on the trail, and the map at the beginning says this trail is 7.5 miles (but actually if I add up the mileage on the map, it's 7.6 miles). The views before going down were good but once I went to the back of the mountain, the views weren't very good. Completely unshaded, most people are going counterclockwise so I ran into a lot of hikers, a few bikes, and even a horseback rider and his horse. Some parts of the path are a bit rockier than the others, but all manageable for running.

I spend much of my time on this trail running, especially if I want something that provides a lot…read moreof varied terrain and isn't too crowded. Wind Cave is an awesome workout, but it is typically a lot more crowded. A good portion of the trail is runnable, which is nice. For a moderate running pace, two hours should be fine. In talking to people on the trail, it seems that hikers typically plan 3.5-4 hours to do the whole thing. Maybe longer if you stop at the saddle to have a snack and enjoy the views for a bit. Speaking of that, there are several places to stop and enjoy the views, especially on the backside of the mountain, and it is really beautiful when the desert blooms. I was out here a few years ago when we got snow on January 1, and that was pretty cool to see. These days, I mostly see hikers, although there are some adventurous mountain bikers -- there is an interesting climb (or descent, depending on your chosen direction) just before/after the saddle. I've seen people carrying their bikes on that one. I think tackling this trail clockwise on a bike might be best, although I typically run it counterclockwise to get the rougher parts of the trail out of the way first. The trail is pretty rocky in spots between Blevins and the saddle. It is good to note that you can jump on this trail either from the Wind Cave or Blevins (Trailhead Staging Area) parking areas, but the marked trailhead is at the Blevins parking lot. There is nowhere to get water, except at the Wind Cave trailhead, which, depending on where you park, could be your start/end point. It is best to bring all that you'll need, especially in the summer. This is a loop trail, but there are really no shortcuts out of the trail, so you either plan to do the whole thing or pick a spot to turn around when you're halfway done with hiking. (The trail does connect to the Cat Peaks trail about a mile from the Blevins trailhead, and forks off to connect with the Arizona Trail, but once you're really into the trail, there are much fewer options.) As for shade, the only real shade is provided during certain parts of the year and times of day at the saddle. There are some trees and, if you can crouch in the shadow of some rock formations, you can find a little. Beyond that, it is pretty sparse. I suggest starting early in the morning. Keep an eye out for wildlife. I have scared several deer and jackrabbits in addition to the usual lizards, squirrels and occasional rattlesnake. There is a $6 fee to enter the park by car ($2 if you bike, walk, or run in) and the Maricopa County Parks pass is good here.

I had heard good things about this trail and it has a cool name, so I decided to check it out one…read moremorning. I didn't want to pay for parking so I started at a different trailhead and hiked a few kilometers to get to the beginning of this trail. I saw a good amount of people along the way, but not too many. They were all courteous and respectful of the trail and its rules. There are lots of switchbacks and some decent elevation, I'd classify it as a moderate hike. The top with the "cave" was nice, more like an indentation, and I saw 2 chipmunks. I guess I didn't make it all the way to the top according to my map, but close enough. I went back down the trail and continued on my loop back to the parking lot I came from. There isn't much cover from the sun so be sure to dress appropriately, wear sunscreen, a hat, drink water, etc. I'm glad I got to do this trail.

This was a good workout and moderately challenging trail. We got started a bit too late so it was…read more"hot" on the trail. I'm glad I was wearing a hat, sunscreen, and had plenty of water. The weather was nice today, it's just a lot of sun exposure on the trail. I saw people of all ages on the trail and dogs are allowed. Personally it was a bit busy on the trail for my liking and I don't love paying $7 to access a trail but we were hiking with a friend who is new to the area and thought this is a nice intro to AZ hiking. There are plenty of other trails in the Usery Mountain Regional Park to check out as well, but we were ready to head out after this trail. Wind cave trail is 3.2 miles out and back, it's about 1,000ft elevation gain and on average takes about 2 hrs to complete. One interesting thing we found at the "cave" area at the top was large honey comb coming out of the rock. There are quite a few bees there and man I would have loved to eat that honey comb haha. That added an element of interest. Overall, nice hike and a good mix of effort. I would have liked to do it earlier in the day, but I'm sure it was even busier then so it worked out.

This road is incredible. It is full of twists and turns at every corner. We had such a great time…read moredriving down to Apache Lake. The views were remarkable on this road. But beware it is a very dangerous road.

They say that no visit to Phoenix is complete without driving the Apache Trail. Not quite willing…read moreto trust our budget car on the no doubt rocky terrain we took a jeep tour that started at Goldfield Ghost Town at the Apache Junction. The trail is fairly long and very scenic. You'll definitely see a lot of cacti, especially the Saguaro, on your drive. I was very glad someone else was driving because I swear at one stage one of our tires was actually hanging out over the edge! The Saguaro is known as the Hotel of the Sonoran Desert and is the most amazing plant. However it is extremely slow growing, taking between 60-80 years just to develop an arm, and slow to propagate! I'm not sure if its true but our tour guide said that literally millions of seeds would probably produce just one Saguaro. This is probably why they are therefore protected so if one gets in the way of you building a house you have to apply for permission for it to be moved and then I think it has to be returned to the same spot.

Very cool spot! It's a short distance from the car to the water…read more You can bring stuff to hang out by the water if you're not planning on floating on down. There's a lot of people tubing and paddle boarding downstream, dogs included too. This is a great place to cool down with the kids, families, and dogs. Parking was easy. Even though there was a sign that says the lot was full, there was plenty of parking spaces.

Another stop on the trail to try to find the wild horses. You can use your America the beautiful…read morenational park pass to avoid any day fees. Didn't see the wild horses here but you could tell that it is a good spot where they could come through. Short walk from the parking lot to the river, and it did not look like it was going to be much on the walk over but glad I decided to walk down there and check it out. Some of my favorite pics on this adventure.