Daisy Mountain is a fantastic gem of a hike situated far enough north of the valley that you will…read morebe able to have some one on one time with the desert - without the massive crowds you'll find at the more popular trails.
The trailhead is not clearly marked, which is probably for the best, as it keeps away crowds. However, you can find lots of parking on the street. On a Sunday morning, there were only eight or so cars total around the jumping off point. Compare that to Camelback or Pinnacle Peak and you can maybe understand why I love hikes like this.
The trail starts easy, with about 2 miles of almost totally level ground. It is after this point that the real hike starts. You can execute Daisy Mountain on a loop trail, hiking up one ridge and descending down the other, which is exactly what we did. Elevation gain is about 1400 feet, and it's close to 7 miles of total hiking if you do the full loop.
The scenery is beautiful, once you start gaining some elevation, the trail narrowly hugs the side of the mountain, and you'll find yourself traversing up and down several washes, which nicely creates up and down segments to keep things interesting.
There two main peaks at the top. Both are marked by large cairns, and one has a large American flag with some green patio type chairs someone decided to haul up there. The views are spectacular and totally worth the trek up. If you're a lover of nature, the outdoors, hiking, or getting a great workout, bring your friends, haul yourself up to Anthem, and knock this mountain off. You'll have a great time!