There are 2 extremes to this hike. You can choose to explore the lower canyon to a beautiful…read morewaterfall at the end surrounded by cliffs and call it a day for a total of 3 miles out and back OR you can hire a guide and canyoneer the upper canyon and spend around 5-7 hours while rappelling, climbing, and wading through endless pools and more waterfalls for a total of over 5 miles. On this adventure, my hiking group decided to take the easy route and enjoy the lower canyon. It kind of reminded me of West Fork hike in Sedona, because you cross the creek bed repeatedly, and you cannot help but stop and stare in awe of how beautiful the surroundings are. The hike is peaceful and you feel kid-like once more since you are forced to climb over small boulders, get knee deep or sometimes even waist deep in water, and brush past tree branches of various foliage. The life is teeming with so many different plant species present and with the Salt River connecting nearby, you just know the place is great for fishing as well. Permits are $15 per person for day hikes. Cibecue is on sacred land so remember to enjoy the hike in all its glory but be respectful and pack out everything you bring in.

One of my favorite hikes in AZ! How can you beat stunning canyon views, creek crossings, and a…read morebeautiful waterfall at the end!? Not to mention it's in the middle of nowhere away from all civilization--a great day trip getaway to relieve yourself after a stressful workweek! A few things to note before trekking out here: -You're going to want to be driving a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle as the road from the 60 turnoff is nothing but dirt and rocks. I've seen a Prius do it but it looked painful and damaging lol. -Permits are now $30 per person and you pay with cash into a box so come prepared. I'm not a huge fan of the price hike *no pun intended* but I can see why the reservation did it reduces the crowd. -Bring sturdy water shoes or prepare to get your hiking shoes wet/muddy. I have some pretty flimsy Walmart water shoes so I opted for the latter. There are multiple creek crossings and it's not like Seven Falls or Oak Creek--there are not enough stones to hop across and you will need to walk in the water.By the end of the day, my hiking shoes were completely soaked with muddy water. They will need some deep cleaning. -Piggy-backing off the point above, if you go following a monsoon storm, expect the creek and falls to be saturated with thick mud. Grand Falls style. -PLEASE pack in what you pack out. Do not litter or leave anything behind in this beautiful place.

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.

This dam is very unique, and very picturesque! Too bad they have contracted the water downstream so…read moremuch, the lake is rarely very deep. The Apache Rez is currently closed for Covid. I was therefor business and able to go to the dam.

Probanly one of the last standing Great Depression dams in the world…read more You have to see it to believe it. Vaulting Eagles, Columns of such beuaty it will take your breath away. This is possibly the greatest standing Art Deco example of CCC work left in the US. Go see it now, before they take it down. Go now.

This trail was life-changingly beautiful! It's a great trail for the advanced side of beginner…read morehikers. I'd recommend going with a group as it is pretty isolated and we only passed two other groups within the three days we were there in the Springtime. We saw lots of amazing species like Gila monsters and road runners up close. The campgrounds were very primitive in a great way. Overall, if you're looking to backpack around Arizona, I'd recommend checking this trail out!

We love going to the superstition mountains. The scenery is gorgeous. Lots of different trails and…read morea lot of fun.

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.

Such a beautiful hike ! Absolutely bring water. Saw some lizards along the way and beautiful cacti…read more The trail is well taken care of. As always remember to pack out what you pack in.

The Picketpost Trailhead gives you access to the Arizona Trail, which traverses the state from…read moreMexico to Utah. We did not hike the Picketpost Trail up the mountain, but instead did an hour out and back along the Arizona Trail. While the scenery at Lost Dutchman State Park east of Phoenix is beautiful, driving the additional 30 minutes east to this trailhead is well worth the extra time. It's less crowded and I found the backdrop of Picketpost Mountain spectacular. If you are new to the Sonoran Desert, you will find the landscape fascinating; there is much more green than you would expect, at least in the winter. Of course, the saguaros are the highlight, and the saguaro sentinels abound up and down the ridges on this stretch of the Arizona Trail. I loved it. Access to the trailhead is on the south side of US60 about five miles west of Superior. There's a sign for the trailhead on the highway.

Perfect spot for a challenging hike. From Phoenix area, it is about a 45 minute drive which is…read morenothing at all. You take the 60 all the way until you are about 5 minutes from Superior. You park and the trail is right there. Restrooms to use right where you park which I recommend to use because it is a bit of a longer hike. You start off easy with a little incline, but mostly flat trails. Take in the view of the mountain that you are going to eventually climb up. I thought that was one of the coolest parts seeing the mountain that you are going to struggle climbing up. After about 15-20 minutes you will start the trip up. Let me tell you, a very challenging hike if you are not in the best shape or don't hike often. The tough part was staying on the trail. For the most part, the trail is marked well with arrows to keep you on track, but there were a couple times where we must've taken the wrong turn and had to retrace our steps. Just bud careful and watch your steps as there are some very steep parts. It took us about an hour 30 minutes to get to the top. The views were incredible. Usually you get to the top and look back to see the view, but this was a full 360 degree view. Just an outstanding hike if you want to challenge yourself. I love the accomplishment of doing something new and challenging and not too far away from home.

Awesome Father's Day at Tonto Bridge! Got there at 9am when the gate opens and even when we left…read morearound 11:30am on a Sunday there were plenty of parking spots still available in each parking lot. My husband had my 17 mo in a baby carrier and we did the whole loop. We spent a little over 2 hours here. Some parts were super slippery even without water present, esp more towards the bridge, but wear hiking boots and be sure of your footings and you're going to be just fine! Take your time. Stop every now and then and just look up. It's beautiful all the rocks and mountain cliffs. It's beautiful the whole loop trail. Under the bridge the breeze and spray from the water coming down is a treat after being sweating. We saw plenty of young children take on the rocky trails. If you can physically, do the entire big loop. It's worth it.

We are a little too unstable to try the various paths down to the creek, but we did walk on the…read morepath to the four viewing points of the bridge. We got there at 9:30 and the parking lot was almost empty. By the time we left, it was hopping. So from our perspective, the best time to go is early. Of the four viewing points, number one is best for the view of the bridge and number four is best for a view of the waterfall. The park and paths are well-maintained and the person in the gift shop that took our money was incredibly helpful and cheerful. We highly recommend this park.

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!