I decided about a week ago to hike the trail at Pinnacle Peak. After looking at different sites about the trail and its difficulty I thought this would be a very good hike because it seemed moderately easy and a great place to take pictures.
So, I set out for Pinnacle Peak at 5:00 am. It rained the night before and I wasn't sure if the trail would be muddy or not. It was not, but it was humid and a little warm. From FLW blvd. I turned north on the 101, staying on the frontage road and eventually turned right on Pima rd. I took Pima rd. to Happy Valley rd and turned right and drove a ways until I got to Alma School rd. and turned left. I drove up to Pinnacle Peak rd. and turned left which took me to the entrance of the park.
The parking lot, visitor center and trail head are all very nice and well kept. It is maintained by both the dept. of parks and rec. and The Friends of Pinnacle Peak Park. The trail is very smooth and well marked. There are several points that mark how far you are from the trail head. There are also several signs that have information on the plants that are native to the Sonoran Desert.
The first part of the trail is tough because it is all inclines and switchbacks. I was breathing rather heavy all the way up, but it smooths out very quickly. The highest point is just a little more than .25 miles in and provides some beautiful scenic views. From there you can see the northern most parts of Scottsdale, Phoenix and you can see Cave Creek, Carefree and the Matazal Mountains.
There are several points marked for climbers only, these trails are off limits to hikers and you have to have the proper equipment to climb within the park.
After the high point of the trail it winds around the other side of the peak to an lookout point where you can see Camelback Mountain, the Phoenix Mountains and the Sierra Estrellas to the south.
Just west of the peak there is a connecting butte. The trail dips down between the two and comes back up on the other butte. There are several switchbacks going up the side and it ends on the other side of the butte.
I turned around (the trail is one way and not a loop.) with only a half a mile to go because I was sticking to a time schedule, but I was satisfied with the hike and I figure I will come back with someone who can park at the other end of the trail or I can just turn back like I did today.
The hard part of Pinnacle Peak is all of the ups and downs but I would say overall it is fairly easy. It has great views of the valley and it is a great place to experience the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert. It is a great trail and one that everyone who loves to hike should experience.
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