Arizona Hiking Books - Phoenix Hiking Trail Guides

Arizona is an amazing place to hike! If you are are in the middle of the East Valley, near Phoenix, you are in direct view of several mountain ranges. It is an awesome sight! On any given day, you can find hikes ranging from the very short to rather long and from the very easy to extremely difficult, I have even discovered a handicapped trail which is wheelchair accessible! I have hiked several of these trails and have researched even more for future hikes.

One of the most comprehensive books you can purchase is Best Easy Day Hikes - Phoenix. It is perfect for hikers looking for trails in the Phoenix area. It covers most of the trails, including the Superstitions, South Mountain, Camelback and Piestewa Peak.

This book illustrates 60 different, scenic day hikes ranging in difficulty. It has clear, easy to use trail maps with clear descriptions.

There are over 900 miles of trail in the Tonto National Forest! This book provides detailed descriptions of each hike and provides the critical information that you need to know if you are going to hike them!

The largest municipal park in the country is South Mountain Park. It includes over 51 trails and spans approximately 16,000 acres. It's highest point, Dobbins Peak is 2330ft. If this is too much of a hike for you, you can also drive there! The city of Phoenix has a great website that includes, trail guides/maps, history, pictures and more! A very worthy site!

Pleas visit: South Mountain

Remember, it is extremely hot and dry in Arizona and the sun is strong. If you don't bring anything else, make sure you have plenty of water, high spf sunblock, a first aid kit and a hat. You might want to get a walking stick, as well. The mountains can be dangerous. There are many snakes out on the trails, as well as other critters. You may even meet a javelina and , keep in mind, the cacti are prevelant and prickly! As often as we used to go into the mountains, we were not always well enough prepared and had to turn around before the exciting parts! We have learned to check the weather, the trail guides and bring every essential we may need. Even that didn't help me from locking my keys in the car at South Mountain as I did!

If you are not an experienced hiker, there are many trails that you can take. But, if you are hankering to see some of the amazing views, i recommend you take a jeep tour. There are many different services out there. These guys will give you a good, authentic tour! Apache Trail Jeep Tours. When taking driving tours, be sure to check out Tortilla Flats. It is a small old west town with a big personality. There is a museum, stores and restaurants in this town that was an original 1904 stagecoach stop and it provides a fun scenic drive. You may be interested to know rthat it has a population of 6!

If you are visiting Arizona and want to see what else it has to offer besides its glorious mountains, you're in for a treat! The weather is almost always stable as it is sunny an average of 301 days per year! Mesa, Arizona is the official home of the Chicago Cubs spring training and is in the beginning stages of building "Wrigleyville West", which will be a unique sports, entertainment and retail destinations. Until then, you can still enjoy watching their games at Hohokum Stadium. Or you can go into Scottsdale, which, among all of its jewels, houses Old Town Scottsdale, a fun, touristy area that is filled with great restaurants and shops. A must see! If you are still looking for more, Arizona has over 300 golf courses and I couldn't even begin to count how many swimming pools. I have no doubt, you will be able to find something fun and interesting to do while you are here.